body,date,page,text,path
PublicArtCommission,2019-09-25,1,"Final
MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING OF Wednesday, September 25, 2019
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
2263 SANTA CLARA AVENUE - 6:00 PM
1. CALL TO ORDER
Staff Member Lois Butler called the meeting to order at 6:05pm
2. ROLL CALL
Present: Commissioners Sherman Lewis, Liz Rush, Adam Gillitt, Mark Farrell.
Absent: Commissioner Kirstin Van Cleef (excused).
Lois Butler (PAC Secretary) and Amanda Gehrke (staff) are present as staff to the Commission.
3. MINUTES
2019-7292 A motion to approve the minutes was made by Commissioner Lewis and seconded by
Commissioner Gillitt. The motion carried 4-0.
4. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
5. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
5-A. 2019-7288 Appreciation for Outgoing Public Art Commission Member. The Public Art
Commission will present a Certificate of Appreciation to Outgoing Public Art Commission
Chairperson Daniel Hoy.
Commission members, Lois Butler and Amanda Gehrke expressed appreciation for
Outgoing Public Art Commission Chair Daniel Hoy, and presented him with a Certificate
of Appreciation.
Daniel Hoy expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to serve, received certificate,
and departed meeting.
5-B. 2019-7289 Selection of Chairperson. The Public Art Commission will select a new
Chairperson
Discussion of end of term for each member: Gillitt in 2020, Farrell in 2021, Lewis in
2020, Rush in 2023, Van Cleef in 2023
Discussion of duties of Chairperson: review agenda previous to meeting, chairs meeting,
appoints subcommittees.
Commissioner Farrell made a motion to elect Gillitt as Chairperson. Commissioner Lewis
seconded. Motion carried 4-0.
Chairperson Gillitt assumed role of chairing remainder of meeting.
5-C. 2019-7290 Selection of Vice Chairperson. The Public Art Commission will select a new Vice-
Chairperson
Commissioner Farrell made a motion to elect Commissioner Rush as Vice Chairperson.
Commissioner Lewis seconded. Motion carried 4-0.
5-D. 2019-7287 Public Art Small Grants Pilot Program",PublicArtCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
PublicArtCommission,2019-09-25,2,"Minutes of the Public Art Commission
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Presentation by Staff Member Gehrke of staff report, Public Arts Small Grants Program
Description, and Public Art Small Grants Application. Key points of presentation were to
keep process simple, explanation of grant brackets, timeline of program, criteria for
evaluating applications, makeup of subcommittee, and requirements for recipients.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions:
Chairperson Gillitt: Can awardees utilize grant money for required business license?
Staff Member Butler clarified administrative costs can be included in grant requests.
Commissioner Farrell: How are artists required to acknowledge City of Alameda in
physical art pieces? Staff Member Gehrke clarified plaque is not required, but City
must be acknowledged onsite in some way.
Commissioner Farrell: Is City Council approval required? Staff Member Butler clarified
it is not, unless artwork is a large piece.
Commissioner Farrell: Is there a limit on number of grants per organization? Staff
Member Gehrke clarified there should be one grant per event, but consideration will
be made for awarding multiple grants per year if multiple events.
Vice Chairperson Rush asked about multiple grant amount requests per application.
Staff Member Butler recommends that there should be one application per event or
physical artwork.
Commissioner Farrell raised formatting concern. Staff Member Butler will have
application formatting changed to allow editing of draft applications.
Commissioner Lewis asked if physical submission of application is required. Staff
Member Butler clarified that electronically signed applications are adequate.
Commissioner Lewis expressed concern that grant ranges are unclear on application.
All agreed to discuss and resolve during discussion.
Written Communication was submitted for this item.
Commissioner Farrell requested clarification on price of art events. Staff Member
Butler clarified that events receiving grant must be free to be in compliance with
ordinance.
Commissioner Lewis requested clarification on events taking place in 21+ venues or
art that is for 18+. Staff Member Butler offered to get clarification from City Attorney's
Office if the event that art falls into this category.
Discussion. Encourage applicants to apply for smaller grants. Make applicants aware of
maximum annual grant limits. Ratio of $250-level (Micro) grants to $2000-level (Small)
grants. Suggestion to award Micro grants first, or to reserve some funds exclusively for
Micro grants. Suggestion to assess on a case-by-case basis. Agreement that grants are
not limited to non-profits.
