Since 1966 Piedmont Scouts have sold trees at Christmas time to support their programs. Net income from the sale of trees currently provides approximately 30% of the annual operating expenses.
The 2015 Tree Lot will operate November 28 to December 23, 2015 at Coaches Field, 890 Moraga Avenue.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday – Friday 4:00pm – 7:30pm
Saturday – Sunday 9:00am – 7:00pm
Waste services, Finance Director search, and a $500,000 year-end transfer from undergrounding lawsuit settlement –
by Piedmont High School student Christopher Baringer
Piedmont’s City Council convened in one of their biweekly meetings on November 2nd, 2015 in the Council Chambers to discuss an audit that was performed by the Consulting Group R3 on Richmond Sanitary Services, also known as Republic Services, Piedmont’s waste collection provider. Also, the Council discussed the fact that the current Finance Director will be retiring from his position and that they need to find both an interim Finance Director and to utilize a recruiting firm to find a permanent replacement. Lastly, the Council spoke about the year-end transfers of the most recent fiscal year.
The audit for which the City Council hired R3 Consulting was to determine and address the areas of noncompliance in an agreement with Richmond Sanitary Services. Members of R3 spoke at the Council meeting and reported that the areas of noncompliance were insignificant. Robert McBain of the Council asked why those insignificant areas had not been addressed, and pointed out that many Piedmont citizens have issued complaints that their recycling and green waste are mixed into the same container.
William Shoan of R3 clarified that while it was true that green waste and recyclables were put into the same container, he noted that this rarely happened, and the green waste and recyclables rarely ended up in the same container in the end. The fact that this is a rare occurrence is because, Shoan stated, this only happened in “Backyard Accounts”, which is when the resident pays an extra fee to have the garbage workers fetch the refuse as opposed to the resident bringing their bins to the street. The garbage workers, in order to more efficiently transport the material, will often pour the green waste into the bottom of a larger carrying bin, and then fill the rest of the carrying bin with recyclables. Then, when they reach the truck, the workers then pour the top, recyclable part of the carrying bin into the recyclable section and then the rest into the compost section. Shoan recommended that, even though there was a very low rate of contamination between refuse categories, the workers add a layer of burlap to more effectively separate the green waste and the recycling.
Tim Rood of the Council then mentioned that over 40% of what is in black bins in Piedmont is actually green waste, to which Shoan pointed out that that comes down to the diligence of the citizens and that mandatory separation of green waste and trash should be considered. Mayor Margaret Fujioka noted that part of the contract between the City of Piedmont and Richmond Sanitary Services included Richmond Sanitary organizing community outreach events to help educate people in the best way to handle their refuse, which was not something that is currently being done.
I spoke to Aaron Salloway, a Piedmont resident, about how he felt about Republic Services and why he was attending the City Council meeting. He told me he was there because he knew Piedmont is such a small city and the Council has a lack of competitive advantage when negotiating with sanitary service providers, essentially making it a seller’s market. When I asked what he planned to do to help the cause of improving waste management in Piedmont, he said that he would wait to “see R3’s reports and see how the residents are going to react to the community outreach events”.
The next thing addressed was the need for a new Finance Director. For hiring a Finance Director, the Council needs to hire a recruiting firm, and will be interviewing the possible options for recruiting firms in the near future. As the current Finance Director is also handling parts of Human Resources, his departure will also leave a position to be filled in Human Resources. Rather than hiring another person to fill that position, the Council decided that it would be best to expand the duties of the current Administrative Services Technician to handle the Human Resources aspect of the current Finance Director.
Finally, the Council addressed this fiscal year’s year-end transfers, specifically a $500,000 sum that was gained from a civil settlement with an undergrounding engineer involved in a private utility district. Paul Benoit, City Administrator, recommended that the settlement sum should be allocated to Piedmont’s Facilities Maintenance Fund, which the Council approved.
The Piedmont Park Commission will meet on Wednesday, November 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located in City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.
Once more the Commission will discuss and review the issue of the Dracena Park off-leash dog area. To date there have been differing opinions on how the upper grassy area and redwood dell of Dracena Park should be used. The public is welcome to provide input to the discussion. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable Channel 27 and via the City of Piedmont website.
At a later time, the Council will consider any changes recommended by the Park Commission.
