Cavendish Lane Repairs, Rejection of Corp Yard Solar, Funding for Tennis Courts
November 19, 2018 City Council Meeting
On November 19, 2018, I attended the Piedmont City Council meeting in the Piedmont City Council Chambers, which meet on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. After the Public Forum, Mayor Mcbain led a moment of silence for the victims of the California fires, and was followed up with an update by Piedmont’s Fire Chief. At the time of the meeting, 75 were confirmed dead with over 1000 missing. Next came, the introduction of a new employee, and the council members’ donations for the Toys for Tots drive.
First on the regular agenda was the Approval of Council Special Meeting Minutes for 10/15/18, which was passed very quickly. This then led into the second item on the agenda, the Approval of Agreements Related to the Repair of Cavendish Lane.
Cavendish Lane is owned and maintained by the City of Oakland, but serves four homes located within Piedmont. Around February 2017, a road failure resulted in the loss of access to vehicles to the homes located in Piedmont, with none of the Oakland homes being negatively affected.
Piedmont, with the permission of Oakland, paid for a temporary fix of the road, which was finished in early April of 2017. Although this temporary repair made access to the Piedmont homes with personal vehicles possible, this section of the road is still weight sensitive, and does not make the entry of delivery trucks, or moving vans possible.
Oakland has expressed no interest in making permanent repairs, so together Piedmont and Oakland are working on an agreement that would allow Piedmont to take on the repairs of this road, and force Oakland to reimburse Piedmont for the cost of the project. Oakland would use the money gained from a lawsuit to reimburse Piedmont. The estimations for this repair are between $400,000 and $600,000.
As part of the Alameda Transportation Committee, Vice Mayor Teddy King expressed her positive feelings towards this issue, as both Piedmont and Oakland are working hard to reach a deal. A woman with both her senior parents then expressed gratitude towards the council for their efforts in helping her parents once again gain easy access to their vehicles.
Next on the agenda was the Consideration of the Rejection of All Proposals for the Corporation Yard Solar Photovoltaic System Project. The City of Piedmont received two proposals for the installation of a solar photovoltaic system on the roof of the rear storage building at the Corporation Yard. Albion Power Company’s offer was $118,631, while Sunlogic, Inc., dba Solar Technologies’ offer was $70,012. Vice Mayor Teddy Gray King spoke on this issue, as one of her areas of expertise is environmental sustainability. Solar Technologies later submitted an updated proposal with a 15% discount on the original.
The new proposal is for $59,510, and has a payback period of nearly 11 years. In the span of 25 years this would wind up saving Piedmont a total of around $169,000. However, roofing material was not stated in the quote, and could wind up costing another $60,000.
The next two items on the agenda were the Consideration of FY 2017-18 Year-End Appropriations and Carry forwards and the Consideration of FY 2017-18 Year End Fund Transfers. Both of these passed very quickly, and with little question.
Next was the Consideration of the Issuance of Bid Documents for the Recreation Center Tennis Court Resurfacing Project and Direction to Staff Regarding Fundraising. The tennis courts in Piedmont receive high use from kids, adults, and members of the Piedmont High School tennis teams. Not only were there to be renovations to the tennis courts, but also the renaming of the Recreation Department tennis courts to be named after Coach Corey Reich. PHS tennis coaches and PFRO members both gave their support to this idea.
I also stood up and spoke and gave my support to the idea of fixing the courts while also renaming them after Coach Corey Reich, as I know many people who use these courts, and the inspirational story of Corey Reich.
The Rec. Dept. courts are to receive new nets and posts, are to be resurfaced, new fencing will be installed, with also the installation of a new drainage system. PFRO and tennis community will need to raise money in order for this to happen though.
After the meeting was over, I interviewed Council Member Jen Cavanaugh. When asked what steps she would take to improve the community she said that “there are a lot of facilities that require maintenance, and a ton of investment that’s required, and the tennis courts are only a small piece of that.” She later went on to say “I was not lying when I said I would write a check, because we need everyone on board, including tennis players, private citizens, and people who love outdoor recreation alike to get behind these things. After the tennis courts, we have probably six other recreation and park facility projects that we are trying to bring to the community, and need to get funding for it.”
by Nick Parker, Piedmont High School Senior
Editors’ note: Cavendish Lane is located immediately south of Trestle Glen Road. It and its right-of-way are located within, owned, and maintained by the City of Oakland. The cul-de-sac is located at the extreme west end of the street and serves four homes located within the city of Piedmont. The only access to these four Piedmont homes is via Cavendish Lane.