Motion by Commissioner Farrell to make four changes on application and instructions:
1) change from three to two grant brackets (Micro and Small); 2) add line to application
for requested amount and description of fund-use; 3) add explanation of funding-
categories to application instructions; and 4) include how City of Alameda will be
represented on physical art pieces. Seconded by Vice Chairperson Rush. Motion carried
4-0.
2",PublicArtCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
PublicArtCommission,2019-09-25,3,"Minutes of the Public Art Commission
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
5-E. 2019-7291 Selection of Regular Meeting Date. The Public Art Commission will select a
regular meeting date
Staff Member Butler updated commission members that the sunshine ordinance
requires meetings be held at regular intervals and location. If schedule changes,
cancellation notice must be posted. Additionally, if meeting held outside regular
meeting time, it shall be called a Special Meeting.
Discussion: best day for and frequency of meeting. All council members approve first or
third Monday of the month. Staff members will check city calendar and select best of
two options.
5-F. 2019-7286 Eligibility of Upcoming Projects for the Public Art Requirement. Staff to provide
the Public Art Commission with a status update on the eligibility of upcoming projects for the
Public Art Requirement
Staff Member Gehrke provided update on upcoming eligible art projects and grant
contributors.
Commissioner Farrell asked clarifying question regarding city's approval process for
applications. Staff member Butler clarified city evaluates/approves site, public access,
and grant amount.
Jim Corter, local artist and resident, asked what qualifies as public art. Commissioner
clarified what qualifies as art (physical or event), and that developers can either
contribute to public art fund or have public art as part of development.
6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
Staff Member Butler introduced new Commissioner Kirstin Van Cleef (absent), has
public art experience in Scottsdale, AZ. Introduction and biography to be shared at next
meeting.
Staff Member Gehrke provided Art In City Hall Program update: very successful, lottery
system working well, continue program in 2020.
Staff Member Gehrke provided information on California Art Council Grant Program.
7. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
None.
8. COMMISSIONER COMMUNICATIONS
Clarified that next PAC priority is Ordinance.
9. ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Gillitt adjourned the meeting at 7:15pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Butler, Economic Development Manager
Secretary
Public Art Commission
3",PublicArtCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,1,"APPROVED MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CITY OF ALAMEDA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
Chair Soules convened the meeting at 7:01 pm.
1. ROLL CALL
Present: Vice Chair Soules, Commissioners Nachtigall, Yuen, Kohlstrand, Weitze.
Absent: Commissioners Hans, Johnson.
2. AGENDA CHANGES
None.
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
3-A Transportation Commission Meeting: Wed, Nov 20 at 7 p.m.
3-B Tsunami Presentations: Thurs, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (boating community) and Wed,
Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. (citywide) - City Hall, Council Chambers
3-C Alameda Bike for the Parks - Community Bike Ride - Sat, Sept 28
3-D International Walk and Roll to School Day - Wed., Oct 2
3-E Smart Driver Refresher Course by AARP at Mastick Senior Center - Wed., Oct 9 - 9
a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
3-F Electric Vehicle 101, City Hall Council Chambers: Wed, Oct 16 at 6:30 p.m.
3-G Transportation 101 + Clipper Card Registrations at Mastick Senior Center - Tues, Oct
22 at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
3-H Transportation Services Survey for Seniors and People with Disabilities at Mastick
Senior Center or on-line at www.AlamedaParatransit.com by Thurs, Oct 31
3-I Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2019 Trainings in October: register
on Fire Department web page
3-J
Upcoming
Grant-Funded
Bicycle
Safety
Education
Classes:
https://bikeeastbay.org/alamedabikeed
3-K Emergency Alerts for Alameda - Subscribe at AC Alert web page:
https://www.acgov.org/emergencysite/
1",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,2,"3-L
Regional
Emergency
Transportation
Alerts
-
Subscribe:
 ttps://511.org/alerts/emergencies/511Alert
3-M Clipper Card (adults) - order on line or at Walgreens or set up Autoload to add value
automatically: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do
3-N Clipper Card Discounts for youth, seniors and people with disabilities -
https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts/index.do
3-O FasTrak or new toll tag for upcoming I-880 Express Lanes: on line or at Walgreens
(except not Park Street location) and then register on line:
https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/signup/signUp.shtm
Chair Soules recognized and congratulated Commissioner Kohlstrand on her recent
retirement and described some of the highlights of her career in Transportation Planning.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said she looks forward to giving back to the community during
her retirement.
