PIEDMONT TAXES, TURKEY TROT, WIRELESS SITES –

• Street Closures and City Staff Allocations for Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  Street Use Permit for the Annual Turkey Trot Race Sponsored by PTT Thanksgiving Race, Inc.  See Map > HERE

• Consideration of Wireless Communication Facilities Permit Applications and Exceptions filed by Crown Castle NG West LLC and SureSite for sites PHS01 to PHS08 and PHS10 to PHS18 (Applications #19-0188) and License for Use of City-Owned Streetlights and Determining that the Applications are Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 1127 4. Two council members, King and Andersen, cannot vote on all sites.  City Administrator Lillevand cannot participate in all site discussions. Staff report  > HERE

• Key features of the proposed WCF applications include:

  1. No underground equipment vaults, with fewer impacts to street trees
  2. Smaller, more compact radios and antennas
  3. No noise-generating equipment
  4. 10-inch diameter radome shrouds atop streetlight locations
  5. 14-inch diameter radome shrouds atop utility pole locations
  6. Trash receptacle equipment enclosure design (only at sites PHS01 and PHS03)
  7. Small side-mounted equipment enclosures on utility poles
  9. Encroachment permits for future maintenance work
  10. Radios 2203 and 8843, appropriately sized for the sites
  11. Power and communication cables concealed in 2-inch-wide risers

• Introduction and First Reading of Ord. 746 N.S. – Renewal of the Municipal Services Special Tax Effective July 1, 2021 and Placing the Measure Before the Voters 0435, 0705, 1030.  March tax election is to be selected. Staff report > HERE.

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City of Piedmont City Council Agenda Monday, November 18, 2019 6:30 p.m. – Special & Regular Meeting City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA Closed Session The City Council will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Emergency Operations Center, 403 Highland Avenue a. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – EXISTING LITIGATION (Govt. Code 54956.9) Name of Case: Crown Castle NG West, LLC v. City of Piedmont .

The City Council will convene its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Consent Calendar 1. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes for 10/21/19 2. Approval of a Street Use Permit for the Annual Turkey Trot Race Sponsored by PTT Thanksgiving Race, Inc. 1000 Public Forum This is an opportunity for members of the audience to speak on an item not on the agenda. Special & Regular Session 3. Consideration of Wireless Communication Facilities Permit Applications and Exceptions filed by Crown Castle NG West LLC and SureSite for sites PHS01 to PHS08 and PHS10 to PHS18 (Applications #19-0188) and License for Use of City-Owned Streetlights and Determining that the Applications are Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 1127 4. Introduction and First Reading of Ord. 746 N.S. – Renewal of the Municipal Services Special Tax Effective July 1, 2021 and Placing the Measure Before the Voters 0435, 0705, 1030

For more information, contact the City Clerk at 510/420-3040.

Parcel tax measures G+H were on the November 5 ballot and passed with strong margins. We are grateful for the continued support this community has given to our schools.

We are especially grateful to G+H campaign chairs Hilary Cooper, Doug Ireland, and Christine Wente von Metzsch who graciously stepped in to lead the campaign. This win is a direct reflection of their tireless effort in setting the vision, rallying the volunteers, and filling in to work on the ground whenever necessary. They were wonderful ambassadors to talk up what is remarkable about our school district.

A successful campaign needs boots on the ground. Thank you to the myriad volunteers who heeded the call for help by showing up for phone banks, neighborhood walks, and other as needed duties.This campaign relied on hours and hours of volunteer time, and each week a cohort of G+H supporters gave their own talents and energy.

Another big thank you to Larry Tramutola, June Monach, and Christian Garcia for yet another Piedmont campaign to which they provided their expertise, common sense, wisdom, and energy. Our community is very lucky that Larry and June call Piedmont home, and we have benefitted many times over from their talents and support.

And last, but never least, thank you to the educators in our learning community, our teachers, staff, and administrators. They are dedicated to their vocation, skilled craftspeople who are on the front line every day to teach and nurture our children and build them into responsible citizens. They model what it means to be life-long learners in their willingness to learn new skills and share what they know. These measures passed because this community recognizes and appreciates their talents and energy.

