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The AIA has closely followed the development of alternatives for the decennial re-drawing of the supervisorial districts and believes that, to achieve reasonable representation and electoral accountability, the new districts must be compact, preserve communities of interest and recognize the functional components of the county. It's also extremely important to Alamo to maintain the historically strong community of interest of the San Ramon Valley within one supervisorial district.
Of the original seven map alternatives presented for public comment, AIA felt that Map 5 (CC Times) and Map 6 (CCCRDTF-A2) met these principles but that the other five maps definitely did not. Map 5 was somewhat preferred because the boundary between Districts 2 and 4 was better drawn in the Crest Avenue/Tice Valley area of northwest Alamo.
Please see the June 29, 2011 Letter from the AIA to the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors for a PDF of the letter.
You may also follow the link below for more information and to view the maps referenced in the letter.
http://ca-contracostacounty.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=2832&ART=6345&ADMIN=1 |
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Dear Friends of Alamo Roads,
The TVTC* is at it again!
Do you remember the TVTC meeting in Dougherty Valley on June 30, 2008, when, led by Alamo's County Supervisor Mary Piepho, the TVTC backed off a plan to widen Alamo's downtown intersection?
Alamo citizens won that battle because of the TVTC rule that a TVTC vote must be unanimous.
Why did a unanimous TVTC vote protect our wishes?
Because, although we could expect that the County representative on the TVTC would vote the wishes of her Alamo constituency, we could not expect that any of the other representatives would do so, because we are not their constituents and we don't vote for them.
But on Monday, May 16, at 4:30 PM at Danville Town Hall, the TVTC will vote on whether they should keep the rule that a TVTC vote must be unanimous.
Among four options, they will vote to allow a split vote (6/1) on some, or all, issues. One of the options, Option 2, will allow a split vote on all issues - INCLUDING ROAD PROJECTS.
If Option 2 passes, our County representative on the TVTC can still support the wishes of her Alamo constituents by voting against a road project, BUT IF ALL THE OTHER TVTC REPRESENTATIVES VOTE FOR IT, IT WILL PASS!
To protect Alamo roads, the TVTC must maintain its rule for a unanimous vote on road projects.
Our only warning about this critical change in TVTC rules has come in the legally required 72-hour advance meeting agenda. THERE IS VERY LITTLE TIME FOR THE OPINIONS OF ALAMO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
What can you do, quickly?
Contact Alamo's County Supervisor Mary Piepho, dist3@bos.cccounty.us, 820-8683,
or 820-6627 (fax) and tell her you want the TVTC to keep the unanimous vote rule for road projects (NOT Option 2). Or, attend the meeting at Danville Town Hall, 510 La Gonda Way, Danville, on Monday, May 16, at 4:30.
Yours in Alamo,
AIA Transportation Committee
*Tri-Valley Transportation Council, composed of elected representatives from Contra Costa County, Danville, San Ramon, Alameda County, Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton.
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County Explanation of Redistricting can be found at the following web address
http://ca-contracostacounty.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=2832&ART=6345&ADMIN=1
County Schedule for Public Meetings
REDISTRICTING WORKSHOPS
Date of Workshop |
Supervisor - District |
Meeting Time |
Location of Workshop |
Monday,
May 16, 2011 |
Gayle Uilkema - Dist. II |
2:00-3:30 p.m. |
City of Walnut Creek
Gymnasium Classroom
2055 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek CA 94595 |
Monday,
May 16, 2011 |
Mary Piepho - Dist. III |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Walnut Creek Library
Oak View Room
1644 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek CA 94596 |
Tuesday,
May 17, 2011 |
Karen Mitchoff - Dist. IV |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Pleasant Hill
Community Room
100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill CA 94523 |
Wednesday,
May 18, 2011 |
Gayle Uilkema - Dist. II |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Martinez -
Mc Brien Administration Building, Room 101
651 Pine St, Martinez CA 94553 |
Thursday,
May 19, 2011 |
Karen Mitchoff - Dist. IV |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Concord
Council Chambers
1950 Parkside Drive, Concord CA 94519 |
Thursday,
May 19, 2011 |
Federal Glover - Dist. V |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Bay Point - Ambrose Recreational Center
Dining Room
3105 Willow Pass Road, Bay Point CA 94565 |
Monday,
May 23, 2011 |
Federal Glover - Dist. V |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Antioch - Community Center
Community Hall C
4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch CA 94531 |
Tuesday,
May 24, 2011 |
Karen Mitchoff - Dist. IV |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Clayton
Endeavor Hall
6008 Center Street, Clayton CA 94517 |
Tuesday,
May 24, 2011 |
John Gioia - Dist. I |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
San Pablo City Hall - Maple Hall
13831 San Pablo Avenue, Building #4, *Corrected Address
San Pablo, CA 94806 |
Wednesday,
May 25, 2011 |
Federal Glover - Dist. V |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Oakley - Council Chambers
3231 Main St, Oakley CA 94561 |
Wednesday,
May 25, 2011 |
Mary Piepho - Dist. III |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Brentwood Senior Center
Classroom/Meeting Room
193 Griffith Lane, Brentwood CA 94513 |
Thursday,
May 26, 2011 |
Mary Piepho - Dist. III |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Alamo Women's Club
1401 Danville Blvd, Alamo CA 94507 |
Thursday,
May 26, 2011 |
Gayle Uilkema - Dist. II |
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
City of Pinole
Alex Clark Room, 1st Floor
880 Tennent Avenue, Pinole CA 94564 |
Please consider attending and speak to the redistricting issues you are concerned about.