4. CONSENT CALENDAR
4-A 2019-7280
Draft Meeting Minutes - July 24, 2019
Commissioner Nachtigall made a motion to approve the minutes. Commissioner
Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.
5. NEW BUSINESS
5-A 2019-7281
Uphold the Public Works Director's Decision to Remove One Parking Space at the Corner
of Walnut Street at San Antonio Avenue to improve intersection visibility and safety
Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer, gave a presentation. The staff report and attachments can
be
found
at:
ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139789&GUID=7EAB8214-
OBE2-4480-A488-5C82AE7E4927
Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if the request for improved visibility came from someone
in the neighborhood.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that the request came in via SeeClickFix.
Commissioner Weitze noted that in 2012 the warrants for an all way stop sign were not
met and asked if that was still the case.
2",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,3,"Staff Member Wikstrom said that they have not done updated traffic counts. He said the
counts were 30% below the threshold in 2012 and that he would not expect that large of
a change at this intersection since 2012.
Steve Mack, appellant, gave a presentation.
Chair Soules asked what the rest of the conditions of the intersection are, such as signage
and striping.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that there are no marked crosswalks and that the aerial image
displayed is accurate.
Commissioner Kohlstrand asked whether Walnut was considered a local street or a
collector in the City's street classification system.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that Walnut is a local street.
Commissioner Weitze asked if there were any other examples of four way stops in
Alameda that did not meet the thresholds, but were installed because of community input.
Staff Member Wikstrom said he is not aware of any recent examples that would meet that
criteria.
Chair Soules opened the public hearing.
Sean McGowan said that high schoolers zip through the intersection. He said that parking
is very difficult during the school year. He said the neighborhood cannot afford to lose a
parking space. He said they need a stop sign to reduce speeding.
Bob Ralston said the High School students take up all the available parking during the
day. He said drivers like to speed through the intersection. He said they need a stop sign
before someone gets killed.
Shemaiah Stanton said that the primary issue is not visibility, but speeding. He said things
have changed a lot since 2012. He asked that staff take a fresh look at the need for a stop
sign.
Jane Kramer said we don't need to eliminate parking spaces. She said she stops at that
intersection automatically when driving, but most people don't know what to do there. She
said visibility is not a problem and that it needs a four way stop.
Denyse Trepanier, Bike Walk Alameda, said we are trying to make our streets safer. She
said safety has to come as a higher priority than parking. She said every study shows that
3",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,4,"daylighting improves safety. She said a stop sign would be nice, but it would not remove
the need for daylighting.
Richard Thomas said parking does not take precedence over safety, but that the
intersection would still need a stop sign.
Jim Strehlow said that a similar situation happened in 2009 on Buena Vista. He said an
argument was made that Safe Routes to Schools concerns could override the lack of
warrants for three stop signs that were desired. He said a similar argument could be made
here.
Chair Soules closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Weitze asked what it would cost to conduct a new study of the intersection
today.
Staff Member Wikstrom said he does not have exact numbers, but suggested it would take
several hundred dollars and several hours of staff time. He said for warrants they typically
do traffic counts, not speed surveys. He said speed surveys would add additional cost and
staff time. He cautioned the Commission that there are probably 50 intersections in town
that we could be having this exact same discussion about.
Chair Soules asked what it would take for the intersection to meet the warrants.
Staff Member Wikstrom said there are two primary warrants that enter into the decision.
He said one was collision history. He said that if the collision warrant is met, they must be
able to say that all other potential improvements have been made, including improving
visibility.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said the attached policy emphasizes arterials and collectors.
She said that these are both local streets and asked if this is where we should be
prioritizing improving visibility.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that the crash history is sufficient to merit addressing visibility
at the intersection. He said that would be a required step before consideration of installing
a four way stop where the traffic volumes do not meet the thresholds.
Commissioner Kohlstrand asked if limiting the height of vehicles parked near the corner
could be the first step.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that could be the first step, but they are recommending the
parking space removal as well. He said this would enable them to say that all efforts have
been exhausted if collisions continued to occur and there was a desire to install a four way
stop sign in the future.
4",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,5,"Commissioner Yuen asked if there were other measures which could be taken to reduce
speeds and improve safety at the intersection without removing a parking space.
Staff Member Wikstrom said that after education and enforcement, from an engineering
standpoint, improving visibility is the logical action to take to increase safety at the
intersection.
Chair Soules asked if Alameda High School has any educational programs for their new
drivers to promote safe driving in the community.
