Vol 1, Issue 4, Monday, May 4, 2026
Bellara’s Pop-Up Art Gallery:
Activities Director Charlie Jacinto, informs the Buzz that on May 22, Bellara will host a Pop-up Art Gallery in the Activities room where Residents can display their own art and view the art of others. The Show runs for one and a half hours, starting at 2:00 PM, and ending at 3:30.
For the Pop-Up Gallery, each flat-art will be displayed on an easel, while three-dimensional pieces will be on tables. There is no limit to the number of pieces Residents can submit.
To submit your works, please attach to the back of each piece its name and your own name. Charlie Jacinto will have labels printed with that information attached near each work of art.
Residents can leave their works at the office at the back of the Activities room (ground floor) any time up to a week before the event. The cut-off date for submissions is Friday, May 15.
Map showing route to the Golden Gate Model Railroad Museum in Point Richmond. Estimated driving time: 35-40 minutes. Note in the “Hours of Operation” below, the trains run only on Sunday.
How Do I / What Do I Do?:
By Resident Guy DeGarmo
· WHAT DO I DO IF I AM IN THE ELEVATOR AND THE ELEVATOR GETS STUCK?
Push the lower left “push to talk” button on the elevator control panel and you will be connected directly to Otis Elevator. Otis will dispatch a technician immediately. After talking to Otis, If you have a phone with you and have reception, please contact the concierge front desk, 510-244-0949, and let them know you are stuck in the elevator and have alerted Otis.
· HOW DO I OR MY FAMILY GAIN ACCESS TO THE BELLARA PARKING GARAGE?
Press the button on the pole tip at the left of the garage door, or phone the Concierge at 510-244-0949, or, if you rent a reserved parking space, press the garage-fob that has been issued you.
· IF I HAVE LOST THE FOB TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO MY UNIT, HOW DO I RECEIVE A NEW ONE?
Please visit the concierge at the front desk and she or he will issues you a new one.
· WHAT DO I DO IF SOMEONE IS PARKED IN MY RESERVED PARKING SPACE FOR WHICH I PAY A MONTHLY FEE?
Call the front desk Concierge (510-244-0949) or visit the desk. An employee will be dispatched to tag the car for a first offense. Repeat offenders will be towed. In the mean time, park in an available slot.
The Bellara Buzz adds this question: WHY DO RESIDENTS AND STAFF PARK GAS CARS IN SLOTS FOR EV CHARGING? The Buzz has no answer to this question.
Administrative Email Changes:
Alert Readers will have noted from other sources that all Management personnel have changed their email addresses. According to Business Office Assistant Roz Avila, the reason for these changes is “corporate re-branding.” Karen Wandvik included these new addresses (except for Jeff Sumabat’s) in her hand-delivered contact sheet dated 4/15/26. In case you misplaced that sheet, below are the new addresses. Each one is some variation of the addressee’s name followed by @integralseniorliving.com.
Note: Sales Director Cindy Brandt has moved to another Integral Senior Living Facility, this one in Fremont. Our new Co-Sales Director is Jerome Francisco. Cindy’s email address remains the same, CBrandt@integralseniorliving.com.
Note: As of June 30, 2025, the President of Integral Senior Living (Bellara’s parent company) is Laura Fische. Her email is either lfischer@integralseniorliving.com, or lfischer@islllc.com.
These two maps show Senior Facilities run by Bellara’s parent company, Integral Senior Living. The first map shows their holdings in the Bay Area. The second shows the company’s spread across a good portion of the United States. (Source: Integral Senior Living Website)
Out of Order:
For several months, EV and Hybrid car owners have noticed a charging station that remains out of order. When The Buzz asked Facilities Director Art Blancas when we might be able to use this station againe replied, “ I have reached out directly to the vendor in an effort to expedite the process; however, they are currently backlogged with other maintenance issues. A work order has been submitted, as the EV station requires reprogramming and a software update, which can only be completed by the manufacturer ev vendor.” Art assured The Buzz that he will keep after them to complete the repairs.
For the Month Of May
Yes, Dear Reader, The Bellara Buzz is now published on the first Monday of each month. In this issue, among the many topics we are covering, you’ll find details about the upcoming Pop-Up Art Show. Further, we are deeply indebted to Guy DeGarmo for his “How Do I?” contribution.
We encourage you to think for a moment and ask yourself: is there something I wish were different here? Is there something you especially like here? Is there someone you want to acknowledge? Is there a Bellera problem you think needs solving. And then, email us your thoughts. The mailbox is open, 24/7: https://www.thebellarabuzz.net/contact
Suggested Excursion:
Kudos, Queries, Hacks & Recommendations:
A QUERY from Diane Riggs: I'm wondering if Bellara might be able to find a way to host an 'E-Waste Event' for those who have dead computers, dead CD's, dead printers and.......whatever else sort of electronic items that need so we can clear the space under our bed for our cat(s)???
A KUDO From Diane Riggs: Thank you to Art for finding us a place to drop off dead batteries!
