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Park Commission Meeting:  Stay Off My Turf!

On February 1st, 2017, I attended the Park Commission meeting from 5:30 to 6:25 p.m.  I was one of only three people in the audience section, and the only person there who was not a returning attendee.  The main focuses of this meeting were an update on Hampton Park, the Linda-Kingston Triangle, the installation of new playground equipment for the Recreation Center Tot Lot, and the Monthly Maintenance Report.

Celebration was in order after Staff Liaison, Nancy Kent, revealed that the no-netting, sand-based sod was successfully installed at Hampton Park earlier in the day.  This natural sod will serve as a great improvement to the muck that generations of young Little League prodigies were forced to endure.  Also, the new irrigation sprinklers were fully functioning, proving that the drainage was working properly.  The sod needs a month to take root, so the public is implored to stay off the turf!  The Commission felt hopeful that the field will be ready for public use by March, just in time for baseball.

I am thrilled to hear of this progress, because I personally grew up playing on the old Hampton grass, and can attest firsthand to its dire need for improvement.  Youth sports are a critical area of character development for many children, and I am glad that the city realizes the value in keeping these fields safe and up to date.

The Commission then went on to discuss how the city is still waiting for PG&E to “give [them] power” to the Linda-Kingston Triangle.  The recently completed beatification project needs the electricity to power its light fixtures. Nancy Kent shared that the Mayor of Piedmont had submitted the Triangle to an awards program, that recognizes innovation in public streets.  The Mayor believes that the Triangle should be recognized for making traffic safer, creating a better pedestrian route, providing a subtle gateway into the city, and functioning as its own mini-park.  The Mayor will hear back later this month if the Triangle is to be recognized.

A complaint was filed by a citizen that the Linda-Kingston Triangle has reduced parking in the adjacent streets.  However, this complaint has no valid basis because the Park Commission created the Triangle in a very careful manner that took zero parking spaces from the community.

Next the Commission discussed the installation of the new playground equipment for the Recreation Center Tot Lot.  The old playground equipment was deemed hazardous by certified inspectors back in July, 2016, forcing the Recreation Department to start from scratch.  The purchase of the new equipment was approved in November, and by mid-January the playground was completely installed.  Thanks to the efficiency of those working this project, the turnaround time was very quick, providing a safer and improved structure for the Recreation Center.

Lastly, the Monthly Maintenance Report discussed the damaging effects of the recent rain storms that have ravaged Piedmont.  The storms have been keeping all the city workers on full alert because as one member of the audience put it, “the trees are toppling like dominos”.  The most affected residential areas have been along St. James Drive and La Salle Avenue, while Dracena Park, Piedmont Park, and Beach Field have taken the hardest blows for the Parks Department.  Beach Field has suffered from a tree that fell onto the field itself (taking out a lamppost on its way down) and another that fell onto the roof of the Beach Field bathroom building, thankfully causing only minor damage.

Due to this increase of falling trees, all twenty park-pedestrian-pathways have recently been cleared and cleaned.  Also reported was the decaying of many London Plain Forest trees, which have been declining due to old age and drought.  Although the average lifespan of street-trees is now unfortunately less than twenty years, many of these London Plains have been in the Piedmont community for almost eighty years.

The meeting was described by Park Commissioner, Betsy Goodman, as “good, fast, everyone was happy”.  While Goodman acknowledged that some city government meetings could “drag on,” she was proud and pleased with how “very efficient” the meeting went overall.

The Park Commission meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Piedmont City Hall.  The purpose of this group is to help manage and make improvements to the public parks of the community.

Sam Rosenbaum, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Is there any description in the voluminous city documents of the total eventual impact on our city?  Will these proposals, in combination, lead to a tear down of many old Piedmont homes? Will residents only find out what’s really in this massive proposal after the Council passes it?

The multiple issues encompassed in this hydra-headed proposal should be dealt with separately, with appropriate opportunity for public input for each.

   I went to the City Council meeting on Monday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Piedmont’s City Hall.  The City Council meets every first and third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m.  The members of the Council and various citizens meet to discuss and solve prominent issues within the community.

