Alcatraz Avenue Neighborhood Association

December 2000 Meeting

Minutes of Meeting: December 13, 2000

Alcatraz Avenue Neighborhood Association
Minutes of Meeting: December 13, 2000, 7:00 p.m.
Location: Over 60 Health Center: 3260 Sacramento St. Berkeley, CA 94703

Attendees:
City of Berkeley: Margaret Breland, Ronnie Turner, Taj Johns, Jeff Knowles, Cesar Melero and Roderick Roe.
AANA Officers: Ron Casimere (Chair), Anida Weyl (Vice-Chair), Fredia Smith (Treasurer), Andrea Cesar (Communications Coordinator) and Lori Lott (Secretary)

1. Meeting called to order at 7:20. Roll Call of AANA officers.

2. Introductions of those attending the meeting

3. Reading of the minutes by Lori Lott.
Clarification: Taj Johns asked that the minutes be modified to reflect the fact that Officer Melero's absense at our last meeting was due to a miscommunication on Taj's part.
Motion to adopt the minutes passed unanimously.

4. City of Berkeley Update:
Congratulations were offered to re-elected Councilmember Margaret Breland. She thanked us for our support, and wanted us to know that she's still here for us, willing to help our group accomplish our goals, and is very proud of our "togetherness". One of the City projects she is trying to push forward is underground wiring, which is not going our way yet, but she is still working on it.
Ronnie Turner reported that he had invited ?? (who is negotiating acquisition of the burnt-out house in the 1600 block of Alcatraz) to attend our meeting, but he had to cancel. We will invite him to attend the next meeting to inform us of his plans for the property.
Jeff Knowles was present to discuss the traffic calming issue at Alcatraz and King Street. He recently attended a workshop in Monterey, where he learned of a variation on the design of the layout we approved for the intersection (at our September 13 meeting). Jeff presented a diagram of "Option 3". This design will reduce speed to 25 mph, and requires the removal of fewer parking spaces than the previously approved design. However Jeff pointed out that it is radically different from a traffic engineering standpoint, and will have to be tested out on a closed course prior to implementing.
The floor was opened to discussion. Jeff clarified that this plan has been used before, and the experts say it will work. Concern was raised about bicyclists, but they will try to leave gaps so bikes won't have a problem. Unlike the previous plan, this design would be implemented all at once, and a 15 mph advisory will be posted (even though drivers should be able to negotiate it at 25 mph). According to Jeff, the plan should take about 2 months to put into place.
A motion was made to approve "Option 3", which passed unanimously.

Berkeley Police:
Officer Roderick Roe pointed out that the Police Department has a website (www.BerkeleyPD.org) that has information, crime prevention tips, and crime statistics for Berkeley neighborhoods.

5. New Business:
Fredia Smith brought in a flyer for a meeting (also being held December 13th), by a couple who are planning on constructing a home/non-profit educational organization at the corner of Harmon and Adeline. We will contact these people to see if they would like to attend one of our future meetings to discuss their plans. Fredia also reported that she got a relatively quick response when she called the City of Berkeley Parks Dept about trimming the tree in front of her house (that was missed in the last round of tree maintenance on Alcatraz).
Anida Weyl still has lillies available for anyone who is interested.
Andrea Cesar noted alot of trash on the street when she distributed flyers for the meeting, and suggested that we consider another clean-up day.
Problems with two streetlights in the neighborhood were reported: One at Alcatraz and California flashes, and one at Adeline and Martin Luther King is out. Streetlight malfunctions should be reported to Bud Burlison (644-6620).

6. Next Meeting is scheduled for January 10 at 7:00 pm at the Over 60 Health Center.

7. Meeting adjourned (and Holiday Potluck began) at 8:40 pm.