Arbor Day Celebrated at Ramona/Ronada Triangle Project

The triangular pedestrian parklet at the intersection of Ramona and Ronada Avenues will be dedicated on Thursday, April 10 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in celebration of Arbor Day. The celebration, open to the public, will feature speakers, tables, food, drinks, and music.

Long triangular peninsula reduces width of one of City’s biggest intersections

The project was initiated by Ramona and Ronada residents concerned about the safety of young children crossing the overly large intersection. Neighbors noted the lack of any crosswalks had been a problem for pedestrians and the excessive width attracted teenage daredevil teenage drivers, who spun their cars in “donuts”. Landscape architect Kimberly Moses developed a conceptual design that she and her neighbor Anne Marshall presented to the neighborhood and the Capital Improvements

Flow-through rain garden design is low maintenance

Projects (CIP) Committee. All the neighbors contributed to a garage sale at the homes of Hedi and Paul Gerken and Sherrie and Mark Arrabit that raised $1200 for the project. Neighbors presented the project to City staff, the Beautification Foundation and advocated it to the City Council.

Over the years of neighborhood advocacy, the Gerkins were ever vigilant. When Public Works staff arrived one day and started chalking an island in the middle of the intersection, Paul Gerkin  intercepted the crew and relocated them to paint the peninsula chosen by the neighborhood. It remained just a painted outline for several more years while City Councilmember Garrett Keating helped keep the project alive.

Finally, the project was funded, with $107,354 CIP Funds, $1200 from the Ramona and Ronada garage sale, and $30,000 from the Beautification Foundation for a total project budget of $138,554, including $10,000 project management and $11,687 (10%) contingency funds. Parks project manager Mark Feldkamp prepared the final park plan details for bidding.

Crosswalks and new triangle help pedestrians cross the intersection

On April 30, 2013 three bids for the construction were received, ranging from $116,870 to $151,032. The low bidder, Cleary Brothers Landscape, Inc, was awarded the contract by the City Council on May 20, 2013.

On January 21, 2014 the Piedmont City Council noted that Cleary Brothers’ construction was completed under budget. The neighbors continued to play a central role. Marshall and Moses together with Parks Commissioner Nancy Kent accompanied Feldkamp on the visit to the nursery to select Mediterranean plants, appropriate for Moses’ flow-through rain garden concept. Chester Nakahara, Director of Public Works, told the Council that the intersection improvement had reduced traffic speeds improving pedestrian safety.

Neighbors  Mike Bott, Hedi and Paul Gerken, Anne Marshall, Jennifer Osgood, Jonathan Gerken, Kimberly Moses, Sherrie Jewett with Rue, Alisha Lewis with Rooney and Grace Sanford gathered in their parklet in advance of the dedication.

On Monday, March 10, 2014, the Piedmont Planning Commission will host a reception at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Courtyard, 120 Vista Avenue, in front of City Hall.  The reception honors Piedmont Design Award winners and their architects, engineers, contractors and neighbors.

The Design Awards Ceremony for projects completed in 2013 begins at  5:45 p.m. in the Council Chambers. This year, six Piedmont homeowners, along with their design and construction professionals will be recognized for the excellence in design of their projects.

Thomas W. Reese III  – 21 Pacific Avenue  – Excellent Garage

Bill and Carla Newell – 211 Lafayette – Excellent Garage remodel and Addition

Burr Nash and Lisa Rasmussen – 304 Pala Avenue – Excellent Seamless Expansion

Scott Cauchois and Karen Notsund – 320 Wildwood Avenue – Excellent Bay Friendly Landscape

John Lambert and Helen Potter – 104 Dracena Avenue – Excellent Minor Addition

Rajeev and Shiela Bhatia – 100 St. James Drive –  Excellent Upper Level Addition

“The Planning Commission selects the award recipients from the list of projects that received a final inspection following the completion of construction each year. The Commission typically acknowledges both large and small projects, and often something specific that was done very well, such as an addition that was so seamlessly designed and constructed, that it cannot be distinguished from the original construction. Consequently, the categories change a little each year, and the number of awards also varies.”  Kate Black, Piedmont City Planner

At 6:00 p.m. the regular Planning Commission Session will begin with a discussion and consideration of the February 24 workshop on the Bike and Pedestrian Plan.