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AIA's official position on redistricting is as follows:
At the AIA Board meeting held Thursday, May 12th, Mike Gibson presented a detailed review of all redistricting maps available.
There was discussion about each map.
The primary issues used for evaluation of the various maps included commonality of interests, common political, economic and cultural interests and a history of community relationships.
There was a discussion on similarities of demographics and socio-economic characteristics that Alamo shares with various communities.
Alamo has services in-common as follows:
1) Transportation Council
Alamo is part of the Tri-Valley Transportation Council (for the 24/680 Transportation corridor) that involves Lamorinda and the San Ramon Valley.
2) Fire District/Emergency Medical
Alamo shares fire and emergency services with Danville and San Ramon through the San Ramon Valley Fire District. Fire District and Emergency Services area includes the San Ramon Valley area of Costa County and provides backup services to Lamorinda.
3) County Sherriff's Substation
Alamo shares public safety services with Danville and San Ramon through the County Sheriff's Sub-Station. Sheriff's Patrolled areas cover San Ramon Valley area of Costa County and provide backup services to Lamorinda.
4) Development
During 1990's, Alamo (AIA was the actual party) joined with Danville and San Ramon in a unified legal action for protection of common interests that involved the Dougherty Valley development.
5) Unified School District
Alamo is included in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.
6) Parks/Recreation
Alamo shares responsibilities for Hap Magee Park with Danville
As a result of this review, there was a board motion made, seconded and passed to support the Contra Costa Times Redistricting Map(s) that place Alamo with Danville, San Ramon and Lamorinda, along what is commonly known as the highway "24/680 Transportation Corridor" (and shown as being located within District 2).
Since our last week's meeting, the maps have been consolidated further, with the remaining CCTimes Redistricting Map shown as Map # 5, still showing Alamo included within the same district 2 as is Danville, San Ramon and Lamorinda.
Please consider attending as many of these redistricting meetings as possible. Please print a copy of this e-mail for reference when making any statement about AIA's position on redistricting.
Thank you.
Roger F. Smith, President
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AIA maintains an interest in all transportation issues impacting our community.
As part of that on-going process, on Thursday, March 23rd, this writer attended the Caltrans discussion held at San Ramon's Community Center.
Several Caltrans representatives were present and available to answer questions. The lighter turnout in attendance enabled representatives to spend time personally with each attendee.
Background information on the project includes that the Interstate 680 project initially started construction in January, 2011, continues through the end of this year and is scheduled to end in the spring of 2012.
The project total cost is $49M for roadway rehabilitation construction on Interstate 680 from Walnut Creek's Rudgear Road on the North to San Ramon's Alcosta Boulevard located at the Alameda/Contra Costa County Line on the South, for a total length of 12.8 miles.
Of primary interest to Alamo residents is the restriping of lanes to provide an extension of the Southbound High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or Diamond lane from its current starting point at Livorna Road to its new starting point at Rudgear Road. This 9/10ths of a mile change in starting point should result in somewhat less traffic congestion during peak traffic time periods.
This project will also involve repair and repaving to Interstate 680 on/off ramps including Alamo's.
Caltrans will be providing a two week advance notice for ramp closures to travelers through the use of signs posted at the ramps scheduled for repair, information from media broadcasts and the Caltrans website, under "Upcoming Construction Operations and Schedule" and "Press Releases".
Alamo residents with Questions and Concerns can contact Caltrans 24 hour Project Telephone Hotline at (510) 286-5820 to leave a message for response by a Caltrans representative by the next business day.
Visitors to the Caltrans website can click on "Update" to register as a "subscriber" and receive automatic updates on Caltrans work and scheduled ramp closures.
