News Digest News Digest (February 18, 2005)

Environmental group will try to restore Sea Scout building

Leaders with the Environmental Volunteers will attempt to raise $2 million to acquire and restore the former Sea Scout base at Palo Alto's Baylands Park, the group announced this week.

In the early 1940s, architect Birge Clarke designed the now damaged and aging building to look like a ship.

The nonprofit, which teaches nature to schoolchildren, spent six months studying the city-owned building and concluded it would be a worthy investment.

"Our organization began 33 years ago at the Baylands. We see this as returning to our roots," Executive Director Allan Berkowitz said.

The 2,209-square-foot building, donated to the city by Lucie Stern in 1941, has been vacant since 1991, five years after the city closed the harbor at the Baylands. High tides and vandals have caused damage to it since.

Last year, the city refused an offer from the local Sea Scouts, which are now located in Redwood City, to restore the building. The city said the group's proposal lacked concrete details for how to raise the needed funds for repairs.

Caltrain death ruled accidental

The death of a man who was struck by a Caltrain in Palo Alto Dec. 12 has been ruled an accident by the Santa Clara County Coroner's office.

Matt Heroux, a popular Los Altos teacher, slipped and hit his head on a railroad tie just as a train was pulling into the Palo Alto station at 7:02 p.m. that evening, the coroner's office has concluded.

His death was initially thought to have been a suicide.
-- Don Kazak

VA Medical Center to build guest house

The Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center will build a 21-bedroom guest house where families can stay while veterans undergo rehabilitation services at the hospital. Plans to build the house were announced Monday by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, and Ray Bingham, president and CEO of Cadence Design Systems.

Bingham's company will donate the first $1 million of the expected $2.5 million needed for the home.

About 325,000 veterans live within the Palo Alto VA Hospital's primary service, 10-county area. More than 80,000 of those veterans are enrolled with the VA for health services.
-- Don Kazak

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