The following information from the City of Piedmont website was submitted by Measure UU Pool Bond supporters. 

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I enthusiastically support Cory Smegal for another term on the school board.

I was on the board when she was elected and we’ve served together these last four years. Cory came onto the board with relevant experience and strong skills and, in the last four years, she has only deepened and expanded her expertise.

Cory is impressively smart, quick, creative, and compassionate. To the core, Cory is a servant leader, always, always putting our students and their well-being first and thoughtfully balancing the needs of our myriad stakeholders against what will best serve our students and their families. Cory asks questions…a lot of them (a very good thing!), does her homework and does it well, and is an out-of-the-box thinker who pushes and prods to find the best solution within the confines of the rules and regulations that govern public education. What I especially appreciate, too, is that Cory wants everyone to understand the “why” of an action or decision, taking the time to provide background during board discussions so that everyone understands the context in which decisions/actions are made.

It’s been a difficult year in light of shifting our learning environment because of COVID, and it is a testament to Cory that she has chosen to continue to serve for another four years and to continue to use her talents for our educational community. It will be my honor to continue to work with her.

Please join me in voting for Cory for school board. I know absolutely that Piedmont will be very well served.

Respectfully,

Amal Smith, Member of the School Board

I am writing in support of Veronica Anderson Thigpen for election to the Piedmont School Board.

Veronica will bring a dynamic new perspective to the board. Her professional, volunteer and life experiences make her an excellent candidate. Veronica moved to Piedmont from Chicago where she earned degrees in Economics and Journalism from Northwestern University. Veronica has authored award winning writings on educational policy, and currently advises school systems and educational nonprofits on building equitable and effective organizations.

Upon arrival in Piedmont, Veronica eagerly joined our enthusiastic volunteer community and has made several important contributions. We are fortunate to have a candidate with such broad understanding of educational policy, and a willingness to share her talents and knowledge. Veronica is also a trained facilitator whose calm, thoughtful demeanor and sense of humor make her an effective collaborator. Veronica is articulate and is a skilled listener. Her positive attitude and willingness to address difficult issues are critical strengths in these challenging time.

My association with the school district began in 1980 when I was hired to teach art at Piedmont Middle School. For many years both the school district and the city have expressed a desire to increase diversity within their staffs. In Veronica we have a competent, eminently qualified leader who is also a woman of color. Veronica will make a wonderful addition to our dedicated Board of Education.

Please join me in voting for Veronica Anderson Thigpen for School Board.

Cathy Michelotti Glazier, Piedmont Resident

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Read detailed information and watch a short video for School Board Candidate Hari Titan by clicking below.

> Hari Titan for School Board 2020 | Community Digital Town Hall

Hari Titan Piedmont School Board Candidate

FUTURE OF 801 MAGNOLIA AVENUE AND PIEDMONT CENTER FOR THE ARTS

In 2011, the Piedmont Center for the Arts, Inc. (PCA), formed by Piedmont volunteers, proposed to host community art events in an unused City building at 801 Magnolia Avenue. The City of Piedmont supported that mission, subsidizing PCA with a 10-year lease at $1/year in exchange for PCA performing some renovation work and to further community use of the building. PCA has managed the West Wing of 801 Magnolia for the last nine years, renting it out for various arts-related events.

[Editors Note:  Since 1986, the Piedmont Civic Association has been known as PCA.   The PCA references in this article refer to the Piedmont Center for the Arts.  The two organizations are separate.]

PCA now is seeking a 10-year extension of its lease, even though the lease does not expire until June 3, 2021. While PCA has performed a public service by hosting art events, before any lease renewal, the City needs to take time to carefully assess its own needs for building space, the extent of the City’s subsidy to PCA and whether that subsidy efficiently supports arts in Piedmont, and whether community uses of 801 Magnolia should be limited solely to arts.

