March 10, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

News Digest

The group has used an online auction and live auction gala simultaneously in the past, but this spring will be the first time it's completely online. The switch was motivated by a desire to save manpower, not money, foundation co-president Anne Avis said.

Putting together an online auction is much less labor-intensive for volunteers and is easier to conduct, event co-chair and foundation board member Renate Steiner said. It took approximately 15 people to put together the live event last year. Three are needed to coordinate an online-only event, she said.

With the auction completely online, it also lets donors bid privately, she said.

"There have definitely been times before when somebody's bid on a dinner and it ends up in the press and that sometimes causes embarrassment," Steiner said.

Saving money might not be the motivating factor, but holding the event online should also cost the group less than it did last year when they had both live and online events.

Last year the foundation spent around $20,000 on the live event, Avis estimated. The online component cost basically nothing because the organization used a free software prototype, she said. The group raised $130,000 from the live auction and $20,000 from the computerized one.

Overhead costs should be lower this year -- an expected $3,000 to pay company Auctions a la Carte for hosting the bidding -- but the amount organizers expect to raise is also significantly less at $75,000.

In the end though, the ratio of event costs to money earned could end up about the same this year, Avis said.

-- Rachel Metz
Caltrain's Baby Bullet start delayed

Caltrain's express Baby Bullet trains won't start running until late spring, due to delays in installing signals.

Part of the holdup was due to the unusually wet winter season, according to Caltrain spokesperson Jayme Maltbie Kunz. A new start date for the Baby Bullet trains has not been set.

Weekend Caltrain service has been halted during construction of the Baby Bullet.

Palo Alto's downtown is one of the few Midpeninsula stops for the high speed train service. --Bill D'Agostino
Fire department offers ambulance transport

The Palo Alto Fire Department now operates its own ambulance transport service, making it the first department to offer such a service in Santa Clara County.

The service is operated by Palo Alto firefighters who are fully certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Local patients can call for transportation from their homes to health care providers including hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation or convalescent facilities.

The service is available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can get more information, or schedule a non-emergency BLS ambulance transport in the Palo Alto area by calling the city's Fire Administration Office at (650) 329-2540.

-- Bay City News Service

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