To borrow from Mr. Rogers, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

Thank you, Piedmont, for sharing in this responsibility!

PUSD Board of Education Sarah Pearson, Megan Pillsbury, Cory Smegal, Amal Smith, and Andrea Swenson

We are proud to be co-chairing the Yes on Measures G&H campaign. Since 1985, Piedmont has passed school support tax measures eight consecutive times. These school support taxes are one of the main reasons that Piedmont continues to have outstanding schools, ranking as among the best in California on student achievement.

There are several reasons why the Piedmont schools need to pass Measures G&H. Piedmont schools receive less state funding per student than neighboring districts because they have fewer students who are in special categories that get extra state funding. For example, Piedmont receives about $2,000 less per student than Oakland Unified School District and about $1,000 less per student than Berkeley Unified School District. In addition, Piedmont has only a few small businesses, and therefore can’t rely on revenues from businesses or donations from large companies. State funding for education is unreliable and has not grown fast enough to keep pace with rising costs, especially rising cost of living for teachers. Therefore, Measures G&H are critical for maintaining high quality schools in Piedmont.

We are fortunate to live in a community that values education and that has passed school parcel taxes consistently for over 30 years. All of the money raised by our community stays in Piedmont to support our students. This local funding helps keep class sizes small, and maintains a range of programs in math, science, technology, and the arts, as well as advanced placement classes, counseling and libraries. This range of programs prepares students for college and careers, and keeps them engaged.

Overall, Piedmont teachers are paid less than teachers in many surrounding schools districts. The average Piedmont teacher has a lower salary than the average teacher in San Ramon, Emeryville, Albany, Union City, and Dublin. Piedmont has lost 22 teachers in the last two years, simply due to cost of living issues. The purpose of Measure H is to address this issue by providing compensation strategies to help recruit and retain high quality teachers.

Together, Measures G&H will provide nearly 30% of our district’s budget and will help maintain the excellence of our Piedmont schools. The strength of our schools helps to protect property values for everyone in Piedmont, not just the residents whose kids attend the schools. For more information about Measures G&H, please visit yesongandh.org.

Hilary Cooper

Doug Ireland

Christine Wente von Metzsch

Editors Note: PCA does not support or oppose ballot measures.  Opinions expressed are those of the authors. 

Oct 4, 2019

Piedmont Recreation Pickleball Subcommittee

c/o Erin Rivera, City of Piedmont

Re: Oct. 7, 2019 Hearing

Dear Chairman Roland and Commissioners McCarthy and Dorman,

1. We have 166 members on the Piedmont Pickleball Group. Many days now see three and four courts going full blast with more on the weekends. The model of experienced players stopping play to teach beginners is no longer viable as most of us simply want to play. We have initiated a volunteer introductory class every Saturday morning; Les Ellis has generously offered his time and expertise. We are starting to attract experienced out of town players. We have started family courts on the weekends. We are in the process of designating recreational and competitive courts; this insures an enjoyable game for all levels. Staff is in the process of arranging professional clinics; kindly encourage this.
2. I urge that the Linda and Hampton hours be made permanent; complaints from neighbors and tennis players are nonexistent. I request the hours at Linda be extended a modest half hour to 1pm. This will not negatively affect tennis as there are no tennis players waiting to play at Linda at this time. Hampton at 3pm has tennis players waiting and we have informally accommodated them earlier if we are not using both courts.
3. The overly light brown Hampton pickleball lines on the tan surface are difficult and the two courts next to the baseball field become effectively unusable as shadows obscure the baselines (see two photos). Darker lines should be installed. Additionally permanent net placement marks are needed at Linda and Hampton. While usable, the Linda pickleball lines could be a bit darker.
4. The City and private donations funded most of the re-asphalting of the PMS courts with the intent to transform the deteriorated PUSD courts into a multi-use community sports asset with pickleball being the primary addition. A reasonable person assumes the District would have a conversation with the City and an integrated stripping plan would be enacted; this was not done. The District arbitrarily striped for badminton without integrating pickleball lines. The District striping is appropriate for parking lots and not sports activities. The Badminton World Federation Handbook II 2014/15 Section 1A states badminton court striping is 40mm / 1.6” (see Badminton World Federation Sec 4.1 p1 attached). PUSD striped their PMS badminton lines twice as wide at 83mm or 3.25” (see att.). The paint used by the District has an unneeded three dimensionality to it and the lines are not sharp.I am disappointed in the District’s unilateral action. If a redo is possible, the four pickleball courts on the first two badminton venues can be restriped about two feet closer to each other so the existing basketball poles are less of an obstruction; they are in issue now if balls are hit near them.
5. While the Linda redo is likely years off, four dedicated pickleball courts accommodating 16 players can be placed there rather than the two tennis courts accommodating 2 to 4 players. Another advantage of dedicated pickleball over tennis is that about 35% of space earmarked for tennis can be used for other uses such as a larger tot lot or other sports facilities.

