A letter from a resident on the history of Moraga road accidents and traffic safety decisions

Having lived in Piedmont for 57 years, I am a first hand witness to the social, political and environmental facts that exist in our little Mayberry-USA.  The latest good deed is a scheme that involves the brilliant discovery of unknown land at Blair Park on Moraga Avenue.

Since the 1950’s, endless land developers have proposed free “gift” projects for this too-narrow strip of green open park space. The original Rockridge Payless Drug Store wanted to build there in the 60’s.  There have been many, many well intentioned proposals for condos, homes, townhouses, senior housing, strip mall stores, etc. at the Blair Park site. Click to read more »

The results are out for the School Calendar Survey! Highlights include:

o   The majority of respondents with an opinion preferred a shorter summer (62%) while 38% preferred a longer summer.

o   80% of respondents with a preference and for whom it was applicable wanted to continue with the new collaboration day schedule.

o   Conference week:  respondents like the new schedule, and feel very strongly about keeping conferences.

Read the full 2011 Calendar Survey Report with more Graphs!

Click to read more »

The Contra Costa Times provides a searchable database of public employee salaries.  It includes 2009 information on every city, county, school district and community college in the Bay Area, plus many special districts such as BART, AC Transit, and Port of Oakland.  The City of Piedmont and Piedmont Unified School District are included.  (Illustration of the database below – you must click on link below to use the database.)

Go to Searchable Salary Database

Correspondence from Timothy Rood, Piedmont Swim Club President, to the Piedmont Post

Re:  No record of pool decision or consultant hire

Dear Sir,

Your March 23 article, “Recreation Commission tests water on pool transition,” includes two incorrect statements. First, there is no record of a decision by the City Council on February 7, or any other date, to not renew the city’s lease with the Piedmont Swim Club. According to Article 2.07(c) of the City Charter, Council decisions require a majority vote, and no vote on the pool transition was publicly noticed or taken. Second, your article goes on to state that “Municipal Aquatics Consultant” Jeff Eorio “was hired by the city to facilitate the transition.” In fact, there is no public record of any aquatics consultant contract, and the Council did not allocate any funding for aquatics in the current fiscal year budget. According to Piedmont’s fundamental law, the Charter, “the City” can only make decisions or hire consultants by majority vote of the City Council. Our Council, City Administrator and City Attorney are surely aware of these Charter provisions, but routinely choose to ignore them.

Sincerely,

Timothy Rood
Piedmont resident

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)

Highlights from the March 23, 2011 Board Meeting submitted by June Monach, Board of Education Trustee

Summary:

• Progress on District-wide Efforts Reviewed:
  • Diversity-Respect Task Force Mission Statement
  • 2011 Instructional Calendar Survey Results
  • Seismic Safety Bond Program Citizens’ Oversight Committee Report Reviewed
• Board Actions Taken:
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Use PEF Endowment Funds to Preserve Core Educational Program
  • Board Voted 4-0 to Adopt Resolution to Initiate Sale of $10 M in Qualified School Construction Bonds
• Board Direction Provided:
  • Board Requested Staff to Proceed with Beach Construction Based Upon the Cash Flow Analysis Presented by the Program Manager
• Other Business:
  • School Parcel Tax Levies
  • District Goals

Click to read more »

At 2:30 a.m. on March 22, 2011 the Piedmont City Council voted to move ahead with building a sports complex in Blair Park on Moraga Avenue and adding night lighting and artificial turf on Coaches Field.    On a 4 -1 vote, with Garrett Keating voting no, the project proposed by Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization (PRFO) will move forward.  Keatting’s objection was over pedestrian and vehicular safety on Moraga Avenue based on his concern insufficient information in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR).

Dozens of speakers presented the pros and cons of the project.  Con speakers described the environmental impacts, paricularly the destruction of 155 trees, fiscal liability to the City, pedestrian safety crossing busy Moraga Avenue, availability of Laney College fields as an alternate site for the Piedmont Soccer Club, indemnification of the City for potential legal costs, non-compliance with the City General Plan, fiduciary responsibility and litigation costs.  The Sierra Club, the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and many others pressed the Council to reject the project.  Pro speakers pleaded for more recreation space for children, the opportunity to accept private funding for the project, the need to use the space, the need to accept the original plan to avoid further environmental assessments, and a willingness to contribute to the cost of legal challenges. Click to read more »

An official request for public records has been made to the City of Piedmont for information on the contract between the City’s consultant on the pool facilities, Jeff Eorio.  This request has been initiated by the Piedmont Swim Club President, Tim Rood.

This request comes on the heels of a previous objection by Tim Rood to the lack of a Council resolution and vote reflecting its direction to staff  to cease further lease negotiations with the Piedmont Swim Club and begin preparations to takeover the pool facilities.  The Council’s direction was provided to staff at the February 7, 2011 Council meeting.

Editors note: Under the Piedmont City Charter an affirmative vote by 3 members of the City Council is required for the Council to act.  

Click to read more »

Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:30 pm the Piedmont City Council will once more take up consideration of a proposal to develop Moraga Canyon/Blair Park into a multi-purpose sports complex.  According to the agenda and back up material for the meeting the Council is not scheduled to make a final decision on the project until its April 4, 2011 meeting.  See Public Notice, Agenda, Staff Report and Correspondence.

The Staff Report and correspondence for the upcoming meeting includes an enormous amount of documentation with detailed analysis of the projects.  Numerous letters have been written by residents from Piedmont and surrounding areas.  There is information from attorneys, the Audubon Society, soccer parents, petitioners, architects, proponents, City Commissions, and opponents.  All Moraga Canyon information posted on the City website may be found here.

On March 15, 2011  the Piedmont City Council Audit Subcommittee met to continue their investigation of the Piedmont Hills Underground Assessment District (PHUAD) bailout of $2.2 million by the taxpayers of Piedmont, considering extensive public comment.

At its prior meeting on January 26,  2010, the Subcommittee asked for public input on individually written reports by  Subcommittee Members.  (See Chiang Report, Kawaichi Report, Barbieri Report)  Numerous comments were submitted by individuals and organizations, including a report from the Piedmont League of Women Voters Task Force and detailed Commentary from the Piedmont Civic Association. Click to read more »

An opponent of the Blair Park development provides the following 10 minute video clip of excerpts from the Planning Commission hearing of February 24 on Blair Park/Moraga Canyon sports facilities

Video Clip: Planning Commission Hearing Excerpts

Editors’ Note: The following is the email sent with the above video clip.

As you may remember, my neighbors and I have been involved in a long battle with the city over the conversion of Blair Park to a soccer facility. I am aware that some Piedmonters and Oaklanders view the claims of the neighbors as biased. I am, therefore, providing this link to a You Tube video of the Planning Commission reaction registered at last week’s meeting. The Commission unanimously rejected the plan but the City Council appears poised to move ahead with the project at its March 21st meeting.I hope you might take about 10 minutes to watch the video and perhaps pass the link along to any friends who might be interested in the controversy.

Ralph Catalano

Editors Note: The complete video of the February 24, 2011 Planning Commission meeting may be viewed on the City website.

(This letter expresses the personal opinions of the author. All statements made are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.)