PUSD School Board Meeting of October 14, 2015
by Piedmont High School student Bianna Massullo
I attended a Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) Board meeting on October 14, 2015. The Board regularly meets the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall. These meetings are held in order to discuss issues important to the District in an accessible way for all members of the District to participate in and to inform themselves about the different topics within the school District. In addition to helping members of the District understand the decisions made in the District, members of other districts are able to learn about PUSD and learn about their programs in order to implement changes in their own programs. This meeting primarily discussed the success of a preschool program in the District and the ongoing debate about the instructional schedule for the District for next year.
The preschool program was created two years ago, and it is a public preschool for children with special needs. The District is obligated by the state to give special education to disabled children ages 3-5 that live within the District. This preschool carries out this special education, but it also partners with a private preschool in the area in order to provide the children, those with and without disabilities, exposure to each other and to help them get acclimated to a social climate in which there are differences between students’ learning and social abilities. The preschool program has six Individual Education Plans in the classroom, and they work to provide the children with both individual instructional time and group instructional time, in order to create a collaborative environment in which to help the kids. The preschool program also follows the children into the elementary schools, and it helps to further integrate the programs that they did with the children into the kindergarten classrooms. This program has met a lot of success, and I believe that it is a valuable asset to the District because of the confidence and assistance that it gives children that they can carry throughout their entire school career.
The next item on the schedule was one more relevant to myself, and one that I had significantly more knowledge about. The schedule of the schools in PUSD has been a topic that many people have been invested and interested in, including myself. The different plans were summarized by Ms. Kashani, a leader of a student forum on the subject. The most pressing issue within the plans was whether to schedule final exams for the middle school and the high school before or after winter break. A large majority of the students, parents, and staff within PUSD were in favor of final exams being before winter break, but the school board was still hesitant to change the schedule this drastically. Even though Ms. Kashani was able to bring the opinion of the teachers in support of the schedule change and myself and Josh Landheer spoke in support of the schedule change, the School Board still seemed hesitant to change the schedule. Additionally, many people within the District dislike the current schedule and system and the stress of the students causes them both physical and emotional harm, but the school isn’t trying anything new to help the students.
This meeting was very informative and it helped me understand different issues and priorities of the District more clearly. I learned about the statistics of people within the District that are for and against finals being before winter break, and I learned about other priorities that the school District has in addition to those that pertain to the high school. After the meeting, I was able to speak with Sarah Pearson, the Vice President of the School Board about the potential schedule changes, and she provided me with a hope-inspiring piece of insight about the School Board’s views, telling me that “the School Board has heard the overwhelming opinion of the students and parents of an overwhelming percentage favor in completing finals before winter break, and we hope that can be implement for the students.” This sentiment helped me to understand that the PUSD School Board truly has the interests of the students and parents at heart, and helped me to have more faith in the School Board as a whole.
“Living” IT Plan –
At their October 19th meeting, the City Council discussed at length the proposed IT Plan. In the end they approved the plan as a “living” plan, recognizing current and future budget limitations and future technological advances.
PRESS RELEASE:
“After a year long examination of the City’s Information Technology (IT) systems, the City Council approved a five year IT strategic plan at its meeting of October 19, 2015. The plan lays out seventy initiatives designed to bring the City’s aging, and in some cases outdated, information technology infrastructure up to date. These changes will help residents and staff use technology to be more efficient; and will facilitate improved resident communication with city government.
In February of 2015, the City Council engaged the services of ClientFirst Technology Consulting to undertake a review of the City’s Information Technology infrastructure and prepare a five year strategic plan based upon their findings. The consultant’s work included an in-depth review of city-wide systems,, each department’s operations and technology needs, as well as workshops with staff knowledgeable of the technology needs and the technological debt in each department.
The consultant met with the Council appointed IT Task Force, comprised of Piedmont residents Tom Kutter, David Mason, Michael Parks, Poojitha Preena, and Adam Schwartz. Through their analyses and meetings, the consultant developed initiatives to modernize the City’s technological infrastructure. An overarching goal of the various initiatives is to build and invest in a system that serves internal needs and provides residents full access to their City government.
“This IT Strategic Plan will guide us into the 21st century, bringing important technological changes to Piedmont that will promote efficiencies and save taxpayer monies,” said Mayor Margaret Fujioka. “With an initial focus on bringing the City’s network infrastructure to modern standards and providing adequate staffing to support the City’s computing needs, this plan will bring the City up to date. Future projects such as revamping the City website and making WiFi available at City Hall and surrounding public areas will provide residents greater access to City government and services. Thanks to our IT Task Force, Consultant, and City staff for their excellent work on this Plan.”
