body,date,page,text,path
CommissiononPersonswithDisabilities,2017-07-25,1,"ITEM 2-B
COMMISSION ON DISABILITY ISSUES
MEETING MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING ON
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 6:30 p.m.
1. ROLL CALL
This was not recorded on the video. Those present at the roll call at 6:32 p.m. were:
Chair Elizabeth (Beth) Kenny
Vice-Chair Arnold Brillinger
Anto Aghapekian
Tom Mills
Lisa Hall
Jenn Barrett
Susan Deutsch
Quorum established.
Additional commissioners arriving soon after roll call:
Tony Lewis (arrived 6:35 p.m.)
Jenny Linton (arrived 6:45 p.m.)
2. MINUTES
Elizabeth Kenny: Item number two; minutes?
Kerry Parker: There will be no approval of minutes tonight. The minutes from the June meeting
will be presented in October for approval. And the minutes from tonight's meeting will be submitted
in October for approval.
3.
ORAL COMMUNICAITONS
Elizabeth Kenny: Wonderful. Moving on, item three; Oral Communication/Non-Agenda Items. Do
we have any public comments tonight?
Kerry Parker: I have not received any speaker slips.
Elizabeth Kenny: Alright.
Elizabeth Kenny: There's no speaker slips out there.
Kerry Parker: Oh, oh no Would you like one?
Elizabeth Kenny: Okay, he is going to speak on video. Yes, I'm just making sure.
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Kerry Parker: So, for non-agenda.
Speaker 3: Will be on the end.
Elizabeth Kenny: Okay.
Kerry Parker: Okay.
4. NEW BUSINESS
Elizabeth Kenny: Alright. Let's move on to new business.
Kerry Parker: I don't think we have any new business for tonight.
5. OLD BUSINESS
CDI Universal Design Staff Report
Elizabeth Kenny: And old business. First, we have Andrew Thomas, from the city planners to talk
to us about the Universal Design Ordinance. Welcome Andrew.
Andrew Thomas: Good evening, Chair Barrett [sic], members of the commission. My name is
Andrew Thomas, I'm the Assistant Community Development Director for the City of Alameda. I am
very happy to be here tonight to present to you our final draft of the first ever City of Alameda
Universal Design Ordinance. This has been a long time coming. We made a promise to the Alameda
community, to the Alameda City Council, and to this commission. It was almost five years ago to
the date; July 2012, that we are going to create, as a community, a draft Universal Design Ordinance
for Alameda and we are going to get it to you, city council, for your consideration. Now, we were
sort of thinking within a year or SO.
Andrew Thomas: It's been five. And it would not even be here at all if it weren't for the efforts of
this commission and some of your former commissioners, Audrey Lord-Hausman, to just keep
pushing this issue. And then pushing it also not only with the community and with the staff but also
with your Planning Board. And the City of Alameda Planning Board really embraced this idea five
years ago, and was also pushing us and we have David Burton here from the Planning Board,
former chair of the Planning Board who's also been very instrumental in getting this draft to this
state. About three weeks ago, the Alameda Planning Board. Let me just back up for a minute. You
then set up a sub-committee for the new members here. Your board in about a year, or so ago,
identified a sub-committee to work with a sub-committee from the Planning Board to bring this
over the finish line, and that sub-committee did just that. And the Planning Board, the full Planning
Board, recommended this draft ordinance to the city council last month.
Andrew Thomas: This draft ordinance it is really the result of your work, your members, your
constituents. And the Planning Board is going to city council with a recommendation from the
Planning Board, and what I would like to get tonight from this board is your recommendation on
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this same ordinance. So that I can report to the city council that this ordinance is supported by the
City of Alameda Planning Board and the City of Alameda Commission on Disability Issues. If
things go well tonight I hope to have this on the agenda for September 20, I believe it's the second
meeting in September. I believe it's September 29th or 24th. We'll let you know, but it'll be the
second city council meeting in September. If we get there and things go well tonight, and we get
there on September, I'd hope that some of you might think about coming to that meeting and help
push this forward. This is an important ordinance and there's just a few things I'd like to highlight
about this ordinance. So that if people ask you about this ordinance, and there will be people who'll
start to ask as it tees up to council, it'll get more and more attention.
