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BART elevators will be closed for major repairs 

The downtown Berkeley BART station is one of four East Bay stations having its elevators rebuilt as a part of a $1.4 billion renovation program. 

Renovation of the elevators at the stations-the others are Lake Merritt, 19th Street in Oakland and Lafayette, with Glen Park renovation to begin Friday. The work is expected to last about 60 days, and will include replacement of doors, floors and some electrical components, according to a press release. 

BART officials suggest calling (510) 464-2278 for help with trip planning, and for local Paratransit services, call (510) 287-5040 or (800) 555-8085. 

BART will be providing free lift-equipped shuttle service between the Berkeley and Ashby stations for train connections while the work is under way. The shuttle will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. 

Bulgarian line dancing workshop set for Friday 

ALBANY – The Albany Y Folkdancers and the San Francisco Mandala are sponsoring two Bulgarian line dance workshops by Nina Kavardjikova. One workshop is in Albany, Friday at 8 p.m., at 921 Kains, just south of Solano Avenue. Admission is $8. For more information, call 528-1100 or email Asha4results@Juno.com. 

Fire departments hold weekend training, drill 

East Bay fire departments will conduct a Mutual Response Area–Training/Drill in Tilden Park on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. It is part of the annual training conducted during the fire season and the second drill of the summer. 

Mutual response Areas (MRAs) were developed after the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley Hills Fire as one of the methods to quickly control wild fires. For this drill, the fire will be simulated only. The location of the drill will be at Equestrian Camp off Wildcat Canyon Road in Tilden Park. 

Gray Panthers discuss affordable housing 

Berkeley Gray Panthers will have a membership meeting on June 28 to discuss affordable housing entitled “Housing Rights? Where Will You Live Tomorrow?” The meeting will be held at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. at 1:30 p.m. It is open to the public. 

Scholarship awarded 

Joshua Walden of Berkeley received a $3,500 scholarship from the SBC Foundation for academic excellence last week. SBC scholarships are part of an annual awards program and are awarded to children of employees or retirees of Southwestern Bell, Ameritech, SNET, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell, Cellular One and SBC Telecom. 

Walden will attend the University of California this fall and major in music. 

“Investing in these young students is an investment in our future,” Gloria Delgado, president of the SBC Foundation, said in a press release. 

“Education is a critical link in strengthening the communities in which we operate and our nation as a whole. We hope this educational scholarship will help Walden make a difference in the world.” 

– Daily Planet Staff