City offices will be closed on December 24, 25, and January 1.

The Highland and Magnolia Avenues intersection will become pedestrian between the Traffic Island and Veterans Hall.

On school days double parked cars and congested streets adjacent to Piedmont Middle School (PMS) have frustrated parents, the community and even the Piedmont police trying to access their parking slots at the Police Department.

On October 5, the Piedmont City Council approved a change to the traffic island area at the intersection of Highland and Magnolia Avenues in response to traffic and pedestrian hazards before and after school.  The project was amended by the City Council at its December 7 meeting.  New signs will be installed restricting the 30 minute parking zone in front of PMS to loading zone areas before and after school.

At the request of the Piedmont Unified School District, the City Council also approved a change to the 30 minute parking zone in front of Piedmont Middle School on Magnolia Avenue. This area will now be a student drop off and pickup zone from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. each school day. The time for afternoon drop off and pickup will be 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. This change is being made to increase student safety in the drop off and pick up area.

This work is scheduled to be completed during the week of December 21st. 2015.  On January 4, the first school day after the Winter Break, the new pedestrian area and parking restrictions will be in place. Police Officers will be present to remind drivers of the new parking restrictions.

Read for more information .

Report on December 7th City Council Meeting

by Piedmont High School Student Olivia Arrabit

    On Monday December 7, 2015 I attended the Piedmont City Council meeting in the Piedmont Council Chambers at City Hall.  The Council meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month to discuss their decisions on behalf of the city.  There were six major issues on the agenda, the first was consideration of a report from the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee regarding the Municipal Services Special Tax.

Bill Hosler, Chair of the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee, gave a summary of the report to start the discussion.  The Committee members went around Piedmont looking at facilities to assess how long they would last or how long before they needed repair.  After making observations, Mr. Hosler and the Committee concluded that in order to maintain the city facilities in Piedmont, the parcel tax should be kept and raised up to 50% of its current level to pay for the repairs and upgrades.

After he gave his speech a few of the Council members praised Mr. Hosler on the committee’s comprehensive findings.  Council Member Teddy G. King even said that Mr. Hosler’s paper should be entered into a masters program because it made something so dense easy to understand.

Mayor Margaret Fujioka remarked that the Council may need to consider a 50% increase as too much, but they also have to think about the fact that the tax only comes before the voters once every four years while the City depends on the tax for sidewalks, streets, etc.  Ms. Fujioka said that they should try to increase revenues while decreasing expenditures.

Vice Mayor Jeffrey Wieler used a metaphor about a boat hitting the rocks to describe the current situation.  He said that in order to steer the boat away from the rocks, the captain needs to slightly steer the boat away long before it hits the rocks for if he waited too long, the boat might not be able to avoid the rocks.  His opinion was that it was smart to start cutting back places where we can save money and to start out by only taking a little bit more money far in advance in order to avoid a huge financial problem.  Council Member Robert McBain agreed with this concept. 

The next speaker was Garrett Keating, a public speaker.  In his opinion the 50% increase was far too much, he used the words “arbitrary” and “unsustainable”.  The Council concluded that they will aim to have another discussion regarding the duration and rate of the parcel tax.

The next issue on the agenda was the consideration of the reconfiguration of parking at the intersection of Magnolia and Highland Avenues.  Council Member Paul Benoit proposed to make the area a safe loading zone during school pick-up and drop-off hours insuring that the police will be able to respond to emergencies quicker and safer.

The Superintendent of Piedmont Unified School District, Randall Booker, voiced that there was a lot of concern about this subject because many people had observed double parked cars and overly congested streets during the school day, making it impossible for police officers to pull out of and into their parking spaces.  Both Council Member Tim Rood and Robert McBain agreed with the concern, because both have had or have students attending Piedmont Schools.

The next speaker was Jennifer Cavenaugh, a mother of three children that currently attend Piedmont schools.  She attended the meeting in order to explain the trouble she has faced with that intersection and offer some insight on the topic.  She said that most parents who live in upper Piedmont use the intersection as a “turn-around.” She said she experiences the traffic everyday and feels it is a huge problem.  She also voiced her concern that even if the City prohibited the “turn-around” area, the parents picking up their children from school would just find somewhere else to turn around, causing the same congestion but in a different area.

The Council Members heartily agreed with Ms. Cavenaugh, and responded by passing two motions unanimously that made all of the parking from 400 to 800 Magnolia 30-minute parking and loading zones during pickup and drop-off times.

In my opinion, I don’t think this will end up working.  Of course, in the beginning it will because there will be officers there to enforce it, but once it dies down people will begin to ignore the parking signs because it is more convenient and there will not be as strict enforcement of the rule.  Also, I think that because it is such a specific parking rule, the actual sign will be very confusing, causing most people to honestly just ignore it.

The next issue that was discussed was the Moraga Avenue Pavement Project.  The project aims to repave and repair sections of both Highland and Moraga Avenues.  There were no speakers and the motion passed unanimously.