Andrew Thomas: It is a unique ordinance. It is unlike any ordinance that I know of that any other
city in California has adopted. It sets a very high standard. What I have been telling people, and
telling people in the business industry and elsewhere in California, because that worries people,
they are like, ""Oh my goodness, Alameda is setting a new standard."" Some people look at that as a
very positive thing. Other people in some industries will be like, ""Oh gosh, we don't want a new
standard that other cities will reflect."" And what I have said to people is, ""This is a very unique
ordinance and it's unique to Alameda, and Alameda is a unique place."" And it's not just all of you
and the kinds of people who live in Alameda, our physical geography makes a lot of the things in
this ordinance possible.
Andrew Thomas: City of Berkley couldn't adopt this ordinance, it's just too much topography. The
city of San Francisco couldn't adopt this ordinance. We have the benefit of having geography, a flat
island with not a lot of topography that makes a lot of this possible, allows us here in Alameda to set
a high standard. It does set a high standard, and that makes some people nervous and the way I
describe it is Since 2012 your Planning Board, and this commission, and this community, has
demanded that with every single project we discuss, negotiate, twist arms to try to get Universal
Design into every project. And thanks to your Planning Commission you have. Each project's a little
different, each negotiation goes a little bit differently, but the Planning Board here in Alameda has
negotiated Universal Design elements into every single housing project that's been approved since
July of 2012.
Andrew Thomas: What this ordinance does, it sets a new standard. And those conversations have
always started at zero. The developer comes in, ""What are your requirements?"" And we give them
all the city requirements and then we say, ""Oh, and by the way."" This is me downstairs at the permit
center, ""Oh, by the way there's one more thing we need to tell you about, Universal Design."" And
they're like, ""Oh, where's the ordinance? What's the standards?"". ""Well, let's talk about that."" And
that's kind of how the conversation goes. City staff we push a certain amount of Universal Design
into the project through various negotiation tactics and arm wrestling and threats. And then they get
to the Planning Board and the Planning Board always makes it a little bit better. What we're doing
with this ordinance is we're saying we're setting. Rather than starting at zero on every
conversation, when you come in with a housing project in Alameda, we've set a standard, it's this
high. Now you know what our standard is. If you can meet that standard, if you look at our standard
and you say, ""You know what I can do that in my project."" That conversation's over, we're done! We
don't have to debate it, you as a developer you don't have to have the uncertainty of not knowing.
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Andrew Thomas: The problem with the current system, the developer, the people who are
investing in housing, and let's be honest, 90% of the housing built in California and in Alameda is
built by private sector investors, they need to know. They need to know what's the cost. It's these
last minute things, these things they don't know until the very, very end of the project that are the
most damaging. So what we're saying is here, we'll tell you right now what it is, on day one, it's up
here. But what we're also saying is we get it, each project's a little bit different. We get that this
might be a very high standard. And we're not saying we won't have the conversation, we will have
the conversation if you want to have a conversation with us and our Planning Commission you are
more than welcome to. But we're starting here, you tell us what you cannot do with your project,
and why you can't do it and let's have the Planning Board come up with some alternative ways to
make the project as good as it can be. So we're not saying that these conversations go away entirely,
but we're trying to set our new city standard. That's where the conversation starts.
Andrew Thomas: I think the other just thing that I'll point out about this, I'll let you ask any
questions that you have and I won't try to go through every piece of this ordinance. But I think this
ordinance does something that - I'll be honest with you - 20, 30 years of working and planning as
planners we just didn't talk about it. We talk about Universal Design, we talk about ADA, we talk
about access. This concept of visitability, your Commissioner Brillinger, really was the one who
started pushing this. This concept of it's not just about where people with mobility issues can live,
that's obviously an important issue. We as Alamedans we have friends with disability issues, they
should be at least visit us in our homes and that's just a very powerful concept. When I think about
what this ordinance does that's a concept that really comes out loud and clear in this ordinance and I
do think you're going to start seeing other cities looking at this ordinance.
