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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20070711 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 07-14 REGULAR and SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS July 11, 2007 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING I. ROLL CALL President K. Nitz called the special meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. Members Present: Ken Nitz, Jed Cyr, Pete Siemens, L. Hassett, and Mary Davey Members Absent: Nonette Hanko and Curt Riffle Staff Present: C. Britton, S. Schectman, M. Freeman, M. Baldzikowski, K. Lennington, C. Beckman, R. Jurgensen, M. Williams, D. Simmons, A. Duwe, A. Correia, C. Roessler WORKSHOP 11. FOREST MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP This was a continuation of the Forest Management workshop held on June 27, 2007. The purpose of this workshop was to further discuss, review and comment on the Draft Forest Management Policy as presented by K. Lennington. K. Nitz adjourned the workshop at 7:30pm. He announced that the Special Meeting would reconvene following the completion of the Regular Meeting. REGULAR MEETING 111. K. Nitz called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were none. V. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Meeting 07-14 Page 2 Motion: J. Cyr moved to adopt the Agenda. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. VI. ADOPTION OF CONSENT CALENDAR M. Davey stated that she would be recusing herself from Revised Claims numbered 7128, 7175-R and 7176-R as she has an investment in AT&T which exceeds the legal standards for permissible voting on such claims. K. Nitz made a statement about Claim number 7139 regarding the amount charged on a District credit card being too high. Motion: L. Hassett moved that the Board adopt the Consent Calendar, including the Revised Claims 07-11. J. Cyr seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0 on Revised Claim, except for numbers 7128, 7175-R and 7176-R that passed with a 4 to 0 vote due to the one recusal by M. Davey. VII. BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item No. 1 —Approval of a Three-Year Agreement with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFire) to Conduct Prescribed Burns at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, and Permission to Conduct a Burn in 2007• Authorize the General Manager to Enter into a Three-Year Agreement with CALFire to Conduct Prescribed Burns Consistent with this Report at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve as an Ongoing Part of the Grassland Management Implementation Plan; Authorize District Staff to Work with CALFire to Conduct a Controlled Burn at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve in 2007 for Habitat Enhancement Purposes—(Report R-07-77). J. Maciel presented the staff report stating that it was two-part item. The first part was a renewal of a 3-year agreement with CALFire to conduct prescriptive burns on the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, an area identified in 2000 as a way of handling vegetation management. The second part is an authorization to approve staff doing a resource management burn on the northern end of the Russian Ridge area. J. Maciel introduced Angela Peterson, a forester and EMT Coordinator with San Mateo County, and he introduced Rich Sampson, the Division Chief, for San Mateo County. K. Nitz asked if staff was trying to remove Harding grass. J. Maciel said that the burn would deal with Harding grass, fuel loads that they have not been able to deal with in the past few years, and yellow star thistle. K. Nitz asked when the last burn occurred and J. Maciel said the most recent burn took place in 2004. K. Nitz expressed concern regarding a burn in a high fire season. J. Maciel reviewed the report recommendations. He said that they were requesting approval Meeting 07-14 Page 3 to bum later in the month, adding that they have received feedback from neighbors and addressed their concerns. K. Nitz asked what the Woodside Fire concern was, and J. Maciel said they were concerned about the time of the year and weather changes. He added that the burn prescription was very thorough and that if the weather was a factor, the bum would be a"no go". He said it is a well- planned event. L. Hassett said he was supportive of this; however, his concern was that these projects are set late in the year and it be targeted earlier in the year, if that was not possible. J. Maciel replied that two years ago the fire was scheduled for August; however, now everything has dried out a month earlier than usual. He added that they do want everything dry enough to bum. Even if they plan for June, it would depend on reliable resources available, which is something over which the District has no control. J. Maciel gave further examples of instances when a scheduled burn did not occur due to events outside of the District's means. J. Maciel said that he and staff understand the concerns neighbors may have seeing