The City should consider, based on input from its departments and the public, the following:

(1) Will the City need the 801 Magnolia space to facilitate any infrastructure improvements, including relocation of services?  Numerous City buildings require renovation or reconstruction, and services will need to be relocated. Is 801 Magnolia Ave. one potential location? Given that PCA’s lease already runs to June 2021, there is time to figure this out.

(2) Does the City need additional space to provide services regardless of infrastructure improvements? Would the City offer more programs if it had available space?

(3) Given the City’s need for revenue to fill a hole in maintenance funding, the City or a Committee should consider at least: (a) what is the market rental value of 801 Magnolia, as the City changed the zoning code to allow for-profit entities in City-owned buildings; and (b) what revenue could the City earn if it rented out the facility for events when not needed for City use, perhaps subsidizing arts and other community events with lower rental rates? The
differential between such revenue and PCA’s rent (currently $1/year) is the City subsidy to PCA.

(4) If the facility is to be leased to a third party, for what purposes and on what terms?  In 2011, the City Council provided the building rent-free so that, as the Lease says: ““Tenant will use the Premises for the purpose of operating a venue for exhibits, performances, concerts, and other similar events or activities for the benefit of the local community.”  PCA, however, has limited such uses to “arts-related” events. Review of pre-pandemic event calendars on the PCA website shows the space is used quite a bit, but there also are a considerable number of open days and hours within days. Whether there are Piedmont residents (or even City departments) who would like to use the facility on those days, or during those hours, for non-arts-related events is not known. Thus far, the City has not sought public comment on expanding use of 801 Magnolia.

(5) The City Council should be fully informed about not only the extent of the City’s subsidy of PCA (the differential between market rent and PCA’s rent), but also whether PCA is passing such savings along to the persons and groups presenting events at 801 Magnolia. PCA does not post the hourly rental rates it charges to hold an event at 801 Magnolia. If the City’s intent is to subsidize community uses of 801 Magnolia, then PCA’s revenues should roughly equal the cost of operating the facility. Even then, the City should consider whether its own staff, who already manage rentals of other City facilities such as Community Hall, could manage 801 Magnolia at less cost. If the City wishes to obtain revenue from renting 801 Magnolia at a rate greater than its operating costs, it again may sense for City staff to handle facility rentals.

Notwithstanding the City’s need to fund significant infrastructure improvements, the City Council may decide that it wishes to continue to subsidize arts in Piedmont. If so, however, I hope the City will seek and consider public input on how best to support arts and other community events in Piedmont.

Rick Raushenbush, Former School Board Member

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

It was my honor and pleasure to serve with Conna as co-chairs of the 2006 seismic safety school bond measure, and to experience her leadership skills in that context.  When we began the contentious campaign, I didn’t know Conna well, but learned through it that she is smart, she works hard, she does her homework, and she seeks to understand all parts of an issue before coming to conclusions. Conna engages stakeholders in community conversation: she is always willing to listen, and she actively seeks diverse perspectives and insights.

As we campaigned, Conna regularly reminded me that hearing diverse viewpoints from friends and neighbors helped us better understand the needs of our community. She is equally able and willing to listen to new ideas and perspectives, to thoughtfully consider the merits of an issue, and to stop deliberating when a decision is made and work with all-comers to take action. Throughout the campaign, Conna was passionate for and articulate about our cause: the safety of students and staff in our schools.

I’m proud to have worked with Conna to leave a lasting legacy of safe school buildings in Piedmont. We would be lucky to have her considerable skills and talents, as well as her inclusive leadership ability, in service of the needs of our community. She has earned my vote because I know from personal experience how well-qualified Conna is to provide the kind of leadership our community needs at this pivotal time.

Please join me in voting to elect Conna to the Piedmont City Council.

Dana Serleth

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

New Pool Can Serve All User Groups

We’ve known for 20 years or more that the beloved Piedmont pool was wearing out.

I first got involved in 2005, when my kids were small, by joining the board of the Piedmont Swim Club. The antiquated private nonprofit model, with a City-imposed restriction to Piedmont residents and cap on the number
of members, wasn’t a good fit for an obsolescent facility that needed a lot of capital investment.