    Throughout the course of this meeting six major issues were discussed, the first of which was a report by the Chief of Police regarding recent crimes in the neighborhood.  The Chief of Police highlight a recent series of break-ins, robberies, a pig’s head being left at the doorstep of a resident, and remarks about deportations written in chalk on Linda Avenue. In response to the series of break-ins and robberies the Chief of Police assured the citizens that they review their patrolling patterns and devise a cohesive plan.  After a short investigation, the police discovered that the pig’s head was meant for another former resident as a joke.  The police have no further leads on the remarks written on Linda Avenue, though this leaves troubling thoughts in my mind as a resident of Piedmont living on Linda Avenue.  It deeply troubles me that someone living in what I viewed as an inclusive environment could justify in any way using language regarding deportation.  Even more troubling is its proximity to Beach Elementary School where the language used could show younger children that what was said was socially acceptable.

    The second issue discussed was the consideration of a fee waiver request for the residence of 42 Craig Avenue.  The residents received a design review which lasted for twelve months, after which it would become void.  After twelve months and the review becoming void the claim was submitted by the residents in addition to a request for the payment required for the submission to be waived.  The City Council ruled that the second fee would not be waived as the work done to clear the waiver needed to be paid for even though the work had already been done in the past.

    The next issue discussed was the elimination of the parking restriction of the 700 block of Highland Avenue from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.  This restriction was initially put into place in 1971 due to complaints of young people convening there and creating noise.  Removal of this restriction would in turn create sixteen parking spots.  The daughter of a current resident spoke out against the removal of this restriction stating that in the short term its removal could increase noise and crime, while in the long term home value could drop.  The City Council ruled to accept the motion, removing the parking restriction from the 700 block of Highland Avenue.

    The fourth topic discussed during the meeting was whether to refute or remain impartial on the subject of Alameda County Waste Management’s new 2016 ordinance that would ban the use of plastic bags in Piedmont stores and restaurants.  Choosing no action would only impact McMullins and Ace Hardware, forcing them to remove plastic bags and charge ten cents for paper bags in an attempt to push for reusable bags.  Piedmont High student Keith Sibal spoke in favor of choosing no action, drawing on his knowledge of the dangers of plastic bags pooling into the environment stating that the small cost of their removal will be outweighed by the protection afforded the environment.  The City Council ruled in favor of no action.

    The subsequent topic was authorizing the implementation of a community choice aggregation program.  The City Council approved the aggregation program, stating that it would give the people of Piedmont more choices and freedom to choose.

   The final topic covered during the City Council meeting was considering the agreements with Computer Courage for IT support services and Client First Technology Consulting for IT management services.  This was primarily to discuss the proper compensation for the work the two companies have done and will do in the future.  The City Council approved a budgeted compensation for the two companies.

   With the scheduled topics coming to a close and the City Council meeting being adjourned I had the opportunity to interview Jen Cavanaugh.  Ms. Cavanaugh stated that her presence was due to a letter she helped write from the School Board revolving around inclusion in schools that the City Council read.  She then explained that her next step is to meet with the School Board in an attempt to get real change going, stating, “There’s talk and then there’s action”.

Jacob Watson, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Student report on a City Hall gathering on the evening of the Tree Lighting ceremony. Although the Park Commission had cancelled its December meeting, Commissioners were encouraged to attend the December 7 Tree Lighting ceremony at the Community Hall. (read November 2 minutes of the Park Commission.)

On Wednesday, December 7, I attended the Park Commission gathering at the Piedmont City Hall. This commission meets once a month, but typically takes a recess during the Holiday season, so this meeting manifested itself as a casual event that involved people from all City Commissions and City Council members. I took this time to socialize with people who both held leadership positions in government and others who were simply curious about the meeting.

A major topic of conversation was the renovation of Hampton Park. This ongoing project was celebrated, as it is both on schedule and on budget. In response to the rain influencing construction of this project, I was informed that the new drainage system was working well avoiding any holdups for the project.

The recently completed Linda Triangle was another achievement spoken of at this event. People expressed their excitement for this addition to Piedmont, while some hoped to see some improvement, such as lighting fixes.

