City Administrator Responds to Requests for Additional Information

At the August 1 City Council meeting, a number of questions arose regarding the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) fund balances.  It was unclear to the Council, the CIP Review Committee, and members of the public, how much money was in the CIP fund and available for expenditure in FY 2011-12. The CIP list of projects, (p.3) provided by staff lacked information as to funding,  past  appropriations, or past expenditures for each project.  City Administrator Geoff Grote placed the CIP list on the Council August 1 agenda because the CIP appropriations had not been approved in June for the FY 20111-12 Budget.

Vice Mayor John Chiang requested that staff provide on-going Quarterly Reports on the CIP Fund indicating Fund balances – what money was taken out and what remained.  Council Member Keating noted the CIP items listed as deferred were informational, rather than approved appropriations.  The CIP Committee report noted:

“We found it difficult to follow the flow of dollars allocated to specific CIP projects, in particular the disposition of remaining funds upon completion or decision not to pursue a particular project. We recommend institution of clearer summary reporting by project, and can work with City finance staff to develop standard reports from existing sources to meet this need.” > Click to read more…

Since the City Council in March approved the the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for development of Blair Park for sports fields and Coaches Field for lighting and artificial turf, controversy over Piedmont’s Moraga Canyon Sport Fields proposal has not abated. 

Between March and August, no public hearings have been held by the Council on the project. But Council members have said informally they expect to hold a public hearing on the revised final project plans in September.  Meanwhile, the Council may have met in closed session to discuss potential litigation on the project, but the Brown Act does not require public disclosure of the nature of potential litigation discussed. > Click to read more…

At the Municipal Tax Review Committee (MTRC) meeting on Wednesday, July 20, the Committee considered the City’s sewer tax and voted unanimously (8-0) to recommend a 50% increase in this tax, effective July 2, 2014.  In response to a question, Public Works Director Chester Nakahara said that no costs for relocating the residential sewer lines that run beneath Blair Park are included in the City’s sewer program. The City’s program covers only improvements necessary to bring existing sewer lines into compliance with federal mandates.  > Click to read more…

Statement to City Council by Piedmont Resident Regarding a Roundabout at Moraga & Maxwelton

Concerning PRFO’s Blair Park traffic plan, the proposed mini-roundabout at Maxwelton and Moraga is entirely contrary to the Federal Highway Administration’s Feb. 2010 Technical Summary concerning single lane mini-roundabout intersections. > Click to read more…

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…

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…

A letter from Joanne Semitekol on the Blair Park process

According to Geoff Grote in the June 22nd ‘The Blair Park Project’  article in East Bay Express, $65,000 is now needed for environmental and legal studies regarding a traffic plan for the project.  Early on in the process, I for one, and several others requested, even pleaded with City Council, to conduct a thorough traffic study for Moraga Avenue to insure a viable project BEFORE embarking on a premature Environmental Impact Study.   Instead the City Council chose to move ahead and conduct > Click to read more…

A letter from Robert Hendrickson on the City’s decision-making model for recent projects

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

A resident’s response to Piedmont Soccer Club President Mark Landheer’s letter in the Piedmont Post:

Piedmont Post Editor,

I am relieved by PSC President Mark Landheer’s May 25 Post letter stating, “Kids at Blair Park will not cross Moraga Avenue.” The unsafe traffic mitigation proposed by ELS will no longer be necessary. > Click to read more…