The agenda also includes 10 planning proposals to be considered by the Commission.

Read the entire agenda.

Long Deferred Maintenance Will Be Done-

At the Tuesday, January 21, meeting, the City  Council approved moving ahead with a portion of a landscape plan for Blair Park and authorized landscape design consultant Bob Berkeland, of Restoration Design Group (RDG), to complete his firm’s drawings for the entire plan. 

RDG’s landscape plan was broken down into two phases by the Piedmont Park Commission and City Public Works Director. They recommended that the Council approve only Phase I, which consists primarily of long deferred maintenance.  The Park Commission asserted that further improvements to the park should not be undertaken until safe pedestrian access is provided, another traffic study is conducted, and community consensus is reached on the future of the park.

The Phase I work consists of: removing all Monterey Pines, & all ivy, blackberries & other invasive weeds, creating a 5-foot diameter weed-free zone around each tree on the hillside, surveying the south property line to make certain the City knows the park boundaries, making the park an “open meadow” with possible planting of native grass seed, irrigating the meadow with a water truck, placing log barriers, rustic bollards or split rail fence along Moraga Avenue curbside, retaining the park as an off-leash dog area, and adding the park to the City’s weekly maintenance schedule.

Phase I could be submitted to the Capital Improvement Project Committee for funding this year, although City Administrator Geoff Grote noted that the park  qualifies for money from the facilities maintenance fund. He said the $300,000 estimated Phase I cost must go through the budget process. 

Under Phase I, there will be no proposals for pedestrian access, no new parking, no seating areas, no pathway and no permanent irrigation system. There also will be no gateway monument identifying the park as an entrance to Piedmont, as proposed by the Park Commission.

Despite urging from a number of speakers that the Council approve the entire plan (Phases I and II), particularly an informal, loop pathway called for in the RDG contract, the Council declined to do so, and they made clear that their approval of Phase I does not mean they will proceed with Phase II.  Council member Margaret Fujioka stated, “The park belongs to everyone, and we want to know what the community thinks.” Councilmember Robert McBain added, “The community needs to be on board.”  And Council member Jeff Weiler said, “We are not committing to Phase II.”

New report shows residents and businesses of Alameda County what’s in their garbage and the economic value of properly sorting it.                                                                                                                  

Oakland, CA – January 20, 2014 –   Most of us say that recycling is important, but are we good at it? StopWaste spent the past year taking a look at garbage carts to find out. A report being mailed this week shows that residents and businesses in Alameda County dumped as much as $70 million of recyclable and compostable items in the garbage last year. The report is part of a new Benchmark Service from StopWaste, a public agency responsible for reducing waste in Alameda County.

“Let’s face it, we’re still burying too many valuable resources in landfills,” said Gary Wolff, P.E., Ph.D., StopWaste Executive Director. “More recycling would capture valuable resources already in our communities, stimulating the local economy and creating jobs.” Our goal for Alameda County is that by 2020, less than 10% of what’s in garbage containers will be recyclable or compostable. The Benchmark Service tracks progress towards that goal, and has three components:

1. Random, anonymous measurements of how much garbage, recyclable and compostable material is in garbage containers in Alameda County
2. Analysis of those measurements
3. Reports sent directly to garbage service account holders describing what was found.

The first reports are now being sent to Alameda County residents and businesses. The data in the reports show how much garbage, recyclable and compostable material (as a percentage by weight) was in residential garbage containers, and some categories of business garbage containers, in 2013. On average, residential garbage carts in Alameda County contain 32% “good stuff” (recyclable and compostable material) by weight, an improvement from 60% in 2008. School garbage containers contain about 55% “good stuff.”

Consistent with the data collected in 2008, the biggest potential for improvement is with organics recycling. “If we could make just one change, it would be to recycle all our food scraps in the green bin, all the time” said Alameda County Waste Management Authority (StopWaste) Board President Don Biddle. “This would reduce greenhouse gases and help create compost that’s used to grow food and beautify urban landscapes.” For tips on how to recycle better, residents and businesses can visit www.StopWaste.org.

