Laurel/Redwood Heights Neighborhood Council News

by Kaye Stewart

Arbor Day Tree Planting Green activity is happening citywide this May, kicked off in the Laurel with a tree planting sponsored by CEDA on Friday, April 30. Approximately 20 trees will be planted around the Laurel Elementary School with the help of the East Bay Conservation Corps and community volunteers. A second spring planting of over 50 trees takes place on May 15, the day of the citywide Great Green Sweep. Volunteers will meet at Laurel Elementary School on Saturday, May 15, at 9:30 a.m. If you can help, please call 531-0972. Laurel Festival The Laurel Festival, sponsored by L-CAP, will be held April 30 through May 2. Merchants will host a sidewalk sale along MacArthur Blvd. The NC will co-host the Kid's Expo in the Hollywood Video parking lot on Saturday, May 1. The theme is ecology and will include a community art project, lots of information about summer programs and camps for kids, an art table, baked goods, a fire truck, martial arts demonstrations, and more. Pedestrian Sting Pedestrian Safety Week is the week of May 3, and Laurel residents are gathering at 7 p.m. May 7 at St. Lawrence O'Toole on High street for a community walk. Walkers will travel on High Street from MacArthur to Bayo and observe "Pedestrian Stings" made by Oakland Police in plain clothes. The officers will walk in front of vehicles and ticket those who fail to yield! This should be lots of fun to watch! School Walkathon Volunteers are needed now to sponsor marathon walkers at the Laurel Elementary school Walkathon fundraiser, to be held May 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Remember, you don't need to have a child at Laurel School to sponsor a walker or to help out. To help on May 15 with the Walkathon, call Cherry Campbell at 635-8017. Blight Meeting Nate Miley Both Councilmembers Nate Miley and Dick Spees attended our March NC meeting. Nate Miley, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, addressed the issue of blight and how to deal with it. Blight brochures are available in several languages and can be obtained at our meetings. There are sometimes gray areas surrounding what constitutes blight, but finally we have an ordinance in place to take action against blatantly neglectful property owners. Oakland is taking an aggressive stand with uncooperative property owners in cases of severe blight and code violations by destroying the property. Post Office (see article by Teresa Miller on pg. 1) There was a lively discussion at April's NC meeting between Post Office representatives and residents who live near the new location. Post Office representatives seemed willing to work with the community, and Teresa Miller was appointed spokesperson for Neighbors of the Post Office. Neighbors are supportive of the new Post Office but are concerned that traffic patterns have not been studied by the Post Office and plans were not made public. The group looks to the City of Oakland for assistance from Traffic Planners. CEDA representative Heather Hensley joined the discussion. NSC Renee Sykes also reminded neighbors of other options to reduce traffic problems, such as parking permits for residents (restricted parking) and the possibility of making the traffic one-way. Speed Bumps were also discussed. Some other issues came up regarding fencing, lighting and landscaping of the new facility.We are pleased that the NC was able to get this information out so that neighbors of the Post Office are included in the design process. 39th Avenue Progress Luckily, we are finding 39th Avenue property owners to be cooperative when it comes to working with us to mitigate problems occurring on or near their properties. Property owners are partnering with Community Policing and the Neighborhood Council for long-term solutions. Together we can have a tremendous impact on our community. Our next general meeting is June 10, 7 p.m., at Laurel Elementary School.