Upon arriving at the event, I spoke to a number of people, including the Mayor, the Vice Mayor, and the Public Works Director. Mayor Jeff Weiler said that he is particularly pushing for lighting improvement on the Oakland Avenue Bridge, in order to “make it safer for pedestrians.” Speaking from personal experience, it can often be unnerving walking on the Oakland Avenue Bridge, especially when people are driving fast and come right up next to the walkway, so I feel that lights would be a much needed addition.

Students spoke about our concern on the drought, but Mr. Weiler assured students that the California drought was not currently posing much of an issue to Piedmont parks, as the recent rains and the water used for firefighter training help keep the greens watered.

Halley Wolin, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author. 

I attended the Recreation Commission meeting on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Piedmont City Hall. The commissioners meet every third Wednesday of the month to discuss current projects in the city regarding recreational activities, parks and sports.

Chair Betsy Smegal Anderson began the meeting by calling public speakers to the stand to discuss any issues or suggestions that were not on the agenda. PHS students spoke regarding a desire for Triathlons put on by the Piedmont community that would include special ed students, creating more bike lanes and making running trails in various Piedmont parks. Anderson continued with a discussion of the progress of multiple Recreation Department Projects throughout Piedmont. The first project discussed was the Recreation Department Tot Lot play equipment which was approved on November 7th by the City Council. Now that the contract has been approved, the play equipment is looking to be finished by late January.

Next, Recreation Director Sara Lillevand described the progress of the Hampton Park Improvement Project which is working to turn the previous baseball field into a multi-functional park and sports field. She explained that the field is taking shape now that the grading, dugout and bleachers are almost finished and is on track to be finished by mid January. A plaque is also going to be placed on the backstop of the field to memorialize Oakland Police officer John Hege who was well known and loved by the community. The remaining details for the park including the ordering and paying for different sports equipment and storage will be taken care of before the opening.

Piedmont High School student Amelia Eldridge then spoke regarding the use of real grass or turf for the new park, a controversial decision on many fields in Piedmont. Director Lillevand explained that only a small portion of the field would be artificial turf and the remainder would be kept as natural grass and that the markings on the grass would be done seasonally to fit a variety of age groups and sports.

 The next topic discussed was the update on the Recreation Department/Veterans Hall Master Plan to optimize space efficiency for programs in the two buildings. Director Lillevand explained that the spaces in the Recreation Department and Veterans Hall are being assessed based on what is currently offered and what would be most efficient and beneficial to offer in the future. There are no set plans yet, although Public Works Director Chester Nakahara will be making the selection for the renovations using surveys from the public to get a wide range of opinions.

Another issue addressed was the current Kennelly Skate Park hours of operation. The limited park hours of  8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. to dusk on weekends are looking to be expanded to increase the availability of the park. Commission members pointed out issues of noise, safety, volunteer availability for monitoring and lack of park use by the public.  Steve Roland stated that the park seems to be used mainly by children and they are in school during the open hours of the park which makes the monitoring pointless. Student Amelia Eldridge confirmed that the park being closed is not necessarily a deterrent from kids entering the park, which poses a safety threat.

Director Lillevand responded to a group of Piedmont Middle School students that explained that the skate park has limited space with dangerous conditions which makes the park less desireable, by suggesting filling in the large bowl in the park to create more space. The Commission established that the purpose of the monitor should be revisited and the City should take a look at the current safety of the park and understand what age groups would be using it.

 I believe that the Recreation Committee should advertise the need for staff help for Skate Park monitoring in order to increase the park’s hours. If the students who attend the park are able to participate in the monitoring after engaging in a short safety training, the lack of staff would no longer be an issue. It is important to make the most use out of the limited park spaces in Piedmont.

Chair Anderson then discussed the new Aquatics Coordinator Tyler Waespi who was hired last June. Tyler earned his position with his impressive interview, intensive training and working success this past summer.