Sincerely,

Rick Schiller

Piedmont, CA

cc: Jennifer Cavenaugh

Read the full letter and see  photos by clicking below:

PCA 2019-10-07 RSschiller Rec subcomm

The League of Women Voters California has announced support for ways to reduce plastics from going into the environment.

Every day, single-use packaging and plastic products generate thousands of tons of waste that are wreaking long lasting damage on our health and natural environment. We can no longer afford to wait. Act now and demand that your legislators combat the plastic waste crisis.

Roughly two-thirds of all plastic ever produced has been released into the environment, polluting every street, park, river, coast, and ocean. SB 54 and AB 1080 would alleviate the scourge of plastic by:

• Requiring manufacturers to reduce waste and improve the recyclability or compostability of packaging.
• Ensuring that all single-use packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable after 2030.
• Mandating that the most-littered plastic products be made only from recyclable or compostable materials.
• Creating incentives to encourage in-state manufacturing using recycled material.

Our dependence on single-use plastics is poisoning our state. Plastic production is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions, floating plastic “islands” are clogging the oceans, and microplastics are increasingly contaminating our food and drinking water sources. Act now and help us combat the plastic waste crisis.

League of Women Voters California

Looking for a sports program for your child to try to continue to refine skills? The Piedmont Recreation Department Sports Department (PDR) provides positive recreation experiences for Elementary and Middle School participants. These experiences help youth develop new physical and social skills in a fun, participatory and safe environment under the guidance of knowledgeable and supportive coaches. In this way PRD’s Sports Programs contribute to an individual’s physical, social, emotional, cultural and educational growth and development.

A series of catalytic converter thefts have targeted Toyota Prius vehicles throughout the Bay Area.  During an investigation by the Berkeley Police Department (BPD), detectives identified a suspect vehicle and placed an alert for other law enforcement agencies to stop and detain the vehicle if found.

A reciprocating saw, a tool police believe was used to remove catalytic converters, was found in the suspects’ car.

The investigation into the theft of catalytic converters remains active.  No catalytic converters were recovered, said Officer Byron White, a BPD spokesman.

There may be more suspects involved in these thefts.  If anyone has any information about the investigation, please contact Berkeley PD’s Property Crimes Unit at 510/981-5737 or the Piedmont Police Department at 510/420-3000.

The catalytic converter is a part of a vehicle’s exhaust pipe that’s responsible for reducing emissions. It can be removed from under some cars in a matter of seconds.

Drivers of vulnerable Prius vehicles have been advised to park their vehicle in a garage or well-lit area whenever possible.

The Piedmont Park Commission will meet on Wednesday, August 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located in City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.  The meeting will be broadcast live on cable Channel 27 and on the City’s website.

Regular Agenda

1. Approval of Park Commission Minutes for June 5, 2019

2. Update on Piedmont Evergreen and Recycling and Compost Efforts at the July 4^th Event

3. Consideration of the Temporary Placement of Signs in Piedmont Park Near the Tea House Designating a Philosopher’s Walk

4. Consideration of the Designation of Street Trees for Magnolia Avenue

5. Update on Street Tree Planting and Sidewalk Improvements on Oakmont Avenue

6. Update on Lower Grand Avenue Median Landscape Improvements
7. Monthly Maintenance Report: Park, Open Space, and Street Tree Update for the Months of June and July 2019

Read the full agenda, minutes and staff reports > 8 19 FINAL_Park Commission Agenda Packet_8-7-19