Parks & Recreation 

Congratulations to the Newly Elected Officers of the Orinda Teen Advisory Council: On Monday June 2, the Orinda Teen Advisory Committee (OTAC) held their last meeting of the 2013-2014 school year. Not only were this year's officers honored and thanked for their services, officer positions for the 2014-2015 school year were announced. Next year's officers are: Carolyn Brager, Co-Chair, Allison Bogey, Co-Chair, Ellie Reed, Community Outreach Officer, Ella Nelson, Community Involvement Officer, Katie Barber, Treasurer, Samer Mathkour, Records Officer, Alexandra Shandalov, Freshman Representative, and Jessie Robinson, Yusef Mathkour, Anika Shandalov, as the Intermediate School Representatives. The City would like to thank the newly elected officers for their commitment to public service. 

In addition, OTAC met with Library staff to discuss renovating and improving the teen space in the Orinda Library. Some of the ideas the teens came up with were multiple charging stations, bean bags, leather chairs with retractable desk space, creative lighting, and skateboard deck wall art. The Library staff were happy with the feedback they received and hope to implement the suggestions.

Parks and Recreation Department Welcomes New Team Member: The Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to announce that Jennifer Weiss has joined our team as a temporary Recreation Supervisor until the position is permanently filled. Jennifer comes to the City of Orinda with 10 years of municipal recreation experience from the City of Los Altos. Jennifer has worked in all facets of Recreation and her experience in a similar community will assist in her successful transition into the City of Orinda. Jennifer's skill set will be invaluable to our Department as we improve and expand our class and event offerings in the future. 

"The Nation's 2nd Friendliest City" 

Orinda Grove Update: New residents have moved into eight of the homes at Orinda Grove with additional residents moving in on a nearly weekly basis. To date 48 homes in the subdivision have been sold.

Trail Connection to BART: City staff met with representatives from Pulte  Homes to discuss the progress that Pulte Homes has made to date with implementation of a condition of project approval that requires Pulte to seek Caltrans approval to construct a trail between the Orinda Grove development and the pedestrian bridge at the south end of Orinda Way. A more direct pedestrian connection between BART and the development is an important element of the project.  Pulte representatives informed the City that they are seeking the assistance of a consultant with experience in navigating the Caltrans review process. 

Below Market Rate Homes: The City has found qualified buyers for the first four BMR homes in the development and have started preparing for a workshop for prospective buyers for the soon to be built remaining 4 BMR houses.  According to Pulte, the last four BMR homes are anticipated to be completed by January 2015.

Planning Commission

June 10, 2014

• Second Ethics Training Workshop (6PM to 8 PM)
• 120 Alta Haciendas - Design review, elevated deck, exception, and tree removal permits for a new 4,890 square foot single family residence on a vacant lot.

June 24, 2014

• 621 Miner Road - Design review and exception permit for a 791 square foot second story addition to an existing one story single family home
• 519 Miner Road - Design review, tree removal permit, and elevated deck permit for a 6,504 square foot single family home - continued from May 13, 2014 hearing
• 138 Oak Road - Design review for a 4,572 square foot single family home - continued from the February 25, 2014 hearing 

Zoning Administrator

June 3, 2014 Hearing

• 14 Lavina Court - Design review for a 1,279 square foot addition; addition exceeds the maximum floor area ratio by 120 square feet - continued to June 19, 2014

Notices posted:

• 61 and 63 Orinda Way - Temporary event permit for the Orinda Classic Car Show, 10am to 3pm on Saturday, September 13, 2014

Approved

• 66 Muth Drive - Elevated deck permit to increase the footprint of an existing deck by 225 square feet
• 4 Ridge Lane - Tree removal permit due to poor health of a Live Oak tree
• 544 Miner Road - Design review for a 1,395 square foot addition with new second story
• 92 Sandhill Road - Lot line adjustment of two lots that are under the same ownership

Public Works 

2014 Annual and Measure L Paving Project: Last week, the City opened bids for construction of the 2014 paving projects.  Six bids were received, with the low base bid of $912,555 being submitted by Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. of San Rafael.   Staff is currently evaluating the bids and bid alternates and will recommend that Council award the construction contract on June 17, 2014. The roads to be repaired under this contract are Lost Valley Drive and Charles Hill Road using Measure L funds and Tara Road, Orindawoods Drive, Rheem Boulevard and El Toyonal (from Chaparral to west end of Loma Vista) using Gas Tax and County Return to Source funds.

The City of Orinda will host a Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, June 25th at the Orinda Community Center in the Founder's Auditorium from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. "Walk-ins" along with scheduled appointments are welcome to participate. Please consider the value of your donation and schedule an appointment or just drop in if you are in the area. Please take the time to help by notifying your family, friends and neighbors of this important event.