Following the City takeover in 2011, a thorough and inclusive master planning process developed a practical and detailed master plan for a much larger new facility that can meet the needs of the entire Piedmont community as well as comply with current health, safety and accessibility codes.

Many different user groups use the pool – kids, families, swim lessons, teens and young adults, PHS and private swim teams, middle and high school PE class, adaptive PE, the PHS water polo teams, adult fitness swimmers, and senior water aerobics – and none of these activities can continue in Piedmont without a new aquatics facility. And because of its age and condition, continued repairs to the existing facility couldn’t address all the code issues, would likely involve unplanned closures, would not be cost-effective, and wouldn’t address the accessibility issues or the simple lack of water space for all the currently programmed activities.

The master planning process included an operational analysis by an expert aquatics consultant, which found that the new aquatic center can come close to covering its operating costs by accommodating many more users at the same time. The new aquatic center will have much more water space, including a large shallow area with zero depth entry for babies and smaller kids that’s connected to a “medium pool” area for older kids and lessons. A completely separate competitive pool with a moving bulkhead can accommodate lap swimming and team practice at the same time.

Piedmont needs to completely replace the pool, and Measure UU is the way to make that happen. Please join me in voting Yes on UU to build an aquatic center that will serve the community for another 50 years or more.

Tim Rood
City Councilmember

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

The “facts” presented by the pro UU swim people aren’t all facts.

Like so many other things in Piedmont, we continually say it’s for the kids or it’s for our property tax values. This time the facts just don’t support that notion.

The numbers I am quoting were received from the City Administrator or the Arguments for UU.

1. The bond issue is for $19,500,000, but there are no bids. That is based upon estimates from 2010-12 inflated to today. It could cost significantly more and there is no source for additional funds.

2. UU estimates the cost per home of the bond issue at $0.75 per day ($274/year). That’s based upon an assessment of under $1 million. According to Redfin, the average price of a Piedmont home last month was $2,420,000! The tax on $2 million is around $540 per year or twice what is advertised by UU.

3. The City budget already subsidizes the pool for around $250,000 per year or $65 per home.

4. Approximately 35% of the pass users are non-Piedmont residents. Non-resident passes cost $100 more (only 11%) than resident passes but they won’t pay anything towards the bond issue.

5. Of the 65% of Piedmont users there are approximately 491 household passes for the pool. That is roughly 13% of the homes in Piedmont. The pass holders are very frequent users so it appears that very few residents actually use the pool but the ones that do, use it frequently. Should everyone pay for the benefit to a very small portion of the population who are avid swimmers?

6. Water aerobics accounted for only 45 passes (families or individuals) and water polo accounted for 51 passes (families or individuals) and we don’t know how many of those are non-Piedmont residents but certainly some are non-residents. Let’s assume that swim team and swim club accounts for another 10% of usage and that it is all Piedmont residents. That makes a total of 23% usage by Piedmont families.

If the pool was used by ½ of the residents, it would make sense for it to be publicly financed, but why should 100% of the families pay for a pool that is used by less than ¼ of the residents and is used by a significant % of non-residents?

VOTE NO ON UU.

Joe Hurwich, Piedmont Resident

Editors Note:  Opinions expressed are those of the author.

There is no better candidate for City Council than Conna McCarthy Craigie. 

Conna has spent over 30 years in Piedmont, serving both the school and city communities.  She has worked on several parcel tax and bond measures for the city and PUSD.  When her children were no longer in the school system she focused on city issues and concerns. She was appointed to the Recreation Commission in 2017, and the to CIP in 2019 where she was elected chair.

Conna is a team player, and serving for “the greater good”, is in her blood.  All of her past volunteer roles and work experience have more than prepared her to serve on the City Council.  She is a critical thinker and a rational and fair decision maker.  Conna will bring a clear perspective and work ethic to her position.  There is no better Piedmont resident for the job.

Matthew and Margaret Heafey