smoke and fire on a hill adjacent or nearby. He said that they will not do a bum unless everything is lined up and there is a solid green light. P. Siemens asked why the recently scheduled Monte Bello fire was cancelled. J. Maciel replied that Palo Alto Fire was the lead agency and they had some issues regarding internal resources. There were four agencies involved with the Monte Bello bum, and Palo Alto Fire called to postpone the event until next year. This was their decision as the lead agency on the training. P. Siemens asked about weather conditions and moisture content of plants. J. Maciel said that these were all part of the "go button". K. Nitz asked about the 3-year agreement and asked if staff will come back before the Board for approval each year a burn is requested. J. Maciel said staff would seek Board concurrence each year. J. Cyr asked J. Maciel to address fuel moisture at the bum site and fuel moisture in the area nearby, an issue brought up by a concerned citizen. J. Maciel referred to a concern by Mr. Gage that staff look at adjacent areas to determine the moisture content and review that information as it relates to the bum sites. He pointed out the area on a map. Angela Peterson of CALFire, said they have an ongoing program for doing live- field moisture samples in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. She said they have four ongoing sites that they sample. One of the sites was located off of Canada Road; a second site at the intersection of Hwy 92 and Hwy 35; and a third site near Hwy 9 and Hwy 35. She stated she took samples from Russian Ridge yesterday and she said there was nothing indicative of critical low moisture. She noted that the area is drier this year than it was at this time a year ago, due to the Meeting 07-14 Page 4 lack of rainfall. The live fuel moisture at Russian Ridge was 139%, which is well within the normal range. K. Nitz asked for verification that this burn was not a training exercise, and J. Maciel stated it was not, as it was a vegetation burn. K. Nitz asked if weevils were going to be released this year, and C. Roessler said they have, but not at Russian Ridge. Stan Gage, 455 Old Spanish Trail, addressed the Board, stating he lived about 8110ths of a mile away from the proposed burn area. He said he was there to represent the Vista Verde Homeowner's Association. He said that overall the Association does support the District's controlled burns, and they think it is a great idea. He mentioned he would like to see the Coal Creek area cleared out. He said that, depending on the rate of spread, they were worried about wind shifting. He said he was concerned with a 5 MPH rate of spread, equating it to 12 minutes, and said that a fire truck from Woodside would not be able to reach the burn in 12 minutes time, so he felt they do not have protection. He said that, in the State of California, 3%of all controlled burns escape their containment. While he said he knew that the District has not had a burn out of control, he was concerned that the District needs to address this possibility. He said that 2007 was the driest year ever, and he had concerns about how the fuel moisture is measured. He spoke about the recent Stanford fire, and several other recent fires. He said that the problem with the District's parameter was that the focus is on what is inside the District's territory, not what is between the District's land and other people's residences. He said from that concept the District does not have a way to guarantee there will be no escape. He said that this burn was occurring at the wrong time of the year, and he suggested that there be a moratorium on it, as it is not the right year to be performing it. He said that if the District was not willing to do this,his suggestions and concerns were as follows: (1) Fuel moisture content should be measured off of the District's site, particularly near the residences and if the moisture is less than 100%, then the burn should be a "no go"; (2) What would be the burn time and escape time ratio?; (3) Assess chances to control very thick brush; and, (4) Overall burn index should be less than 30. He suggested that the District reach out to the community more with these plans. He said these plans need to be established with benefits and risks. Bill Tagg, Vista Verde resident, said that he agreed with everything that Mr. Gage said. Amanda Lee, President of the Vista Verde Homeowner's Association, sited an article from Palo Alto Weekly about the dry year and stated that she also agreed with what Mr. Gage presented. Yvonne Trice, 90 Joaquin Road, Portola Valley, said that one of her neighbors had severe trouble breathing due to the smoke coming from a District burn and I Meeting 07-14 Page 5 expressed her concern. She also said that there is a lot of Sudden Oak Death in her area and that the depletion of water may make this worse. L. Hassett said he supports this item and control bums. He said that there is a clear risk in any controlled bum that this might occur. He