City Council Takes Up Three Important Items: May 6
Three topical issues will be taken up by the City Council on Monday, May 6, 2013: proposed installation of License Plate Readers (LPR) at 15 Piedmont access points; a public hearing on the use of the east wing of the city-owned building at 801 Magnolia Ave.; and an initial presentation of the City budget for fiscal year 2013-14. The public meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at Piedmont City Hall. The meeting will be televised and made available through the internet.
License Plate Readers
Police Chief Ricki Goode is recommending that License Plate Readers be installed by 3M Company at 15 intersections around the City for a cost of $673,274. Acknowledging that “cost may still be a prohibitive factor,” Chief Goode ranked the 15 intersections (without naming them) in order of her priority, and has asked the Council for direction on future steps to take.
It is unlikely the Council will take any action Monday night, as a joint meeting of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Review Committee and the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee has been set for Thursday, May 9, in the Council Chambers to consider potential funding of the License Plate Readers. The committees will make a recommendation to the City Council.
Staff report and letters to the Council.
801 Magnolia Avenue – East Wing – Former Sunday School Section – Public Hearing
A lengthy staff report explains the tug of war that has emerged over use of the currently empty wing of 801 Magnolia Avenue, adjacent to the popular Piedmont Center for the Arts. In January, Recreation Director Mark Delventhal proposed creating a child-care center for youngsters in the space. After Piedmont senior citizens spoke up regarding the lack of meeting and social activity space for their age group, Delventhal modified his plan to the extent that his current staff report states that proposed design improvements will allow the room “to be as flexible as possible. Child care today, a community meeting tonight, adult exercise, reading room, seniors area, or whatever in the future.”
At the same time, the Arts Center has come forth with its own proposal for the space, including paying in full for all renovation, operation costs and insurance. Other plans for the room have also been submitted.
If licensing and other requirements are met, home child care is legal in Piedmont.
Piedmont Center for the Arts Proposal
The final agenda item, the Fy 2013-14 Piedmont Budget, will be presented at the meeting, and an online link to the document will be activated after the meeting. There is no information available on the budget at this point.
Current childcare options in Piedmont are not adequate. In addition, the service time is limited to only a few hours and on a few days, which makes it an option only for those families where both parents do not work.
John raises an important point. The staff proposal is for pre-school care which provides insufficient time for many families. A program that offered half and full-day care would be of greater utility to a greater number of residents.