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As cold weather descends and natural gas costs soar, the Berkeley City Council is expected to adopt a resolution tonight continuing a program to assist vulnerable residents heat their homes. 

If approved, the State of California Department of Community Services and Development will grant Berkeley $30,000 for next year’s administration and material costs for the much needed low-income program. The overall cost of the state-funded program this year was $125,000. 

Applicants will be assigned priority according to a mathematical calculation that considers the very young, the very old and the disabled. 

Energy Officer Neal De Snoo, of the Berkeley Housing Department, said 1,200 homes took advantage of the bill-pay assistance program last year and 125 homes were weatherized. 

To apply for the program, applicants must call the city’s Energy Office on the first of the month and staff will schedule an appointment with an energy consultant. At the consultation, applicants will be assigned priority status according to need. 

Also during the consultation, applicants will learn some energy management techniques such as changing furnace filters, turning off lights when not in use and how to determine when a home is not weather tight. The application is then turned over to the State of California Department of Community Services and Development where it undergoes an approval process. 

Berkeley residents who qualify for the free weatherization program will have their homes modified to stay warmer and thereby reduce energy costs. Energy-saving modifications include, attic, water heater and pipe insulation, low-flow devices put on hot water faucets, and rubber “shoes” fastened to the bottom of doors. 

“Right now there’s more demand than resources,” said De Snoo, “and demand for the program is going up.” 

Senior Service Assistant Diane Norman, of the North Berkeley Senior Center, said the program is very important to seniors who are at higher risk of becoming ill during the winter months. “A lot of seniors don’t know about the program and I think a lot of seniors have been living without heat during the coldest months of the year,” she said. 

For more information about the low-income energy program call (510) 644-8544. 

West Berkeley Air Quality Study 

Mayor Shirley Dean will ask the council to have the city manager develop criteria for an ambient air quality study in west Berkeley.  

Another study of the area was submitted to the city last September that found the compounds acrolein and formaldehyde in amounts exceeding levels considered safe for humans. The source of the dangerous compounds possibly came from automobile exhaust on the I-80 Freeway.  

The September study was considered to be lacking in certain data. A definitive study that will better estimate health risks such as cancer and chronic disease is being requested by the mayor. 

Downtown affordable housing on Oxford Street 

The council will likely adopt a recommendation to ask the Planning Commission to come up with a set of guidelines for developers to work from while preparing proposals for a multi-use development at the site of the Oxford Street parking lot. 

The city owned site at the corner of Allston Way has been earmarked for affordable housing but until developers submit realistic cost analyses, the affordable housing is still on the wish list. 

University Avenue improvements 

The council is also expected to adopt a recommendation to have the city join forces with the University Avenue Association to apply for $2 million in state Transportation for Livable Communities funds to make University Avenue safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

The modifications will include improved sidewalks, pedestrian lights, public transit amenities, bicycle facilities and traffic-calming sidewalk bulbouts. The council will also consider whether to appropriate $24,500 from the parks budget to hire a landscape architect to assist staff in developing plans and preparing the application. 

The city and the UAA must act quickly to beat the February deadline for applications. 

President of the University Avenue Association, Kirpal Khanna said Berkeley’s main avenue is long overdue for a face lift and safety upgrades. “Traffic moves so fast on University,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s safe for pedestrians.” 

New Harley’s for Berkeley police  

The council will consider the city manager’s recommendation to purchase six new Harley Davidsons for the Berkeley Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at a cost not to exceed $102,900.  

Leases on six motorcycles the police now use are due to expire at the end of December. 

Lt. Stan Muller of the Traffic Bureau said the police department would like to replace the leased motorcycles with six new Harley Davidsons to add to the city’s fleet of three BMWs. The bikes would be purchased from McGuire Harley Davidson of Walnut Creek. 

Skate boards 

Mayor Shirley Dean and new Councilmember Mim Hawley have requested the council ask the city attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting the use of skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles, scooters at special events. 

According to the mayor and Councilmember, there have been complaints about reckless behavior on the wheeled devices during crowded outdoor events such as the Solano Stroll where 150,000 people attended. 

The new ordinance would be designed to protect the elderly, infirm and very young. 

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. tonight in Old City Hall at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The meeting will be broadcast on KPFA-FM 94.1 and televised on Ch-25.