Andrew Thomas: They may not adopt this ordinance exactly the way it is, but they're going to pick
a lot of the things that you all came up with and we've sort of crafted in this ordinance. And I think
it will influence not only the way we build buildings here in Alameda but ultimately I think this
ordinance is going to have an effect statewide, because what'll happen is other cities will start
looking at this ordinance, they'll pick up pieces of it, they'll adopt sections of it and it's really going
to move the ball forward here in California on this issue. With that I'm here to thank all of you, I'm
here to thank Audrey and David, and everyone else who has worked on this. And staff is very proud
and happy to be recommending it, not just to the Planning Commission and not just to this board
but also ultimately to the city council. I'm available to answer any questions.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you very much. Now we will go around and if you have any questions
about the Universal Design, it's your chance to ask them. And then we'll have public comment, and
then we'll go around once more and you can make any comments that you want and then we'll take
a vote. Let's start with you Commissioner Brillinger, Vice Chair Brillinger.
Arnold Brillinger: I'm not so sure that I have questions, but comments. I think that we need to
remember that this is a plus. This is a plus for Alameda. This is a plus for the home builders, and a
plus for the people who buy the homes. The builders need to make sure that their buyers understand
that they've got something special. It's not just like the houses in the next city, in the next county.
They have something special. They are accessible. They are visitable. And Andrew said something:
I've been championing this. I've done it in front of the city council. I've done it in front of the
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Planning Board. I've done it out on the streets of Alameda. I've got signs on the back of my
wheelchair and on the sides that talk about visitability. And I'm really glad to see that we are coming
to the point where we can bring it to the city council, and where they can say, ""Okay, you guys did a
good job, and we're ready to take it on.""
Elizabeth Kenny: Great. Thank you Commissioner Brillinger. Commissioner Lewis, do you have
any questions or comments?
Tony Lewis: No. I would just echo what Arnold had said. And also a long time for Alameda. I think
it's great that we're doing this. We have a large population that are getting older that will really
benefit from. I do hope that My gut feeling is that there's going to be a lot of developers that aren't
going to be very pleased because the cost and better I've not seen but I'm happy for the ones that
will adopt it, or are willing to go along with developing.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you, Commissioner Lewis. Commissioner Deutsch, who was one of the
people working on this five years ago.
Susan Deutsch: Well, I don't have any questions. I just want to say that I'm very pleased that we're
at this point after five years working on this and I'm really looking forward to something positive
happening.
Elizabeth Kenny: Great. Thank you. Commissioner Barrett?
Jen Barrett: Hi, all. Thank you so much for that presentation. Just so you know my background, I
worked for two and a half years as an accessibility consultant in the New York City area, and
around the US. So I'm involved with a lot of the laws and enforcement, as well as for Universal
Design for a few clients. I just had one question in 18.4 b, Section 2. It's talking about the
requirements for the 30% of the new residential units, in developments of five or more. California
building code, correct me if I'm wrong, is 10% of multistory dwelling units are covered. So that's
what the state requires. The Fair Housing Act does not apply to this if it's a multistory dwelling unit.
My question is, for that section it's talking about accessible bathroom, accessible common use area,
accessible bedroom, kitchen, common area and laundry would have to be on an accessible route. So
that means that everything in that multistory unit would have to be on the first floor.
Andrew Thomas: Right.
Jen Barrett: Okay.
Andrew Thomas: For example, let's say a developer is building single-family homes, detached.
They can meet the 30% requirement with this by having all of the main features of the room of the
house on the ground floor. That doesn't mean they can't have bedrooms upstairs. They can have two,
three stories above, all accessed by stairs, but on that ground floor you have to have the kitchen,
living room, at least one bedroom, at least one accessible bathroom. Concept being, there's
somebody who has mobility issues. They can live their life on that one floor. Kids can run up and
down the stairs all day long. That was the idea.
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Jen Barrett: Great. Thanks.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you, Commissioner Barrett. Commissioner Hall?