The Caltrans website is www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/680ccrehab/
Project Facts:
No Sound Walls are included in the Project.
No Freeway Widening is included in the Project.
Weekday Schedule for Work to begin at 8 or 9 PM and end at 5 or 6 AM.
Weekend Schedule for Work to begin at 10 or 11 PM and end at 10 or 11 AM.
Temporary Noise and Vibration may be noticed by residents close to the work areas.
Project will remove 19,200 cubic yards of asphalt and 8,200 cubic yards of concrete.
Project will use 90,000 tons of rubberized asphalt made partly from recycled tires, saving approx. 200,000 tires from land fills.
Project will use 150 miles of lane striping applied to the 12.8 mile project that will use tiny particles of recycled glass mixed into the striping paint to enhance the paint's reflective status.
Local Artist, Will Ashford strategically applied plant fertilizer on a privately owned hillside at the Alamo section of I-680 in 1980, creating a live image of the "Mona Lisa".
In the 1960's, Lyndon Johnson was President when this section of I-680 was originally constructed.
Today, in 2011, this section of Interstate 680 now averages 170,000 vehicle trips every day.
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The AIA article in the March 2011 Alamo Today issue is titled the Alamo Fire Station Review Part 2. Click here for the link or read below for the article.
This is the second part of a two part article on the Fire District application for a new fire station.
 Fire Station Rendering
The San Ramon Fire District application for a new Fire Station to be located at the corner of Miranda and Stone Valley Road has presented some problems for the site that should be resolved before the application for the Fire Station should be approved by the County.
The fuel station, propane tank, generator, tool shed/trash enclosure area shown on the plans are located within close proximity of each other and at the front of the property at corner of Miranda and Stone Valley Road. It is located directly behind the corner landscaping and a decorative wall. This area needs to meet various County code requirements, OSHA requirements, noise level of generator and other equipment, location of equipment, height of equipment with mitigating measures that will be hide this area from view. Present plans have to be revised to incorporate all these concerns prior to site approval.
The Mitigated Negative Declaration should also include a review process using an independent expert for this type of use in coordination with the various governmental agencies.
The monument sign location and design and the corner landscaping plan for the station now shown on the plans should be designed to integrate with the retaining walls and landscaping proposed for the corner of Miranda and Stone Valley Road. A possible redesign would be to modify the lower retaining wall to be a constant low height with a curving design toward the road intersection, using typical building materials that are being used on the site and using surface-mounted metal lettering and subdued lighting.
The main building design should be reviewed further. Because this is a mature, developed residential neighborhood, it is important to develop the correct balance in residential character for the main building, blending it into the setting while still retaining certain focal elements that distinguish the special use of the site. To this end, while the tower design is intended to represent the historical hose drying feature of period stations, this element of the design should be reviewed further for height, roof slope and design, exterior materials, integration into overall building design, etc. to enable the design to blend into this existing residential neighborhood.
Fire house truck doors design should be reviewed since the front doors facing Miranda are shown to be of a bi-fold design to provide for noise reduction and added safety and the rear doors are roll-up standard metal exterior doors with few glass inserts. All doors should meet requirements for noise and light pollution, standard design, etc.
The present plans do not show the location of the Communication Antennae, this element must be added to the present plans. We currently have no studies of any impact of Emergency Call Antennae use and any impact on cell phone reception within the immediate area.
Traffic concerns exist along both frontage streets. Keep Clear Zones, turn lanes, and light signals along with school traffic should be clearly addressed in traffic studies and on the plans. Street changes proposed on both Stone Valley Rd. and Miranda Ave. and the proposed design of the sidewalks along frontage of the property should be reviewed to minimize impact and also improve efficiency.
The Mitigated Negative Declaration, although prepared to address numerous issues and concerns, is using somewhat limited data in support for the conclusions shown in this report.
 Fire Station Rendering Existing Over New
The AIA Planning Committee has this application on their meeting agenda for
Wednesday, March 9th.
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How should our property tax money
 that we pay to the County be used?
What is your recommendation about what Alamo residents should expect annually from our property tax funds filtering through the County General Fund and through Alamo Parks and Recreation (known as R7A)?
If you have thoughts, opinions or ideas for uses of the property tax money we send to the County, send us an email!
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By taking 5 minutes to answer the AIA survey, you will not only help AIA to become more useful in Alamo, you will also be entered to win a free breakfast or lunch for 2 at Cherubini's Coffee House in Alamo Square.
Please help us help Alamo by filling out the AIA Survey.
Please print, complete, and mail the PDF Version of the AIA Survey to: AIA P.O. Box 156 Alamo, CA 94507.
Or complete the Web Form Version of the AIA Survey.
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