A HACK from a tip by Guy DeGarmo: For walk-in showers with the shower-head located in the middle of the shower: add a suction-cup shower-head holder to relocate the shower-head to the end of the shower stall. The holder pictured here is this one :
A RECOMMENDATION: Guy DeGarmo recommends Highland Dental, 1372 A street, Hayward, CA 94541, 510-314-0755, Highlanddentalofhayward.com. Guy writes, “Located two blocks up A street across from Quick Quack car wash. Called and made appointment for 2 days later. Very modern equipment, off street parking, very professional staff”
Ron Johnson suggests a trip to the Golden Gate Model Railroad Museum, which is housed at Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline, 900-A Dornan Drive, Point Richmond, CA 94801.
Photograph from the Museum’s website, https://www.gsmrm.org/index.shtml.
The Museum describes itself this way: “A visit to our 10,000 square foot Museum of operating model trains provides an inexpensive, fun-filled outing for young and old, with plenty of room for youngsters to stretch their legs and expend energy as they follow trains along the 200+ feet of public walkway.”
May Shopping and Excursion Schedules
The Front Desk has informed The Buzz that one should sign-up as soon as possible as bus space is limited to 7 seats plus 2 wheelchair slots. And on the day of the event, to show up in the lobby 15 minutes ahead of departure time. As for returns, for most events the bus picks up an hour after drop off, but in some cases, such as restaurants or museums, etc., the duration will be longer. The bus driver will tell Residents the return time before dropping them off.
Activities Schedule for May
Dorothy Schmitt, 1930 to 4/21/2026
Patricia Larsen
Karen Koehler
Bruce Alden de Garmeaux, 12/22/1935 to 11/19/2025
Cesarina (“Rina”) Melani, February 21, 1940 to September 22, 2025
Sandy Creque, January 26, 1936 to January 10, 2026
Ken Heckart, September 16, 1942 to March 6, 2026
Doris Edelman
Jerry Hightower
In Memoriam:
Mary Grodin. September 5, 1943 to January 24, 2026
by Karen Wandvik
Mary was one of the first Bellara residents, moving in late December 2024. I met her at the February 2025 Chinese New Year Brunch. In a red and black, Chinese-inspired blazer, she was dressed impeccably – as she always was whether on the way to a fancy restaurant or just relaxing in leisure wear. In conversations with her, I found out that she had a black belt in Karate and during her practice of martial arts had broken not only wood, but also a cement block with her bare hands!
She and her husband, Steve, had 2 sons, Howard and David, and were active members of a Corvette club for over 30 years; Mary was the treasurer of the Corvette club.
In 1986, Mary founded Grodin Financial Services in San Leandro. She also taught financial planning classes at the College of Alameda and Mills College and wrote a bi-weekly column for The San Leandro Times called “Ask Mary”, answering readers’ questions on financial topics. Her younger son, David, made his mother very happy and ensured Mary’s business legacy would live on by joining Grodin Financial Services.
Mary was quick to laugh, liked to drink Prosecco, and enjoyed baking. After the Mandelbread cooled down, she would appear in the dining room wearing an apron and rolling around the room with the bowl of cookies on her walker, using tongs to dole out a package of delicious Mandelbread to everyone who wanted some.
Let’s raise a glass of Prosecco to a smart, kind, and generous lady.
Help Wanted:
[Your request for help from Residents for some project of yours]
WANTED: Someone to write profiles of staff members for the Buzz. Possibly one a week or more spaced out, depending on your time….. These profiles would be a way for Residents to get to know more about all these people who help us in so many ways. Please email: rickwise35@gmail.com.
WANTED: Resident volunteer to serve as Treasurer for the Residents’ Association. The Treasurer is a vital member of the Association’s Executive Committee and is responsible for overseeing our financial operations & maintaining accurate records to support the Association.
What You’ll Do:
Work with Association President to: a) Determine & submit to proper government agency what is required to obtain an EIN for the Association, and b) Ensure compliance with local and federal non-profit tax regulations.
Establish & manage Association’s checking account, including depositing revenue, paying approved bills, & reconciling Association records monthly.
Let residents know how we are doing at Association meetings.
Who You Are:
Organized, reliable, trustworthy, & detail-oriented
Comfortable using a computer
Previous experience with basic bookkeeping and/or accounting & Excel or basic accounting software is a plus but not required.
Interested? Please email Association Vice President, Peggy Cooper describing your experience & qualifications. Send to: Peggy@coopers.org
Classifieds:
[List in Classifieds your free or for-sale items. And when they are taken, please notify the Buzz so we can pull down your post.]
FREE BRAVECTO for dog 9.9-22lb, unopened. email rickwise35@gmail.com
FREE GREENIES (dog chews) small size, unopened. email rickwise35@gmail.com
FREE X-LARGE TRAINING PADS, large stack (from Amazon). email rickwise35@gmail.com
FREE LARGE AND SMALL TURF PADS. email rickwise35@gmail.com
FREE POTTY TRAINING SPRAY. email rickwise35@gmail.com
FREE 14LB BAG OF TASTE OF THE WILD CANINE KIBBLES, almost full. email rickwise35@gmail.com FREE TURF PADS, large and small. email rickwise35@gmail.com
Contact Us
You can email the Editor, Rick Wise, at: rickwise35@gmail.com Or you can use this form. Either way, send us your comments, suggestions, tips, excursion ideas, and so on. See “Submission Guidelines” — a direct link is at the top of this page.