The Friends of Moraga Canyon announce an event at Crocker Park on Arbor Day

Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC) is pleased that Piedmont is planting one new oak tree in Crocker Park in honor of Arbor Day, Friday, April 22nd. At the same time, FOMC has invited its supporters to take part in a  quiet “witness” for the 55 mature oak trees and the existing ecology and terrain at Blair Park that the organization is striving to preserve.

The City’s celebration will take place at Crocker Park on Friday, April 22, at 12:30 pm. FOMC supporters will stand nearby on King near Hampton, holding banners and signs.

FOMC’s goal is to save the oak woodland, plus 100 more trees, that would be sacrificed to build soccer fields in Blair Park. FOMC, with over 950 endorsers, seeks a win-win solution to end the divisiveness in Piedmont over the proposed sports field project. FOMC supports an alternative plan to enlarge Coaches Field into a full-size soccer field that could serve much of the need for field space without destroying the environment.

The city has invited Smokey the Bear to attend the tree-planting to remind everyone of the “importance of urban forests, which provide shade and habitat for birds and help clean the air.”

Here are some of the other benefits trees provide:

–A single urban tree can provide up to $273 a year in pollution fighting, erosion and storm water control, air conditioning and wildlife shelter benefits. (Source: American Forests)

–Trees can reduce noise by up to 50 percent. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

–A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000. (Source: Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers)

–Trees not only brighten city streets and delight nature-starved urbanites; now scientists are discovering that they also play a crucial role in the green infrastructure of America’s cities. As we humans wrestle with how to repair the damage we have wrought on nature, and how to slow climate change, urban trees offer an obvious low-tech solution. (Source: “What Is a Tree Worth?” by Jill Jonnes, Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2011)

–A study in NYC found that the average street tree intercepted 1,432 gallons of water runoff, a service worth $61. (Source: “What is a Tree Worth?” by Jill Jonnes, Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2011)

–The new natural science gallery being created at the Oakland Museum is focusing on stewardship and conservation of our own habitats. Nature is not just a place in a state park 3 hours away, but the incredible biodiversity in our backyard!

(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.)

California’s State Librarian Stacey Aldrich takes the position that California public libraries may not provide free library access to all California residents under Education Codes 18960 and 18961.  While asserting her position is supported by a legal opinion, a legal opinion was not provided and the attorney writing the opinion was left unnamed.  The State Librarian’s position appears inconsistent with the purpose of State Public Library Fund grants and the current policy of library systems in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara and the Bay Area to provide free access to all residents of the State of California.  This includes Oakland and City and County of San Francisco libraries in this area. > Click to read more…

Editor’s Note: Remember that stuff  about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway?  This interesting article from the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of  the American Rescue Team International turns what you’ve always been told on its head.  On this anniversary of the April 17 earthquake, 1906, find out the best place for you and your kids to be the next time the Bay Area shakes. > Click to read more…

The City has announced it will hold a series of public hearings on the pool facility.  On April 20 there will be an open forum and community dialogue discussing a joint report from the Recreation staff and the consultants on pool operations.  On May 4 there will be an open forum to discuss a joint report from the Recreation staff and consultants on a proposed fee structure and use schedule.  A third meeting, if deemed necessary, may be held on May 18.  All meetings will be held in the City Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The Piedmont City Council will not meet on April 25^th to take up the Moraga Canyon Sports Fields project.  When a rescheduled date is determined, it will be announced with full public notice.  To ensure that members of the public have sufficient time to review project information prior to the meeting, the City indicates that full project documents will be posted on the City’s web site at least 10 days in advance.

On Monday, April 18 the City Council will approve the agreements for continuing pool management with the existing Manager Joseph Perez for $36,000 and existing assistant manager Amanda Garcia for $27,000 for the period July 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

The Council will consider the staff report on the negotiations with Oakland about library services.

In addition the Council will have the first reading of an ordinance approving a lease agreement with Piedmont Center for the Arts. The term of the lease will begin June 3 and end on April 14, 2021.  The amount of rent will be $1 per year.

Emeryville is praised for paying $100,000 to Oakland in the current year to support library services.  The payment comes mainly from the many businesses including: six banks, extensive retail businesses, multiple computer, biotech, and entertainment companies including Leapfrog, Lecg Corp, Pixar, Ziprealty inc Netopia, Chiron, Onyx pharmaceuticals, Geoworks, and others.   The Golden Gate branch of the Oakland library is convenient for use by Emeryville’s large workforce.  The residential population of Emeryville (2010 census) is 10,080, amounting to a contribution of $9.93 per Emeryville resident.

By contrast, Piedmont is a much smaller, almost entirely residential city with little business contribution to our tax base.  Piedmont’s population is 10,667 (2010 census). If Piedmont made a payment to Oakland Public library at the same per resident rate as Emeryville, it would be $105, 923.

Editor’s Note: A payment, of any amount, constituting a gift of public monies would be prohibited by state law. See prior articles.

A letter urging the Council to return the PRFO’s proposal to the Planning Commission after approval

On Feb. 24, 2011,  the Piedmont Planning Commission found the Blair Park proposal did not meet basic design or aesthetic elements normally required in Piedmont.  On Wednesday, March 2, the Piedmont Post published the first salvo of what was to become the Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) campaign to nullify the Planning Commission.  > Click to read more…

The early, incomplete reports on the 2010 census show a decrease in Piedmont’s population from 10, 952 in 2000 to 10,667, a loss of 285 persons.  At the same time, Piedmont’s housing units increased from 3,859 to 3,924, but 123 were empty in 2010 compared with 55 in 2000.  The city has become more ethnically diverse since 2000.  More information will be available in the coming months.

The City staff plans to begin operating the pool facility as the Piedmont Community Pool on July 1, 2011, with no interruption in service.  The budget for operating the Community Pool after July 1 will be considered with the rest of the City budget during April, May and June.  Simultaneously, the Recreation Commission will conduct hearings on treatment of stakeholders (current members and vendors) as well as use and fee issues for the new Community Pool, making recommendations to the City Council.  The fee structure for day use, individual passes, family passes, lessons and allocation of pool time for various groups will then be debated and determined by a vote of the City Council.

The Piedmont City Council appropriated $108,000 from the General Fund to provide funds to create an Aquatics Division within the Recreation Department.  This amount will fund the Division for 3 months, through June 30,2011.  Anticipated expenses are: > Click to read more…