Let the Piedmont Recreation Department know if you are interested in more programs for adults and seniors.

For generations the Piedmont Recreation Department has fostered recreation programs designed primarily for youth.  Sara Lillevand, Piedmont’s new Recreation Director, and the Recreation Commission are actively seeking input from all sectors of the community including SENIORS and EMPTY NESTERS on future programs.

In recent years, Piedmont adults have noticed a need for a place to gather, a Senior Center with age appropriate activities.  Some of the activities suggested are: gentle fitness classes; neighborhood walks; games; lectures; hand crafts; art classes; “My Trip” travel programs; dance; book reviews; book exchange; memoir-writing; computer skills; singing; brown bag lunches; etc. Volunteer service exchange programs are popular in many communities to allow seniors to help each other age in place, a goal of Piedmont’s General Plan.

On Line Survey:

An online survey will be conducted from March 4 to March 31, 2015 on the City of Piedmont website:

http://catalystmr.com/piedmont   < Click

Assistance will be available at the Community Hall on Wednesday, March 11 between 10:00 a.m. and noon for help in completing the computer survey.

Please contact Cora Wood (420-3070) to reserve a space on March 11, to schedule an appointment to complete the survey over the phone or in person, or to ask a question.

Town Hall Meetings:

Two Town Hall meetings will be held at the Piedmont Community Hall in Main Park to gather community input on recreation programming. These events are interactive and open to all with or without an RSVP.

–  March 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

–  March 25 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  

“Please RSVP, choosing the date you wish to attend: PRD@ci.piedmont.ca.us.”

Email Feedback:

Send feedback about current programming and ideas about future programming to: PRDFeedback@ci.piedmont.ca.us

Feedback by US Mail:

Comments are also welcome via U.S. Mail to PRD Feedback c/o Piedmont Recreation Department, 358 Hillside Ave., Piedmont, CA 94611.

Questions or comments?

Contact Recreation Director Sara Lillevand at 420-3070

The Piedmont School Board has been working for two days in a row to select a new Superintendent of Schools.  A third Special Meeting will take place Sunday, March 8, 2015,  between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. in the District Offices at 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont.

Most of the meeting will be held in Closed Session where the Board will continue their consideration of candidates.  The meeting will not be broadcast or recorded, however the public can speak to the Board on the selection issue at the beginning of the meeting. 

If final action is taken in the Closed Session, a public report will be made at the end of the meeting.  No action is anticipated.

After a long day on Friday, March 6 of interviewing candidates for School Superintendent, the Board of Education members will hold another Special Meeting the following day, Saturday, March 7, 2015, to continue their interviews and considerations.

“The March 7  meeting will be held at 191 Ridgeway Avenue, Oakland* between 8:30 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.”

[Note: The agenda states the first item at 8:15 a.m. rather than 8:30 a.m.] 

Members of the public may speak to any items on the agenda. The Board President may restrict the length of time for these comments.

Efforts are being made to protect the privacy of the candidates by meeting outside of the Piedmont Unified School District jurisdiction.

The majority of the meeting will be in a Closed Session.  No part of the meeting will be broadcast. In the unlikely event the Board takes an action, it will be publicly announced.

Read the > agenda. 

*191 Ridgeway Avenue in Oakland, CA is the business address of Tramutola Company LLC http://tramutola.com.  Tramutola has been a political consultant advising the Piedmont Unified School District on school parcel tax measures.  Former School Board member June Monach is associated with the Tramutola firm.

On February 11, 2015, the Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education met to discuss the future of Piedmont schools. The Board generally meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Major issues addressed and/or discussed while I was at the meeting were the new Superintendent, refunding bonds from 2006, PHS bathrooms and the common core.

Barbara Young and Bill Levinson presented the superintendent leadership profile. Doug Ireland (Board member) responded with some issues, saying that the profile was contradicting at times.

Blake Boehm spoke about the bonds from 2006, summing his presentation up by saying “short term pain made for long term gain.”

Students Ami Felson and Frances Putnam spoke about the issues in Piedmont High School (PHS) bathrooms, mainly the locks on individual stalls, bad soap and often no paper towels.

Randall Booker, Assistant Superintendent explained the many common core pathways toward Calculus AB and BC.

The issue that I am the most familiar with out of all that were discussed is the PHS bathrooms. I agree with both Ami and Frances that the bathrooms are not up to par. What is most frustrating is that the school just spent money adding new water bottle “fillers” onto existing water fountains when the money could’ve been used to get working locks on the bathroom stalls.

