Architect and Piedmont Resident for over 35 years
Based on a plan developed by Piedmont residents William Blackwell and Chuck Oraftik in 2009-2010, the City has been pursuing enlargement of Coaches Field on Moraga Avenue across from Blair Park that will allow use by baseball, soccer, and other field sports.
To enlarge the playing surface the new plan calls for cutting into the hillside located adjacent to the Corporation Yard at Red Rock Road and Moraga Avenue, adding night lighting, and increasing the number of available parking spaces.
To view the staff report and the concept plan for Coaches Field produced by Callander & Associates, click below:
With the acceptance of the design concept by the City Council, environmental work is being sought. Click below to read the Request for Proposals.
Open to the public and broadcast live.
READ THE AGENDA, SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT, AND PRIOR MEETING DRAFT MINUTES > May 2019 Recreation Commission Packet
The CIP Review Committee recommendations will be discussed as part of the Piedmont Proposed FY 19-20 Budget Presentation and Workshop Saturday, May 11, 9 am Piedmont Police Department Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
-Renovation of PMS Hard-courts
-Installation of ALPRs at Piedmont Entrances
-Installation of a drinking fountain (for humans and dogs) in Piedmont Park
-Two related Wildwood Gardens proposals
-Development of a landscape triangle at Blair and Calvert Court
– Blair Park proposals for donated fencing and parking improvements
– Two related Witter Field proposals
http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/govern/agendas/2019-05-11_special.pdf
Minutes, broadcasts, and recordings were not made of any of the CIP Review meetings. Staff reports were not publicized.
Recordings and broadcast will not be made of the Saturday, May 11, 2019 Council Budget Workshop held at 403 Highland Avenue in the Emergency Operations Center of the Piedmont Police Department. The public is welcome to attend and participate.
READ the full staff 2019-20 Budget recommendations including fees, permits, salaries, benefits, use of City property, tax rates, personnel, etc. – http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/finance/budget/19-20/19-20_budget.shtml
At the April 3, 2019 Piedmont Park Commission meeting, Nancy Scott from the Piedmont Garden Club and Chairperson of their Civic Projects program, presented Mayor Bob McBain and Park Commission Chairperson Betsy Goodman with a generous donation of $5,000 to be used towards installing new light strings in the courtyard of the Piedmont Community Hall in Main Park.
The City is in the process of upgrading the electrical controls for the exterior pole lights at the Community Hall. When Phase 1 of the lighting improvements is completed, the City will start Phase 2 and will be working with lighting consultant Thomas Skradski of Lumen Works and the Electrical Contractor, Mark Schulkamp of Mark W. Schulkamp Electric Co. to design and install new light strings that will be suspended from the four pole lights in the courtyard. The pole lights will be designed to accommodate the new string lights. Once the new string lights are installed, the courtyard illumination will offer an option with the new, festive string lights.
The Piedmont Garden Club on April 18th, arranged for members and friends to deadhead the hundreds of daffodils in Blair Park.
The Piedmont Garden Club https://www.piedmontgardenclub.org/ has a long history of contributing their time and generous donations to the City of Piedmont.
Double click on photos to enlarge.
City of Piedmont
CIP Review Committee Agenda Tuesday, April 23, 2019 7:00 p.m.
City Hall Conference Room, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA
- Review of Preliminary CIP Wish Lists, Resident Proposals, and Criteria for Evaluating Proposed Projects
- Presentation of Resident Proposals
- Consideration of Project List for CIP Review Committee Site Tour on Saturday, May 4, 2019
The meeting will not be recorded or broadcast. The public is welcome to attend and participate.
Where will Piedmont’s money go?
Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Review Committee Agenda Tuesday, April 9, 2019 7:00 p.m.
City Hall Conference Room, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA
The meeting is open to the public, however broadcasts and recordings of the proceedings will not be made.
- Review of Preliminary CIP Wish Lists, Resident Proposals, and Criteria for Evaluating Proposed Projects
- Presentation of Resident Proposals
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the CIP Review Committee are available for public inspection in the Public Works Department during normal business hours at 120 Vista Avenue, City Hall.
The CIP Committee reviews proposals and makes funding recommendations to the City Council; the recommendations will be considered and acted upon by the Council through their annual budget review process.
The purpose of the CIP Review Committee and citizen proposed projects can be read by clicking below:
Revised Proposal worksheet can be read by clicking below.
Various City Wide projects are: Aquatic Center, Linda Beach Park, Recreation Center and Veterans Hall improvements, Coaches Field improvements including lights, and Public Security Cameras.
The Committee meetings are open to the public and any resident that wants to attend is welcome. The next meeting is scheduled for April 9th at 7 pm in the City Council conference room to the left as you enter Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue. Recordings of the meeting are not made and there are no broadcasts or minutes of the meetings.
For more information, contact Nancy Kent at NKent@piedmont.ca.gov
I’m all in favor of youth sports; however, when Coaches Field was first conceived and approved by our city council, the neighbors above strenuously objected to field lights. The project was approved with the express promise from the council that lights would never be put on the field. That promise is as valid today as when it was made.
A few years ago, the request to put lights on the field was put before the council. When reminded of the commitment to those who would be most impacted, the spokesperson for the youths’ sports league responded that promises were made to be broken. What an appalling role model for our community’s children. With the latest plan that will be coming up for approval, it appears that this sentiment has gained traction.
We as a community should honor our promise to the neighbors of Coaches’ Field. When the children who utilize the field ask why there are no lights on the field, they should be told that there has always been a high demand for playtime on our city’s fields, however, a promise was made when the field was developed, and that promise is being honored. Isn’t that the take away that we all want our children to have? Promises are just that, and a person of integrity always honors his or her promise.
Anne Cobbledick Gritzer
Opinions expressed are those of the author.
The Recreation Commission will hold their public meeting scheduled on
at which time the Commission will consider two items for recommendations to the City Council. See the attachments linked below.
Numerous meetings have been held to discuss and consider ways to provide facilities for the ever growing popularity of Pickleball. The game has been well received by seniors in Piedmont. Long term future plans for Pickleball were mentioned by a recent speaker as a possibility for Dracena Park or Blair Park.
Plans to improve Coaches Field are proposed to make the recreation space more useful. The proposal includes the installation of night lighting, pedestrian access, and parking.
Within each public notice below are City contact addresses.
Agenda:
– Recreation Commission to consider Pickleball Trial at Linda Beach and Hampton Tennis Courts –
– Recreation Commission to discuss Conceptual Plan for Improvements at Coaches Field
The City will also host a meeting for Coaches Field neighbors on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, 7:00 p.m. in the Police Department Emergency Operations Center to display and explain the proposals.