Lisa Hall: Thank you Andrew, once again, for all your hard work. I just really want to say thank
you to Susan, Andrew, and Audrey for their work the last five years that they've done. I know it's
been a lot of hard work on your part, and I'm so happy to see it coming to fruition.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you. Commissioner Mills?
Tom
Mills: Yes, how does this apply I own my own house. I'm eventually going to be disabled,
where I've already earthquake-proofed the basement, raised the house, but every time I've gone and
applied to do some work underneath there I was stopped by a city council member of long ago.
She's dead and gone. And I just wonder, if. I agree with 90% of what's in here. That's the only
question.
Andrew Thomas: Yes, these are a set of regulations for new housing developments. So if it does
not apply to existing home owners, who are coming in to remodel their kitchen or add a bedroom,
they're exempt. Accessory dwelling units, which are now heavily regulated by the state are exempt.
If you're just building a little cottage in your backyard. Although we think, actually the ones that
we've approved when you actually look at the little floor plan or cottage in the backyard of an
Alameda property it's actually very easy to make it accessible. But there's a number of things that
are changing. This certainly won't get in your way of being able to modify your basement, and for
different reasons with different ordinances, the Planning Board and the city council have recently
adjusted a number of city regulations to which had making it very difficult for Alameda residents to
convert basements to living space and things like that. So you should try again.
Tom Mills: The closeness of the houses, my neighbor's house is only 3 feet, 2 feet at the roof line.
And it's been empty since Kerr passed away, and they want put four units in. Now there's been
homeless people living in there. I'm like a cat on steroids all the time waiting for the place to go up
in flames. And nobody's watching. Are they going to do something there?
Andrew Thomas: You should give our building official Greg McFann a call, I can get you hooked
up, their code enforcement. I know of the property you're talking about. Laws in California make it
difficult. There's a process but the idea that the city can just go in there and clean things up and
everything has to go through the court system when you're dealing with a situation like this. It's a
very slow, very tedious, very time consuming process. If somebody in the family or somebody in
the ownership structure of the property doesn't take control and do it themselves, when the city has
to step in and try to do the things it's brutally difficult.
Tom Mills: I had an issue with the CDC had come in and did a soil sample in the back of their yard,
and it was not habitable for humans.
Andrew Thomas: I can get you hooked up with the right people who can answer your questions.
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Tom Mills: Yes, I'd appreciate that.
Andrew Thomas: Sure.
Tom Mills: I can't even go in my backyard.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you, Commissioner Mills. Commissioner Aghapekian.
Anto Aghapekian: I've been a latecomer, us two. But I have watched and listened and I know that,
I get that, and I know all the orders and areas physicians. I'm very proud to say this. But I don't
think that the matter is exciting or urgent as much as important. It will be a tough fight for council.
Andrew Thomas: First of all, thank you. I wanted to say again, this would not have happened if it
weren't for members of this community, of this commission just taking this on. I guarantee you,
staff alone could not have done it. We wouldn't have done it. It was this partnership that worked so
well. And you're absolutely right. You watch sports, let's celebrate the little victory tonight, but the
big game is in September. And then I think we also all need to take the attitude. We worked really
hard. We have a good ordinance, it's ready to be adopted. Is it perfect? It may not be. We're going to
start using it and let me tell you I've been writing ordinances and implementing ordinances my
entire career. You can work and work and work and work to try to make it perfect.
Andrew Thomas: You'll find out in the first year what isn't working right and you know what, we
just have to have the mindset. We're going to discover those little problems, and then we're going to
fix them. Our second unit ordinance in Alameda, we've amended it 15 times. Needs change.
Priorities change. Our parking ordinance we amend that like every four years, it's okay. But until we
get this adopted, until we actually run it through, it's like a test drive on a car. We need to start using
it, then we'll know what's not quite right and we'll fix it. I just think the battle's not over, I agree
with you and we just have to take the attitude, this is just. It's a continuing process and we'll just
keep getting better and better at it, but thank you.
Elizabeth Kenny: I want to say a couple of questions for you.