My interviewee, Barbara Young, attended the Board meeting to present the superintendent leadership profile with Bill Levinson. They were there to get edits for the profile and to eventually find our new superintendent. Their next step is to do preliminary interviews to weed out the superintendent candidates that do not fit the approved leadership profile.

Gelly Miller, Piedmont High School Student

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

The Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting on Friday, March 6, 2015, outside of Piedmont, at 6333 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 102, in Oakland from approximately 8:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m. to conduct interviews of select applicants for School Superintendent.

As with all Special Meetings, only the items listed on the agenda can be discussed or considered, yet there will be an opportunity to speak to the Board on items not on the agenda and the Superintendent selection.  The Board will adjourn to Closed Session for the candidate interviews.  Applicants names will not be publicly released to provide applicants privacy as provided under the Brown Act.

After the day long meeting, if action is taken by the Board, it will be publicly announced at the end of the meeting. However, no action is expected to be announced, as negotiations and further information gathering continues.

Read the agenda. <click

Press release from Recreation Department ~

The Piedmont Recreation Department (PRD) is seeking broad-based community input on current and future programming. The PRD is seeking feedback from ALL community members, regardless of whether you currently participate in PRD activities.

Your input is invited in a number of ways:

Online Survey: An online survey will be available from March 4 to March 31, 2015 at the following web address: http://catalystmr.com/piedmont You can also access the link from the  <click

City of Piedmont website: http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/  <click

For those who would like to participate in the online survey but do not have access to a computer, we will have computers and assistance available at the Community Hall on Wednesday March 11 between 10:00 a.m. and noon. Please contact Cora Wood (420-3070) to reserve a space on March 11 or to schedule an appointment to complete the survey over the phone or in person.

Town Hall Meetings: Recreation Director Sara Lillevand will host two Town Hall meetings at the Piedmont Community Hall in Main Park. These events are interactive and open to all.

–  March 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

– March 25 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  

Please RSVP with the date you plan to attend: PRD@ci.piedmont.ca.us

Email Feedback: The PRD has a dedicated email address for sending feedback about current programming and ideas about future programming. The email address is:

PRDFeedback@ci.piedmont.ca.us

Feedback by US Mail: You are welcome to send comments via U.S. Mail to PRD Feedback c/o Piedmont Recreation Department, 358 Hillside Ave., Piedmont, CA 94611.

Questions ? – Contact Recreation Director Sara Lillevand at 510/420-3070

Piedmont school parcel tax levies are often based on consideration and information presented at the Piedmont Unified School District’s Budget Advisory Committee.  These meetings are open to the public, but are not publicly broadcast or recorded.

PIEDMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Budget Advisory Committee*

Thursday, March 5, 2015 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. District Office Board Room, 760 Magnolia Avenue

Parents, teachers, students, staff and residents are invited to learn about the District’s Budget for 2015-16 and future years.

~~ AGENDA ~~

1. Welcome

2. Second Interim Budget Report [Staff presents information]

3. 2015-16 and Beyond Schedule of Upcoming Budget Advisory Committee Meetings: (all to be held 3:30-5:00 p.m., District Administration Office)