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, said the Safe Routes to Schools
program is looking to expand to High Schools and Alameda hopes to be one of the pilot
cities for that program. She said she is not aware of any activities that are happening now
at Alameda High.
Chair Soules asked if planning staff has evaluated residential permit parking policies.
Staff Member Payne said that the neighborhood around the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal
has implemented permit parking through their HOA. She said that it was resident initiated.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said that there were discussions about the issue during her
tenure on the Planning Board, but nothing was ever implemented.
Commissioner Nachtigall said she visited the intersection to better understand the visibility
and parking situation. She said she believed the daylighting would be helpful. She said
that need not contradict the possibility of a four way stop in the future.
Commissioner Weitze asked Commissioner Nachtigall if she noticed any available parking
in the area when she visited at 6:45 p.m.
Commissioner Nachtigall said she saw one space on Walnut and several spots on San
Antonio between Walnut and Willow.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said that she understands the need for parking but needs to
come down on the side of safety. She said it is unfortunate that we have to wait until there
are accidents before safety improvements are made or stop signs added. She added that
she understood that traffic engineers have to balance safety with the need to move people
through an area.
Commissioner Yuen thanked the residents for coming out and sharing how the loss of
parking would impact their daily lives. She said she saw the issue as both/and not either/or.
She said we should increase visibility and reduce speeding. She said she would support
5",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,6,"daylighting the intersection and encouraging staff to look at other engineering options to
slow traffic at the intersection.
Chair Soules said that she would support preserving parking and limiting height of
vehicles, but does not think that is sufficient, noting that many children are shorter than
cars. She said the tradeoff between improved safety and visibility against the
inconvenience of having to park further away is a necessary one.
Chair Soules made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Commissioner
Kohlstrand seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.
5-B 2019-7282
Discuss Tsunami Awareness
Captain Sharon Oliver, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, gave a presentation. The staff
report
and
attachments
can
be
found
at:
ttps://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139806&GUID=969322E6-
5B51-43F1-A87A-OCDD2C2C9F09&FullText=1
Commissioner Yuen asked what level of coordination there is with Oakland on this issue.
Captain Oliver said she does coordinate with her counterparts in Oakland and with both
police departments to coordinate evacuation plans.
Chair Soules asked how vulnerable populations that do not and cannot drive are being
addressed.
Captain Oliver said we have our own shuttle and also partner with paratransit. She said
they are at the beginning of the conversation and are working on the transportation plan,
but it is not complete yet.
Chair Soules opened the public hearing.
Jim Strehlow said this is what he fears most about the overdevelopment in Alameda. He
said we should know what the evacuation rates are of our exits and we should know how
many people will die because we have overpopulated the island. He said he remembers
regular flooding events that created dangerous conditions for driving and most evacuation
routes are vulnerable to flooding.
Chair Soules closed the public hearing. Informational item, no action was taken.
5-C 2019-7283
Recommend City Council Adoption of Vision Zero Policy
Staff Member Wheeler and Lisa Foster, Transportation Planner, gave a presentation. The
staff
report
and
attachments
can
be
found
at:
6",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,7," https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139823&GUID=F4F57230-
D1C1-4647-85B9-C4DCDEB6B4C7&FullText=1
Commissioner Weitze asked if there are punitive or enforcement aspects to Vision Zero.
Staff Member Foster said that increased enforcement is part of other cities' plans. She
said San Francisco initially focused enforcement on locations and violations where
fatalities and collisions were most likely.
Staff Member Wheeler said she sees it as a data driven process to perhaps redistribute
where enforcement occurs in order to have the most impact on behavior, rather than
simply increasing overall enforcement.
Commissioner Weitze asked if reconsidering the standards and process for placement of
stop signs was part of the Vision Zero process.
Staff Member Wheeler said they have not looked at that as a standard to evaluate, given
that federal guidelines exist on stop sign placement.
Chair Soules opened the public hearing.
Jim Strehlow said NACTO implementation in San Francisco did not make him feel safer
while cycling. He said it took him out of his way, compared to the older, more direct route.
He recalled a recent fatality in San Francisco on a NACTO redesigned intersection. He
warned the Commission not to believe that this would be a perfect solution.
Chair Soules closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said she supports the Vision Zero movement and looks forward
to developing the policy.
Commissioner Yuen said she strongly supports Vision Zero and is excited by the focus on
equity. She said she would like to see a focus on design and engineering over
enforcement, which can be punitive. She asked that the annual report be brought back to
the Transportation Commission.
