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Midpeninsula Regional
' Open Space District
i Meeting 09-19
SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT
JUNE 16,2009
MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
I. ROLL CALL
President Nonette Hanko called the Special Meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. She gave introductory
comments and thanked all who were in attendance. She then asked for the Roll Call.
Members Present: Nonette Hanko, Jed Cyr, Mary Davey, Larry Hassett, Cecily Harris, Pete
Siemens and Curt Riffle.
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: S. Abbors, S. Schectman, A. Ruiz, D. Sanguinetti, R. Jurgensen, A.
Jatczak, M. Williams, K. Lenington, M. Manning, G. Basson, L. Maze,
T. Hugg, E. Simmons, C. Cleve, A. Christenson, B. Hsieh, B. Malone, A.
Duong, S. Sommer, M. Baldzikowski,N. Perez, G. Laustsen, D.
Simmons
The Special meeting took place at the Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos,
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CA 94070.
II. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
R. Jurgensen told the Board how the public notification was handled. President Hanko thanked
people for attending the meeting. She called for a motion to adopt the agenda.
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Motion: Director Hassett moved adoption of the Agenda. Director Cyr seconded the
III' motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
III. BOARD BUSINESS
Director Hassett gave opening remarks as the chair of the La Honda Master Plan Ad Hoc
Committee and he stated the goal of the meeting. He acknowledged all of the departments and
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Meeting 09 19 Page
staff involved in the preparation of the Master Plan, and he gave special recognition to A. Ruiz,
the new Planning Manager. S. Abbors welcomed the guests and thanked District staff. He read
the area-specific mission statement for the coastal protection area. He pointed out that the
master plan spans a 30-year horizon and that funding is a key constraint. A. Jatczak reviewed
the public comment process.
A. Agenda Item I — Second Public Hearing on the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve
Draft Master Plan; Receive Additional Comments on the La Honda Creek Open Space
Preserve Draft Master Plan (Draft Master Plan), Schedule a Third Public Hearin at t the
District's Administrative Office to Receive Additional Public Comment Consider
Public Access Option 1 and Option 2 and Whether to Tentatively Approve the Draft
Master Plan—(Report R-09-85)
Staff Presentation: A. Ruiz gave a PowerPoint slide presentation. She said the La
Honda Creek Open Space Preserve Draft Master Plan (LHCOSPDMP) process began in
July 2004 and she showed the major milestones of the Master Plan process. She showed
a map of the preserve and its relation to other open space lands.
K. Lenin on reviewed the natural and cultural resource management for the reserve.
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He spoke about the goals and public input process. He reviewed the parts of the
information about the incorporation of the Driscoll Ranch property reserve includingo
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as part of the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve(LHCOSP). He discussed the two
Conservation Management Unit areas and what they meant regarding public access. He
also reviewed the grazing management and fire land management recommendations.
recommendations and the public comments the
A. Ruiz discussed the public access e
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District has received regarding allowed uses on LHCOSP. She reviewed the possibility
of integrating public access with existing uses, such as grazing; and she showed possible
uses for the different areas of the preserve, including educational opportunities around
the Red Barn area. She discussed and showed slides of improving the existing parking
area and the addition of up to three new parking areas at key areas of the preserve. She
summarized the public access and trail use options. Finally, she reiterated that all of the
plans would be implemented in four phases over 30 years and she showed a chart
showing the long-term operating costs.
Public Comment:
Ken Nitz, Redwood City, said it was a great report and he liked the prioritization within
the document. He said that $10 million was a lot of money and that it could be spent
better in areas with greater public use such as Rancho San Antonio or the farm area. He
said the public safety problem at Fremont Older should be handled first. He suggested
using"Z gates to eliminate the need for self-closing gates and he said the fencing in the
riparian area should be done by the rancher. He asked if the school parking lot would be
used for overflow parking at the Sears Ranch parking area. He said the permit parking
should be left as it is. He said he would rather see an interpretive center at Rancho San
Antonio because the La Honda location is too remote. He suggested flipping Phase I
with Phase II because restoring the water habitat is more important. He said he liked the
new parking lot ideas and suggested installing them one at a time. He asked why the
Meeting 09-19 Page 3
white barn was not being added to the historical registry. Finally, he said that the CMU
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should be defined in the document.
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Mei Xi, La Honda, said she is a mountain biker and that she supported Option 2 and
indicated that she spoke at the May 19 meeting. She asked the Board to consider
opening access to bikers at the Sears Ranch area to allow access to Driscoll Ranch and
the vista point. She said that complaints sound louder than compliments and she wanted
the Board to know that she had a 100%positive experience on District trails. She said
she was in favor of the alternate day use access and said that the majority of the biking
community would abide if they are educated. She said that creativity may be necessary
to keep all user groups satisfied. She said the District could reduce trail maintenance
costs on remote trails as bicyclists like the uneven surface.
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Arend Sidow, Palo Alto, hikes and bikes on trails regularly. He said mountain biking is
a healthy activity and he enjoys the trails at El Corte de Madera. He said he has had
friendly encounters with other users and has experienced no adversarial confrontations. j
He suggested making multi-use trails a default in all master plans. He asked why there
are no mountain biking only trails.
Walter Gloskowski, Belmont, said he was representing SMCHA and LAH. He said he
was a horse rider and that he rides at Purisima Creek Redwoods. He said in the past two
weeks he encountered situations that could have resulted in serious accidents on single j
track trails with bicycles and he said both cases were due to excessive speed on the
bicyclists' part. He asked if the road near gate 1 at La Honda Creek could be used to
connect it to El Corte de Madera and he suggested adding a horse trail along the road.
He suggested requiring a speed limit control and suggested a device to limit speed to 15
m.p.h.
