Dec 20 2014
The Piedmont Civic Association is a volunteer organization dedicated to providing community news on local civic topics.
Dec 20 2014
During the many recent storms, the Piedmont Public Works Department has been doing a marathon job of keeping Piedmont’s storm drains, sewers, and gutters cleared. To view the schedule for street sweeping click here.
Dec 20 2014
Are you an expert in IT? The City Council is appointing a volunteer committee to assist in the selection of an IT consultant. There cannot be a conflict of interest between the committee members and the recommended consultant.
Application deadline is Friday, January 9, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.
Interviews with the City Council for these positions will be scheduled for January 20, 2015. No appointments will be made without a Council interview.
Residents with questions are invited to contact the City Clerk’s office at (510) 420-3040.
If you are interested in participating, see the City information.
Dec 14 2014
For 35 years, Christine Harbert, known as Chris, has diligently taken minutes for Piedmont. She has sat through many long Planning Commission and City Council meetings; yet she has never involved her emotions in the decisions and has kept a poker face throughout. Her minutes are readily acknowledged as superior for careful attention to detail, timeliness, and accuracy.
Taking minutes for other Piedmont committees and commissions, Harbert has provided a reliable record of official proceedings, an invaluable service to Piedmonters.
Although working on a part time basis, Harbert often found her work virtually a full time job. Harbert in her retirement is sure to find more time for golf and tennis, for she is as skilled an athlete as a minute taker.
Harbert will be missed and difficult to replace.
Read the staff report including the Council proclamation.
Dec 10 2014
The following announcement has been sent to all Piedmont School District families:
December 10, 2014
PUSD Families,
This afternoon we learned that a few school districts across the Bay Area have decided to close schools on Thursday, December 11th due to the approaching storm. Oakland Unified, San Francisco Unified, Novato Unified, and other north bay school districts have decided to close schools, citing safety concerns for transportation due to anticipated flooded highways and roads.
All schools in PUSD will remain OPEN tomorrow, Thursday, December 11th. PUSD maintenance staff is on-call this evening and has been prepping for the oncoming storm over the last few days. We have confirmed with Schoolmates that they will also remain OPEN tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Constance Hubbard, Superintendent–
“Together We Teach”Constance Hubbard, Superintendent
Piedmont Unified School District
760 Magnolia Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611
510-594-2614
Dec 10 2014
The following is a report by Piedmont High School student Claire Wong on her observations of the November 17, 2014, Piedmont City Council meeting.
I attended the November 17, 2014 Piedmont City Council meeting. The Piedmont City Council convenes on Monday evenings to review and create laws in Piedmont and address other concerns Piedmont residents may express.
The purpose of the meeting was to address ceremonial items, such as the annual Toys For Tots kick-off and the recognition of November as “Safe Digging Month.” The Council also unanimously approved an updated agreement with Alameda County for the 2014-2017 CDBG Urban County Program. The chief concern of the meeting was making revisions to the City of Piedmont’s Conflict of Interest Code.
I interviewed Piedmont resident Dmitri Magganas, who spoke at public forum. In light of the election of Libby Schaaf as the new Mayor of Oakland, Magganas stressed the importance of establishing an open line of communication between Oakland and Piedmont. “I worked on Libby Schaaf’s campaign,” he said, “and Mayor of Oakland is a strong position.” Because many Piedmont residents have interests in Oakland, such as offices and businesses, he believes it is in everyone’s best interest to be on good terms with Oakland. Magganas explained, “In order to ensure that communication and cooperation are established between the two cities, I hope to organize a reception.” At this reception for Oakland’s and Piedmont’s government bodies, Magganas would ensure that communication between Oakland and Piedmont can be firmly established.
At public forum, I expressed my desire for a traffic light at the intersection of El Cerrito Avenue and Oakland Avenue. Cars often speed down Oakland Avenue and do not stop for pedestrians to cross. While there is a crossing guard to help students cross the street before and after school, speeding cars are present at this intersection around the clock. When crossing at night, even a flashlight does not induce most drivers to yield for pedestrians. In order to make this pedestrian-heavy intersection safer, I encouraged the City Council to consider putting a traffic light there.
by Claire Wong
Editors’ Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.
Dec 10 2014
The following is a report by Piedmont High School student Joe Cumberlich on his observations of the Dec. 1, 2014 Piedmont City Council meeting.
On the night of December 1, 2014, I attended the Piedmont City Council meeting at the Piedmont City Hall on Vista Avenue. These meetings are held every other week throughout the year. Mayor Margaret Fujioka sits in the middle of the council members and leads the debates and motions for actions. In this specific meeting, representatives from the Piedmont Unified School District, and the Turkey Trot thanked the council for cooperation in their respective fundraising efforts.
The first topic that was extensively debated was agenda item number five, the consideration of an amendment to the use agreement with the Piedmont Center for the Arts to facilitate the installation of a disabled lift in the East Wing of the City’s building. This topic was clearly a priority of the City Council because the state requires wheelchair access in all buildings of this type. The issue of the lifts actual installation was the insurance costs brought on by the City, as well as the question of the quality of the lift itself. City Administrator Paul Benoit stressed the importance of the lift, as well as the quality of the lift itself. His points about quality were confirmed by Chester Nakahara the Director of Public Works for the City. The motion to purchase the lift passed and the Council decided to look at insurance at the end of the fiscal year.
