By STEVE KAUFMANContributing Writer

Visitors to the 100-year-old Victorian Italianate house on the upcoming Tour of Remodeled Homes will see early 20th century architectural and design touches.

Theyll also see an early 21st century mans sense of humor.

Matthew Burkley, who bought the house on South Brook Street in Old Louisville, loved the historic integrity of the house its bones. And his brief to Brad Abell, general manager of Vincent Abell Contracting, was to preserve or restore as many of the period aspects of the home as possible.

Abell did that, burnishing whatever was in good condition like the oak floors with mahogany inlays, the wood trim, the cabinetry and the pocket doors on the main floor, and adding what needed adding, like gorgeous wainscoting with nailhead trim and inlaid antique glass panels, and an artistic iron railing on the front-most of the homes two staircases.

Abell restored all the ornate fireplaces in nearly every room of the house to working condition. It completely upgraded all the electric and plumbing and repaired the rope-and-pulley system in all the original windows so they all work for the first time in years.

In the entryway, Abell installed an antique wood-burning soapstone stove that actually functions, heating the entire area.

Also in the entryway, as you come through those dramatic front doors that make Old Louisville such a historic treasure, is a jar filled with spent bullet casings. Presiding on the same table is a statue of the Madonna, her hands raised in prayer, appearing to be blessing the bullets.

Contrasts like these form the personality that Burkley has brought to his uniquely male habitat.

For example, on the upstairs landing hangs a poster of Joseph Stalin, sharing the space with a red bust of Elvis Presley. Hard to imagine the two had much in common, other than their juxtaposition in Burkleys home. (That and Suspicious Minds.)

Excerpt from:
Its a Mans World

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Another Monday night at the Proper. I was hanging out with Skippy, the bartender, sipping a non-alcoholic better-than-Shirley-Temple concoction with muddled berries, sprigs of mint and other stuff.

Skippy continued to make his argument. On Monday nights, the Flintridge Proper Bar is the modern-day equivalent of the pre-Prohibition, Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar.

Huh? I asked.

Skippy pulled a tattered book out of his back pocket. It was the 1935 edition of the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book. He threw it down on the bar and pointed to page 152. The Bar was not regarded as a place of ill-repute'...the Waldorf-Astoria bar was Wall Street moved bodily uptown for an adjourned session of the Stock Exchange, with men betting on how stocks would perform the next day.

Skippy had a point. Like the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar, the Proper is the stomping grounds for professionals (and others) at the end of the work day, to discuss their investments and otherwise reconnoiter. Even retired La Caadans are welcome, if they have time from kitchen remodels and gardening activities.

Skippy wiped down the counter and continued. Historically, La Caada Flintridge has always had similar hangouts. Late evenings on the patio at Conrad's. Early mornings the La Caada Coffee Roaster. Coffee klatches at Higleys.

I had to agree. I still miss the La Caada Coffee Roaster.

Fast forward to 2014 and there's Monday nights at the Proper Bar, with repasts both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, with and without gluten, plus deviled-eggs with the chicken on the side.

Skippy continued. What's important is that we create a sense of community.

Suddenly it was clear. We live in an increasingly war-driven, urban, disassociated world. La Caada used to be a small semi-rural town. No one was anonymous. Today, we are at a crossroads. We are a suburb. We are suburban. What will happen to our sense of community? Where do we gather?

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Around Town: Proper boosts community feeling

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A Los Gatos woman is questioning the validity of school impact fees she's being charged for adding on to her kitchen, saying an eating area does not increase the number of students on the school rolls. But the Los Gatos Union School District counters that school impact fees, also known as developer fees, are not necessarily related to increases in enrollment.

The complaint comes from resident Meighan Mingrone, who said the $3.21 per square foot charge may be well-intended, but it's also unfair.

The fee is not charged against new construction that is less than 500 square feet. Mingrone's add-on is just over 600 square feet, so the impact on her budget is $1,926.

"This fee ... is justified on the claim that any new construction or remodels throughout town lead to more students and therefore an impact on the schools," Mingrone said. "Clearly this is a well-intended fee for large developments that add dozens of homes, or for a new home being built on a previously empty lot or even for a small two-bedroom house being changed into a large five-bedroom house, which will then be able to house a much larger family."

Mingrone added, "Such scenarios warrant a fee to the schools since they will likely result in additional students. What seems to have happened, though, is that the school district has pounced on this fee as a money grab."

The fees that are collected are split between the Los Gatos Union School District and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, with LGUSD receiving 69 percent and the high school district receiving 31 percent.

Citing a variety of California codes, LGUSD superintendent Diana Abbati said in an email, "According to the government codes, enlarging her eating area is considered 'assessable space' or new construction."

Abbati went on to say, "Since 1987, school districts are authorized to use developer fees for any school-related consideration relating to a school district's ability to accommodate enrollment--not just growth."

She cited maintaining existing services as an example of what the fees can be used for.

The school district also maintains that since 2007 the law has allowed the fees to be used to include costs to refurbish facilities "if the refurbishment is related to the increased demand on the facility and is necessary for the school district to maintain existing levels of service."

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Los Gatos woman calls her charges for school impact fees unfair

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