On February 24, the Piedmont Planning Commission undertook the charge from the Piedmont City Council to review and make recommendations on the proposed sports complex development on Blair Park and Coaches Field.  The Park Commission, the Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission have now all reviewed the project with dramatically different results. > Click to read more…

The deadline for applying for a City commission is March 4.

Serving on a commission is an excellent way to serve Piedmont and get to know the City better.  Applications must be submitted to City Hall prior to Friday, March 4, 2011.   Applicants will be interviewed by the City Council on Monday, March 21, 2011.  All applicants must meet this schedule.   See further information on commission duties or contact the City Clerk, John Tulloch, at 510/420-3040 or jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us. > Click to read more…

An Opinion from a Piedmont Resident regarding Best Management Practices (BMP) and the proposed expansion of Coaches Field:

Blair Park-Coaches Field & Untreated Water Costs
Before obtaining a building permit for construction of the Blair Park (BP) project, PRFO and the City of Piedmont have to meet the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) C-3 provisions and obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPES) permit from the RWQCB. The NDPES permit entails how all storm water runoff and discharge from the BP project will be handled into the existing storm culvert water infrastructure system, eventually reaching Lake Merritt (LM). The Piedmont Blair Park-Coaches Field projects will need specialized solutions to meet C-3 requirements to properly discharge their storm water to match pre-construction flow rates. PRFO design is to use massive wet vaults or cisterns. > Click to read more…

Highlights from the February 23, 2011 Board of Education Meeting by June Monach, Board Member

> Click to read more…

A letter from Margaret Ovenden, Tracey Woodruff, Andy Madeira, Ray Marshall, Mariam Marshall, Nancy Roscelli, Steve Baronian, Kimberly Moses, Reed Foster, Karen Franchino, Cathy Girr, Kara Christenson on the alternative Blair Park proposal:

To the Editor:

As parents of school-aged kids who play sports, we’re in favor of reasonable development of new recreational space.  Although we appreciate the efforts of PRFO to do this at Blair Park, an alternative proposal has emerged that we believe merits serious consideration. This proposal is to expand Coaches Field westward by extending the fill area into the canyon, possibly expanding eastward by cutting into the Corporation Yard, as well as putting in a very much smaller field at Blair.  This would create almost the same amount of new field space as the currently proposed Blair project, at a lesser expense, without having to loom out over Moraga Avenue and cut into a hillside with homes on top.

Everyone should view the story poles erected at Blair Park to experience how massive the currently proposed project is.  The poles show the level of canyon infill, the cut into the wooded hillside, and the large retaining wall next to Moraga Avenue.  In contrast, the Coaches alternative is much less intrusive and would be almost invisible to passersby.

The Coaches alternative would also probably cost less, because of its lesser scale.  Our City is already stretched to its limit by the general economic situation and the cost overruns from undergrounding.  And we now have financial responsibility for the swimming pool. Should we also expose ourselves to the public financial risk that the proposed project entails without fully exploring the alternatives?  In addition, the long-term operation and replacement costs for the proposed Blair project have not been provided to the community, and we believe approving the project without this information would be imprudent.

The proponents of the Blair project say we have to act now because the lease for Alameda soccer fields is running out.  But we do have time.  The City of Alameda is preparing an RFP for leases on these fields, so our teams still may be able to use them.  An EIR was developed for an even larger project at Coaches in the 1980’s, so we already have much information about what the impact of development in that area would be.  This needs to be updated, and a solid cost estimate for the Coaches expansion developed.

The City’s approval process appears to be moving very quickly.  We urge PRFO, the Commissions and the City Council to take the time to carefully consider the Coaches field alternative proposals.

— Margaret Ovenden, Tracey Woodruff, Andy Madeira, Ray Marshall, Mariam Marshall, Nancy Roscelli, Steve Baronian, Kimberly Moses, Reed Foster, Karen Franchino, Cathy Girr, Kara Christenson

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of its authors. All statements made are the opinion of the writers and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

A letter from the President of the Piedmont Swim Club:

The Piedmont Swim Club has finally obtained a quote on the million-dollar pollution insurance the City demanded we purchase as part of a new lease.  The annual premium is $10,325, with a $10,000 deductible, for the $1 million of coverage the city insisted on.  At the Feb. 7  City Council meeting, City Attorney Tom Curry said he was concerned about liability to the City from chlorine somehow leaching into the ground, and Council Members Fujioka and Wieler stated that this lease provision was non-negotiable despite the unknown cost and questionable benefit.

The chlorine is stored in one-gallon plastic jugs, four jugs to a plastic crate. The jugs contain mostly water – the actual chlorine content is only twice that of ordinary laundry bleach. If a jug were to spring a leak, the containment crate were to also leak, and chlorine were to then find its way through a 4-6 inch thick concrete slab, some part of that gallon could get into the ground  – where, presumably, it would make the ground-water safer, as it does the water in the pool.  A spill of more than a gallon would require the spontaneous leaking of multiple jugs and multiple crates. > Click to read more…

A summary of the highlights provided by June Monach, Piedmont Board of Education Member.

> Click to read more…

Kate Black, Piedmont’s City Planner, hosted a site tour of the proposed Blair Park sports complex on February 15.  As cars whizzed by on the perimeter of the site, local media and interested Piedmonters were led into the park.  Blustery winds blew pollen through the air from the many flowering trees.  Underfoot the soil was mushy from the recent rains.

Black displayed a plot plan and explained the poles were installed according to the proposed plan > Click to read more…

A letter from a Piedmont resident providing history and analysis on storm water runoff:

Are Mountain View Cemetery’s 3 Earthen Dams Safe?

A.  Before obtaining a building permit for construction of the Blair Park (BP) project, PRFO (Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization) and the City of Piedmont has to meet the RWQCB C-3 provisions and obtain a NDPES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit from the RWQCB (Regional Water Quality Control Board). The NDPES permit entails how all storm water runoff and discharge from the BP project will be handled into the existing storm culvert water infrastructure system, eventually reaching Lake Merritt (LM). The Piedmont Blair Park-Coaches Field projects will need specialized solutions to meet C-3 requirements to properly discharge their storm water > Click to read more…

A Letter from a Piedmont Resident on Blair Park:

Dear friends,

If you haven’t had a chance to inspect the story poles at Blair Park and hear an explanation of what they mean, there is an excellent narrated short video at www.moragacanyon.org.  Click on “Video showing size of story poles” or just go to YouTube and search “Moraga Canyon”.

After closely following this proposed sports complex project for over two years with its various “revisions”, Al and I are more opposed than ever.  It is far too massive for the narrow strip of land and will forever change Moraga Canyon.  > Click to read more…