The fourth issue on the agenda was rental rates of the Community Hall, the Tea House, the Exedra, and the Veteran’s Hall.  Sarah Lillevand, Piedmont’s Recreation Director, told the Council Members that she had looked at other East Bay wedding facilities and looked at what the prices were to rent them compared to Piedmont’s facilities.  She observed that the rental rates for the Community Hall could be much higher for what the clients are receiving.

Currently, the Community Hall is booked a year in advance without any advertising. Lillevand stated that the venue was very desirable and the price should be raised.  Council Member Teddy G. King agreed completely with Ms. Lillevand.  She said that twelve years ago when she got married she paid almost triple the price for her venue, which is why she concluded that the price should be raised as well.  The motion for price increases for the various venues passed unanimously.

The second to last topic that was discussed was the replacement of the Community Hall floors.  City Administrator Paul Benoit explained that there is veneer on the floor now and that it should be replaced with pure oak.  The only concern is that the pre-schools that take place in the basement of the Community Hall will not be able to operate while the floor is being replaced.  There was an idea of using portables, but the Council Members agreed that option was too expensive.  Mayor Margaret Fujioka stated she was concerned it would be too much of a financial investment for something that is only going to last 30 years.  But the other Council members managed to convince her that the value of the building would go up, and would increase cash flow from the rentals once the floor was replaced.  The motion to take the bid of HY Floor Company of $90,000 to replace the floor passed unanimously.

The last topic on the agenda was the proposal for an agreement with Terri Black for recruitment for the position of Finance Director.  There were no speakers on the subject and the motion passed unanimously for the agreement with Terri Black for $27,000 for the recruitment of the new Finance Director.

Editors’ Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the author. 

On Wednesday, December 16 the Recreation Commission will receive updates on Recreation Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) and other repair and renovation projects at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chamber.

Following the Commission Chair’s report and the Recreation Director’s report there will be updates on:

CIP Projects

Aquatics Master Plan

Hampton Field Master Plan

Recreation Department building

Other Projects

Aquatics facility Repairs and Renovations

Community Hall Renovations

Future Projects

Read June, 2015 CIP suggestions for projects here.

The meeting is open for public participation and will be broadcast live via Channel 27 KCOM and the city’s website.

Public Hearing by Planning Commission on Marijuana Growing in Piedmont –

City staff will present recommendations to the Planning Commission on modifications to the Municipal Code to address cultivation, dispensing and delivery of marijuana.  After hearing testimony from the public and discussion, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council.

In October, Piedmont police served a search warrant on a Scenic Avenue home, seized 30 pounds of processed and packaged marijuana worth an estimated street value of $150,000, and arrested the two rental tenants living in a unit suspected of cultivating the plants.  They also found more than 13 fully mature marijuana plants in what police described as “a sophisticated marijuana grow operation” in the 100 block of Scenic Avenue.

According to FindLaw:

In general, it is a crime to grow marijuana or manufacture controlled substances and illegal drugs in California. The criminal charges related to the cultivation or manufacturing of drugs depend on the type of drug.

…

The Committee will consider recommendations to the City Council on the Special Municipal Services Tax.

The Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee continue work on a proposed Piedmont Municipal Services Special Tax  (MSST) at their meeting Tuesday, December 15. They will consider what MSST rate to recommend to the City Council. From the current parcel tax increases being considered range up to 50%.

In making recommendations to the City Council, the committee is charged with considering the need for a voter approved parcel tax, the amount of the tax, and the proposed duration of the tax.

The public can attend and participate in the 7 p.m. meeting held in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center, 403 Highland Avenue.

Some written materials have been disseminated. No broadcast via the internet or cable TV will be available.

Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education meeting of December 9 –

Report by High School Student Megan Wilensky –

On December 9, 2015, the Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education met for a regular meeting. The Board of Education meetings are held the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, unless stated otherwise. At these meetings, the board members discuss goals, problems, and solutions for problems at Beach Elementary, Wildwood Elementary, Havens Elementary, Piedmont Middle, Millennium High, and Piedmont High schools.

At the beginning of the meeting, the participants were told the events that happened during the week and events coming up. Afterwards, students and other audience members had the opportunity to speak about problems at Piedmont High School, or other schools. Anna Morris suggested adding more P.E. options for students to receive P.E. credits such as yoga or pilates noting that other schools have more options other than regular P.E. in which students are more motivated to participate. She stated adding more P.E. classes will inspire students to be active and healthy in their own way.

Another topic was brought up by Chloe Lee Rowlands. She pointed out that at other schools, like Oakland Technical High School, seniors have days dedicated to writing college applications with teachers, counselors, and college counselors available to help out. She stated this would  reduce students’ stress levels and propel them through the college application process faster. I support this idea because I believe it would have helped me greatly when I was working on my own college applications.