Ernst Meissner, Menlo Park, said he was a horse rider and that he keeps his horse near
Arastradero and that he rides on many District preserves. He said he works on trail
crews and said that all users are able to celebrate the outdoors together. He said that all
user groups are aware of each other and look out for each other. He said that many users
are unaccustomed to interacting with new user groups. He compared single track trails
to wider trails and said that sharing single track trails could cause major problems
because certain trails are not compatible with multi-use. He said it is okay to share trails
where it is safe to do so.
Joyce Halpin, La Honda, said she was representing ETRAC. She said that ETRAC fully
supports Option 2 and that she had viewed the road and toured the area, especially the
area around the Red Barn, with A. Ruiz. She said she would like to have two rig
parking spaces at the Sears Ranch parking lot area. She referred to the pathogen report
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and said she contacted experts and was pleased with the result of the report that there
were no major pathogens caused by horses.
Paul. Wendt, Belmont, said he was a member of the Sierra Club and that he was a
lifelong conservationist. He enjoys biking and hiking trails at Purisima Creek
Redwoods and El Corte de Madera. He said he was in favor of Option 2 and that he was
Meeting 09-19 Page 4
pleased that the District was moving forward with public access and the La Honda
Master Plan.
Lynn Belingheri, La Honda, and said she is a neighbor of the Red Barn area. She
thanked the Board for their good direction. She spoke in favor of dog access and said
she knows the necessity for on-leash use. She asked the Board to enlarge the area for
dog users around the Sears Ranch access and said it would be beneficial for everyone
because it will be a well used area. She said she was also in favor of the alternate day
use idea. She said it works well in Washington state and Oregon.
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Board Comments:
Director Hassett asked about the albino redwood area and asked if there was going to be
any additional protection. A. Ruiz said that there would not be any identification of the
location on preserve maps and that the area was off road and trail access. The only way
to access the site would be by a docent led hike.
Director Cyr asked about access to the preserve and if there would only be on-trail
access allowed or if people could hike off trails. A. Ruiz said that hiking only can occur
on trails.
Director Riffle asked if there will be opportunities to update the Master Plan once it is
adopted. A. Ruiz said that there will be periodic reviews if new data or information
becomes available and modifications are needed. She said she anticipated the review of
the plan to be in ten to fifteen years.
President Hanko asked if another question and answer sheet would be compiled as a
result of this meeting, similar to the May 19 meeting. A. Ruiz replied affirmatively.
President Hanko asked staff to look at the trail alignment to have a route to o down to
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the Driscoll Ranch area and if it is possible to have a trail g y �
not be any encounters with bicycles.
Director Riffle asked what the difference in cost was between Option 1 and Option 2.
A. Ruiz said that the main difference is the operational costs and that the majority of the
costs for either option are the up-front costs. There would need to be additional patrol
and maintenance costs,but basically the two options cost about the same.
Director Riffle asked about wildlife corridors and commented on plans to connect areas
and allow wildlife passage. K. Lenington said that there were no large issues regarding
connectivity to other preserves and that the master plan does not create a barrier.
Director Riffle asked if the trail layout causes a problem regarding corridors and K.
Lenington said it does not at this time.
Director Hassett asked if there were any problems in switching the order of phase 1 and
phase 2, other than cost. K. Lenington said that they would need to look into that to give
an adequate answer.
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Director Siemens asked if there was evidence of salmon and steelhead trout. K.
Lenington said that steelhead trout were located in all three water sheds and that salmon
was located in one. Director Siemens asked if there was low fish population and K.
Lenington said there was. Director Siemens asked if it was possible to increase the fish
population to historic levels. K. Lenington said that it is a monumental task to restore
fisheries to historic levels, but they would look at ways to keep sediment out and look at
habitat in creeks and increase habitat components in ponds. Director Siemens asked if
the District is constrained by what happens down stream. K. Lenington replied yes, and
that it is a very large watershed area with lots of complicating factors. The District
cannot do the work alone and will need to develop partnerships with land owners and
local groups.
Director Davey asked about the possibility of a trail connection between El Corte de
Madera and La Honda Creek and if it were possible to have a multi-use trail. A. Ruiz
said that currently it was not possible because there was private land separating the two
preserves. She said the District will need to work with neighbors to either purchase land
or create trail easements and without that happening it would be impossible to connect
the two preserves. Director Davey clarified and asked if there was no connection at
present. A. Ruiz said that Bear Gulch Road did connect,but it is a very narrow and
windy road with steep slopes. Director Davey said it was important to find an easement
and asked if there were any willing owners. S. Schectman replied that the Real Property
Department staff is actively working with two property owners,but there was no definite
timeline.
President Hanko commented on the permit parking lot and asked if it were possible for
bikes to be driven in and then the cars parked at the Allen Road parking lot to allow
access for bicycles in the upper area of the preserve. A. Ruiz said that there were no
"bicycles allowed"trails connecting to the permit lot. She said the neighbors along
Allen Road are concerned about bikes riding down the road. She did remind the Board
that there would be a new parking lot off Skyline Boulevard for El Corte de Madera.
Director Hassett said it was the committee's intent to identify a ridge trail connection
and its desire to have multi-use trail function. However, it was originally not intended to
open the trail to multi-use until there is a connection on both sides. He asked if they
could amend that to allow for multi-use if only one end was open.
Director Davey asked if there were any prospects to connect trails at the Red Barn. A.
Ruiz said that there could be a one-way trail,but no connections were anticipated
beyond that at this time. She said the eventual goal was to connect to Windy Hill Open
Space Preserve, but that would be a longer-term project.
IV. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:20pm, President Hanko adjourned the Special meeting of the Board of Directors of the
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Lisa Zadek, Recording Secretary