“Overall, we believe the approach and strategic plan provided by ClientFirst was a reasonable and logical plan for upgrading the City’s services and infrastructure, wrote Tom Kutter, Chair of the Information Technology Task Force. “Many of the near term objectives are to simply update the basic network infrastructure and enterprise software. With the infrastructure in place, the City can begin to meet the objectives set forth for improving customer satisfaction with City residents, increasing transparency across departments, and improving the productivity of City staff.”
The staff report and strategic plan are available on the City’s web site at:
http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/html/govern/staffreports/2015-10-19/it_strategic_plan.pdf
For more information contact:
John O. Tulloch, City Clerk, 420-3040
Report on the School Board Meeting – October 14, 2015
by Piedmont High School student Maret Sotkiewicz
On the 14th of October, 2015, I attended a School Board meeting at City Hall. These board meetings are held so that its members can discuss different issues and situations related to the Piedmont Unified School District. There are five permanent members of the Board plus a student representative, Cerina Smit, who is Vice President of Associated Student Body (ASB) at Millennium High School (MHS). Citizens of the community are welcome to attend the meeting and provide input on various issues, or simply share opinions related to the agenda, or bring up new points all together. Mainly, this board serves as a forum for citizens and officials of Piedmont to come together and have a discussion on ways to make the District better. The School Board meets on average one to two times a month, always at seven o’clock on Wednesdays at City Hall located in the center of Piedmont.
There was one major issue presented at this meeting, and a supplementary presentation, with a few audience member appearances. The main topic of the meeting was the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) instructional calendar, and the various four circulating versions. The argument was presented by Piedmont High School (PHS) teacher, Gaby Kashani, who wanted to clarify the various calendar options. Additionally, Pam Gelman and Carrie Rodriguez presented a slideshow on the preschool held at Piedmont Community Church that is geared towards both developmentally and mentally disabled kids. They did not have an issue to discuss, but were brought to the meeting by Superintendent Randall Booker who wanted them to present information on the program. The other topics brought up included a lack of parking at Witter Field, a desire to help out at the preschool, a plea for Finals to be held before Winter Break, and a thank you to the Piedmont education system from former PHS student, TJ Korotzer.
For the calendar issue, Ms. Kashani clarified the different options, alongside a slideshow from Mr. Booker with statistics from a recent District wide survey of parents, teachers and students regarding the different calendars. For example, Calendar B has the school year start in early August, which would allow Finals to be held before Winter Break. Calendar C provided a start time mid-August (how it is now), with Finals also before Winter Break – except that this option would limit the number of breaks in the Fall Semester. Calendar D provided a start in late August, yet this calendar was created mostly because the teacher contract said there needed to be four different calendars presented.
Board members Sarah Pearson and Amal Smith stressed how important it seemed to students to have Finals before Winter Break, and promised to do as much as they could to make it happen. Student Gianna Massullo also spoke from the audience on this issue, and declared she was losing time with family, friends and pets over Winter Break because she spent so much time studying for the looming Finals. This is an opinion held by many students, as backed up by the 82% of responding students from both PHS and MHS on the calendar survey. I agree with this, especially because I often travel for Winter Break and having finals in two weeks really detracts from the “break”. I would much rather start earlier in August, as Calendar B presented, and have finals before break, rather than to continue with the normal schedule. However, this issue will not affect me because I will be in college next year. I hope a new calendar is implemented for the upcoming classes of students.
Piedmont High School student Drew Collins inquired about the lack of parking at Witter Field in the early evening. Superintendent Mr. Booker said that the change was due to the safety of community members on PE Hill at all hours.
I interviewed the preschool teacher Pam Gelman, who was pleased to discuss her job and her reasons for being at the meeting. Unlike many who attend the meeting, Ms. Gelman had been asked by the Superintendent to attend the meeting, after he had “sat in on a class and was very impressed.” She wanted to spread the word about the preschool program for developmentally and mentally disabled kids and all the incredible aspects of the Inclusion Program, as it has existed in Piedmont for three years without any publicity. They are eager to have volunteers and support from the Board members.
I spoke to the Preschool Program. I walked up to the podium and inquired if it could potentially be a possibility to TA or intern at the preschool on late start Fridays or with a morning free period (as classes are only 8:30-1 at the preschool). I was nervous attending the meeting with the added weight of speaking, but the board was incredibly enthusiastic about this idea and Mr. Booker said he would immediately follow up with counselors at the High School about making this a TA opportunity. Ms. Gelman and Ms. Rodriguez were also ecstatic about the idea, and said that the kids always love volunteers, and that it would be a great opportunity for all those involved. In the end, I was very pleased with how my point came across and the ongoing action that will be taken to make it a possibility.