A major issue discussed at the meeting on December 9 was the elementary Tri-school instructional design process. Teachers from Wildwood, Beach, and Havens spoke at the meeting about their process of improving the daily schedule at the Piedmont elementary schools. In the past they have found that they barely have enough time to get the kids into their work and finish it, and then transition them to a different subject. The time pressure they are faced with does not give the teachers enough time to successfully engage the children in their learning. At this point, they are not coming up with solutions, however the goal is to have three to four prototype schedules finished by January. These are sample schedules they will test out during the year that will try to solve the current problems by allowing more efficient transitions and empowering teachers to set realistic and reasonable expectations. The group of people working on this project, including teachers, parents, principals, and classified staff, have come up with design principles: the new schedule will support flexibility and creativity, create opportunities for integration of the curriculum, and attend to the well being of the students and staff. Changing the elementary schools’ daily schedules may also help connect the schools to the middle and high schools, and create a nicer flow from school to school.

At the meeting, time was also spent discussing the 2014-2015 and the 2015-2016 school year goals of Piedmont Middle, Millennium High, and Piedmont High schools. The principals at each school presented these goals to the School Board. Mr. Fletcher, the Middle School principal, noted that their goals are to maintain a positive school environment, support student learning with the common core, support, implement, and evaluate connected learning initiatives, and strengthen communication between teachers, parents, and students.

The Middle School has been looking at how much time it takes its students to complete their homework and how many times they need help while doing it. They have also started using an online program to enter grades like the high schools, and are thinking about the possibility of a new schedule for a later school day start.

Mr. Shaw, the Millennium High School principal, discussed their goals of refining the instructional strategies and tools, like technology use, and strengthening the structure and practice that promote individual goals.

Mr. Daniels, principal of Piedmont High School, said their goals are to promote student engagement and promote programs and technology. A few teachers have started using Google Classroom, an online tool for teachers to use to push out assignments to students and check the completeness. Also, the teachers at Piedmont High School have been learning about what meaningful homework is that actually helps the students learn and is not just busy work.

The School Board then approved of all the goals presented to them. I think all of these goals are good ones to have.

The goals involving technology are improving my learning experience already. When we received the chromebooks last year, I did not expect them to be as useful as they turned out to be since we now have more materials to use in class.

All the topics brought up at the Board of Education meeting by students, teachers, and principals were ones that I see improving the Piedmont school system for next year and the years following.

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. the Council will take up its regular agenda in the Council Chambers.  Items include: (Click on items to read the reports.)

•  Consideration of a Report from the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee Regarding the Municipal Services Special Tax 
•  Consideration of the Final Parking Configuration at the Intersection of Highland and Magnolia Avenues and a Request from the Piedmont Unified School District to Convert Parking in Front of Piedmont Middle School to a Loading Zone During Drop-Off and Pick-Up Periods 
•  Consideration of the Award of Contract for the Highland Avenue – Moraga Avenue Pavement Project 
• Consideration of Rental Rates for the Community Hall, Tea House, Exedra Plaza and the Veterans Hall 
• Consideration of an Agreement with H.Y. Floor, Inc. in the Amount of $90,514 for Replacement of the Community Hall Floor
• Consideration of an Agreement with Teri Black & Company for the Recruitment for the Position of Finance Director in the Amount Not to Exceed $27,000 and an Appropriation to Fund the Recruitment

The following items are on the consent calendar:

• 2nd Reading of Ord. 719 N.S. Authorizing the Borrowing of Funds for the Phase 5 Sewer Project 
•  Appointment of Robert Dickinson as the City’s Representative to the Alameda County Mosquito/ Abatement District
•  Receipt of a Report on the Timeline for Placing a Measure on the Presidential Primary Election Ballot of June 7, 2016 
• Approval of Agreements with the City of Oakland for Payment of Public Safety Radio Fees in the Amount of $51,800 

The Council meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m for a Closed Session in the City Hall Conference Room on three subjects. Read the full agenda.

The meeting will be broadcast live starting at 7:30 p.m.on KCOM Channel 27 and the city’s website.

Questions:  Contact Paul Benoit, City Administrator at:

The Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee will update work on Piedmont’s Municipal Services Tax Wednesday, December 2. The committee is charged with considering the need for a voter approved parcel tax and the proposed duration of the tax.

The Committee will consider their recommendation to the City Council in a report on the Special Municipal Services Tax.

The public can attend and participate in the 6:30 p.m. meeting held in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center, 403 Highland Avenue.

There will be no audio record kept of meeting discussion or presentations. Written support materials have not been disseminated. No broadcast via the internet or cable TV will be available.

The next meeting of the Piedmont Public Safety Committee is on Thursday, December 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

On the agenda:

• Update on CodeRed/Everbrite Emergency Notification System Transition
• Update on Neighborhood Public Safety Meetings
• Update on Get Ready Piedmont Brochure
• Discussion of Promotion/Distribution of  Disaster Preparedness Checklist Document
• Discussion of Expanding Map Your Neighborhood Presentations
• Update on School Liaison Activities

All members of the public can speak to items on the agenda or bring up a new issue or idea under Public Forum.  The meeting will not be broadcast on KCOM or the city’s website.