Jeff Becerra: (510) 891-6549; jbecerra@stopwaste.org

Piedmonters were divided when the Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) Blair Park sports field proposal on Moraga Avenue in Moraga Canyon gained Council approval. The project was subsequently withdrawn by PRFO when the cost of the project escalated and a lawsuit ensued. During the consideration of the project, no concern was raised about a lack of a property line survey.

In January 2014,  working on steps to improve Blair Park using proper plantings and correcting deferred maintenance, the Park Commission  recommended to the City Council a survey of Blair Park be obtained to identify the property line on the southern boundary. This recommendation suggests that despite the numerous plans, drawings, meetings, and landscape specifications for the PRFO proposal, the City had no verification of exact property lines when the Blair Park project was approved.

“4. Survey south property line so the City has a clear understanding of private and public property lines (boundary survey); “(Park Commission recommendation)

“• survey the park’s southern property line to ensure City property is properly defined; ” (Mr. Bob Birkeland,  Blair Park Principal Landscape Architect of Restoration Design Group)

Major planning projects, such as the estimated over $10 million PRFO sports field project, typically start with a certified property survey prior to the expenditure of $100,000’s on plans and planning processes.  It is estimated that costs of the failed project exceeded $1 million.

Without legally defined property lines in building projects, the result can be costly property line lawsuits, significant monetary settlements, and even demolition of new construction. Given that many of the property owners surrounding Blair Park objected to the project, settling property line disputes could have proven to be an unanticipated expense and delayed implementation of the plan.

PRFO was genuine in their attempts to find an at-home grass play space for youngsters, and there is no information to indicate PRFO suspected at the time property lines may not have been verified through a survey.

The lack of information on Blair Park property lines raises a question: Over the years, how did the City know what property to maintain as a part of Blair Park?

– Hopes and ideas to shape up the landscape of long neglected Blair Park drew a number of speakers at the Piedmont Park  Commission meeting on October 2^nd. –

The Commission first heard presentations by Bob Birkeland, landscape architect of Restoration Design Group (RDG) and arborist Jim Clarke of HortScience, Inc., the two firms collaborating on a landscape design plan for Blair Park. Birkeland and Clarke outlined their initial assessments of the park’s potential, its constraints, and the condition of many of its trees.

Among their conclusions: 41 of the 54 Monterey pines bordering Moraga Ave. are in poor condition and should be removed.  Lack of irrigation in the park is the key limiting factor to existing trees and to establishing new, drought-tolerant species. (Birkeland explained that Cemetery Creek is diverted into a culvert buried 22 feet below the park’s landfill.) The coast live oaks and California bay tree should be pruned, ivy vines should be severed at the base of tree trunks, and blackberry and ivy will require repeated control.

Audience members then described their concepts for improving Blair Park and what the park means to them.   Scenic Avenue resident Morissa Sherman, who makes award-winning plum and blackberry jams from Blair Park, said she hopes the park’s fruit trees will be retained. She also described her love of watching the park’s wildlife, from red-tailed hawks to foxes.  Peggy Esposito, who has lived on Moraga Avenue for 35 years, said she chose to live there because it was near an undeveloped area and to her the park “is much more than a gateway to Piedmont.” She proposed creating a bio-swale for park irrigation. She also told the Commission the Monterey pines were planted in the early 1970’s by students working one summer for Piedmont and that the trees were not what the City had ordered but were planted anyhow.

Piedmont resident Sinan Sabuncuoglu said, “Blair Park gives us a chance for a new way of stewarding the environment – to preserve and restore the rich ecology.” He suggested “involving everyone in planning a Bay-friendly landscape” possibly with community gardens and a plan that evolves over time with amenities such as a par course, bike path, bocce ball and horseshoes.  Scenic Avenue resident and former Piedmont Mayor Al Peters noted that the park is “a major, welcoming entryway to the City” and he said the tall story poles that were erected two years ago for the sports fields proposed by Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization, should be removed. He also commented on the live oaks on the park’s hillside that are being killed by overgrowing ivy vines and said “I want the City to properly maintain the oak forest.”