Anderson went on to discuss the Aquatics Master Plan Conceptual Design which is moving forward with pre ideas given by the hired architect. The plan is to create a larger, more attractive and ultimately more functional pool that will attract more use from the public. PHS student Skyler Liu asked a question regarding where the funds for the project will be coming from. Anderson responded by explaining the $15 million budget that would most likely come from private fundraising and a bond fund. After student Kerry O’Connor suggested a new ideas for the placement of the water polo cages, Anderson confirmed that any minor design details for the project have not been decided.

The last topic addressed was a recap of the Piedmont Recreation Department Haunted House that is held in the Recreation Building every Halloween weekend. Director Lillevand proudly reported that this year there were 720 visitors on Friday and over 1,000 total throughout the weekend despite the last minute change of theme. Anderson suggested that the entry fee of $5 should be revisited considering the tremendous amount of time, planning and money that goes into the event. PHS student Nina Adarkar suggested that the Adventure Crew Club could volunteer to sell food at the end of the Haunted House to raise money for the costs of the production.

At the end of the meeting, I was honored to speak with Director Sara Lillevand about her position and reasons for participating. As the Director of the Recreation Department, Sara explained that she was here to create solutions for the community and to hear the needs and desires of the public. She believes that recreation enhances people’s lives and introduces healthy and fun opportunities into people’s lives. Lillevand described recreation as a “huge umbrella” that has a broad impact on the community, from preschool and school mates to PHS Seniors.

Addie MacCracken, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

 I placed my laptop on the floor as quietly as possible and scooted to the front of my chair, preparing myself to speak in front of Piedmont’s Recreation Commission. “Thank you,” the Commission Chair smiled, and I quickly raised my hand. For the past 30 minutes or so, middle school boys and their moms had been rotating through the stand to bring to light the dangers and potential fixes of Piedmont’s skate park, one of the issues being the park’s minimal hours.

Stepping up to the podium, the Commissioner’s faces gazed back at me expectantly. After stating my name, I inquired, “How big an effect on the budget does the monitor at the skate park have? Is the budget for the monitor the main issue?” A commission member responded that yes, the budget has a heavy influence, as well as the lack of staffing to supply monitors, so I followed, “What is the purpose the monitor serves? Is it absolutely essential to have a monitor there at all times?”, to which another member answered that the monitor serves myriad purposes, from safety to noise control. With the issues cleared up, I smiled a thank you, and walked back to my seat.

 According to their website, Piedmont’s Recreation Commission meets monthly on the third Wednesday to “[make] regarding field allocation at city parks and [advise] the city council regarding the creation or renovation of park properties,” and they fulfilled their purpose completely at this meeting. Though the commission reviewed Hampton Field’s renovation (going well) and gave an update on the new aquatics instructor (also going well), the most heated topic was the Skate Park.

The commission patiently listened to each middle schooler and parent describe the problems with the park and followed through, questioning how they would set the hours, who could remodel a skate park, or if there was an improvement they could make without a complete remodel.

I agree with the commission that a remodel would be extremely costly, and is not pressing enough an issue that the whole community would fundraise for it. I commend Sara Lillevand, Recreation Director, for creating a compromise, ending in a decision to possibly fill the dangerous bowl with the dangerous transitions the middle schoolers and moms had exposed and by adding better street skating obstacles on it. Expanding the park’s hours without a monitor also seems like a good solution the commission could follow up on. To address the safety issue, they could clearly advertise days and hours when a monitor is or is not present, so parents and guardians can always feel safe with their children skating.

Moving to the final issue, the committee chair introduced the annual Haunted House. Due to recent violent clown incidents, the theme had to be changed from Fun House extremely last minute, but was still, as always, a success. One member reminded the group that they tend to lose revenue on the Haunted House, as they have never changed the entrance fee to $5. The commission ponders this, as they know some Piedmonters would be up in arms if they increased the longstanding fee.

Though I hadn’t planned on speaking again, I raised my hand and returned to the podium, explaining that I’m the President of the Piedmont Community Service Crew (PCSC), and reminding them that PCSC has helped the Recreation Department out before, taking over this year’s July 4th Pancake Breakfast, and collaborated with them by running a lemonade stand at the Harvest Festival.