said he saw a clearer risk in not performing bums. He said he lived in the hills within the range of this fire and said that a helpful outreach to the community might be to hold meetings at his home. He mentioned the South Skyline community sees bums as a necessary control for over-vegetation of the area and that community support has been gained through community outreach. M. Davey said that she agreed. She said she lives in the hills and has observed several of the burns that the District has performed over the years. She said the comforting and assuring part of it was that everyone knew what was going on, and that there was back-up to the back-up for controlling the bum and the activity of the people. She gave examples of witnessing the fast response from local fire departments in putting out fires in the local hills. She referred to a letter in the Board packet that was sent to all of the people in the area. She said that there is protection and that the District is here to protect the public interest. J. Cyr said he had a couple of questions, one raised by Woodside Fire, and asked if there would be a value in getting moisture reading in fuels far away from the site. J. Maciel replied to the Woodside Fire question and their concerns. He said ,that he had been trying for several days to reply to their concerns, but had not been able to speak with them in person. Regarding the sampling, J. Maciel would need to ask A. Peterson if it is possible or useful. A. Peterson said that the live fuel moisture depends on the climatic conditions and this is not something that will change from the north side of the ridge to the south side of the ridge. She said the fire behavior will depend on the weather the day of the bum, mostly by the wind speed. She said she has a portable weather station that she will set up on the boundary of the bum. It measures temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and it will measure the fuel temperature and moisture for the 10 hour period of the bum. M. Davey asked if the Vista Verde homeowners were in the catchments area and if they would have received the letter she mentioned previously. The people in the audience from Vista Verde said they had not received the letter, but had read a notice in the newspaper about this meeting and the proposed bum. G. Baillie said the letters were sent to interested parties and to neighbors adjacent to Coal Creek, Los Trancos, Russian Ridge and Monte Bello. K. Nitz said that, since the Vista Verde homes are adjacent to Coal Creek,they should have received the letter. G. Baillie said he would look into the reason they may not have received this letter. He said that 250 notices were mailed and information was put on the District's website. Meeting 07-14 Page 6 P. Siemens asked if the moisture content of the plants was measured on the day of the bum. A. Peterson said that the moisture level would not change that dramatically by the end of the month. K. Nitz clarified that she measures the moisture once per month and asked which day. A. Peterson said the measurements were done once a month, but that the date varied. She added that the concern of fire spreading was not based on the moisture content of live fuel, but with the amount of dead fuel content and the wind. P. Siemens asked if there was a wind limitation for a"no go", and A. Peterson said they could put in limits, as they monitor wind speeds the day of the burn by doing a small sample bum the morning of the scheduled event. P. Siemens asked about the equipment that would be at the project site. A. Peterson reviewed the resources and equipment that will be at the bum site. They include at least 6 fire engines,type-3 engines that are able to drive throughout the Russian Ridge landscape; a helicopter and a bulldozer. J. Maciel added that there will be six patrol trucks and the water trucks. L. Hassett said that he found it helpful to be on the site when a controlled bum is performed. He said it was a real 'eye-opener' to witness all of the resources implemented at the site and the safety and back up to the back up there. If the burn is open to the public to view, he said it would decrease the amount of fear. J. Maciel said that the Board has been invited to bums, but the Fire Marshall would need to approve and set up guidelines if members of the public were to be invited to a controlled bum. J. Cyr suggested an option might be to have one or two members of the community who have concerns observe, which might offer an educational element. He stated there is a lot of support for controlled burns in theory, but when the day arrives the fear comes out, which is understandable. He said that a controlled bum will reduce the destruction an uncontrolled fire can do. He said that a pre-planned fire is much easier to react to than one that is not. Mr. Gage said that they do support controlled bums generally speaking. He said he would love to do this burn, but not this year. Motion: K. Nitz explained that the Board would vote on each of the General Manager's recommendations separately. I. L. Hassett moved that the Board authorize the General Manager to enter into a three-year agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFire) to conduct prescribed bums consistent with this report at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve as an ongoing part of the Grassland Management Implementation Plan. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. Meeting 07-14 Page 7 2. L. Hassett moved that the Board authorize District staff to work with CALFire to conduct a controlled bum at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve in 2007 for habitat enhancement purposes. M. Davey seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 to 1. K. Nitz voted against the motion. K. Nitz asked the members of Vista Verde to inform staff of their addresses so that they would receive future notices from the District. Vill. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS P. Siemens said his compensable meeting was Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee meeting on July 10 and tonight's Board meeting (7/11). L. Hassett said his only compensable meeting was tonight's Board meeting (7/11). J. Cyr said his compensable meetings were the Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee meeting on July 10 and tonight's Board meeting (7/11). He commented about notices in the FYI's saying that breaking out the individual APN numbers was an excellent idea, and he mentioned to M. Williams that including background information was very well done. He said he was concerned that the La Honda School District has not provided a report to the Board about how the funds have been used and that they were now in their second year without sending a report. C. Britton replied that the District has requested the report and that the next time a payment is due, the District will hold the payment until a report is received. S. Schectman said that the MOU requires payment bi-annually, but they are also required to provide those services; therefore, she would support what C. Britton stated. J. Cyr completed his report by stating that the committee would be interviewing five potential search firms and then move forward to bring a recommendation to the full Board. P. Siemens asked about a similar issue with the Driscoll property and C. Britton responded. M. Davey said her only compensable meeting was tonight's Board meeting (7/11). She explained that she spoke so strongly about the local fire departments because she had attended a training session for homeowners in the hills and this part of the County. She described with more detail what she witnessed with a fire in an uncontrolled situation. K. Nitz said that tonight's meeting(7/11) was his only compensable meeting. C. Britton mentioned that there was a question about a letter that came in. He said that he discussed it with P. Siemens and they decided it should be a Board correspondence for the next meeting. P. Siemens was going to call the letter writer to let them know the status. F Meeting 07-14 Page 8 G. Baillie went to a Palo Alto City Council meeting for their discussion of Station 8 and reported that this matter had returned to city staff. He also pointed out the Board invitations to the Russian Ridge bum. S. Schectman referred to a letter to the Planning Commission from C. Britton about a proposed re-zoning that would affect the District's ability to purchase RM-zone land. She stated the County staff was agreeable to proposing an amendment as suggested by District staff, and she announced that the Planning Commission had adopted it that day. The matter will go to the Board of Supervisors on August 2, 2007. The Board thanked staff for their work. R. Jurgensen said staff would be meeting with three firms regarding the District logo. He said they were half way through a survey and are halfway through the project. He reviewed the number of people who visited various preserves in a two-week period. C. Britton introduced Anne Duwe as that evening's recording secretary. He said that Anne worked at POST many years ago and is again working there part-time. The Board thanked her for her assistance that evening. C. Britton announced that AB 697 passed the Assembly by a vote of 70 to 0, and would apparently face a 5 to 0 'no' vote in the Senate local government committee, so they decided to pull it and make it a two-year bill because the policy person found that "notes" should not be long-term. L. Hassett commented on R. Jurgensen's report and asked what the equipment is monitoring. R. Jurgensen said that they would be contacting ROMP and explain what is occurring. He added that there are explanations for the cameras. IX. ADJOURNMENT OF REGULAR MEETING At 8:45 p.m., M. Davey moved to adjourn the Regular meeting. L. Hassett seconded the motion and the motion passed 5 to 0. The Forest Management Workshop reconvened immediately thereafter at 8:50 p.m. X. ADJOURNMENT The Forest Management Workshop was adjourned at 9:45pm. Anne Duwe Lisa Zadek Recording Secretaries