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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20100203 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Meeting 10-04 SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT FEBRUARY 3,2010 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING I. ROLL CALL President Mary Davey called the Special Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. She called the Roll Call. She stated that the Board would convene a closed session to discuss Closed Session Agenda Item No.1. Members Present: Pete Siemens, Mary Davey, Cecily Harris, Larry Hassett, Jed Cyr and Curt Riffle. Members Absent: Nonette Hanko Staff Present: Steve Abbors, Duncan Simmons Ana Ruiz, Kirk Lenington, Matt Baldzikowski 11. CLOSED SESSION The Closed Session commenced at 6:00 p.m. and concluded at 7:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING 111. ROLL CALL President Davey called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. and asked for the Roll Call. Members Present: Pete Siemens, Larry Hassett, Mary Davey, Cecil Harris, Curt Riffle, and Jed Cyr Members Absent: Nonette Hanko Additional Staff Present: D. Sanguinetti, B. Congdon, M. Williams, R. Jurgensen, A. Duong, M. Manning, T. WaIz, E. Cuzick. President Davey stated that there were no reportable items from the Closed Session Agenda Item No.1. Meeting 10-04 Page 2 IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS—There were none. V. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Director Riffle moved approval of the Agenda. Director Harris seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to 0. VI. ADOPTION OF CONSENT CALENDAR—There was none. VII. BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item 4—Review of Proposed Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Action Plan—(Report R-10-23) E. Cuzick said that G. Baillie had managed the process and she gave an overview of how each department developed their action plan summary sheets, then met with the General Manager and refined the summary sheets. She explained that the summary sheets are new and the"Deferred List" is new. There are three priority rankings: (1) high; (2) probable; and(3) less likely. Administration: A. Duong presented the Administration Department's prioritized projects for the Accounting, Human Resources, District Clerk, and Information Technology programs. D. Simmons reviewed the Legal and Risk Management programs. Director Siemens asked when the"TBD"notations would be filled in under the Human Resources heading, and A. Duong explained the evaluation process. S. Abbors added further information referencing the staff retention survey. Director Siemens said that most of the work seemed to be in-house and that he'd rather see the summary table show zero dollars instead of"TBD". Director Siemens also added that staff could also adjust the figure at mid-year, if needed. Director Hassett asked about the election costs and what the number was based on. A. Duong explained that she called each county and researched past District elections and budgeted for two contested ward elections. Director Hassett said he could see all four wards beingcontested. He asked why the ward boundaries needed to be reviewed Y again. A. Duong said there were two purposes, one to make sure the County's GIS database is accurate and the other was to make sure that if contested, the voters within the correct ward boundaries would receive the ballots for that ward. Director Hassett asked a question about the bond issue. S. Abbors said that the Controller and the ABC Committee were discussing this subject. Director Hassett asked if the facility repairs and remodeling project costs would be folded into the bond process. S. Abbors said that they will discuss that at the ABC Committee meeting the following day. Director Riffle added that the committee was working with M. Foster on the optimal time to get the funding. Director Hassett stated that the Board Committee process should be the Board members' responsibility to help staff with the schedule. S. Abbors said that the i Meeting 10-04 Page 3 Board's commitment is key. He said he wants to create regular meeting days for the committees. The Board discussed possible formats. Director Riffle asked what positions are planned on being filled. A. Duong said that a full-time District Clerk, Principal Management Analyst and the Assistant General Manager positions were currently vacant. S. Abbors added that the Assistant General Manager position would probably get filled in the second half of the Fiscal Year 2010- 1L Director Harris said that the priorities are well laid out and clear. She asked why not P Y all programs have support items. A. Duong explained this to her satisfaction. E. Cuzick suggested thinking of"On-going" as"Regular Basis;" and"Support" as "Supporting another department." Director Riffle asked if the sales of bonds would go out at the end of the year. S. Abbors said that M. Foster thought they could be out by the summer, or quarter 2 or 3. Director Cyr said he appreciated seeing"On-going"projects as listed. Operations: D. Sanguinetti reviewed selected projects including the Radio Improvement project and the San Clara County Sheriffs patrol contract. President Davey asked if San Mateo County Sheriff's department was contacted. D. Sanguinetti said that, originally, they planned to look into the possibility of working with San Mateo County Sheriff if the Santa Clara County Sheriff's contract had worked out,but since the response times did not improve, staff will work with both Sheriff Department's management to improve response times instead. Director Hassett asked why it costs $30,000 to station a southern area office. D. Sanguinetti said that amount equals the estimated annual rental. Director Hassett said that the Black Mountain Trial Extension(page 7 of 21) dollar amount did not add up. D. Sanguinetti said the dollar amount should be$10,000. Director Hassett asked how the grazing revenue is allocated. D. Sanguinetti