Seventh on the agenda was a motion for the consideration of the award of the Linda Beach Field turf replacement project to Fieldturf USA in the amount of $222,204 and authorize the overall construction budget of $265,534. This conversation was obviously a great concern of Vice Mayor Jeffrey Wieler who extensively asked Fieldturf USA representative Andrew Reley about the safety of the materials, and the performance they have as both a playing surface and draining ability. I spoke on this topic because I’m an experienced user of field turf for various sporting events.
The proposed turf is made up of plastic grass and filled in with a mix of cork and sand. This mix is called ‘pure fill’ and is much more expensive than the traditional ‘crushed tire’ fill used at Witter Field. The City’s reasoning for this expense is the potential danger ‘crushed tire’ can have if consumed. Now a person would need to consume several cubic feet of the stuff for a lethal dose. Never the less the parents of small children will be fearful and will complain, making this a worthwhile expense for the City.
USA Fieldturf rep Andrew Reley explained his company’s success with their product, having installed thousands of fields globally. From elementary schools like Beach, to NFL and Pro Soccer fields. I caught up with him after the meeting.
Me: Why were you at this meeting? What difficulties and problems brought you here?
Andrew: I was here to answer any questions for the City Council on the proposed turf at Beach Field.
Me: What’s the next step for this issue?
Andrew: Going forward we need to meet the needs of the community with prices that meet the budget of the City.
By Joe Cumberlich
Editors’ Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.
Dec 10 2014
The League of Women Voters of Piedmont (LWVP) will hold their annual Holiday Luncheon on Friday, December 12. The public is invited to attend and hear guest speaker, Piedmont resident Dan Reicher. *
Friday, December 12th
11:00 am – 1:30 pm
Piedmont Veterans Hall
401 Highland Avenue
Reicher will speak on Clean Energy: Technology, Policy and Finance. He is Executive Director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, a joint center of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School, where he also holds faculty positions.
Reicher came to Stanford in 2011 from Google, where he served since 2007 as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. Dan has more than 25 years of experience in energy and environmental policy, finance, and technology. He has served three Presidents including in the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Department of Energy Chief of Staff, as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team and Co-chair of the Energy and Environment Team for Obama, and as a staff member of President Carter’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.
Dan holds a BA in biology from Dartmouth College and a JD from Stanford Law School. He also studied at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and MIT.
An avid kayaker, Reicher was a member of the first expedition on record to navigate the entire 1888-mile Rio Grande (with support from the National Geographic Society) and to kayak the Yangtze River in China. He is married to Carole Parker. Carole and Dan have three children and live in Piedmont.
*Speaker & lunch $30 in advance or $35 at the door. To reserve your spot, visit LWVPiedmont.org and click on the Reserve Now button. Payment via credit card, debit card or PayPal account accepted.
There is no fee for the speaker portion of the program. Lunch following the speaker at 12:30pm. Please reserve your spot by visiting LWVPiedmont.org.
For more information: LWVPiedmont.org
Dec 7 2014
According to information provided by Nancy Lehrkind, President of the Piedmont Center for the Arts, the Center meets Federal requirements for disabled access to restrooms. Lehrkind notes a restroom on the lower level available for those in a wheel chair or otherwise disabled. The Arts Center contract with the city of Piedmont required the provision of a lift to access the disabled restrooms on the upper level.
Click here for more information on Piedmont Center for the Arts
Dec 5 2014
The following is a Piedmont High School student report on the Piedmont City Council meeting of November 17, 2014 written by Henry Ferguson. –
On November 17, 2014, the Piedmont City Council got together in its meeting to discuss items on its agenda. The council members kicked off the Toys for Tots Drive and announced the Book Drive. The members approved the minutes unanimously. There was a short debate about the Conflict of Interest Code. An announcement about Safe Digging Month was made by a PG&E representative.
The meeting started with the audience going up and making suggestions. One man came to suggest that the Piedmont City Council should communicate with the new Oakland mayor, and two Piedmont High School students suggested that a few stop signs be placed in busy intersections.
The Toys for Tots drive was started with each council member donating a toy to the cause. A PG&E representative reminded people that November is Safe Digging Month and that people should call PG&E before digging in their backyard to make sure that infrastructure is not damaged.
There was a decision made about Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); since Piedmont is too small to receive CDBG grants for funds to fulfill ADA requirements, it shares with other small towns in Alameda County, such as Dublin. The City Council decided unanimously that Piedmont should join together with the small towns to get the CDBG grants.
There was a revision to the Conflict of Interest Code (CoIC) made during the council meeting. The CoIC is a disclosure agreement that says that certain city employees have to disclose financial information, can not accept gifts of a fluid dollar amount, can not make decisions that are in the employee’s own economic interest, and restricts special loans that city employees could get. The revision to the Code would include the City Planner and some other positions to follow the rules put down by the CoIC.
Councilman Tim Rood suggested that the City Engineer should also be obligated to follow the Code, to which Vice Mayor Jeff Weiler disagreed, stating that it would be an invasion of the City Engineer’s privacy. After a short argument, the council members voted unanimously to include the City Engineer and revise the Conflict of Interest Code to meet today’s standards. I believe that a City Engineer has the power to make decisions within his or her interest and that transparency is more important than privacy in this case.
A few statements about the Book Drive and other miscellaneous announcements ended the meeting, one of the shortest in years. I interviewed Councilman Robert McBain to talk about the meetings. He said that as an elected official, it was his duty to be at the council meeting, and no matter how few things there are to do, he will be there making decisions about the agenda items. Next week will see another city council meeting and another set of items to discuss.
Editors’ Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.
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