Andrew Thomas: Yes.
Elizabeth Kenny: First I want to say I love this. It's amazing how all the ideas that we had have
been distilled into this. I have seen the different versions, and I'm really happy with this, and thank
you for everything, and thank you Audrey, and David, and Arnold, and Anto. Thank you all for this.
And Susan. Kelly Harp was a former commissioner, also worked on this too, and I want to put her
name out there. I do have a couple of questions.
Andrew Thomas: Yes.
Elizabeth Kenny: In 18.5 Section c, under the list of features that can be substituted in. Under the
number two, it says blocking with all the walls of the hallway. One thing that I really liked about
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this version is that I think that's covered under visitability because doesn't the visitability part of this
say 100% you put the blocking in the walls?
Andrew Thomas: It's in visitability what we're saying is blocking the walls in all bathrooms.
Elizabeth Kenny: Okay.
Andrew Thomas: And so that's one of the little distinctions, we're saying, ""Just bottom-line you
want to meet our standard, we definitely want blocking in all bathrooms.""
Elizabeth Kenny: Okay.
Andrew Thomas: But not necessarily hallways.
Elizabeth Kenny: The hallways, okay.
Andrew Thomas: You want to start trading something.
Elizabeth Kenny: Yes.
Andrew Thomas: Somebody says ""Oh, we can't do quite 30%, we can do 29%."" Alright. How
about you do blocking in all the walls, in the hallways, and the bathrooms and suddenly they go,
""Oh, well we can do that.""
Andrew Thomas: But that was this idea of putting this list in. It really came from your
commission. We're going to let people do waivers, let's give them a list of things that we would like
in return and that's a really a nice idea.
Elizabeth Kenny: And then in that same section, number 5, accessible shower stalls in all
bathrooms, I was just wondering if we could just say accessible shower stalls or tubs because
they're making accessible tubs these days.
Andrew Thomas: If you have support of everyone else it's certainly from staff, we see no problem
with that from staff's perspective.
Elizabeth Kenny: And yes, those were my two main questions. Thank you again. I am ecstatic
about this. So as many of you know my wife is about to give birth and I feel like two births are
coming this week.
Elizabeth Kenny: Yes. Commissioner Linton did you have any questions about this or should we
move on to public comment?
Jenny Linton: Oh, no.
Elizabeth Kenny: Okay. First public comment is David Burton.
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David Burton: Thank you. David Burton. I'm a member of the Planning Board and was a member
of the subcommittee that worked with the members here to help craft the ordinance. First wanted to
thank subcommittee members who were at the meetings that I was certainly at. Commissioner
Aghapekian, Commissioner Brillinger, Commissioner Deutsch, Commissioner Kenny. Thank you
very much for all the work you put in. Your input was instrumental in making this ordinance better
and better every time that we met. Special thanks to Audrey Lord-Hausman for her perseverance
over the years, and being on the commission, and then even off the commission helping to get this
put in place. Couldn't happen without her. I wanted to thank Andrew Thomas and the rest of the
staff for putting in the time to make this happen. And wanted to extend the thanks John Knox White
who's on the Planning Board with me, he wanted to be here tonight, he had a meeting in the city
that wouldn't let him be here, but he wanted to extend his thanks also for all the work that you guys
have done on this.
David Burton: You guys have taught me a lot, and I think you have taught the entire Planning
Board a lot. There's been a great good bit of education that has gone on and it's invaluable and so
thank you for doing that for us and for the community. I've been uncomfortable for a long time that
we've been doing this, the Planning Board, on a kind of negotiation project by project basis and so
just so happy to see us getting this put in place to set a very high standard, and to be able to have
that as a tool to use with the builders and developers that come into town to build new housing. It's
going to be an invaluable tool for us. It sets a very high standard, but it's a reasonable and flexible
ordinance, because as we talked a lot about in our subcommittee meetings there's a ton of things
that impact. Sites these days when people are doing multi-family housing. So I think we've built in
good flexibility but we'll hold folks to a really high standard and we'll get some good results. So,
congratulations to all of you. Congratulations to Audrey. Congratulations to staff. Super excited to
see this going forward, and thank you for all that you do.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you. Next public comment is Audrey Lord-Hausman.
