On Saturday, May 18, at 10:00 a.m., the Public Works Department will host a walk on Magnolia Avenue to discuss the 47 liquidambar trees which are slated to be removed as a part of the 2018 Pavement Project.

The walk will begin at 10:00 am at the intersection of Hillside and Magnolia Avenues and will move down the length of the street. Neighbors and interested residents are invited to attend and join in conversation with city staff, the City Engineer, and the independent arborist who evaluated the trees.

When approving the 2018 Pavement Project, the City Council directed staff to, “…work with neighbors on Magnolia Avenue who are impacted by street tree removal to consider whether engineering and/or other accommodations can be made to preserve additional trees on this street.” This walk-through is being conducted to provide neighbors with an opportunity to share their feedback, which will be reviewed by staff and the City Engineer.

Below is a plan that identifies the trees reviewed in the arborist report and the trees proposed to be removed. 

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For further information, contact Director of Public Works Chester Nakahara at 420-3061 or via email at cnakahara@piedmont.ca.gov.

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READ the detailed staff and Arborist report on tree removal for Magnolia Avenue by clicking below:

http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/publicworks/docs/2019-05-01-magnolia-tree-report.pdf

Athletics and graduations will be at Witter Field as usual.

On February 13, 2019, the Piedmont Unified School District’s Board of Education announced that renovation of Witter Field, which had been tentatively scheduled for this Spring and Summer, will be deferred for at least one year. The District had plans in place to relocate Spring athletics and graduations in case it decided to proceed with the renovation this year. Because the project will be deferred, athletics and graduations will be at Witter Field as usual.

The District last replaced the synthetic turf and track at Witter Field in 2007 and these materials are now at the end of their useful life. Also, the underground drainage system is deteriorating, and even moderate rain can lead to flooding and temporary field closures. To address these issues, the District developed site surveys and engineering plans, obtained a permit, and solicited bids.

Renovation costs will be covered primarily by State modernization and other funds, and the Board decided to defer the project for at least one year until there is a more clear timeframe for disbursement of these State funds. Until then, the District will increase field maintenance and this may involve more occasional, temporary closures to mitigate and repair flood damage. This work can take several days and up to several weeks.

Questions or comments? Please contact Superintendent Booker at rbooker@piedmont.k12.ca.us or Director of Facilities Pete Palmer at ppalmer@piedmont.k12.ca.us.

PIEDMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT – PRESS RELEASE
February 14, 2019

“The ten robberies which were reported during 2018 were generally street robberies where suspects approached individuals on sidewalks, driveways, or other public areas and took items of value by means of force or fear. One of the robberies was a home invasion robbery where the suspects confronted residents. The suspects in that incident were identified, arrested, and have been charged with numerous felonies. Burglaries, defined generally as the unlawful entry into a dwelling or specified structure with the intent to commit a theft or other felony, decreased from 60 incidents in 2017 to 47 incidents in 2018. Larceny-theft increased from 97 reported offenses in 2017 to 123 reported offenses in 2018. Motor vehicle theft also increased in 2018.”

In 2018, Piedmont police officers made 17 arrests and recovered 29 stolen vehicles with a valuation of $257,800 in events directly related to the Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras. By comparison, officers made 28 arrests and recovered 39 stolen vehicles with an approximate valuation of $254,933 in 2017.
Also provided with this report is a printout of the Piedmont Police Department Case Disposition Report. This report shows the number of police reports generated by the Department during the year, as well as the disposition of those cases.

“While the Police Department continuously conducts proactive patrols to mitigate thefts and other crimes, we cannot overemphasize the importance of residents and visitors employing basic crime prevention actions such as not leaving valuables in vehicles.”   Piedmont Police 

School Resource Officer – Police Officer within the High and Middle School

The Superintendent of Piedmont Unified School District and the Police Chief established regular monthly meetings in May of 2018 for information sharing and to identify collaborative opportunities for improvement. The Department and PUSD proposed a School Resource Officer (SRO) position to the Board of Education and City Council.

Public outreach efforts to parents, students, staff and other community stakeholders are currently underway. Comments can be made to the School Board and City Council.

The Board of Education and City Council will ultimately decide whether to implement the recommended SRO program. Should the program be approved for implementation, the first three years of the salary and benefits would be paid for by a State of California, Department of Justice tobacco grant.

The Crime Report will be discussed at the Piedmont Council meeting on Monday, February 4, 2019, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue starting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be broadcast live from the City website under videos and on Cable Channel #27.

Read the full 2018 Year End Crime Report including the Crime Map by clicking below:

http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/govern/staffreports/2019-02-04/yearendcrimereport.pdf

The new theater is expected to open in the Fall of 2021.

January 24, 2019, Press Release:

The Piedmont Unified School District plans to close Alan Harvey Theater (located at 800 Magnolia Avenue) on March 12 in anticipation of building a new high school STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) building on the site. The District will remove theatrical lights and other fixtures for reuse, and then demolish the theater starting April 13, during the schools’ Spring break.

Construction of the STEAM building will begin this summer and the new building is expected to open in the 2020-21 school year. The new building will feature new engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science labs, as well as math classrooms and studios for 2D and 3D art.

After the STEAM building is completed, the District will demolish Piedmont High School’s “10s” building and build a new theater on that site. The new theater is expected to open in the Fall of 2021.

The STEAM and theater projects are part of the $66 million school facilities bond program, approved by the Piedmont voters in 2016 by 74%.

While the theater is closed from March 2019 through the Fall of 2021, the District will relocate drama classes to Havens’ Ellen Driscoll Theater, Piedmont Middle School’s Multi-Purpose Room, and the City’s Veterans Hall. The District has reserved performance venues in Oakland for other events, including concerts, musicals, and dance shows, and is continuing to look for additional venues. Anyone with suggestions may contact ppalmer@piedmont.k12.ca.us or tculbert@piedmont.k12.ca.us .

