News and Announcements

Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Seeks Help After Fire

On May 20, 2010, a fire destroyed a large part of the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. They lost the entire cat sheltering area, laundry facilities, and offices. Fifteen cats died in the fire, but 10 other cats and all 14 dogs survived and are being cared for in foster homes, local vet clinics, and at the City of Berkeley's Animal Care Services.

According to the BEBHS, their most immediate needs are:

• Monetary donations. Donate online at the BEBHS's Web site, http://berkeleyhumane.org; by phone at (510) 845-7735; or by mail at BEBHS, 2700 9th St., Berkeley, CA 94710.
   
• Foster homes for dogs and cats. Send an e-mail to foster@berkeleyhumane.org if you have temporary space for a dog or a cat.
   
• Volunteers. Send an e-mail to volunteer@berkeleyhumane.org if you can spare some time to help once cleaning, repair, and animal care tasks have been organized.
   

Richmond Planning Dept. Heeds Public Will; Decides to Retain Current Zoning at Point Isabel

It’s official--Point Isabel will not be rezoned as Regional Commercial! At a meeting on Dec. 9, 2009, the Richmond Planning Department recommended to the seven-member Planning Commission that Point Isabel retain its current zoning, Light Industrial. Planners also recommended adding language to protect the dog park to the city’s General Plan. They said that Point Isabel is no longer considered a “change area.”

This is a huge win for lovers of the dog park, Hoffman Marsh, and the shoreline. After the meeting, one city staff member said that Richmond had received over a thousand comments about Point Isabel.

Thank you to everyone who wrote, e-mailed, called, and/or spoke up at meetings to protect the park. PIDO collected 5,000 petition signatures, wrote letters to local newspapers, attended city meetings, spread the word at our monthly cleanups and through our PIDO Pointer newsletters and our e-newsletters, and urged park users to get involved. Together, we did what some said couldn’t be done!

The Planning Department presented the revised draft General Plan to the City Council on Dec. 15, 2009. PIDO still has some concerns about the General Plan, which we presented in a letter to the Planning Commission at the Dec. 9 meeting.

What happens next: The environmental impact report (EIR) was supposed to have been released in January; that hasn’t happened yet. The public will have 45 days to comment on the EIR. The final draft of the General Plan is expected to be discussed in April. The Planning Commission will vote whether or not to recommend its acceptance to the City Council. Then the City Council gets the final vote.

Reminder About Dirt Mound Near Rydin Road Entrance
Please keep dogs out of the fenced area near the bathrooms. The mound contains excavated soil from under the toilet buildings that were installed last year. According to Park Supervisor Kevin Takei, the soil was tested and found to have lead, so it’s been capped with various materials, including clay and clean soil. The fence is around the mound to keep it clear until the East Bay Regional Park District can add some plants this winter/spring. They’ll keep the fence up until the plants are established.

Casino and Resort Development at Pt. Molate
PIDO members concerned about shoreline preservation may be interested in the following: The city of Richmond is currently planning development along another shoreline, Pt. Molate (near the Richmond-San Rafael bridge). The planned $1.2 billion development includes a 124,000-square-foot casino, a 16-story hotel, and a 6100-car parking lot. For background, see http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=270. For more information on the development plan, visit the Web site of Citizens for a Sustainable Point Molate: www.cfspm.org. You can express your opinion about the development by sending an e-mail to the Richmond City Council members by clicking on the Events header at the CSPM Web site.

Contact Information for PIDO

• E-mail: If you have general questions or comments, send a message to info@pido.org. If you’d like to receive PIDO’s occasional e-newsletters, send a message to pido.editor@gmail.com. (You don’t need to join PIDO to receive our e-newsletters, but we’d love to have you! A lifetime membership is just $10. See the Volunteer page for details.)
   
   
• Telephone: Call Ms. Jerry Yukic at 510-705-1834.
   

PIDO has been working to keep Point Isabel clean and off leash since 1985. It is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers, and your support is appreciated.

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