The Barron Park Association

lynnie melena

Oct 162012
 

Agenda:  BPA Board Meeting:  Tuesday, 10/16/12, 7:30 p.m.

 

Location:  Barron Park School Room 2 (former kindergarten room)

 

Guests are welcome, but are requested to notify the BPA President so that arrangements can be made to accommodate you (seating and possibly reordering of the agenda).

 

Questions about agenda items should be directed to the person/people whose name is next to that entry.  Comments about items can be sent to that person, or the whole BPA Board ( BPA-Board@googlegroups.com )

 

Disclaimer:  Agenda is subject to change.

Anticipated absences (excused):  Markus Fromherz, Art Liberman

 

Call to order:.

  1. Agenda Changes (3 minutes)
    1. Approval of Minutes (2 minutes)
  2. Buena Vista Mobile Home Park Redevelopment (20 minutes) (Lynnie Melena)  Over the past month, and specifically at the last meeting, there has been a lot of discussion about this proposed project.  There are issues with impacts on the neighborhood and displacement of current residents (discussed at the last meeting). Is the Board interested in hosting a community meeting to which we would invite the developers to present their plans, and questions could be answered? (The City Council will be holding a study session on this project, possibly in late November.)
  3. Temporary Restrooms at Bol Park (10 minutes) As part of a long email discussion on restrooms at Bol Park, a suggestion was made for the Barron Park Association to pay for porta-potties to be installed on a trial basis to see how they are received. This will not be a discussion about permanent restrooms.
  4. Recap of 2012 Quakeville (5 minutes) (Lydia Kou) Quakeville was held in September. Lydia was the key organizer and has received high praise.
  5. New Board Members and Officers (10 minutes) (Lynnie Melena) Update on recruitment efforts. Lynnie wishes to resign as President—preferably by March 1, which is the official start date for new terms.
  6. Status reports and updates on these items are being handled primarily through e-mail.  Opportunity for direction and interactions. (5 minutes)

Green Team:  Doug Graham will be giving a talk on Barron Park creeks on November 8 in the multi-purpose room.  And the Green Team is sponsoring another native planting at Bol Park  on November 10.

Zoning and Land Use

Traffic

Civic Affairs

Environmental

Native planting—Bike path, Strawberry Hill, Matadero Creek

 

  1. Introduction of items for future agendas (5 minutes)

 

  1. Adjourn:  NEXT MEETING November 18, 2012.

 

  1. Total scheduled time:  60 minutes

 

Oct 062012
 

The new LED street lights that began brightening up Barron Park in the last month have not been too popular.  Here are some of the comments that have come in:

“ I was shocked when I went out last night to deposit my refuse containers at the curb for collection.  The city has been busy stealthily changing out some of our existing soft white street lamps with daylight LED street lamps that are so bright they almost blind you and are certainly appear capable of impacting the safety of night driving by making the shadows much deeper and much blacker.

“These very bright, very white lamps completely destroy the character and ambience of my neighborhood and diminish it to that of a commercial parking lot. I am frankly dismayed that our City Council would approve of such a tasteless project.  I suspect they just never looked at it thoughtfully before giving it a “thumbs up”.

And from another resident:

“I feel like there’s an obnoxious spotlight shining into my bedroom and the entire street is lit up now. The score is: Light pollution 1, Stars 0.

They just don’t seem to jive with our vision of what we want the neighborhood to be…. They don’t fit very well with the rural atmosphere we’ve tried to maintain here. It’s seems a little like my bedroom is now in the middle of a car dealership!”

And from a resident in another neighborhood:

“Have you noticed a change in the light coming into your windows or onto your sidewalks?  No, that is not a new moon or the Shuttle but another addition to our neighborhood by the CPA Utilities dept.

“In my area at least CPA has replaced the existing orange colored street lighting with new LED low frequency lights that are very white.  They run at a lower frequency and therefore use less energy but have a lighting angle over 170 degrees.  In my case at least, that allows them to shine into my windows at night.

“I have asked City Manager Jim Keene to have his group replace the deflectors (partial shades) that we had on the previous lights, but his contact has indicated that they are busy addressing other inputs (complaints) from residents.”

