The City Council Is Not Being Open And Transparent About Measure UU. If They Were, Residents Would Have Received This Measure UU Letter.
Dear Piedmonters,
Before you vote on Measure UU, we thought there were a few things we needed to tell you. We did tell you that the City has no outstanding General Obligation Bonds, but we didn’t mention that we have LOTS of debts – $7 million in sewer loans, $13 million in Post Employment Benefits Payable, and $26 million in Pension Benefits Payable.
Oh, and if our pension portfolio returns only 6.15% instead of the estimated 7.15% (you can get 7.15% on your investments in today’s crazy market with bonds yielding close to zero, can’t you?), our Pension Benefit Liability alone increases to over $43 million.
Speaking of deficits, did we mention that our General Fund – that is, unrestricted money that the City can spend on anything – has a deficit of about $9 million?
We also glossed over the fact that the ordinance we passed estimates that the total cost of the “improvements” is $23 million, but that it allows us to issue $19.5 million in bonds. Guess who is paying for the difference?
We also haven’t mentioned it, but by reading the City Council minutes for the last six months, you can see that we know about the major deficiencies in our ability to deliver essential public services – the Police Chief, Fire Chief, and City Administrator are all on the record as saying that we do not comply with the Essential Services Act, that the fire station may sustain major damage in an earthquake, and that it may cost up to $51 million to fix these problems. That’s why we are looking at creating a Community Facilities District (aka Mello-Roos) to make it easier to issue bonds backed by another special tax on Piedmont homeowners in the near future. And because we generally ask for the maximum amount, it will probably be for the full $51 million.
Finally, we haven’t mentioned that 100% of Piedmont citizens rely on our Police and Fire Departments, while an estimated 25% of citizens use the pool.
So, if we had placed two bond measures on the November ballot – $50 million for Police and Fire, and $20 million for a new pool, we knew what would happen. Citizens would vote to maintain essential services, but they would turn down the pool.
After spending $56 million in 2006 and another $66 million in 2016 on School District Bonds (all that money is gone, and they still haven’t finished their projects), $10 million per year on Measure G, $2.6 million per year on Measure H, and $2.4 million per year on Measure T, citizens are getting a little tax weary. After all, aren’t our property tax rates some of the highest in California?
So, think carefully before you vote on measure UU. We’ll see you soon with our new $51 million bond request. You will HAVE to vote yes to maintain city services, but you can vote NO on Measure UU.
Andy Wasserman, Piedmont Resident
Hari is a BIG supporter of Piedmont schools. He has extensive experience in finances and a desire for the Piedmont schools to be the best they can be. Hari found many ways for our tax dollars to go further by paying for school bonds as we go, just like a fixed-rate mortgage. By not deferring property taxes, Piedmont taxpayers saved $26 million.
Hari also fought for the cost-effectiveness of new construction for the high school theater and STEAM building, allowing for more seats, better acoustics, handicap access, net-zero energy use, and earthquake safety.
Hari has also fought for listening to our local epidemiologists and transparent school closure and reopening criteria. Hari will make sure we get back to educational excellence safely and as soon as possible.
Please join me in voting for Dr. Titan for the school board this year.
Patty White, Former Piedmont Mayor
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– Titan: 7 years of valuable aid to schools –
Our home values are linked to Piedmont’s historical reputation for excellent schools. That reputation is starting to falter as evidenced by the unexpected loss of 81 students from our school district this year. Once lost, it will take years to recover our reputation.
Titan is the School Board candidate who will add thoughtful management and responsible oversight to the School Board. Since 2013 he’s contributed over 500 hours of time which produced well-conceived recommendations that saved our schools and taxpayers MILLIONS of dollars.
Our current school board is disproportionately influenced by the unions and our country-club society. Board decisions are too often unanimous with little public deliberation and are often dismissive of thoughtful public input. Titan will return transparent governance to the school board.
My decision to vote for Titan is based on the content of his character and intellect. His experience as a businessman, mathematician, scientist, and STEM college professor brings valuable diversity and professional acumen to the board.
Membership on the school board should not be a popularity contest. Titan is the responsible candidate we need.
