Joint SOBOApril 282010 Min
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OaklandCBDsJoint SOBOApril 282010 Min
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OaklandCBDsDowntown Oakland Association/Lake Merritt-Uptown District Association Joint SOBO Committee April 28, 2010 12:00 p.m.
. Cathedral Conference Room A Present: Staff: Minutes
388 19th Street Oakland, California 94612
Michelle Lane, Martin Ward, Tanicia Jackson, Laurie Berberich, Mike Brown, Stacey McCarthy Marco Li Mandri, Steve Snider, Andrew Jones, Ted Tarver, Rick Williams, Victoria Decker, Fiona Simms
The following items were discussed and recommendations or actions are made to the Board as follows:
Subject
Security Ambassador Report: 1)Chief Batts Presentation 2)Fox Theater incident
Discussion
Ted expressed that Chief Batts continues to be very supportive of the ambassador program and appears to be more motivated than ever to establish an alliance with the ambassadors. Due to budget issues, OPD may need to layoff approximately 100 officers. Marco interjected that the layoffs may lead to a suspension of Measure Y funds, if staffing levels fall below 750. Ted referred to the incident in front of the Fox as an anomaly in the districts. OPD was on the scene first, but the ambassadors arrived shortly thereafter. Upon review of surveillance footage from the Fox, it was determined that the ambassadors did not recognize the suspects. Marco inquired as to the state of communication between OPD and the ambassadors, to which Ted responded that Officers McNeil and Ngyuen are in regular contact. Rick explained that four youth from Leadership Excellence are helping out on Mondays. The youth are on probation and will be assigned to special projects such as weeding of tree-wells and medians. Steve stated that they started this program last summer with 25 interns and 3500 paid work hours. Harold will work with the Board of Leadership Excellence, Pivotal Point Youth Services, Youth Employment Partnership, and other organizations to bring in more interns. When questioned about the fluctuation of graffiti incidents Rick responded that overall they have been decreasing in number, but there was a recent outbreak of graffiti incidents related to one gang-ASTM? Hard to Reach: Andrew Mentioned that they had recently acquired an extension ladder to go remove the graffiti from the tops and backsides of buildings. They called the PWA, but they dont always take care of the harder to reach places. Rick provided the committee with current statistical data inclusive of 401 incidents of graffiti reported, most on public commercial buildings, and 401 graffiti incidents removed.
Action?
Maintenance Ambassador Report 1) 4 New Interns 2) Weed removal plan for districts 3) Hard to reach area plan for removal of graffiti 4) Discuss Peralta Stats
Relations with the City and agencies 1) District Encroachment Permit 2) Trashcan placards 3) Meter Poles 4) News Racks
Andrew noted that this number reflects only those incidents that are being reported, which shows that the system is being used. Rick noted that in Downtown alone, 18,330 pounds of garbage was collected between January and March-an average of 12-15 bags/day. In regards to broken glass, Rick noted that his group is working jointly with Teds group to be the ears and eyes about these types of incidents. He reported 19 incidents of broken glass from news racks between January and March. The maintenance ambassadors have not been logging acts of criminal activity, but Andrew will begin tracking the integration between Peralta and Block by Block. Relations with City Agencies: Marco explained that he has been meeting with city council members to try to get them to adopt a policy statement. He spoke with Patricia Kernighan who told him that the Park and Recreation employees are not paid out of the General Fund, but out of the LLAD (Lighting and Landscaping Assessment District), which is not affected by the budget. Patricia said she would ask the council to adopt a resolution stating that in light of the budget crisis the city should be in partnership with non-profits. Marco also spoke of a letter that will be sent to the Mayor if nothing is done about this. Andrew is working with Ameal Mclaurin of the PWA who has been removing meter poles from 20th to 17th on Webster. Andrew is very encouraged by the progress that is being made. Martin Ward suggested honoring Mclaurin with the PWA employee of the year award at the Annual Breakfast. In regards to news racks, Andrew explained that he has been in talks with East Bay Express and Bay Area News Group to have the blighted racks removed. BANG has requested that Andrew provide pictures and descriptions of the problem racks and to give them two weeks from receipt to make the repairs. To date, the news rack at 15th and Broadway has been removed and various other news racks have been cleaned/repaired. Andrew expressed that although some issues have been addresses he estimates that 50% of the issues still remain, Andrew is staying on top of documentation and has before and after pictures of what BANG says they have done.
Budgets
Nothing new was introduced at the meeting,
May 19th celebration 1) Ambassador of the Year 2) Police Officer of the year
The May 19th First Annual Breakfast Meeting will celebrate the accomplishments of 2009. $1,000 was budgeted for the awards; $500 form SOBO misc. for each district. One security ambassador and one maintenance ambassador from each district will be honored. Marco suggested that Steve, Andrew, Rick, Ted, and the two co chairs decide on the recipients. We need to be sure that an invitation goes to all members of the City Council. Andrew is going through the competitive bid process to repair the clock at 17th and Broadway, but is having difficulty finding anyone willing to do the work. He has three calls out. Andrew is also making calls to various companies/individuals to determine the plausibility of converting the Latham Square horse trough into a fountain. Andrew presented his request for a list of tools he needs to correct issues within the boundaries of the districts. Included in the list was gravel and asphalt to fill holes in the sidewalk and a disc grinder and extra discs to remove bike racks, meter poles, and to trim the tree wells away from trees. He also requested a small generator, a utility cart and a fire cabinet. Marco allocated $1500 form SOBO Misc. from LMUDA and DOA for a total of $3,000 for Andrew to purchase necessary equipment and supplies for the districts. Andrew will be making the purchases at Markus Supply and is getting fair rates. June 9th, 2010-12 noon, Cathedral Building (Conference room to be announced) July 14th, 2010-12 noon, Cathedral Building (Conference room to be announced)
Other 1) Fixing 17th St clock 2) Turning Latham Square trough into a fountain 3) Purchasing Misc Supplies for the District
