Alcatraz Avenue Neighborhood Association

June 2000 Meeting

Minutes of Meeting: June 14, 2000

Alcatraz Avenue Neighborhood Association
Minutes of Meeting: June 14, 2000,
Location: 1634 D Alcatraz Ave. Berkeley, CA 94703

Attendees:
City of Berkeley: Ronnie Turner
AANA Officers: Ron Casimere (Chairperson), Anida Weyl (Vice-Chairperson), Andrea Cesar (Communications Coordinator), Lori Lott (Secretary),

1. Reading of the minutes by Lori Lott.

2. City of Berkeley Update: Ronnie Turner:
Pedestrian street lights are up and working.
He reported on two blighted properties that have been taken care of in the 1500 block, and one in the 1400 block that is still being dealt with. If residents have concerns or complaints about blighted properties, we are urged to contact the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Environmental Health 644- 6510 (Director: Alex Schnieder: email: als3@ci.berkeley.ca.us)
Ronnie clarified that a City permit must be issued for home renovations. One resident is having problems with renovations on a house next door to him (overflowing dumpster, old carpet, dust) and feels it may be a health hazard. Ronnie will check on the house in question, and report back to Ron Casimere.
He also clarified that construction hours Mondays through Fridays are from 7 am to 6 pm, and any other work on those days requires a special permit. Ronnie will check on weekend construction hours, and let us know.
We discussed the possibility of getting "No Trespassing" signs for the property at 1615 Alcatraz, due to recent reports of vandalism that have been taking place.
Many residents noted some serious police action in the neighborhood during the day, but since Officer White was not in attendance, we were unable to determine what had happened.

3. Andrea Cesar provided a recap of the Block Party. It was a big success with no real problems, and we've received positive reactions from the City and the neighborhood. We should do it again next year!
Before our next meeting in July, we need to send out invitations to the people who signed up at the Block Party, and do a mass mailing of flyers.

4. People really appreciate the pedestrian street lights. They look great, and give the neighborhood a much safer feeling. It was noted that a few of the pedestrian street lights weren't working. Ron Casimere stated that he will give PG&E a few days to sort things out before calling the City about this.
5. We were told about a Notice for a Public Meeting (to be held the next night: June 15th) regarding the "all-way stop" being proposed for the intersection of Alcatraz and King St. Ladelle Casimere happened to find the notice lying in the street. Ron and Ladelle Casimere were planning to attend the meeting, and asked permission to represent the neighborhood in support of the proposed all-way stop signs. Permission was granted, and residents were also encouraged to call and email Acting Traffic Engineer Reh-Lin Chen and Director of Public Works, Rene Cardinaux before the meeting.

6. New and Old Business:
The group was informed about a meeting held at Progressive Baptist Church the same night and time as ours. Fredia Smith has offered to attend and be our liaison. Their issues tend to differ from ours (being more related to health issues). There was some discussion of whether we should try to change the time of our meeting, but this would be problematic, since Councilwoman Breland can only attend our meeting the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
Fredia asked that we announce the marriage of her son Howard Street to (the former) Darnella Mountjoy (Scott)! Hearty congratulations were offered! Acknowledgments can be sent to 1634 D Alcatraz or 1641 Alcatraz Ave.
It was pointed out that a notice was received that Green Cans will be collected twice a month for the summer, but it didn't specify which two days. Email Rene Cardinaux to clarify.
Again the issue of problems with local liquor stores was raised (particularly the one on 63rd St). Contact Taj Johns and Officer Dave White about what to do about it.
Again, we discussed the idea of establishing membership dues as a way of raising money for the group. The City came up with alot of money for the Block Party and others in the group had out-of-pocket expenses. There is also the cost of photocopying flyers, and mailings. Jennifer Koski (a Kinko's manager) offered to assist with photocopying, but there is still the need to raise additional money for things like establishing our Neighborhood Watch and next year's Block Party.
Anida Weyl motioned that membership dues of $25 per year be paid to the Treasury. Ron Casimere seconded the motion, and it was passed. All present were in agreement, however, that no one should be refused membership if they can't afford to pay. Ron and Anida will work out the details with Fredia Smith (Treasurer) on opening a bank account for the AANA.
The suggestion was made by Anida Weyl that we should set up some form of earthquake preparedness training for the residents in our neighborhood. A City program exists to help with disaster preparation, which Anida will look into and report on next time.

7. Next meeting scheduled for July 12th at 7 pm. We are still working on making arrangements to hold the meetings at the Over 60 Center, but if it is not yet available, the meeting will be held at the home of Ollie Parry (1631 Alcatraz Ave.)

8. Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.