T1 Emails Received

Miller, Roger From: J & J Schroeder <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2020 5:07 PM To: Kesarwani, Rashi; Miller, Roger; T1 Cc: [email protected] Subject: Follow up question after 1600 block Curtis St. 3/5/20 meeting Hello Rashi, Roger and Andrew, Thank you very much for the time you gave us last night to discuss T1 Bond Phase 1 & 2 infrastructure improvement projects. You very patiently and attentively listened to our concerns, feedback and questions regarding the T1 Bond infrastructure improvement projects. I sincerely appreciate your diligence and efforts of outreach to the Berkeley community to make this T1 Phase 1 & 2 planning process transparent and accessible to the public for input. After speaking with my neighbors, we would like clarification regarding the email Director of Public Works Phil Harrington sent to Joan Hamilton and me on February 7, 2020. Mr. Harrington's email was in response to an email both Joan and I sent regarding the unsafe, degraded condition of the 1600 block of Curtis St. This is the email I sent 1/29/20: City of Berkeley Department of Public Works 2180 Milvia St. Berkeley, CA 94704 January 29, 2020 Department of Public Works Director Phil Harrington: I am here tonight to strongly urge the Department of Public Works to have the second phase of Measure T1 (infrastructure bond money) go towards paving more streets. I have lived at 1610 Curtis St. for the past 41 years. According to Beth Gerstein, District 1 Council member Rashi Kesarwani’s Legislative Aide, the 1600 block of Curtis St. was last paved 27 years ago. Beginning in 2000, I repeatedly asked District 1 Council member Linda Maio to have Public Works place the 1600 block of Curtis St. on the list for resurfacing, but my pleas and those of my neighbors fell on deaf ears year after year. At 71 years of age I continue to ride my bike every day. The 1600 block of Curtis St. from Cedar St. to Virginia St. is on a fairly steep incline. The street is so degraded that I must walk my bike down the incline on the sidewalk for fear of having an accident by biking downhill on the street. 1 Other cyclists choose differently and bike up and down the 1600 block of Curtis St. on the sidewalk because of the very dangerous street condition. This puts babies in strollers, school children, elders, dog walkers and others walking on Curtis St. sidewalks at great risk. This degraded street is a safety and liability issue. When Public Works employees were working on the swale at Curtis St. and Hopkins, one of my neighbors asked about the chances of resurfacing the 1600 block of Curtis St. She was told our street was far too degraded, and it would therefore be too expensive to resurface it. Curtis St. is the first through street above San Pablo Ave. Many vehicles use it when San Pablo Ave. traffic is heavy, especially so during rush hours. Curtis St. is also an important through street for emergency vehicles to use to avoid the traffic congestion on San Pablo Ave. Currently, the 1600 block of Curtis St. is not on the 2020 or 2021 list for resurfacing. According to Legislative Aide Beth Gerstein, our street is not on any list. She encouraged my neighbors and me to attend this meeting to urge that the second phase of Measure T1 money go to street paving, and to urge that 1600 Curtis St. be placed on the list for resurfacing as soon as possible (2020, 2021, 2022). SIncerely, Janice Schroeder 1610 Curtis St. (510) 524-2724 This is the email Joan Hamilton sent 1/29/20: Dear Public Works Department, Janice Schroeder's letter about the sad state of the "pavement" on the 1600 block of Curtis Street expresses my feelings perfectly. I am one of those people trying to walk toddlers safely down a sidewalk that is increasingly used as a road for bicycles. It is equally hard to ride a bike or even drive a car on our street. I believe Rashi's aide said our street hasn't been paved in 27 years! And it shows. I started writing to my council member about the neglect in 2015. Some patching was done, but now that seems to have created even bigger potholes on the edges of the patches. The road is down to dust and dirt in several places. We voted for the T1 money. Please could some of it be spent on streets like ours that have been badly neglected for many years? The situation on 1600 Curtis is not only unpleasant. It is unsafe. Sincerely, Joan Hamilton 1629 Curtis This is Mr. Harrington's email sent 2/7/20 (the bold is mine): Good morning Janice and Joan, 2 I understand completely the frustration that neighbors and neighborhoods feel regarding the condition of their residential streets. Our Department is constantly working to increase funding to address the distressed streets in Berkeley, especially in residential areas. Even though we have made good progress in improving the conditions of our City streets in the past several years, we still have a long way to go. Many residential streets within the community are in similar condition as Curtis. Right now, I will confirm that the 1600 Block of Curtis is scheduled for complete reconstruction in the next Phase of our T1 Bond infrastructure improvement projects. This work should begin in summer/fall of 2021. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me. I truly appreciate your patience in this matter but at least a plan to pave the 1600 block of Curtis is in place. Phillip Harrington Director of Public Works Has the 1600 block of Curtis St. been scheduled for complete reconstruction beginning in the summer/fall of 2021 as Mr. Harrington confirmed in his email? We anxiously await your timely response. Sincerely, Janice Schroeder 3 Miller, Roger From: Joan Hamilton <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2020 10:42 AM To: Miller, Roger Subject: community input on Phase 2 of T1 Attachments: IMG_6533.HEIC; IMG_6531.HEIC; IMG_6534.HEIC; IMG_6532.HEIC Hi Roger, Here are response forms from my husband and me. Thank you for coming the Brenda's house for the meeting, for the kindness and understanding you showed, and for what must be herculean efforts to take the pulse of our community. Best regards, Joan -- Joan Hamilton 510-990-6391 Email: [email protected] Web: audiblemountdiablo.com 4 Miller, Roger From: Fred Krieger <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 30, 2020 3:27 PM To: T1 Cc: Droste, Lori Subject: TI Project? Replace bollards at Woolsey and Hillegass with Street Garden Attachments: Bollards picture.jpg WARNING: This email originated outside of City of Berkeley. DO NOT CLICK ON links or attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Measure T1 Bond Program Our neighborhood has been attempting for many years to have the bollards at Woolsey and Hillegass replaced with two street gardens – see drawings. We will do the planting and maintenance if the City can remove the asphalt and place the curbs. We can also add the soil, as necessary. Below are several drawings we prepared for the proposed street garden. We have also suggested using porous pavers in the 2’ 8” drainage gap between the planted area and the sidewalk curb to help the City comply with the Regional Municipal Stormwater Permit, which is encouraging green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff. 5 I’ve also included a photograph of the current bollards at the intersection. Similar projects may be useful elsewhere in the City. Please let us know what else we should do to support this project. During previous City‐wide grant programs we submitted neighborhood petitions. Would those be helpful? Thanks! Fred Krieger 2510 Woolsey St. 510 843‐7889 6 Miller, Roger From: jutta collins <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2020 11:38 PM To: T1 Subject: North Berkeley Senior Center remodel WARNING: This email originated outside of City of Berkeley. DO NOT CLICK ON links or attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe. Can there be a friendly, garden-like outdoor sitting area for those of us who like to be outdoors, rather than being confined to the stuffy, spartan, ugly indoors halls with their appalling grey metal "furniture", please? It wasn't a welcoming place. And always closed on weekends and in the evenings when loneliness has a way to feel most painful for older adults who may have lost a lot of their friends and family by now, and could use a relaxed friendly safe place to socialize, read, "hang out", without the need to spend money/"consume" as is expected in any commercial establishment. That is especially hard for the many among us on fixed, insufficient monthly social security/ pensions/"nest eggs", particularly after this year's financial meltdowns. Would you kindly route a copy of this to the authorities who have input and decision-making influence on the planning process for the senior center? Jutta Jutta W. Collins, M.A., ET/P Educational Therapist 1629 Josephine St. Berkeley, CA 94703 (510) 292-6029 (cell & texting) (510) 848-0706 (office & home) [email protected] 7 Miller, Roger From: John Hitchen <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 11, 2020 4:39 PM To: T1 Subject: T-1 Project Suggestions WARNING: This email originated outside of City of Berkeley. DO NOT CLICK ON links or attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe.

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