Dai Meagher, retired CPA, Piedmont Resident
Announcement:
Join Piedmont Racial Equity Campaign (PREC) for a Zoom discussion on how race and segregation have impacted Piedmont schools and explore the ways we can rebalance educational equity in our community and beyond.
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 7-8:15 pm
RSVP: Register here (Free)
Presented by Piedmont Racial Equity Campaign (PREC)
Co-sponsored by Piedmont Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee (PADC) and Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) Education Speaker Series
Panelists:
Stefan Lallinger: Director of the Bridges Collaborative, a group of experts in education, policy, and housing focused on integrated schools and neighborhoods. Previously, he was Special Assistant to the Chancellor of the NY Department of Education, a principal, teacher, and doctoral graduate from Harvard University.
Dorothy Lazard manages the Oakland History Room of the Oakland Public Library. She has hosted popular history programs, curated exhibits, and written articles with a focus on making Oakland’s history accessible to a broader audience.
Rebecca Sibilia: Former Executive Director of EdBuild, a national organization focused on rethinking state funding for public schools. EdBuild has generated national headlines and was cited in numerous presidential candidates’ platforms.
Moderated by Carolyn Jones, senior reporter at EdSource. Former San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune reporter and has written on education and the history of Piedmont and Oakland.
For more information: piedmontracialequity@gmail.com
In this country and in this city, in particular, there is a significant discrepancy between the amount of money spent on private vs. public improvements. The current situation—crumbling public infrastructure—is the result of years of the community’s inability to fully commit to supporting our public facilities. I personally see Measure UU to rebuild the Piedmont Community Pool first and foremost as a simple question: whether we as a community value a pool or not?
City public improvements such as pools, parks, courts, tracks, and trails are the last remaining vestiges of what can be considered the commons—outdoor places that play a central role in both creating community and providing for the simple, nearby enjoyment of the outdoors. In an urban context, we would do well to not let our lives be limited to the experience of individual spaces, such as our cars or our homes. If we let our lives be connected only virtually by digital technologies we lose out in the richness of experience that our world has to offer. During this time of COVID, we have seen first-hand the division and mistrust, indeed the disintegration of the commons that virtual communities have fostered. A public pool in Piedmont will greatly enhance our City’s commons.
Public financing for a public improvement is appropriate. Does that mean that the City needs to have bids before agreeing on the Measure UU? Of course not. Do you go out and get bids for a bathroom remodel before you decide as a household that you need a new bathroom? No. You assess the problem, agree on the need for the improvement, limit the budget, and then hire the appropriate designers, contractors and other experts to bring your ideas to reality.
Cost, the desire to control costs, the existence of cost overruns, can always be brought up on any capital improvement project. It can always be used to shoot down an initiative, but this approach will not get us closer to a community pool. If the community can first agree on the need for a new pool to replace the now defunct facility, then Measure UU authorizes up to $19.5 million which will be overseen by a committee and issued based on the final design. Setting a bond limit now and having each household pay for the bond issue is appropriate. To be fair, I’m biased, and it is up to each of us to decide what to do with our money, particularly when it comes to benefiting the greater community. Yet, I would submit that to construct a beautiful, new, public pool facility in Piedmont in return for a bond issue that costs less than the price of a Starbucks Venti coffee per day, per household is an affordable and not unreasonable price for Piedmont residents to bear.
The cost of public work is fundamentally different and higher than the cost of private work. The restrictions (for example pay rates), qualifications (for example must have done similar public scale projects for at least 5 years), requirements (for example must be bonded to a certain level) placed on the contractors have made this type of project buildable by only a small handful of well-qualified, large, and yes expensive construction firms. They can and will deliver – but there is and, indeed there should be, a cost to that. The City’s stringent requirements (ensure the project is close to zero net energy, make no dust, no noise during school hours, protect our kids when they walk by the project) result in costs that are nearly all avoidable on a private project.
However, the project will have a cost estimator who will work in conjunction with the City, the pool committee, the design team and the contractor to carefully review priorities, and expenses. Every attempt should be made to value engineer the project given the ‘fixed’ budget as defined by the bond measure. One can haggle the details of cost, and certainly the City should hire (an additional expense!) a project manager who is vigilant about controlling costs, but now is not the time to haggle these details when the pool design has not even been finalized.
