VARSITY REPORT . . . The conversion of the Varsity Theatre to a Borders bookstore is proceeding on schedule, but it won't be open by Christmas, said architect Tony Carrasco, whose firm is doing the seismic upgrade for the 1927 building. Construction on the building shell should be done in December, and interior work by early next year, he said. Meanwhile, the Historic Resources Board last week gave a 4-1 thumbs-up recommendation for the bookstore's signs. The Architectural Review Board will make the final decision Nov. 16. As proposed, the original neon "Varsity" sign will be restored and on the marquee it will say, "Borders--Books, Music, Cafe." upcoming events will be announced on the attraction board down below.
PREMATURE? . . . When YMCA board president Diane Savage asked a table of former, present and future mayors to stand up at last Thursday night's posthumous tribute to Fran Arrillaga, Lanie Wheeler seemed a bit uncomfortable rising. As the intended "future" mayor, she knew she not only needed to get re-elected to the Council in yesterday's election, but she also needed to be elected mayor by her colleagues in January. Neither was or is in much doubt, but still . . .
TOTAL DISREGARD? . . . Someone has left some prominent tire tracks straight across the temporary Bryant Street/Addison Avenue traffic circle. Whether it was just a rogue driver or a statement against costly traffic control devices is unknown. But you may recall the community uproar early last summer over the cost of the proposed designer circle--a staggering $88,800. The City Council ended up dumping the gold-plated design in favor of a cheaper alternative, but perhaps that didn't satisfy everyone.
TICKET GLUT . . . You've waited until the last minute, but this time the old saying about the early bird won't necessarily hold true. It's not too late to buy tickets for the Nov. 18 Big Game. As of Nov. 1, there were 13,000 tickets left, with 2,000 of those reserved for students. Tickets are $35 each, and can be ordered by calling 723-1021.
ITEM SIGHTEM . . . This li'l ol' suburb made it into Herb Caen's column last Thursday in the Ess Eff Chron. The item, credited to Jim Welch was a real roller, too. We quote: "The 8 a.m. traffic school at Old Cubberley High in P'Alto started an hour late because the instructor got arrested for running a red light."
NAMES AND NOTES . . . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Richard Cray, who was born and raised in Palo Alto, as one of four winners of Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting for his script entitled "Love, Squid and Pavarotti." . . . the Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation has awarded business environmental awards to Stanford University's Utilities Division for an energy retrofit program and Hidden Villa for environmental education.
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