Next meeting – Wednesday May 20, 2015 [ Date changed to allow receipt of Governor’s Budget]

~~~~~~~~~~

*”The Budget Advisory Committee is a standing committee with representatives from all stakeholders in the District. Its purpose is to review the District’s Budget, share the information with constituent groups and generate recommendations for Board consideration in the Budget development process.

“Members will be asked to serve in rotation for a one to two year cycle. Responsibilities will include attendance at meetings and sharing of information with their representative group and to represent the interests of all programs and services for the District as a whole.

“The Budget is fluid and therefore under constant ‘revision’ as revenues and expenditures are clarified. The Program/Budget Advisory Committee is a vehicle to disseminate information to as many parents, students, staff and community members as possible. The Committee is advisory in nature and will not have decision-making responsibilities.”

While relying on recommendations from the Budget Advisory Committee, the Piedmont Board of Education makes final decisions on parcel tax levies. 

The City Council will hold a public hearing March 16, City Hall at 7:30 p.m. to consider ordinances covering the use of residential housing for temporary short-time rentals, similar to a hotel. Airbnb and other internet sites facilitate these short term rentals. The Planning Commission has considered the matter and voiced objection to permitting the rentals.  Kate Black, Piedmont’s City Planning Director, has distributed the following letter:

I am writing to let you know that the Piedmont City Council will hold a discussion and public hearing concerning the use of Piedmont residences for short term rentals at their Regular Meeting of March 16, 2015. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611.

For purposes of the discussion, short term rentals are those with a duration of fewer than 30 days, sometimes facilitated through internet sites that specialize in matching people who wish to rent their properties (“hosts”) with people who wish to rent for short periods (“guests”). The discussion will cover short term rentals of single-family residences, second units, apartments, and rooms in a residence. The Piedmont Planning Commission discussed this matter on September 18, 2014, and recommended that short term rentals be prohibited in Piedmont.

A staff report on this subject will be available by 9:00 am on Friday, March 13, 2015 on the City’s website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us. You are encouraged to attend the meeting and express your opinions and ideas. Alternatively, you may wish to watch the City Council hearing on KCOM, cable 27 or by logging on to the city’s website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us: on the right hand side of the homepage under the “City Council” heading, click on the “Online Video” link, then click on the “March 16, 2015” heading, click on the “Video” or “In Progress” link, and start watching!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email or call Kate Black, 420-3063.

Written comments may be sent to the City Council, c/o Piedmont City Clerk, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611 or by email to: jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us. Correspondence received by the City Clerk is considered part of the public record.

Kate Black, City Planning Director, 420-3063

Volunteers gathered on February 28 to clean up Blair Park removing invasive ivy from trees and cutting back brush.

“Some of the Piedmont and Oakland crew who worked in Blair Park. The artwork is a professional rendering of what Blair Park could look like if Phase 1 of the landscape plan approved by the Piedmont City Council were implemented.”

“Nearly 30 friends and neighbors of Blair Park took part in a Community Work Day on Saturday, February 28, to clean ivy off of oak and fruit trees in the park. Piedmont and Oakland residents of all ages came armed with their work gloves, clippers, rakes and enthusiasm to do battle with ivy and blackberries that are strangling the trees. Two hours of hard work produced large piles of clippings to be hauled away on Monday by the Piedmont Department of Public Works.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic about the event, which was organized by Friends of Moraga Canyon, another work day is planned for next month.”

An invitation was personally sent to a select group of individuals, supplemented by a posting on the City website, to attend a presentation at City Hall by Piedmont’s Mayor Margaret Fujioka on the “State of Piedmont”.  While there is no record of the Council deciding to convene specifically for a “State of the City” presentation, nor establishing the annual address, the Mayor has noted it as the “First Annual State of the City” address.

The presentation is set for a regular meeting on March 2, as determined by Fujioka.  No Council action items are listed on the Council’s agenda. Within the same week, two special meetings have been held, on February 25 and February 28, resulting in an unusual three Council meetings in one week.

When San Francisco or Oakland Mayors give “State of the City” addresses, they inform their citizenry how well the City departments have implemented the Mayor’s priorities and goals, and provide direction to staff for the coming year. This has not been the prerogative of Piedmont mayors under the City’s charter.

Piedmont’s mayor is primarily a ceremonial head, representing the City in various specific capacities.  The Mayor acts as the chair of the Council and only has the powers enumerated in the City Charter or bestowed upon the Mayor by three affirmative Council members in a public meeting.  The Mayor serves at the pleasure of the City Council and can be removed at any time by 3 affirmative votes.

Piedmont has for over a 100 years required selection of the Mayor by the  City Council rather than Piedmont voters.  The process is specified in the voter enacted City Charter.  It has depoliticized the mayor position, allowing many Council members to serve as mayor. Power has remained decentralized and resided per Charter in the Council as a whole.

Read the voter enacted Piedmont City Charter.

http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/city_charter/charter.pdf

SECTION 2.08 MAYOR

Following each general municipal election, the City Council shall elect from among its members officers of the City who shall have the titles of mayor and vice-mayor, each of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the Council. The mayor shall preside at meetings of the Council, shall be recognized as head of the City government for all ceremonial purposes and by the Governor for the purposes of military law, but shall have no administrative duties. The vice-mayor shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor. In case of the temporary absence or disability of both the mayor and vice-mayor, the Council shall select one of its members to serve as mayor pro tempore.

1. VOTING. Voting, except on procedural motions, shall be by roll call and the ayes and nays shall be recorded in the minutes. Three (3) members of the Council shall constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time and may compel the attendance of absent members in the manner prescribed by the rules of the Council. No action of the Council, except as otherwise provided for in this Charter, shall be valid or binding unless adopted by the affirmative vote of three (3) or more members of the Council.

Even though the meeting is open to the public, the invitation to the March 2 presentation requested those receiving invitations to RSVP.

“RSVP by February 25th to largue@ci.piedmont.ca.us or by calling (510) 420-3040.”

The Brown Act provides that all members of the public can attend public meetings without RSVP’s.

The meeting will be held at City Hall March 2 starting at 7 p.m. and can be viewed from home on KCOM Channel 27 or via the City website.