The Park Commissioners expressed their agreement with the speakers and support for maintaining the park.  Commissioner Nancy Kent said she sees the need to assess the trees on the hillside slope and would like to enhance the slope for wildlife.  Commissioner Patty Siskind said, “I think everyone wants to improve the park, and it will definitely be pursued.”  She and Commissioner Anian Tunney were  concerned about the cost and source of irrigation.  Birkeland said there are number of possibilities, such as having a water truck drive across the street from the Corporation Yard. Commissioner Mary Geong said she was glad to hear that Friends of Moraga Canyon is willing to raise funds to help pay for park improvements, as one speaker had indicated. Commission Chair John Lenahan concluded, “We need to maintain the park. We will have a different and hopefully better Blair Park.”

A proposed landscape improvement plan for Blair Park is scheduled to be presented by RDG and HortScience at the December 12, 2013 meeting of the Park Commission.

–  Landscape plan to improve neglected park –  

Councilman Robert McBain made comments at the August 19th City Council meeting that were quoted in the POST (8/21/13) that I believe need to be addressed.  Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC) settled its lawsuit against the City of Piedmont by accepting $30,000 for the reimbursement of legal fees.  FOMC asked that $15,000 of the $30,000 settlement be deposited in a separate account with the City of Piedmont expressly for the purpose of retaining a landscape designer to create a plan to improve Blair Park.

$30,000 was transferred from the City’s Legal Indemnity Fund to pay this obligation.  Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization (PRFO) established this fund as a vehicle to fulfill its written promise to cover any and all legal liabilities incurred by the City in connection with the Blair Park project. (To date, PRFO still owes the City approximately $220,000.)

FOMC raised and paid over $70,000 to cover its legal and other expenses.  The settlement directed $15,000 to FOMC’s attorneys to pay off the remaining balance still owed.  This left $15,000 in settlement funds that could have been used to repay some of its major supporters.  Instead, FOMC decided to have these funds placed in a City account expressly for the purpose of hiring a landscape designer to create a plan for the maintenance and improvement of Blair Park. Unlike all other well-cared for Piedmont parks, Blair Park has been ignored and neglected, especially during the four years of the sports field controversy, and a plan to enhance the park’s natural setting and amenities is sorely needed.

Al Peters, Former Piedmont Mayor

Editors’ Note:  The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.

The Board of Regents will vote on Thursday, July 18 on the candidate recommended by the search committee to be the next President of the University of California.  U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano was the unanimous recommendation. Sherry Lansing, Chair of the search committee, said, “As Secretary of Homeland Security, she has been an ardent advocate for the federal Dream Act and the architect of a policy that protects from deportation young undocumented immigrants who are pursuing a college education.” In Arizona Napolitano served as Governor (2003 to 2009), Attorney General (1998 to 2003), U.S. Attorney (1993 to 1997) and before that practiced at a law firm in Phoenix. She earned a B.A. degree from Santa Clara University and a  J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. In its Saturday, July 13 report on the nomination, the New York  Times noted Napolitano’s lack of faculty or administrative experience in the academic world.

If approved by the Board of Regents, Napolitano will follow the five-year term of Mark Yudof, who oversaw steep cuts in state funding combined with annual instate resident tuition increases from $6, 636 to $12,192. Yudof famously told the New York Times in 2009 that he didn’t know how he became UC President, “It’s all an accident. I thought I’d go work for a law firm.”

Yudof refused to live in UC’s ten acre Kensington estate overlooking the bay, claiming the home “needed $8 million of repairs and I decided that was not the way to go.” In 1957 the Blake estate was deeded to the University of California for educational use by Berkeley’s Department of Landscape Architecture, which superintends the extensive gardens. Mr. and Mrs. Anson Blake retained the right of lifetime occupancy of the house only, so it was not used by the University until 1963. Since Yudof was unwilling to live in the house without massive improvements, he was given a housing allowance of $10,000 per month to rent housing of his preference. In 2010 the Bay Citizen reported on Yudof’s relations with his Oakland landlord, “a two-year housing drama that has cost the university more than $600,000 and has drawn senior U.C. officials into an increasingly time-consuming and acrimonious ordeal over the president’s private residence.”

