Around Town Around Town (May 05, 2004)

BIBLIOPHILES UNITE... "I'm here to challenge every assumption," Palo Alto's new Library Director, Paula Simpson, told a crowd of bibliophiles on Thursday night. For 90 minutes, Simpson spoke to and heard from a crowd at the Palo Alto Art Center about the future of the city's library system. When Simpson first requested ideas for new programs, the roomful of residents was unusually silent. "Oh come on..." she encouraged. "Someone did tell me people in Palo Alto are soft spoken and not opinionated," Simpson joked. Sure enough, before long the opinions began overflowing: "More hours." "More evening hours." "More morning hours." "24/7 service!" Library Advisory Commissioner Tom Wyman suggested more plug-ins for laptop computers. (Recently the libraries got a grant to provide wireless Internet access at the Main and Mitchell Park Libraries.) After a dozen suggestions had been obtained, Simpson asked the group to vote, by raising their hands, on what upgrades were more important. Teen services and more collaboration with schools appeared to be the most popular. More morning hours and additional books on tape appeared to be the least. The Friends of the Palo Alto Library sponsored the event. For years, supporters have complained that the libraries don't have enough space or funds for new librarians. Voters narrowly rejected a $49.1 million bond measure in 2002. Simpson started the evening with a recounting of her own life and career. She said she left her last job -- as Monterey's library director -- because she "started to get bored," and wanted new challenges. "Guess what? I think I found them."

TWO MORE YEARS... "You're older than you've ever been and now you're even older. And now you're even older." Those They Might Be Giants lyrics have never been more appropriate for local golfers. Palo Alto's golf division, in an attempt to stay competitive with other courses, is asking the City Council to lower the age of a "senior" golfer, from 62 to 60 years old. That will give more folks the ability to pay reduced fees for use of the links. Don't worry -- if you were born in 1945 and despise the idea of being labeled a senior, you can still choose to pay the full cost. We won't tell.

GROUNDED... The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo recently added a recovering red-tailed hawk to its family of animal friends. The bird was found, her wing broken in five places, at the tarmac of San Jose's international airport, after probably getting whacked by an airplane. The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley helped mend her, but wasn't able to fully rehabilitate the bird. So, she was give to the museum. Although her wing is mostly healed, and she can fly, the hawk can't hunt due to some lingering injuries. She was, appropriately enough, named Boeing, after the circumstances of her rescue. She is believed to be between 3 to 4-years-old, and will be used to educate the children who visit the museum about hawks and the habitat.

HAWAII-BOUND ... Ro Davis, the sometimes combative president of the Palo Alto Educators Association for the past three years, will be leaving Palo Alto July 2 to take a job in Kauai, Hawaii. Davis, who squared off against district officials this year over unpaid "furlough" days that would reduce the district's budget gap, will be athletic director and P.E. teacher for 2004-04 at Island School on Kauai, known for its lushness and flowers. "While we anticipate the move will be permanent, we all know that nothing is forever," he told the Weekly. No word yet on his replacement as union president or as a district teacher. Until a new president is named, "I will continue to keep the association moving forward to the best of my ability," he said.

THE KIDS HAVE HEART . . . Stanford students living in Lantana, a public service house, recently held an arcade night and fund-raiser for the Opportunity Center. The center, which broke ground in Palo Alto this morning, will have low-cost apartments and drop-in centers for the homeless. The students raised $2,000 for the center, according to Al Camarillo, a history professor and the resident faculty fellow at the house. The students "worked very hard to pull off a fun event that raised a considerable amount of money," Camarillo said.

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