We are all concerned about global warming, acting locally to reach goals of carbon neutrality for Piedmont. Pools have negative environmental impacts, as do many activities we enjoy. However, to begin to mitigate these impacts, we have to begin to collaborate more as a community and less as individuals competing for limited resources. If we can get to a place where we can agree on the benefits of a pool, then let’s work together to drive down the costs both environmental and fiscal to a point where they balance the benefits to us all as a community.
A single public pool has less of environmental impact than hundreds of private pools when compared to the relative community benefit. A new pool also can be designed with appropriate sustainable technology to heat, filter and re-cycle the water to adequately meet the needs of users. Solar thermal panels could be used to heat or pre-heat the pool water. Perhaps hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems installed on the bottom of the pool could be employed that capture solar radiation for pool heat or facility power. Another consideration is the use a shallow water storage tank that can retain solar heat and be used to warm the main pool in the early mornings. The ancillary facilities can be net-zero buildings with photovoltaic solar panels, as well as passive heating and cooling. Again, if we can come together as a community around common goals for a sustainable pool, solutions can be developed.
To the extent that the pool will benefit both Piedmont residents and our neighbors in Oakland and surrounding communities, I think that we are fortunate to be able to share our resources for the benefit of the greater good. Without a doubt, Piedmont residents benefit from such community resources as Lake Merritt, the Oakland Museum, the Rose Garden, and currently the public pools in Lafayette, Alameda and Berkeley albeit a long drive from home. We will not improve our community or the world by walling ourselves off from others.
Our current decrepit and undersized pool does not properly meet the needs of the Piedmont community and our schools. Furthermore, the pool does not meet health and safety standards, in particular current ADA or Universal Design requirements. The outdated facility simply can’t accommodate the community demand from individuals, families and teams. A new pool will provide for this currently unmet demand with a proper Piedmont aquatics facility.
Please join me in support of Measure UU. We can come together as a community and replace this deteriorated aquatics facility with a new pool for future generations to enjoy.
John Ware, Piedmont Resident, Architect, Engineer
On October 2, 2020, the Piedmont Unified School District announced the selection of Bradley Smet as the new Director of Athletics for Piedmont High School and Millennium High School.
Mr. Smet’s selection was based on his coaching experience and experience in Athletic Administration. Mr. Smet has served as a head coach in baseball at Atascadero High School as well as an assistant coach in baseball and football at Atascadero High School and Templeton High School.
Mr. Smet played two sports while attending Atascadero High School, leading the Greyhounds as the starting quarterback on the football team and starting pitcher on the baseball team. He played football at Hartnell College and Sterling College where he served as quarterback on both teams.
He also has experience as an educator at the school site and in the classroom. Prior to his role as the Interim Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director in the Templeton Unified School District, Mr. Smet was a special education teacher in the Atascadero Unified School District.
While at Sterling College. Mr. Smet received his Bachelor of Arts in History. He earned his Masters of Coaching and Athletic Administration from the University of Concordia of Irvine.
PHS Principal Adam Littlefield coordinated the recruitment and selection process. Administrators, teaching and support staff, coaching staff, members of the PHS Athletic Boosters, and student representatives participated in the interviews.
PHS Principal Adam Littlefield commented, “The Piedmont High School and Millennium High School communities are fortunate to have a new Director of Athletics with Mr. Smet’s passion and enthusiasm for athletics. His interest in motivating, engaging, and developing student athletes in and out of the competition environment is welcomed. I am excited to have Bradley as a member of our administrative team.”
Mr. Smet adds, “I am very excited to be joining the athletic program at Piedmont and Millennium High School, and am impressed by the long tradition of success that the student-athletes have had in and out of the competitive environment. Not only have the athletes excelled in their sports but also in the classroom. I will enjoy working not only with the students but also with the stakeholders involved in athletics to continue this impressive tradition. This year Piedmont High School is celebrating their 100th year anniversary, and I look forward to helping continue the strong traditions that were built over the past century.”