EBMUD publishes excessive water users names.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) established an Excessive Water Use Ordinance on April 28, 2015, effective May 29, 2015. The penalties began as of July 1, 2015 with fines for single family homes consuming more than 1,000 gallons a day. The fine is $2 for each unit or portion of a unit over 80 units (59,840 gallons of water) per billing period (about 60 days). The fines will continue until the drought emergency ends. The bills mailed beginning in September are the first bills that will include the penalties. Excessive water use is a misdemeanor in accordance with California Water Code section 377 and EBMUD has the option to take enforcement actions.
Piedmont has 51 excessive water users. The names were published to encourage water conservation by pointing them out to their neighbors as required by California Public Records Act (Section 6254.16(d) of Government Code 6250-6276.48).
The most excessive user in Piedmont consumed 4363.33 gallons per day. However, 45 of the excessive users recorded in Piedmont were under 2000 gallons per day.
Alamo had 88 excessive water users. The most excessive user in Alamo consumed 8090.87 gallons per day. Orinda had 161 excessive water users. Danville had 211 excessive water users. The most excessive user in Danville consumed 12,578.87 gallons per day. Walnut Creek had 169 excessive water users, with the highest user consuming 5747.13 gallons per day. Lafayette had more than Piedmont but less than 100 excessive water users.
Only single family homes are listed and subject to the restrictions. As of April 15, 2015, single family residential customers were expected to limit indoor water consumption to 35 gallons per person per day. This is challenging even low water use customers since the estimated daily water flow per person even with energy flow toilets, faucets and shower heads exceeds the goal without including laundry or the use of a dishwasher.
Read the complete list.
Some of the previous PCA articles on water restrictions:
California Water Board Targets
The City Council announced with pleasure that it is a recipient of an Award of Merit from the American Planning Association California Chapter (APACC) in the 2014 and 2015 Implementation – Small Jurisdiction category for its Rent-Restricted Second Unit Program. This program is designed to meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation assigned by the Association of Bay Area Governments, in a way that utilizes Piedmont’s unique housing stock. The award was presented during an APACC conference on Sunday, October 4 at the Oakland City Center Marriott.
The “Implementation: Small Jurisdiction with populations of less than 100,000” award for developing low income housing at a rapid rate is one of more than two dozen award categories recognizing activities in many California cities.
The use of second units, also known as “Granny Flats” and “Accessory Dwelling Units,” as affordable housing was a policy that emerged at the beginning of the 1980’s by housing advocates and greenbelt organizations. By 1983 it was an official policy at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, DC.
How to accomplish this method of affordable housing in single-family zoning was a popular topic at universities, including the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Virginia and elsewhere by 1983.
The State of California was quick to pick up on this method of developing affordable housing at no cost to the State–the expense and management responsibilities are handed over to the homeowners. (see Government Code Section 65583.1(a) amended in 2003 and 2010) As all levels of government pounced on the idea of housing production without any public funds, Piedmont also began dealing with the issue of second units in the mid-1980’s. Now, our City Council is thrilled to be commended for actually producing a large number of second units at a rapid pace.
Second units in Piedmont have been created by converting the basements of existing houses, adding an extension behind an existing house, converting an existing garage, or constructing an entirely new building. The accelerated development of second units over the past few years was accomplished through an active advocacy program by City staff that encouraged homeowners who were planning home renovations to consider adding a rent restricted or affordable second unit.
When variances are given for low income units, rent restrictions are required for a period of 10 years, after which units can be rented at market rates. Any variances, such as parking requirements, continue after the ten year period. Piedmont has proactively given variances for rent restricted units in order to supply low income housing and meet regional housing goals.
Important positions are open to applicants.
Resignations on the Park Commission and Planning Commission have created openings for the unexpired terms of two commissioners.
Park Commissioner Nancy Kent resigned to assume her new Piedmont salaried employment, filling soon-to-retire Mark Feldkamp’s position as Parks and Project Manager in the Public Works Department. She will be the primary staff member to the Park Commission.
Planning Commissioner Louise Simpson resigned because she no longer resides in Piedmont and is no longer a qualified Piedmont elector.
Applicants will be applying for unexpired terms which end in March 2016.