To increase the revenue, I suggested that near the exit of the Haunted House, they set up an area where families can mingle after their exciting experience and buy food and drinks. PCSC members could run the stand, tracking money and selling food, so no staff would have to be paid, and in addition could cook food earlier in the day, as PCSC has lots of cooking experience through making and serving dinner to the homeless at Hot Meals, cooking lunch for low-income seniors at St. Mary’s Center, and more. A commission member’s face lit up, as he agreed that this could increase a few thousand dollars in revenue. Sara Lillevand noted that she’ll keep in contact with me, and affirmed the crew’s work with the pancake breakfast this summer, serving around 2,000 people.

Once the meeting adjourned, I approached Commissioner Steve Roland to ask him a few questions. When I asked him why he joined the Recreation Commission, Roland explained that he wanted to do something civic for the town. He had already been involved in sports through coaching, but he wanted to make an active difference. No specific problem motivated him to join the commission, just the general desire to improve the parks.

Now that he’s joined the committee, Roland still aims for general park improvement throughout Piedmont. Roland revealed his main strategy for taking action: time tables. Much of the commission meetings include discussions and hearing the community’s voice, but the key is to immediately create goals and action plans. Roland wants to expedite the processes to give the community what it wants without being sloppy. He adds that this is a continual progression, and learns more as each issue arises on how to better pick apart the problems and take action on them.

As a high school student learning about government in Civics, meeting an adult with a desire to be involved purely to make a positive impact on the community is inspiring, and sadly, a contrast to some of the political leaders I’ve learned about in previous history and government studies. Because families primarily move to Piedmont for the excellent education, the parents generally are passionate about their children’s Piedmont experience, leading to the inspiring political leaders who serve double time as a parent or guardian.

Nina Adarkar, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

The Council faces a full agenda on December 19, 2016, broadcast will be on Channel 27 and via the City website.  The Council will vote on elimination of Recreation Department transport of participants, addition of a full time Planning Technician, and a loan mechanism to pay for sewer work (see separate article.)

Agenda items:

Political appointments chosen by the Mayor to represent Piedmont on various Boards:

12/19/16 – Approval of Council Liaison Assignments through 12/31/17

Piedmont’s Planning Department continues to grow as a full time Technician is added to the Department.  At a recent Planning Commission meeting, five Planning Department employees were present.

12/19/16 – Authorization to Add a Full Time Planning Technician Position

Elimination of transport by the Recreation Department of juvenile participants:

12/19/16 – Report from the Recreation Director on the Discontinuation of Transportation Services

With a new Police Chief appointed from within the Police Department, a vacancy has occurred in the Police Captain position:

12/19/16 – Consideration of an Agreement with Bob Murray & Associates in the Amount of $24,400 for the Recruitment of a Police Captain

12/19/16 – Consideration of a Three Year Agreement with OpenGov, Inc. for Implementation of Interactive Financial Visualization Software in the Amount of $24,502.50 and an Appropriation to Fund the Agreement

    The Park Commission did not have an official meeting on December 7th.  Instead, there was a social gathering as a Holiday break that segued into the tree lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m.  While there were no official issues to be addressed or discussed, it was the perfect time for a high school senior interested in the inner-workings of government to bump elbows and inquire upon many Piedmont government officials.

I got the opportunity to simultaneously interview the Mayor, Jeff Wieler and the Director of Public Works, Chester Nakahara as he stood behind the bar – eager to serve his community both beverages and hours of hard work.  I learned a lot more about general park information through direct conversation than I would have attempting to participate in a busy Park Commission’s docket.

  As a high school student, I admittedly had both a specific and limited view of what the Park Commission and the Public Works Department do.  I wanted a different perspective of my main connection to the Piedmont Parks -an inside scoop on the daily announcements pleading my peers to stop littering during their off-campus lunch privileges.  I was shocked to discover that it takes a full man day of work to clean all the litter after every Piedmont High School off-campus lunch break.  Despite trash and recycling bins within arms reach, the worst offending areas are Piedmont Main Park and outside the Veterans Building and City Hall.

