Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:30 pm the Piedmont City Council will once more take up consideration of a proposal to develop Moraga Canyon/Blair Park into a multi-purpose sports complex.  According to the agenda and back up material for the meeting the Council is not scheduled to make a final decision on the project until its April 4, 2011 meeting.  See Public Notice, Agenda, Staff Report and Correspondence.

The Staff Report and correspondence for the upcoming meeting includes an enormous amount of documentation with detailed analysis of the projects.  Numerous letters have been written by residents from Piedmont and surrounding areas.  There is information from attorneys, the Audubon Society, soccer parents, petitioners, architects, proponents, City Commissions, and opponents.  All Moraga Canyon information posted on the City website may be found here.

On March 15, 2011  the Piedmont City Council Audit Subcommittee met to continue their investigation of the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District (PHUAD) bailout of $2.2 million by the taxpayers of Piedmont, considering extensive public comment.

At its prior meeting on January 26,  2010, the Subcommittee asked for public input on individually written reports by  Subcommittee Members.  (See Chiang Report, Kawaichi Report, Barbieri Report)  Numerous comments were submitted by individuals and organizations, including a report from the Piedmont League of Women Voters Task Force and detailed Commentary from the Piedmont Civic Association. > Click to read more…

An opponent of the Blair Park development provides the following 10 minute video clip of excerpts from the Planning Commission hearing of February 24 on Blair Park/Moraga Canyon sports facilities

Video Clip: Planning Commission Hearing Excerpts

Editors’ Note: The following is the email sent with the above video clip.

As you may remember, my neighbors and I have been involved in a long battle with the city over the conversion of Blair Park to a soccer facility. I am aware that some Piedmonters and Oaklanders view the claims of the neighbors as biased. I am, therefore, providing this link to a You Tube video of the Planning Commission reaction registered at last week’s meeting. The Commission unanimously rejected the plan but the City Council appears poised to move ahead with the project at its March 21st meeting.I hope you might take about 10 minutes to watch the video and perhaps pass the link along to any friends who might be interested in the controversy.

Ralph Catalano

Editors Note: The complete video of the February 24, 2011 Planning Commission meeting may be viewed on the City website.

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

In light of recent events in Japan, residents are reminded that Piedmont’s Police and Fire Departments offer an email alert system for public safety announcements.  Residents who register with the City will receive notices regarding public safety situations, planned power outages, and street closures at the same time information is sent to the press.  To begin receiving dispatches, residents may send an email to publicsafetydispatches@ci.piedmont.ca.us.  This program is an initiative of the Piedmont Public Safety Committee.

A Letter Identifying Issues Common to Undergrounding and Blair Park Construction Administration

Dear Council Members,

City staff and the Council have failed to exercise proper due diligence in allowing a private group to control the planning process for the use of public land. The project proponents have sold the citizens of Piedmont a bill of goods, claiming their project is a “gift” and repeatedly claiming it will be built and maintained “at no cost to taxpayers,” yet public records clearly show the City has already spent hundreds of thousands toward the environmental review, > Click to read more…

An Open Letter Submitted by the Piedmont Education Foundation and the Associated Parents Clubs of Piedmont

With spring upon us here in Piedmont, chilly gray images of picketing demonstrators in front of the Wisconsin capitol look particularly bleak.  Public unions, governments and taxpayers are warring over budget shortfalls and engaged in pitched battles.  Not so here.  While Piedmont’s education funding gap was not unique in this economic crisis, the capacity of our stakeholders to work together to find solutions is quite otherwise. > Click to read more…

The Piedmont City Council should be honored by the  extensive campaigns to win their favor and vote.  Given the great polarization on the issue of whether or not to develop Blair Park, perhaps it is time to allow all citizens of Piedmont to express their preference on this consequential project in the privacy of the voting booth rather than leaving the decision to five people, the members of the City Council. > Click to read more…

Property owners in the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District have been scratching their heads, wondering when their undergrounding project will be completed. The City contributed $2.1 million from the General Fund in 2009 and 2010 to make up the difference between the bid specifications and actual work needed.  The Council acted to pay the difference between what property owners committed to and real cost to  expeditiously complete the project.  However, the construction work which began nearly two years ago has yet to be completed. Telephone poles hung with AT&T and Comcast lines remain in place in the District.

A letter submitted on Mini-Roundabouts and impact on bicyclists

View proposed Roundabout and Mini-Roundabout

> Click to read more…

Piedmont Civic Association Commentary on the Decision-making Process

The decision on the Blair Park proposal requires careful consideration by the Council as Piedmont’s fiduciaries. Piedmont residents have been unhappy because of  recent debacles costing almost $3 million of City funds.  To date, the Blair Park and Coaches Field proposals have cost the City over $200,000.  And no stable figures have been produced on the fiscal implications of the project for Piedmont taxpayers.

To satisfy the burden of due diligence and fulfill its “fiduciary responsibility” in considering this consequential proposal, the Council must examine all of the costs and independently assess liability risks in a long term plan.  The Council needs to know the risks and the costs before accepting a project in any form.

Piedmont property owners want to be protected from another risky liability situation as occurred in the Piedmont Hills Underground District bailouts, Crest Road collapse, and Hampton-Sea View litigation.