Audrey Lord-Hausman: Good evening, Chair Kenny and commissioners. I'm thrilled to be here.
I
couldn't be happier. I know the journey isn't quite over yet but there's been a lot of thoughtful,
thoughtful work that has been put into this, and you all have continued this journey. And I thank you
for acknowledging Kelly Harp in addition to Susan in the beginning in my living room and around
the dining room table, and certainly the subcommittee as we all came together with the Planning
Board. But it's been an extraordinary example of passion and collaboration with the Planning
Department and with the Planning Board. When first brought it to Andrew's attention, I think it was
a one-beat, two-beat. He wasn't quite sure what we were talking about. But over time, he just
jumped right into it with us. And Andrew, I can't thank you enough. I nagged him constantly. You
all should take a great deal of pride in this. Be there in September, have people there to speak to it.
But when the final vote is in, and I'm going to assume it's unanimous, we can all take a great deal of
pride in the fact that Alameda is a standard bearer on behalf of so many people. Thank you very
much.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you, Audrey. Now we're going to go around. If anyone has any questions
or comments on public comment. Commissioner Linton? Commissioner Brillinger? Commissioner
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Lewis? Deutsch? Hall? Commissioner Mills? Aghapekian?
Anto Aghapekian: I forgot to thank [did not record].
Elizabeth Kenny: And I would like to reiterate what Commissioner Aghapekian said, the Planning
Board has been really wonderful during this process, and I have learned a tremendous amount from
you, David. I have the passion but not the knowledge. And it's been a pleasure to work with you.
And I appreciate that at the Planning Board you have been implementing some of this stuff without
the ordinance. That's been really wonderful. But I also would like to have the ordinance in place.
So, with that said, I would like to offer a vote with the addition of the accessible shower stall and
tub on Section 5 of 18.5 waivers. Section C5 rather. I move that we vote to approve the ordinance
and resolve to What?
Jenn Barrett: Recommend.
Elizabeth Kenny: Recommend the council approve this ordinance, the Universal Design
Ordinance. Commissioner Lewis seconded. All in favor?
All: Aye.
Elizabeth Kenny: Any opposed? Any abstained? I think it's unanimous.
Elizabeth Kenny: And I made some cupcakes. We have some cupcakes and sparkling cider for
everybody after this.
6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
Elizabeth Kenny: But we still have to finish up this meeting. So, let's move on to item number 6,
Staff Communications.
Kerry Parker: Okay. Quickly, it sounded like a CDI's event planning for this weekend's
Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Faire happened right before this meeting. On Sunday, the CDI will
have a table located in front of Walgreens on the park street side. And there's a schedule of people to
perform outreach on that day. I think you guys have kind of discussed it amongst yourselves. The
more the merrier.
Audrey Lord-Hausman: It's Saturday?
Kerry Parker: It's this Saturday. What did I say?
Elizabeth Kenny: Saturday, not Sunday.
Kerry Parker: Yes, Saturday. If you've not yet spoken with the event committee about your
participation that day or if you're wondering about the details, please check in with Vice-Chair
Brillinger immediately after this meeting while you're having a cupcake. And then I have one more
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thing. Just about two years ago this month, I was asked to staff a commission on disability issues as
public works program specialist in charge of overseeing the trash recycling needs of the residents
and businesses of Alameda, I was admittedly not as technically skilled as I could be for this area. I
know a lot of details about the goings-on of your garbage company's operations, and can recite what
goes into the blue and green curbside carts, but I did not know much about accessibility or the needs
of the needs of the disabled community in Alameda.
Kerry Parker: However, I am good at pulling together an agenda and assisting in meeting
management, because I worked with the Alameda Public Works Department for 14 years, I do know
how to locate just the right person for whatever issue that might come up, including Andrew
Thomas, a city planner. I did commit to streamlining commission processes and to add some
formality to the commission by moving into this room.