In anticipation of closing the theater, the Piedmont Adult School’s administrative office (formerly located in the basement of Alan Harvey Theater) has moved to Piedmont High School’s “20s” building, which is next to Piedmont Park.

Throughout demolition and construction, the building site will be screened off from the rest of the high school campus. Some parking spaces on Magnolia Avenue will be temporarily replaced with safety barriers. The District and City of Piedmont are working together on parking, traffic, and pedestrian safety plans for the construction area, and more information about the plans will be available in early March.

“We’re excited to start construction of these new facilities,” said Superintendent Randall Booker. “We need these modern labs and classrooms to support curriculum and expand learning opportunities for our students. We’re grateful for the Piedmont community’s commitment to public education,” he said.

Questions or comments? Please contact Superintendent Booker at rbooker@piedmont.k12.ca.us or Director of Facilities Pete Palmer at ppalmer@piedmont.k12.ca.us

This award is presented annually to individuals who have volunteered their efforts over a period of time and made a difference because of their involvement and commitment to Piedmont’s youth.

Following are the previous recipients: Hunter McCreary (1998); Ann Chandler (1999); Ruth Cuming (2000); Lisa Lomenzo (2001); jointly by Cathie Geddeis and Marion Souyoultzis (2002); jointly by Fritz and Mary Wooster (2003); Elizabeth (Betsy) Gentry (2004); Cynthia Gorman (2005); Grier Graff (2006); Julia Burke (2007); Maude Pervere (2008); jointly to Anne-Marie Lamarche and Mark Menke (2009); Janiele Maffei Tovani (2010); Andrea Swenson (2011), June Monach (2012), Bill Drum (posthumously) and Mary Ireland (2013), Ray Perman (2014), Jennifer Fox (2015), Katie Korotzer (2016), Hilary Cooper (2017) and Holly Hanke (2018).

Art Hecht was a tireless community volunteer, and was dedicated to students in both Piedmont and Oakland. He served on Piedmont’s Board of Education from 1970 to 1982. Art also was very active with the Piedmont Continuation High School (now called Millennium High School).

In 1998, the Art Hecht Volunteer of the Year Award was established in his memory. Nominations for this award are now being sought and will be kept strictly confidential.

The deadline for nominations is 4:30 p.m. on March 18, 2019.  Call 510/ 594-2614 for details.

A selection committee will vote on the award recipient, who will be recognized at the May 8, 2019 Board of Education meeting, where the honoree’s good works will be acknowledged. They also will receive the gift of a work of student art. The student will receive a monetary award and commendation from the Board.

Nomination Forms are available > HERE , on the PUSD website, and in the District Office or by calling Sylvia Eggert, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent, at (510) 594-2614.

The Recreation Department is offering an opportunity to engage with neighbors of Coaches Field to discuss proposed changes, including lighting, to the recreation space. The meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 23 has been moved to:

Wednesday, February 13, 7 p.m. in the Piedmont Police Department EOC, 403 Highland Avenue.

This meeting will not be broadcast or recorded.

LWV Piedmont to Host Great Decisions Discussion Groups –

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont is forming discussion groups to participate in the 2019 Great Decisions program on world affairs. Sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association, Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on global matters. The program is a series of eight meetings, lasting approximately two hours each. Participants receive a Foreign Policy Association briefing book which provides background and context for group discussion. Each session starts with an insightful video created by the Foreign Policy Association, followed by a discussion of the week’s topic.

Chosen by a panel of foreign policy experts, this year’s topics are:

1. Refugees and Global Migration
2. The Middle East: Regional Disorder
3. Nuclear Negotiations: Back to the Future?
4. The Rise of Populism
5. Decoding U.S.-China Trade
6. India and Its Neighbors
7. Cyber Conflicts and Geopolitics
8. State of the State Department and Diplomacy

Meetings will start the week of February 10, 2019 and continue every other week thereafter until the final meeting on the week of May 19th, 2019. There are three separate meeting times as indicated below, you may attend any of the three meetings.

Day/Time

Tuesdays, 1-3pm Wednesdays, 7-9pm Thursdays, 9-11am

Location

EOC Room (adjacent to Piedmont Police Dept.) 40 Highland Ave., Piedmont
EOC Room

The cost of the program (to cover materials) is $30. To RVSP, please visit LWVPiedmont.org and click the Great Decisions Discussion Group link. Payment via credit card, debit card or PayPal is accepted. Payment via check should be payable to the League of Women Voters Piedmont and sent to Ward Lindenmayer, 40 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611. Please email Ward Lindenmayer at wardandelaine@comcast.net if you have questions or would like more information.

Great Decisions is open to all. You do not need to be a member of the League to join in.

School Board Consideration of Safety Measures Wednesday, November 28, 2018, City Hall Council Chambers 7:15 p.m. 

The Alan Harvey will be closed beginning in March of 2019. Closing Alan Harvey Theater during the Spring of 2019, rather than waiting until the end of the school year, will help keep the STEAM project on schedule for completion before the 2020-21 school year. There may be questions about how starting work during the school year may affect students, staff, and campus flow.

While the District plans to demolish the theater over Spring break when there are no students or staff on campus, if the demolition cannot be completed during that week, the District will develop a schedule for the remaining demolition, to minimize the campus impact to the greatest extent possible.

Read agenda by clicking below:

https://agendaonline.net/public/Meeting.aspx?AgencyID=1241&MeetingID=68232&AgencyTypeID=1&IsArchived=False