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The Year in Review. The Associated Residents of Sequoyah Highlands (ARSH). ARSH Leadership, 1. The ARSH Board officers are elected by general vote. Current officers are: President Mahlon Harmon Vice President Tom DeBoni Secretary Keisha Nzewi Treasurer Roger Radius .
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The Year in Review The Associated Residents ofSequoyah Highlands (ARSH)
ARSH Leadership, 1 The ARSH Board officers are elected by general vote. Current officers are: • President Mahlon Harmon • Vice President Tom DeBoni • Secretary Keisha Nzewi • Treasurer Roger Radius
ARSH Leadership, 2 • Board Advisors / Associates • Volunteer advisors • Newsletter editor • Board Meetings (bi-monthly) • Discuss neighborhood issues • Plan events • Publish the newsletter
2009 Activities, 1 Community Building • Our Primary Goal for 2009 • Obstacles • Geography • “Don’t want to get involved” • Incentives • Social cohesiveness • Emergency mutual assistance
2009 Activities, 2 The Rock at Golf Links[Mahlon Harmon, President] • Establishes our neighborhood identity • “Dresses up” entry end of our main street • A good excuse for a party (Thanks to the folks on Elysian Place!) • Photos at www.sequoyahhighlands.org
2009 Activities, 3 National Night Out[Mahlon Harmon, President] The Halloween Party[Keisha Nzewi, Secretary] • Thanks to the folks on Donna Way! • Photos at www.sequoyahhighlands.org
2009 Activities, 4 Rock Area • Cleanup, Plantings[Sandra Marburg, Board Advisor] • Lighting [Tom DeBoni, Vice President] • Holiday Rock Decorations[Mahlon Harmon, President]
2009 Activities, 5 The Highlander Newsletter[Peg Farrell, Editor] • Three issues in 2009 • More economical to deliver electronically • Content / ads always welcome! • Online at www.sequoyahhighlands.org
2009 Activities, 6 Welcome Wagon Project[Keisha Nzewi, Secretary] Membership / Donation Solicitation[Roger Radius, Treasurer]
2009 Activities, 7 The ARSH Website[Tom DeBoni, Vice President] • Contains everything we do, and lots we’d like to do • Nothing sensitive (no photos of individual homes; or lists of names, addresses, or email addresses, etc.) • www.sequoyahhighlands.org
2009 Activities, 8 CORE Training[Peg Farrell] • Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies • Free neighborhood-based, citizen-staffed emergency response training • Demonstrated that communication is crucial to safety • More info and class signups: www.oaklandnet.com/fire/core
2009 Activities, 9 Online Neighborhood Survey • Sparked by CORE Training • Inventory of neighborhood • residents, human, and animal • skills, tools, facilities • Online at the ARSH website • Crucial information for emergencies
2009 Activities, 10 Communications / Notification Tree • September Knowland Park fire demonstrated need • Telephone tree, email tree, web announcements • Please tell us how we can contact you!
2009 Activities, 11 Oakland City Liaison • Lots of useful information • Services, names, phone numbers Oakland Police Liaison • Lots more useful information • Advice, forms, names, phone numbers
2009 Activities, 12 Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) • Police-citizen organization, run by citizens • Sequoyah Highlands is in Beat 35Y • Meetings held every other month
2009 Activities, 13 Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee • Police-citizen organization, run by police and city • Meets every two or three months • A more complete Watch is needed for Sequoyah Highland • Classes require a minimum of six attendees
2009 Activities, 14 Two potentially serious issues that are close to us and worth discussion: • The Oakland Zoo’s planned expansion • The Oak Knoll Naval Hospital’s abandonment and blight • We solicit your opinions on how we should represent neighborhood interests in these matters
Potentially Serious Issues, 1 Oakland Zoo Expansion[Stefanie Gandolfi & Sandra Marburg, Board Advisors] • Land stewardship questions • Neighborhood input not sought or considered • Environmental impact not explored • Financial management questions not answered • Large structures on the hilltops • Light, noise pollution
Zoo Expansion - Key Elements • 17,000 sq. ft. veterinary hospital • Multistory visitor center/restaurant, education facilities, administrative offices • Playground & campground • Gondola ride w/two terminals, 8 towers up to 60 ft. tall, (total length 1,580 ft., vertical rise 330 ft.), 15 8-passenger cars • (Shuttles for disabled access) • Naturalistic enclosures for indigenous animals including grizzly bears, black bears, cougars, jaguars, wolves, bison, elk, eagles, owls, & other raptors • Elevated walkways for viewing animal enclosures • Outdoor amphitheater
Factors of Interest to Us, 1 Permanent Loss of free access to open space, hiking, vistas Traffic Impacts: Visitorship expected to double Still only one main entrance & exit Delays due to increased traffic at the intersection of I-580, Mountain Blvd., & GLR Potential bottleneck in event of emergency (second exit on opposite side for emergency evacuation) Visual impacts: Gondola ride visible from I-580 Visitor center & terminal visible from Royal Oak Auditory impacts: Noise from amphitheater, playground, campground, visitor center Machinery & equipment Animals
Factors of Interest to Us, 2 Temporary Construction: Heavy equipment including ATVs, helicopters, cranes, drills, cement trucks, & excavators Work including excavating, paving, pouring, drilling, riveting, & hauling Noise & dust, potential traffic & access issues
Potentially Serious Issues, 2 Oak Knoll Watch[Sandra Marburg, Board Advisor] • Owner/developer declared bankruptcy • Blight and debris left when demolition stopped • Squatters living in buildings • No working fire hydrants on site • Brush not controlled • Police unwilling to patrol site
Oak Knoll, 1 Dangerous materials Defiant graffiti
Oak Knoll, 2 Club Knoll was considered a beautiful period building It was slated for preservation and future use
Oak Knoll, 3 Demolition debris Trashed structures
2009 Activities, 15 Other things we monitored • Blight and illegal trash dumping • Parking and partying nuisances • Suspicious persons and solicitors • Criminality - burglary/theft, assault
2010 Activities We want to hear your opinions about: • Our activities • Our newsletter • Our get-togethers • Our involvements with other neighborhoods • How we should represent our collective interests in matters that affect us all • How we can serve our neighborhood interests