Park Commission 1 Vacancy – 0 Incumbent
Planning Commission 1 Vacancy – 0 Incumbent: The current alternate commissioner may apply to become a full member of the Planning Commission.
Municipal Code:
SEC. 25.2 PLANNING COMMISSION COMPOSITION; REGULAR MEETINGS There is hereby established a planning commission consisting of five (5) members. The commission shall meet on the second Monday of each month. (Ord. No. 395 N.S., ‘3)
SEC. 25.3 POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION It shall be the duty of the planning commission to investigate and make recommendations to the City Council concerning real property, subdivisions, lot building restrictions, planning and zoning matters as may be in the best interest of the City, and to grant or disapprove design review and variance applications. In addition, the commission shall have the following powers and duties: (a) To consider and make recommendations to the Council on matters affecting the design and aesthetics of buildings, structures and other improvements within the City; (b) To consider and make recommendations to the Council regarding methods of encouraging and promoting good design in construction within the City in order to maintain the high quality of aesthetic values which make the City unique.
Monthly Planning Commission commitment includes the regular commission meetings, preparation for the meetings by reading and studying all submitted materials, and visits to application sites amounting to seven or more hours.
SEC. 25.4 PARK COMMISSION COMPOSITION; REGULAR MEETINGS There is hereby established a park commission consisting of seven (7) members. The commission shall meet at regular times normally once each month.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE PARK COMMISSION The park commission shall have the following powers and duties: (a) To consider and make recommendations to the Council on matters affecting the beautification, planting, litter control, development, uses, acquisition and disposal and maintenance of all parks, park improvements, park memorials, street trees, parking strips (i.e., the portion of the street right-of-way between the sidewalk and curb) and other planted areas owned or controlled by the City. (b) To consider and make recommendations to the Council concerning proposed solutions to those additional matters which appropriately may be referred to the commission by the Council; or which, relating to the beautification of the matters referred to in subsection (a) hereof, may be investigated by the commission on its own motion.
Monthly Park Commission commitment starts at 4 hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
City Code – SEC. 25.8 QUALIFICATIONS AND APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSION MEMBERS
Commission members shall be qualified electors of the City and not otherwise serving the City in an elective or salaried capacity.
Members of commissions shall be appointed by majority vote of the Council to serve three-year (3-year) terms, and until their respective successors are appointed, with no person serving more than two consecutive terms of office. Terms of office shall commence on April 1 and terminate on March 31, and will be staggered by resolution of the Council. Commission members may be removed after hearing by the affirmative vote of four (4) members of the Council. If a member of a commission is absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of such commission, unless by permission of such body expressed in its official meeting record or by permission of the Council, that office shall become vacant and shall be so declared by the Council. Vacancies shall be filled for any unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Any person who serves as a member of a commission for more than eighteen (18) months of an unexpired term shall be considered to have served a full term of office. (Ord. No. 395 N.S., ’11)
>>>>>>> Application form.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Qualified electors of the City who are interested must complete and return the application form on or before the posted deadline of Tuesday, October 27, 2015. Postmarks will not be accepted. Applications are also available from the office of the City Clerk, John Tulloch, at Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, by telephone (510) 420-3040 or by visiting the city’s website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us.
All applicants must be available for an interview with the City Council on Monday, November 2, 2015, at which time appointments will be made.
The interview meeting on Monday, November 2, 2015, is open to the public. The meeting will likely be held in the City Council Conference Room. There will be no recordings or broadcast of the interviews. The interviews are expected to be held prior to the regular Council meeting.
Applicants’ elector qualification will be verified by the City.
Meeting Saturday, October 3 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the upper area of Dracena Park next to Dracena Avenue –
The Park Commission and Public Works staff will host an initial meeting with Piedmont residents, community members and all stakeholders to discuss a proposed change to the existing off-leash area located on Dracena Avenue.
The meeting is noted as a “brain storming” session to open discussion including restricted dog use of the grassy area at the top of the park, signage, neighborhood concerns, dog use hours, off leash fines, etc. An Animal Control officer will be in attendance to provide information and answer questions.
The informal meeting is to gather input on the issues and options going forward. No decisions will be made at this meeting and additional fact-finding meetings may be held prior to a public hearing in November. Send written comments to the Park Commission at mfeldkamp@ci.piedmont.ca.us or for further information contact Mark Feldkamp at 420-3064.
Content on the PCA website by Piedmont Civic Association is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
Some icons are Copyright © Yusuke Kamiyamane
