City Council to Make Tough Decisions on Blair Park

Expect an overflow crowd at the Piedmont City Council meeting Monday evening when the council takes up the community's hottest issue: Blair Park.

Whatever council members decide, it's bound to be controversial.

The Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization wants to carve out athletic fields in Blair Park, located on a tight piece of open space along Moraga Avenue, which runs through a narrow canyon. There are also plans to improve Coaches Field across the street.

Earlier this year Piedmont's Park Commission and its Recreation Commission both gave their blessings to the plan. The Planning Commission is strongly opposed and has recommended that the plan be rejected.

There will be plenty of advocates at Monday night's council meeting, including but not limited to:

• Preservationists who want to “Save Moraga Canyon,” including trees that would have to be removed for the Blair Park field.
• Youth sports advocates looking for a Blair Park project to alleviate the heavy demand for existing ballfields in the city. Young athletes in their soccer uniforms are expected in the audience.

The City Council meets Monday evening in three tiers:

• An open session starts at 5:15 p.m. in the Police Department as council members interview candidates for city commissions and committees.
• Then the schedule calls for a closed session for the council to discuss potential court cases.
• The City Council is due to return to public session at 7:30 p.m. in the , 120 Vista Ave., Piedmont.

After the approval of the council minutes from the last meeting, the second item on the agenda is the hot one: consideration of commission recommendations on the Moraga Canyon Sports Fields Project and “directions to staff on possible environmental work that may be required.”

City officials expect the crowd to overflow from the council chambers into the first floor corridor. They plan to have television screens showing a live video feed from the council chambers available for the overflow crowd.