The tone of both Wieler’s and Nakahara’s voices were mixtures between exasperation and jokes about the laziness of the litterers.  There was no obvious solution towards solving this problem that they have not already tried.  There are sufficient waste disposal containers, plus the quality of education at the school should justify a level of awareness to negate the problem.

I could not come up with answers or suggestions that have not already been attempted, I could only do my best to reassert that it seems to be an excessive and ongoing issue that the City needs to have a different stance on.  20-30% of the Publics Works budget of $4 million is dedicated strictly towards maintenance and cleaning.  That can make it harder to achieve some of Mayor Jeff Wieler’s park and public works goals: to finish the Linda Triangle, continue beautification, and to fully illuminate the Oakland Avenue Bridge for safety purposes.

    Additionally, I learned that the California drought has minimally affected parks in Piedmont because the Piedmont Fire Department efficiently directs their mandated engine tests while spraying water onto Coaches Field.  The only evident aspect of our communities water shortage is the large brown spot on upper Dracena Park, a park that recently had a more controversial decision of whether a certain stretch of the dog park allowed dogs to be off leash.  The dogs must remain on leash, as the Park Commission recently decided, but additional and clearer signage is needed around that park.

  Jeff Wieler, Chester Nakahara, and every other person I met (like Park Commission staff liaison Nancy Kent!) work tirelessly in their various positions to help improve Piedmont.  They were all incredibly knowledgeable – Wieler was occasionally frustrated at himself for not having a certain exact budget or figure on the tip of his tongue – and even just a more light-hearted social Holiday celebration can bring up important local issues that everyone is clearly passionate about attempting to solve.

Josef Crombie Presberg, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Council learned of Piedmont robbery increase, approved plan to reduce cost of Piedmont waste disposal contract, supported methods of fundraising for Hampton Field, encouraged collaborative energy savings ….

Student Report of October 17th, City Council Meeting

    On Monday October 17, the Piedmont City Council met at City Hall to discuss an array of issues. The purpose of this meeting was to cover four topics: the possibility of renewable energy in Piedmont, the third quarter crime report, the renovation of Hampton Field and finally the possibility of a contract negotiation with the current waste collector for Piedmont.

    The most discussed issue was regarding joining Alameda County’s Community Choice Aggregation program. Bruce Jensen gave a presentation on the topic complete with graphs, hypotheticals and facts. This program would allow local governments to develop renewable power on public facilities, residences and businesses. The proposed plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and provide cheaper energy than PG&E. This in turn would save the city and it’s residents money. If residents decided they were not interested, they could opt out of the plan and continue using PG&E as their power supplier.

    Following the clean energy presentation, Chief of Police Rikki Goede presented the third quarter crime report. She started by mentioning the increase of robberies in recent months; the numbers were up from 42 burglaries by the third quarter of 2015 compared to 52 burglaries by the third quarter of 2016. With this, she stressed the importance of locking windows and doors and looking out for and reporting any suspicious activity. On a brighter note, she commended the work of her officers in enforcing traffic laws on busy streets and writing 433 traffic citations. Following her presentation, Councilwoman Teddy King thanked the Police Department for their vigilant effort in protecting the community.

    The next topic covered was the renovation of Hampton Field. Members of the Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization (PRFO) spoke about fundraising for the project. The proposed budget for the renovation is $1,978,760 with the PRFO helping tremendously to raise additional funds. They are offering donation gifts ranging from personalized bricks all the way to naming rights of the baseball field. I am excited to see this project come to fruition after so much hard work and generosity from our community.

    Lastly, discussion on what company should be used for waste collection was brought up. The contract with the current provider, Republic Services, is coming to an end. Council members and other city officials have been considering changing waste collection companies as a contract extension from Republic Services would cause rates to increase anywhere from thirty to forty percent. Furthermore, the company would have to cut the backyard service they provide as workers have been getting injured lifting heavy trash cans up and down stairs. All members of the council were open to looking into alternatives and plan to begin the search for a new waste collector.

The City Council members meet twice per month, on the first and third Mondays.

Nick Perkocha, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.