Commissioner Kohlstrand made a motion that the Vision Zero Policy be
recommended to the City Council with the amendment that the annual report come
to the Transportation Commission. Commissioner Yuen seconded the motion. The
motion passed 5-0.
5-D 2019-7284
Update on Active Transportation Plan
7",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,8,"Staff Member Wheeler and Megan Wooley-Ousdahl, Toole Design, gave a presentation.
The
staff
report
and
attachments
can
be
found
at:
https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139824&GUID=46062EA4-
SEOC-4F62-8938-8DC2CD9B2970&FullText=1
Commissioner Yuen asked if the Technical Advisory Committee has changed to the
Community Advisory Group.
Staff Member Wheeler said that it has indeed changed to a Community Advisory Group.
She said they would still use the Vision Zero Task Force in order to gather technical
feedback.
Commissioner Yuen asked how we were recruiting for the Community Advisory Group.
Staff Member Wheeler said they are reaching out to people now from different groups and
demographics in the city to attempt to identify a diverse representation of the community.
Commissioner Weitze asked why we are doing all the audits and data collection before a
major piece of infrastructure like the Cross Alameda Trail is complete.
Staff Member Wheeler said most of the data collection has been gathering the existing
data rather than generating new data. She said there are lots of other facilities and areas
of the city that have identified issues that they want to move forward with. She said there
will be an automatic bike counter on the new trail which will provide an ongoing source of
data.
Chair Soules asked how the survey sample size will ensure an accurate representation
and not oversample or under sample certain populations.
Ms. Wooley-Ousdahl said the community survey would be statistically significant with a
professional research firm that has methods to ensure a proper sample. She added that
the focus groups would be another area where they can be very deliberate about who they
reach out to for input.
Chair Soules said that equity in lifestyle, not just demographics, is important to achieve a
true mix of Alamedans, and that transparency in that area will be important.
Commissioner Nachtigall said she is not sure that what is described as a focus group is a
true focus group.
Staff Member Wheeler explained the way staff envisioned conducting the focus groups
with specialized subsets of people such as park users, business groups, or disabled
residents.
8",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,9,"Commissioner Weitze asked if the survey results would be broken out by renter versus
homeowner.
Staff Member Wheeler said that is not something that has been looked at yet for this
survey, but that staff can consider it further.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said that transit should be considered as part of the assessment
in how pedestrians and bicyclists access the city.
Staff Member Wheeler said that connections with transit are part of their analysis.
Commissioner Kohlstrand said we should take care to ensure that the West End and Bay
Farm are adequately represented in the surveys.
Chair Soules suggested having events at mode connections would be a good way to
capture folks and get information on the first and last mile issues.
Commissioner Yuen said capturing input from disadvantaged and underrepresented
communities comes in multiple forms, including geographic areas that lack active
transportation facilities, looking at collision data for areas that are disproportionately
impacted, and looking at demographics such as income, race, ethnicity, and age. She said
she appreciates the many ways people can get involved in the planning process.
Commissioner Weitze suggested the West End Art Walk as a good place to find survey
participants.
6. STAFF COMMUNICATIONS
6-A 2019-7285 Status Report on Activities Related to Transportation Policies and Plans
Staff Member Payne gave an update. The report can be found
at:
https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4139839&GUID=BF2758A2-
715F-42CD-9795-E9BA6541F532
Staff Member Wheeler said the expected opening of the Cross Alameda Trail segment
under construction is now slated for December. She reported on the theft of the Cycles of
Changes storage truck from outside of Maya Lin School, and their fundraising appeal in
order to get back in service.
Staff Member Wikstrom explained that the bike lanes on Pacific from Main Street to 4th
Street would be delayed due to federal funding requirements and the language in the
environmental clearance.
6-B Potential Future Meeting Agenda Items
1. Citywide Parking Management Plan - Expansion for Alameda Point and Ferry
Terminals
9",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2019-09-25,10,"2. Electric Vehicle Adoption
3. Line 19 Promotional Program Evaluation
4. Long-term Goals and Objectives for AC Transit Service in Alameda
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC COMMENT
Jim Strehlow told a story of bicycling in the park above the Transbay Terminal on a quiet
Saturday morning. He said multiple police officers stopped him for riding his bicycle even
though there was no signage saying it was not allowed. He asked if this body was the right
place to find out if cycling was permitted there or not, since he has not had success getting
responses from AC Transit in the past.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Soules adjourned the meeting at 9:44 p.m.
10",TransportationCommission/2019-09-25.pdf