Blake House photo

City’s Proposed Policies Get Tough Review-

Risk management policies for future, major Piedmont projects sparked a wide-ranging, sometimes argumentative but ultimately conciliatory discussion at the Monday, April 1, City Council meeting. In the end, the Council  supported the policies proposed by Public Works Director Chester Nakahara for “non-routine” projects costing over $300,000,  but also asked him to consider numerous changes recommended by speakers at the meeting.  A final version of the policy document is to be brought back to the Council at a date to be determined. > Click to read more…

New community asset receives 10,200 visits –

Since opening its doors in September 2011, Piedmont adults and children have made more than 10,200 visits to various musical and theater performances, art exhibits, classes and activities at the Piedmont Art Center during its debut year.

Nancy Lehrkind, President of the Arts Center, enthusiastically notes, “Our design was for an arts organization, which would grow organically out of community need and usage.  Clearly there is demand for a full-on Arts Center in Piedmont.  We have recently formed the Piedmont Players acting troupe and will be producing two nights of plays in April.  The Center has also acquired a wonderful film projector and will be sponsoring a community film series, as well as hosting a screening from Colin Trevorrow (Piedmont grad) on his award-winning film.  More and more community members realize they have their own Arts Center and can use it for whatever artistic purposes they dream up!”

Lehrkind stated that Piedmont Art Center events and activities over the past year have included:

• Authors Series and Speakers series
  • authors such as Nate Verkus and Anna Quindlan attended by more than 290 adults
  • speakers such as U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich, Peter Doctor, Pixar Animator and Film Director, and Steve Ellis, Bain and Company worldwide director, attended by more than 240 people
    
• Weekly theatrical and musical performances
  • average attendance of 70 people for a total of 3,640 people
• Art Gallery Exhibits every 2 weeks and Artists’ Receptions twice a month
  • average 25 visitors (open 3 afternoons per week), for a total of 650 people
  • average 80 visitors to the twice a month Artists’ Reception, for a total of 2,000 people
• Ongoing Children’s Theater and Singing Classes
  • 5 classes per week from September through June  (including Saturday) for 20 children
  • 3 performances with 200 in attendance
• Summer Camps utilized by 100 children
  • 2 different summer camps (one of which had a waiting list)
  • 3 performances of Annie by the children’s theatre group with over 275 adults attending.
• Special Events and Activities
  • Artisanal Brewing Competition attracted 170 people
  • Ann Martin counseling services
  • Periodic Writing Class

The non-profit Piedmont Arts Center was granted a 10-year lease of the West Wing of 801 Magnolia for $1 per year, based on its agreement to renovate the deteriorated West Wing space.  Under its agreement, the Arts Center has provided interior paint, carpeting, installed 12 new double-paned windows, installed extensive drainage under and around the building ($10,000), performed seismic work and asbestos abatement, added air conditioning, and new electrical and plumbing for the West Wing, as well as installing a new furnace and ducting, and refurbishing wood floors. In addition, it has provided new landscaping, a new roof over the West Wing, and exterior paint for the entire building.  In the East Wing, the Arts Center installed an interior fire wall and ADA-compliant bathrooms, which serves the entire building.

To date, the total investment by the Arts Center in Magnolia property renovations and improvements total $136,000, funded through a combination of private donations and capital contributions provided by the Arts Center founders.  An additional $30,000 was spent to bring the East Wing bathrooms up to code, and the Arts Center anticipates spending a further $15,000 shortly to install an ADA compliant ramp or lift in the East Wing.  The City of Piedmont has paid for the replacement of sewer lines under the building.

All who pass the building at Magnolia and Bonita Avenue have noticed the dramatic changes in the city-owned property.  In addition to the freshly painted exterior, the lawn has been replaced with  lovely, well-maintained  landscaping.  The Arts Center paid Cleary Brothers to demolish and remove all old trees, remove shrubs, remove sod, prepare the soil, and install new sod, while the City provided 10 Cape Magnolia trees, 2 Dogwood trees, and 5 espalier plants for the patios.  In-ground lighting was provided by the Arts Center, and rear benches and other improvements added through more than 7 Eagle Scout and Boy Scout projects.  The City has generously continued to provide additional plant materials, garden improvements and landscape maintenance, making the property an attractive addition to the Piedmont Civic Center.  The City also provides trash service and building maintenance to 801 Magnolia.  (Trash service is generally provided to all city buildings without separate charge under standard city garbage franchise agreements.)

801 Magnolia after Renovations

Front entrance to 801 Magnolia before renovations

Rotted windows prior to renovation