In response to a public records request made on June 25^th, the City provided the final master plans and traffic calming measures for the proposed Blair Park sports complex, which were submitted to the City by project architect Clarence Mamuyac three months ago, on April 1. Additional information was submitted by Mamuyac on April 7 and May 10.  To date, the City has not officially released any of the final plans to the general public; nor has the City Council set a date for a “final” public hearing on the proposed development.

Cost estimates for the construction, operation and maintenance of the project, which the Council requested in March, have not yet been provided by Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization  (PRFO), the project proponent.

> Click to read more…

Read comments from Jack Follick, Richard Raushenbush and Rick Schiller
and join the lively discussion on artificial turf replacement.

“PRFO has firmly asserted turf replacement cost is not a responsibility of PRFO or the private sports clubs.”

“Most [School] Districts do not have the use we have by outside groups. . . . . “

Read more . . .

At its Wednesday, July 7 meeting, the City’s Municipal Tax Review Committee (MTRC) tackledthe dire financial scenarios that lie ahead for Piedmont unless the City Council makes some major changes.

The Committee projects that – even with renewal of the parcel tax – current trends will result in Piedmont suffering ongoing and worsening deficits in future years:  a $1.6 million deficit in 2015-16 rising to a $3.2 million deficit in 2019-20. > Click to read more…

Will voters paint with too broad a brush?

The worst kept secret in Piedmont is that City Council decisions involving utility undergrounding, staff benefits, and recreational facilities have created a fiscal crisis.  As bad, if not worse, the Council has no strategy for fixing the problem.   Indeed, it remains unclear how we will avoid what a member of the Council appointed Municipal Review Tax Committee (MRTC) called a “homeowner’s revolt” when the city increases the sewer tax by 50% and asks Piedmonters, already among the most heavily taxed homeowners in the state, to extend the parcel tax.  The MRTC further noted that without major change in Council behavior, the city would soon incur large deficits even if the parcel tax were extended. > Click to read more…

A letter from Randy Wedding

One of the ongoing mysteries surrounding the Piedmont City Council’s handling of the Blair Park project is their apparent obliviousness to the liability associated with the under-engineered traffic solution.  If there is a traffic accident with an injury or fatality in the immediate vicinity of Blair, if and when the proposed project is completed as designed, the City is likely to get sued.  With the copious comments in the record about > Click to read more…

Coaches Playfield

The use of the one-time $500,000 WW Park Bond Fund money for artificial turf and lighting on Coaches Field is envisioned by the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Review Committee in its FY 2011-12 recommendations, although the Piedmont City Council has not yet held public hearings on the various possible uses of the WW funds.  The Council has promised hearings will be held prior to a determination on the use of the funds.   Measure WW funds are restricted, but are available to Piedmont for a variety of capital projects:  > Click to read more…

On June 28 and 30 Oakland’s City Council approved a budget for the 2011-2013 fiscal years that reportedly keeps all Oakland Public branch libraries open during that time period.  But does that really include the Piedmont Avenue library? > Click to read more…

Editor’s Note: The following letter was sent to the Piedmont City Council and Park Commissioners regarding landscaping the city-owned property at 801 Magnolia. The matter will be heard at the Wednesday, July 6, Park Commission meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in City Council chambers.

June 30, 2011

Dear Council Members and Commissioners:

The citizens of Piedmont are indeed fortunate that the Piedmont Center for the Arts (PCArts) will open soon in the long-abandoned building at the corner of Magnolia and Bonita. While the interior will be a venue for bringing the community together to celebrate our city’s diverse talents, the expansive outdoor portion of the property ought to showcase creative landscape design—as well as honor Piedmont’s adopted Bay-Friendly ordinance. > Click to read more…

A letter from Bernard Pech discussing a new opportunity the Internet may offer Piedmont teachers

Our Piedmont Unified School District teachers are confronted on a daily basis with the contradictory expectations of two extreme categories of parents in our well-off community (I exaggerate): those (say type A) who want very structured classes with heavy curriculum and teachers dispensing knowledge; and those (type B) who want very interactive classes where creativity is fostered through discovery, investigative learning, and critical thinking. > Click to read more…