Suisun City to name developers for downtown project

From Fairfield Daily Republic, Monday June 6, 2005

By Ian Thompson
Staff Writer
FAIRFIELD - The Suisun City Council is expected to confirm the Suisun City-based Miller-Sorg Group and Basin Street Properties of Petaluma as the master developers to bring more business and housing to Old Town.

Miller-Sorg and Basin Street are proposing a four-part plan to jump start the city's stalled efforts to economically revive the Old Town area, particularly the west side of Main Street. This includes:

• Building what is described in a memo to the City Council as a "centerpiece anchor project" on Redevelopment Agency land at the corner of Main and Solano streets.
  
• Putting in commercial development on the parcel next to Lotz Way and Main Street.
  
• Developing a single-family residential subdivision on land next to Civic Center and Lotz Way.
  
• Building a mix of retail, commercial and residential development on the parcels scattered along Main Street's west side and along the waterfront.

The City Council gave city staff the green light three weeks ago to negotiate exclusively with the Miller-Sorg/Basin Street partnership after winnowing through proposals from several other developers.

A city committee that picked out Miller-Sorg/Basin Street told the council that theirs was the most fiscally feasible and economically sustainable of all the proposals.

Miller-Sorg, which has its headquarters in the Old Town, has worked with the Redevelopment Agency in the past, building the waterfront promenade and the building at 710 Kellogg Street.

Basin Street Properties is a commercial property developer and owner whose most recent project was redeveloping the south side of Petaluma's downtown with a theater complex and a host of retail shops and restaurants.

Economic Development Director Randy Starbuck lauded Basin Street as "having the experience in mixed-use downtown development necessary to address the challenges of downtown Suisun City and the Main Street West project."

Suisun City started the Main Street West project last year to deal with the part of Old Town that city leaders felt was holding back economic development of the rest of the area.

The city is offering Miller-Sorg and Basin Street access to large, more lucrative parcels around One Harbor Center as long as the master developer team also develops the smaller parcels along Main Street's west side.

The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.

Inspired by grandfather, Watts enjoys career as Suisun City cop

By Jeff Mitchell
Fairfield Daily Republic

SUISUN CITY- Erik Watts says he's always been intrigued by the idea of being of service to good people and of taking bad guys off the streets.

Born in Vallejo and raised in Fairfield, Watts says he was often regaled by family members of his grandfather's exploits as a Chicago cop on the beat in the late 1920s when famed mobster Al Capone ruled the town.

"It was neat knowing who he was and what he did. I was told he was one of the officers who responded following Capone's St. Valentine's Day massacre," Watts of the criminal kingpin's infamous execution-style hit of seven men in 1929.

"It was a story that always stayed with me."

If his grandfather's stories put a luster on the idea of police work, it was the advice of a friend's father, a cop in San Francisco, that made the 26-year-old Watts certain he wanted to go into law enforcement.

"I've found that being a police officer allows you to make a positive difference in people's lives - especially in the lives of young people," Watts said. "For me, that's what makes the job satisfying."

Although Watts has been on the small force since March 2004, he's already suitably impressed colleagues and superiors.

Police Chief Ron Forsythe says Watts may be a "natural" who handles himself with the maturity of veteran officer. Forsythe said Watts is a stickler for punctuality and attendance and had developed a reputation as a dogged worker.

For these and other reasons, Forsythe recently named Watts the department's officer of the year for 2004.

"(Watts) is a hard-working police officer who can always be relied upon," Forsythe said during a brief online interview. "His work ethic reaffirms my hope for the future of law enforcement in our community."

The recently married Watts - who said he is deeply honored by his department's public recognition - said his immediate goals include the idea of starting a family, returning to college for a degree and eventually, earning a sergeant's stripes.

Watts said he enjoys working for Suisun City because he gets to do a lot of different things, including investigations and follow-ups, that he wouldn't be able to do if he worked for a larger, more compartmentalized agency.

"I like conducting investigations so we'll see - that may be one path. At this point I'm keeping my options open and gathering as much experience as I can," Watts said.

Reach Jeff Mitchell at 427-6977 or jmitchell@dailyrepublic.net.

Red Cross to honor everyday heroes at Harbor Plaza

From the Vacaville Reporter

The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter will honor everyday heroes, at the Solano Community Heroes Breakfast on June 17 at the Suisun Marina Park, for their humanitarian actions in the community. The breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. and awards will be given to local individuals and businesses that exemplify the true spirit of the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross invites people to help support local heroes by participating in a silent auction and raffle held at the breakfast.

For more information, see the Red Cross Heroes site.