Kerry Parker: We quickly established a rhythm of an increase in regular meetings in 2015. And
the fact this meeting is now televised to the residents of Alameda, it's now a meeting that is more
accessible to the public. I'm pretty sure you have sensed what I'm leading up to. This will be my
last meeting as your city staff liaison for this commission. I will miss working with you guys. I have
learned so much, and I've enjoyed working with you all for the past two years. And I'm celebrating
this Universal Design ordinance, like the rest of you.
Kerry Parker: And so I'm handing off this set of duties to another public works staffer, Laurie
Kozisek. Laurie will you please step up to the podium? I would like to read her bio to you, which I
think you will agree makes a clear argument of why this staffing shift is happening. Laurie Kozisek
is a licensed civil engineer and a certified access specialist, which is CASp for short. With a BS in
Civil Engineering and a Masters of Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures. She has been
working for the city of Alameda Public Works for the past 12 years, and has been a Bay Farm
resident for the past 10 years.
Kerry Parker: Her current work with the city includes managing the five million dollar Street
Repair Program and reviewing private development plans and permits. She has also been active in
emergency management planning, sea level rise planning, floodplain management, remodeling the
West End in Bay Farm libraries, dredging the South Shore lagoons, and renovating Woodstock
Park.
Kerry Parker: Before coming to work in Alameda, she lived and worked in Alaska, designing
airports, roads, cemeteries, and utilities. She served as a member of the Public Right of Way Access
Advisory Committee representing the Municipality of Anchorage. This was a nationwide committee
that worked for several years to develop ADA guidance for the public right of way. As part of that
effort, she co-edited ""Building a True Community"" 2001 and co-wrote ""Accessible Public Rights of
Way Planning and Design for Alterations"" in 2007.
Kerry Parker: She also served on several boards and commissions concerning transportation and
urban planning. In her spare time - Can you imagine she has spare time - Laurie is a phone
volunteer for Contra Costa Crisis Center and 211, a disaster response team captain for the American
Red Cross, and an usher for the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. She regularly assists
October 11, 2017
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her 94 year old father, who is legally blind and has mobility issues. She is a member of the Alameda
Dragonflyers dragon boat racing team and enjoys camping and hiking. Please join me in welcoming
Laurie Kozisek.
Kerry Parker: If you have any words to say, you can, but she will be beginning with you in
October at your October meeting.
Laurie Kozisek: I didn't really have anything prepared, but I did work briefly with this group about
10 years ago when Ed Sommerauer was doing it, and I was the alternative staff member when he
couldn't make it. And because of my background in working on ADA regulations, I'm really looking
forward to using my expertise to answer your questions and try and assist you wherever I can.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you very much, and welcome.
Arnold Brillinger: Welcome, Laurie.
Laurie Kozisek: Thank you.
Kerry Parker: Thank you, Laurie.
Laurie Kozisek: Thank you. Question?
Arnold Brillinger: I think that it needs to be said that without Kerry, we couldn't have gone on for
the last couple of years. Behind the scenes of just about everything that we've been putting on, and
she comes up with all the e-mails and the work, and so forth so thank you very much, Kerry. We
really appreciate it. In fact I can't even tell you how much I appreciate what you have done for us,
thank you.
Kerry Parker: Thank you.
Laurie Kozisek: Yes.
Laurie Kozisek: From what I've learned from Kerry so far, I have some very big shoes to fill, but
thank you.
Kerry Parker: I will give you my shoes. We'll figure it out. I'm going to be working behind the
scenes for the October meeting with Laurie, so I think you're going to send some of that stuff, but
thank you. It's been wonderful working with you. Even though I didn't get a chance much to work
with the two of you, but I'll still be there in public works, if anyone wants to call.
Elizabeth Kenny: Thank you, I'll probably be calling for recycling tips.
Kerry Parker: Okay, good. Appropriate.
Elizabeth Kenny: So, does anyone have any announcements?
October 11, 2017
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8. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Laurie Kozisek
City Staff Liaison
Commission on Disability Issues
October 11, 2017
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