The District’s Director of Athletics is responsible for: recruiting, hiring, supervising, and evaluating coaches; developing and overseeing the Athletic Department budget; monitoring student eligibility; serving as the school representative of the West Alameda County Conference; partnering with the PHS Athletic Boosters; coordinating team schedules, transportation, equipment, and supplies for 49 teams; and ensuring a safe and supportive program for over 500 student athletes.
The Director of Athletics, which is a part-time administrative position funded by the District, requires a coaching certification. The position was broadly advertised and there were 17 applicants. Mr. Smet will start in this position with an annual salary of $56,663.
Piedmont Unified School District – Press Release – Oct. 15, 2020
When the City took over operation of the pool in 2011, I was asked to help design how the pool would operate. The system we came up with generated twice as much revenue as other public pools and saved the City a lot of money. I spent over a thousand hours in that effort. I was motivated to do so for two reasons: I wanted to be sure the City’s operation of the pool was a success and I was concerned that, if the pool got too expensive, the City might lose interest in it. I brought those same concerns to the discussions that led to the current pool proposal.
We need to build a pool that meets the needs of the schools as well as the rest of the community. Under the facilities sharing arrangement between the City and the schools, the schools get to use the pool just as the City gets to use the schools’ gyms and sports fields. We are the same taxpayers who would be called on to fund a school pool. It makes no sense to have two pool facilities, one for the schools and one for everyone else, across the street from each other.
It’s time to have one facility that works for everyone—designed so the Piedmont swim team doesn’t have to rent additional space in other communities and spend hours a week commuting to practice; designed so the high school water polo and swim teams don’t have to practice at night or commute to other pools; designed so kids can both play and have swim lessons after school, all with lap swimmers having room to swim and finally being able to swim their laps when they get home from work at night.
It’s not too expensive. The bond measure is about financing, not cost. You can’t bid the project until you have detailed construction drawings and no one would pay to have those drawings done until they knew they had the financing and the project would proceed.
The increased cost estimate from 2016, when the conceptual design was initially approved, simply reflects that it will be built at least six years later, and, in fact, it is in line with what we understand other neighboring communities are doing. When you are arranging for financing, you need to build in room for interest rate fluctuations and other contingencies. Measure UU is simply authorizing bonds.
You don’t have to issue or spend all the bonds that are authorized, but you have to be sure the bond cap is high enough to more than cover the anticipated cost, because you can’t go get more bonds approved in the middle of the project.
The City Council didn’t prioritize the pool over public safety, by putting the pool on the ballot. The fact is our infrastructure is old and needs to be addressed. The pool is on the ballot because there already was a plan to deal with the pool, which had been analyzed, researched, and discussed for years.
The public safety issues just came up. We don’t know enough about them and there isn’t a plan to deal with them yet. It isn’t a question of picking one over the other. If Piedmont is going to be the community you moved here to live in, we have to address them both.
The question is simple: does Piedmont want a pool or not? If we do, it makes no sense to build an inadequate pool. It’s time to have a community pool that finally meets the needs of the whole community.
I met Cory Smegal back in 2009 when we had young children and were co-presidents of our respective elementary school parent clubs. Since those early days of working together, I’ve watched as Cory has consistently taken on new and increasingly significant roles to support our students and the school district.In addition, now I’m privileged to call her my friend.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to work closely with Cory last year when I was president of PHS Parents’ Club. Cory was always a supportive and active School Board member, even before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic.
One of the things I respect most about Cory is that she always anchors her positions and efforts on what’s best for our students. And over the past four years she has also led the charge for our district to advocate for children across the state. In this way, she works for ways that Piedmont can take a leadership role in ensuring quality education for all.
The attributes that make Cory a great friend also make her a great community leader. She listens, is responsive, and works hard. She’s thoughtful, balanced and diligently researches her positions before she reaches conclusions or acts upon them.
And Cory is pragmatic, with a strong sense of fiduciary responsibility. More than anything, Cory cares deeply for our town and its children.
Please join me in re-electing Cory Smegal for School Board.
Laura Katter