This tall metal bird (3.5 feet) was on my wooden deck prior to the fire. Surprisingly it did not totally melt however it could no longer stand since the metal legs were twisted from the heat. A friend of mine took the bird on a long ride to a metal worker friend living in Hat […]
This was the first sculpture I made after the destruction of my home. When I first encountered the remains of my house I found on top of the pile of ash two intact ceramic goblets fused to a portion of glass. This seemed to be a miracle that these did not break since there was […]
Over the past few weeks, scouts from Piedmont Boy Scouts Troop 15 helped Eagle Scout candidate Nathan Catalano install Trex edging along the sidewalk on Hiller to retain the soil from the Firestorm Memorial Garden. As part of his project, Nate had to measure sections to determine how much Trex was needed. Using donated Trex […]
As we venture out again after months of hunkering down during Covid, watching the news of infections among fully vaccinated individuals, please take note of these upcoming events that the North Hills Community Association board is planning to strengthen our North Hills community. Please share with neighbors and other friends who don’t subscribe to our […]
“I do remember using all these items for the fun dinner parties I had and cherishing the sugar bowl of my grandmothers and the demitasse cup given to me by a dear friend who has since passed away.“ “When I look at the wall display, I do remember that these were some of my favorite […]
When my family and I first moved into our new home in the Oakland Hills in 2003, we began our landscaping like any other family, but then I started finding items in the dirt that seemed to belong to the previous occupants of the land. We had bought the lot from people who had bought […]
Sue Piper’s Post Fire Garden Quilt—I had made a smaller quilt like this before the fire, based on art from Lois Ehler’s children’s book Planting a Rainbow. Several months after the fire, when I felt the urge to quilt again, I decided to remake the quilt but larger. The flowers represent the flowers that had […]
Here you can input your address or parcel number and find out if an inspection has been done and if you passed. Oakland Online Permit Center
Here is a useful link from EBMUD on water conservation.
Goats in the Hills Living in the Oakland hills we have become used to seeing the goat herds on the hillsides during springtime, ‘mowing down’ the grasses and weeds, which are a big part to management the vegetation in hard to reach hillsides for fire prevention. We interviewed two of the goat herders, Alberto, and […]
City Administrator Ed Reiskin announced the selection of Reginald D. Freeman to serve as the next Fire Chief for the City of Oakland. This became effective May 17, 2021. Mr. Freeman most recently has served as the Fire Chief for the City of Hartford, Connecticut since 2016. He will take over for Deputy Chief Melinda […]
The City of Oakland’s annual defensible space inspections have already started–and residents need to not only ensure that their homes and loved ones are protected, but work together for the safety of their surrounding neighborhood. While we honor the memory of Battalion Chief Riley, who gave his life protecting others in the midst of the […]
On Thursday, May 27, Oakland Fire Fighters, Councilmember Dan Kalb, and local residents joined the North Hills Community Association in rededicating a granite bench to the memory of OFD Battalion Chief James M. Riley, Jr. who died saving a fleeing resident during the 1991 Firestorm. His widow, Christine Riley thanked everyone for keeping her husband’s […]
The NHCA Earth Day was celebrated by a number of volunteers enjoying the Gateway Exhibit and Gardens (Tunnel/Hiller/Caldecott Lane) admiring the beautiful vistas, placed granite rocks and color of the current blooming from succulents as well as Iris, Red Bud and Lilies. Participating in community volunteerism gave them an opportunity to meet new friends, learn […]
Eagle Scout Candidate Nico Laub-Sabater (Piedmont Boy Scout Troop 15) has led a multi-work-day project to beautify the Gateway Fire Resistant Garden over the last few months in coordination with the NHCA Garden Committee. Scouts weeded near the exhibit center and then planted succulent cuttings. The Gateway Fire Resistant Garden shows local residents how they […]
NHCA Committee Chair Sue Piper and her husband Gordon, chair of the Oakland Landscape Committee, shared their 50th Anniversary with volunteers at Gateway. Many thanks to Mary Alice Rathburn for picking up the trash (she does so every week); and to volunteers Lia Turk, Laura Escobosa and Carolyn Burgess for weeding in the garden. It […]
Advocacy letter addressing senator Nancy Skinner, dated March 8 2021
Overview In 2005, NHCA joined a coalition of neighborhood groups that worked to ensure construction of the Caldecott Tunnel’s fourth bore was done with the least negative impact and with appropriate mitigations and improvements that are socially, economically, and environmentally beneficial for the entire community. Caltrans opened the new bore to traffic in November 2013 […]