The City’s Utilities Communications Manager sent out this email to explain the street lights:

Following last year’s project using federal stimulus funds to install 600 LED streetlights along El Camino and Alma, the Utilities Department has embarked on a multi-year project to replace all the old streetlights throughout the City.  The first few thousand new LED street lights have been installed and people may be noticing!  

What’s going on?

CPAU is now in the process of installing LED streetlights throughout Palo Alto. No neighborhood was “singled out” to get the new streetlights, but construction is in stages. It will take several years before we can get streetlights replaced in all neighborhoods.  To read more and see a map of which neighborhoods are scheduled when, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/utilityprojects  (Note—This map shows Barron Park getting the LED lights in 2014, so it’s not clear why they are showing up here.

Did the City ever ask the public if they wanted LED streetlights?

Yes, we sure did! Originally, a pilot program was run where LED streetlights were installed in various areas around town and the public was invited to comment on them. (The notice of this pilot and the opportunity for public comment was issued through several articles in the local media, the city website, the Utilities bill messages and on signs posted in the areas where the pilot streetlights were installed). The feedback from the public who responded was generally positive, and, so, with the aid of a federal grant under the stimulus program, the first phase involved installing LED streetlights along Alma and the El Camino Real. The next phase was to start installing the lights in neighborhoods around town.

What are the benefits of LED streetlights?

40% lower electric use than less efficient older high-pressure sodium [HPS] lamps.

Saves ratepayer dollars

Is better for the environment

30% lower maintenance costs because LED lights don’t need to be replaced as often.

Bright direct light increases visibility and discourages illicit activity.

What can be done for people who find the LED streetlights too bright?

Many people are very happy with the new streetlights. However, if a person has checked with neighbors on the block and there is agreement that the light level is a problem, send an email to Utilities Engineering at LEDStreetlights@cityofpaloalto.org providing name, location and contact info.

People will be placed on a waiting list of locations we will evaluate to determine which options available make the most sense in each case. Responding to customer needs is a high priority, but residents should understand that depending on the volume of requests, we may not be able to get out to evaluate their area for several weeks.

As always, feel free to contact me anytime with questions or concerns.

Debra Katz

 

Utilities Communications Manager

City of Palo Alto

PO Box 10250

Palo Alto CA 94303

 

 

Oct 042012
 
Bike Palo Alto 2012 and the Mayor’s Challenge this Sunday, 10/7, 1-4 pm at El Carmelo!  Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and discover Palo Alto’s great bike routes!  Meet your neighbors, lower your carbon footprint and have some fun! For those of you who want company pedaling from Barron Park over to El Carmelo, Lynnie Melena and  Cedric de la Beaujaidiere will “lead” Barron Park bicyclists who want to join her on Matadero at the approach to El Camino Real at 12:45 p.m.  We will go to Park Boulevard, then to the tunnel at California Avenue, then continue on California to Bryant and then south to El Carmelo.  If you RSVP me, I will know to expect you.  Should be fun!  Members of the Barron Park Green Team are some of the most active organizers of this event.

At El Carmelo School (Bryant & Loma Verde)there will be bike safety info, helmet fitting, and basic bike safety checks and maintenance. Then choose one of the highlighted routes and take a fun ride with free treats along the way at stops including Whole Foods, the Sweet Shop and the YMCA.  Free water bottles for the first 150 participants and free raffle for all!
 Bike Palo Alto! is a free, family friendly event, no pre-registration necessary. Just bring your bike & helmet! For more info go to: www.pagreenteams.org/bikepaloalto
 Bike Palo Alto! 2012 is hosted by the Palo Alto Neighborhood Green Teams and the Mayor’s Challenge and sponsored by: Palo Alto CEAP, City of Palo Alto, YMCA, El Carmelo Elementary School, the Barron Park Association, Whole Foods, Sweet Shop, Mike’s Bikes, Mollie Stone’s, A Street Bike Named Desire, Campus Bike Shop, Bike Connection and Palo Alto Bicycles.