Around Town Around Town (November 19, 2003)

CELL-SOLUTIONS ... After a woman got into a fender bender with a Lexus at the Stanford Shopping Center last Tuesday, and the other car's driver wouldn't share her information, the first driver called 911 on her cell phone. Remarkable? Not very in Palo Alto. But what was newsworthy was that the call was answered by Palo Alto dispatchers. As of last week, 911 calls from cell phones with Verizon and Nextel companies will no longer go to the California Highway Patrol, as they have in the past, but instead will remain local. Communications Manager Charles Cullen spent last Tuesday testing out various locations around town. The results were good -- not only did the calls go into Palo Alto's 911 center, but the phones that had GPS devices inside relayed very precise latitude and longitude information from the callers' locations. "We've got a great location," Cullen said numerous times. Subscribers with other companies will continue to be answered by CHP dispatchers for the time being, but will eventually be switched over.

THE JOB FACTORY ...Fishing enthusiasts visiting the Upstream store on Waverly Street won't find any rods or reels anymore, but they just may pick up a new job at The Cheesecake Factory. The new addition to University Avenue has transformed the space into a temporary hiring center. Eager applicants are flocking from across the Peninsula and San Jose area to pick up employment at the high volume restaurant that will open on Dec. 15. Applicants -- from college-aged to middle aged -- sat on folding metal chairs, filling out applications while an informational video played in the background. And everyone that walks through the hiring center's doors will get an interview on the same day. Once on board, new hires will go though an intensive two-week training course before the restaurant opens. "Its very thorough in the sense that you have to learn a 200-item menu," said General Manager Louis Sandor. Nearly all the applicants looking for work at the Factory are already working in the hospitality field, Sandor said. Former dot-comers looking to pay the bills can give it their best shot, but competition is stiff and restaurant experience a plus.

ROADRUNNERS NEEDED ...Avenidas senior center is hoping to expand its ride program from one day a week to five, and they are looking for extra folks to volunteer their time and their wheels to meet rising demand. RoadRunners Avenidas currently provides rides to local seniors every Monday, taking them from their homes to various appointments. Seniors age 55 and above within a seven-mile radius of the Oregon Expressway and Middlefield Road intersection are eligible for the service. "When seniors are no longer able to use their cars, they often find themselves stranded at home, with no way to get anywhere," said Ginger Johnson, Avenidas transportation manager. Fees depend on driving distance and can cost $4- $12 for a one-way ride. Avenidas is requesting that volunteers commit four consecutive hours a week. For more information call Johnson at 326-5362 ext. 25. For rides call 940-7016.
STANFORD ARCHITECT HEADS TO UVA ...Stanford's head architect David J. Neuman will be leaving the Farm's red-tiled roofs for the University of Virginia's 180-year-old Academical Village - home to buildings designed by Thomas Jefferson. Neuman, who has been at Stanford for 14 years, brought in architects such as Norman Foster, Robert Stern, Antoine Predock, and Ricardo Legorretta to design new buildings during his tenure. "I am keenly aware of the responsibility I have accepted and am prepared to continue in the tradition of the Jeffersonian legacy," Neuman said.