DUBLIN — Pro bowling, with its televised matchups and big fan following, will return to Dublin next year.
The Professional Bowlers Association will come back to town in January for the Earl Anthony Memorial Classic. The Memorial Classic is named for the former pro bowler and co-owner of Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl, where the event will be held.

It was held this year over six days in January, and it marked the first time in 18 years that the PBA had been to Dublin.
The event will be held at Dublin Bowl, 6750 Regional St., beginning Jan. 26 and will feature some of the world’s top bowlers. ESPN is scheduled to broadcast the finals at 11 a.m. Jan. 30.
Anthony was the first bowler on the PBA tour to surpass the $1 million winnings mark, and he holds the second-most titles in PBA history. He died in 2001 at age 63.

The Earl Anthony Memorial was started the following year in Kirkland, Wash., and had been held annually in the Pacific Northwest, close to where Anthony and his wife, Susie, retired in 1988.
This will be only the second time the tournament will be held at Dublin Bowl, but the PBA tour had previously stopped in Dublin every year from 1984 to 1992.

Anthony took over Dublin Bowl in 1980, and shortly after retiring from bowling three years later, he asked another local professional bowler, Ted Hoffman Jr., to help manage the alley. Hoffman has managed Dublin Bowl since 1985 and owned it since 2003.

“It keeps Earl’s name in the national limelight,” Hoffman said of the tournament, which he has been planning since June. “The exposure’s very good, too. It puts Dublin on the map.”  Hoffman said it cost him about $50,000 to host this year’s tournament, but it is estimated to have generated about $356,000 for the city, said Natalie Alvanez, director of marketing for the Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Written by Kimberly Chua, Insidebayarea Newsgroup.

Tags: Newsroom by Tim Sbranti
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DUBLIN — As the mercury crept past the triple-digit mark Wednesday, Bruce Cherry welcomed the steady barrage of sunshine hitting the roof at his Big O Tires shop. mCherry is no fan of the heat, but the more the sun shines, the more money stays in his pocket.  In March, Cherry joined a small group of East Bay businesses that have taken advantage of the California Solar Initiative program, which provides rebates for installing photovoltaic systems.

“It is good for the environment,” said Cherry, who has one of the four businesses in town harnessing solar power. “It just made sense (to install) in the long run.”  Since the program began in 2007, 155 businesses in Alameda and Contra Costa counties have applied for state funds to help offset the cost of solar-panel systems.

The 542 solar panels on the top of Cherry’s two Dublin Boulevard buildings generate 50 kilowatts of power. He anticipates that year round it will produce enough to supply the tire store with 85 percent of its energy needs.  The system’s peak performing months are March through November because of the abundance of sunshine.  Since March, Cherry’s utility bill dropped from an average $1,500 a month to just $29 — the monthly connection fee he pays to PG&E to be connected to its power grid.  And Cherry, a San Ramon resident, could end up receiving a check from the utility company at the end of his first year in the program. The energy that Cherry doesn’t use goes to the grid, helping to power surrounding businesses. At the end of each year, the utility tallies up how much energy each solar customer produced and used — and pays them for the excess.

“Essentially, what Bruce has done is hedge himself against energy increases,” said Mike Jolley, director of project development for eIQ Energy, the general contractor that installed Cherry’s solar-panel system. “It is like prepaid energy.”
The California Solar Initiative program is part of the Go Solar California campaign aimed at installing 3,000 megawatts of solar power by 2017. PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric customers are eligible for the rebates.

A combination of rebates and federal tax credits dropped Cherry’s cost of his system from about $300,000 to $120,000. And, Cherry expects to earn back that money through energy savings in about seven years.
“We have really seen an uptake in applications since the start of 2010,” said Damon Franz, analyst for the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency overseeing the CSI program.  “The industry is reaching the point where the costs have come down enough that it does save people money,” he said. “People are putting the systems up and seeing cost savings immediately.”

The recession, which led to a drop in price for the silicon used to produce the panels, and more efficient technology in producing solar panels, were both credited for the decline in the price of solar panels. Panels now sell for about $1.90 per watt — down from about $4.20 a watt in 2006.

Public agencies have also taken advantage of the state program. The city of Pleasanton has four buildings that are solar powered, including its operation services center, where 1,568 panels produce 360 kilowatts of power and save the city $150,000 per year.  “It is like having little electrical plants all over the city,” said Daniel Smith, Pleasanton’s operations services director.

For details on the California Solar Initiative program, go to www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov.

Written by Robert Jordan, Contra Costa Times.

Tags: Newsroom by Tim Sbranti
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
11:00 am - 2:00pm

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will begin at 11:00 am with these activities to follow:

• FREE Hotdogs & Refreshments 11:30 - 12:30
• Soccer Clinic 11:30 - 12:30
• Basketball Skills Challenge 11:30 - 2:00
• Police vs. Fire Softball Game 12:00
• Cardio & Quickstart Tennis 12:00 - 1:00
• Teeball Clinic 12:30 - 2:00
• BMX Demo & Bike Safety Checks 12:30 - 2:00

Please call (925) 556-4500 for more information.

The Fallon Sports Park will be a premier 60-acre athletic facility in the Tri-Valley. The first phase has opened to the public and included the development of 27-acres of the park. The amenities in Phase I include the following:

• Softball and Little League Field Complexes – The project includes two regulation size adult softball fields and two Little League fields. Both complexes have a building with restrooms and concession space. In addition, the softball fields have lights suitable for evening play.

• Soccer Fields – The project includes two regulation size synthetic turf soccer fields with lighting. The additional cost of installing synthetic turf was funded by a Measure WW grant from the East Bay Regional Park District.

• Basketball and Tennis Courts – Four lighted basketball courts and four lighted tennis courts are located on either side of the main vehicular entrance from Lockhart Street. A building with restrooms is adjacent to the tennis courts.

• BMX Facility Rough Grading – A portion of the site was graded for a BMX course. The course will be suitable for recreational use.

Tags: Dublin Events by Tim Sbranti
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