On April 30, 2015, the City of Orinda lost one of its most highly regarded employees,

Facility Maintenance Worker,  Les Graham. As a member of the Park and Recreation Department team, Les was responsible for making everything "go".   Les was the man behind the scenes who set-up classes, public meetings and kept our public facilities in stellar condition. Les took great pride in the well-being of others and he spent his work days making sure everything ran smoothly and that staff did not deal with "hiccups."

Les began his career with the City of Orinda on December 4, 1992 and everyday he came to work with a sparkle in his eye and a spirit to serve others. No task was ever too small or large for Les to tackle, he was a problem solver who could fix almost anything. Recently when the tiles on the Library began falling to the ground, Les knew that the City did not have a ladder tall enough to check the remaining tiles so he contacted the Moraga-Orinda Fire Department and requested their assistance. Little did many of us know that Les' first career was as a firefighter and he knew they would have the equipment and might like an opportunity for an impromptu training exercise. This type of out-of-the-box thinking was common place for Les as he managed public facilities on a shoestring budget for over 22 years.

Les' bright smile, can-do attitude, and caring spirit will be truly missed in the  

Parks and Recreation Department.   

The City will celebrate Les' contributions to the Orinda community on Tuesday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. in the Founders Auditorium at the  

Orinda Community Center.

Camino Pablo Pavement Rehabilitation The pavement rehabilitation work along Camino Pablo is well underway. Pavement grinding work began on Monday 04/27/15 between Camino Sobrante and Miner Road. Ghilotti Bros. will be completing base failure repairs during the middle of this week. The new base course of pavement and temporary lane striping for this section was completed prior this last weekend. Work for the remainder of this section and for the next phases of the project will be completed at night in order to minimize impact on the daytime commute traffic. The next phase of construction started on Monday May 4^th with grinding the pavement between Santa Maria Way and Camino Sobrante. The base failure repairs will follow and the base course of new asphalt pavement will be placed before the weekend of May 9^th.  The third section of paving work between Santa Maria to Moraga Way and Brookwood Road between Moraga Way and Camino Pablo is tentatively scheduled to begin the week of May 11^th.

Camera Technology on May 5^th Council Agenda

On Tuesday May 5, 2015, the City Council agenda includes a staff report regarding the potential use of Camera Technology in the City of Orinda. The report includes a series of questions previously posed by City Council and answers provided by staff and ultimately a recommendation by the Chief of Police. The City Council meeting is held at the Library Auditorium located at  and starts at 7pm.

Managing Alzheimer's and Dementia Lecture

On Monday, May 04, 2015 police officers from Orinda, Lafayette and the Sheriff's Office and representatives from the Moraga Orinda Fire District attended a very powerful and informative presentation at the Orinda Library on managing Alzheimer's and Dementia. There are so many challenges for first responders when they arrive at a call and need to make quick decisions solely based on initial observations. Those decisions are made by what is seen, heard and/or what they are told by witnesses or frequently by the individuals themselves.   There are many times when the actions and behavior demonstrated by an individual can cause an officer to believe they are dealing with a person under the influence of a controlled substance or suffering from mental health.   However, it can also be a person dealing with dementia or Alzheimer's and each case needs to be handles a different way.  

As a result of this lecture, when a first responder observes an individual unable to speak, shows confusion, does not want to be touched or feels threatened, and does not follow instructions, the responder knows they may be dealing with a person who has dementia. The lecture provided recommendations for effectively speaking and working with people suffering from this affliction in a safe and effective manner.

Parks & Recreation  

May's Happening in the Hills

Orinda's Parks & Recreation Happening in the Hills Senior Calendar is now available for May 2015, click here to view or print a calendar. Monthly calendars are mailed to our Senior Calendar mailing list and a monthly e-newsletter version is also available for subscription. To add yourself to either of our mailing lists contact us at (925) 254-2445 or orindaparksrec@cityoforinda.org.

Thursdays Together Wake & Walk, Senior Walking Group

Join us for a weekly walk every Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., beginning May 7 to start your day off on the right foot! We will be taking low impact walks around the park and neighboring areas. Walkers should meet at the Orinda Community Center Park blacktop and don't forget to bring a water bottle and your walking shoes!

Summer Enrichment Camp Site Announced

This year's Summer Enrichment Camp, Down of the Farm, will take place at Wagner Ranch Elementary from June 22 to July 17. The Summer Enrichment Program is designed for students entering grades Kindergarten through Fourth to prepare them for the school year and help to shrink the summer learning gap.

This year's theme focuses on farm life including animals - horses, cows, chickens, pigs, sheep and goats, and many of the fascinating things that are connected with these animals: wool and weaving, eggs and incubators, hay and grain for feeding animals, milking cows and churning butter. From windmills to weather vanes, tractors to plows, we will also go 'hands on' with the tools farmers use. Barns, farm houses, watermills, and other farm structures will finish out our journey through American farm life! Don't miss this opportunity to 'harvest' such a fun and enriching summer! We hope to see your child down on the farm this summer at Wagner Ranch.