and S. Abbors explained how the current grazing revenue is used by the District, and they explained that all revenues go into the General Fund. The budgets are run from the 7% Guideline. Director Hassett addressed the Board and said that as expenditures come out of the budget, he was concerned, and there needs to be a mechanism to show revenues too. Director Hassett referred to page I 1 of 21, Prescribed Bums, and said that the Board is supportive of controlled burns and asked if it is possible to do multi-year or long-term approval for future burns rather than asking the Board for an annual approval. D. Sanguinetti replied that fire is a concern to the public and that putting the approval before the Board lets the public know that the District continuously re-assesses its benefits as well as potential hazards. He added that the permits for the burns are done for multiple years. Director Cyr said it is part of the responsibility of the District as a public agency to educate the public. Meeting 10-04 Page 4 Director Hassett referred to page 21 of 21, Skyline Ridge Tree Farm Restoration, and said he was disappointed that the project was rated as Priority 111. D. Sanguinetti said that the Operations staff feel they can do all of the projects in all the priority rankings. Director Hassett referred to page 15 of 21, Integrated Pest Management(IPM) Program, and asked if the District is not already doing state of the art IPM. He said he had a lot of concern spending time on this and that $50,000 seems unnecessary. D. Sanguinetti said that they may be able to halve the cost, and he explained the reason for the cost. S. Abbors clarified that there is an IPM approach, but no IPM program, which results in no uniformity. Director Riffle referred to page 2 of 21, Rancho San Antonio (RSA) Park Management Agreement, and asked if Deer Hollow Farm was included. D. Sanguinetti said it was folded in. S. Abbors said they were working on the terms for the farm. Director Siemens asked if the District wants to renegotiate with the County, noting that in the past the County paid the District and now the County wants the District to pay them. S. Abbors said they were in discussion,but they have not talked about money yet. Director Riffle asked about staffing, and D. Sanguinetti said that the Operations Department is fully staffed. Director Harris asked about the location of the White Oaks Trail. D. Sanguinetti said it is an old skid road located at Monte Bello Open Space Preserve and that it will be realigned. Planning: A. Ruiz reviewed the vacant staff positions in the Planning Department. Director Riffle asked about the Purisima Creek lower parking expansion process. A. Ruiz explained the process and said that they will determine if there is a cost benefit for the project. Director Hassett asked if the country club was offsetting any of the cost for the Fremont Older staging area project. A. Ruiz said that they're currently negotiating with the country club and looking at alternatives. Director Hassett said he encourages staff to obtain bids from coastside contractors for projects in the coastside area. Director Hassett referred to page 26 of 26, Skyline Field Office Remodel, saying he is concerned about cost. A. Ruiz said that staff was proceeding with recommendations from the Board Committee. She said the focus was on a new shop with minor improvements to the office. S. Abbors said that staff wants to save everything they can,but they will need to build a shop. Director Siemens asked if they would retain the existing building, and A. Ruiz said they would. Director Cyr asked if staff using the facility would be involved in the process, and A. Ruiz said they are. President Davey asked about the location for the South Area Field Office site, and A. Ruiz said they were looking at the fanner Beatty property. J Meeting 10-04 Page 5 Public Affairs: R. Jurgensen said they were facing a lean year and are focusing on these main areas: (1) Diversity Outreach, (2) Crisis Communication Plan, (3) Geo- Caching. He gave a brief description about each. Director Harris said that geo-caching sounded very interesting. She asked if a full- time person would be required for the Preserve Your Health program. R. Jurgensen said that the cost may be covered by a health organization and that staff will be bringing this report before the Board. Director Harris referred to blogging and suggested trying to find power bloggers instead of doing it in-house or finding a volunteer. She referred to page 6 of 20, Environmental Ethics Outreach Campaign, and commented on reconsidering the campaign's name. She asked if the campaign would be done in-house. R. Jurgensen said it would be done in-house, and they will look at a different title when going to the public. Director Hassett said he supported changing"ethics"to "stewardship". Director Hassett said that the radio spots that Kaiser did with East Bay Regional Parks were phenomenal. He said a program that encouraged people to visit different preserves would be great and suggested having a score card for them to fill out and, perhaps,having a reward for them visiting so many preserves. Director Siemens said he agreed with Director Harris regarding blogging. R. Jurgensen said that they are looking at blogging as another access to public outreach. Director Riffle said he supported staff looking into blogging. Director Riffle asked about staffing and R. Jurgensen said that no new staff positions were being requested. President Dave referred to Legislation, specifically SB211 and asked if there were Y a g p Y any news and if staff is following its progress. S. Abbors gave an update and that there was no recent action, and he did not expect it to be in an election in 2010-2011. Real Propertr. M. Williams said that the department was fully staffed. He reviewed some potential new land additions and land purchases. Director Harris said she was sorry that the property management software was being deferred. E. Cuzick said that she is interested in seeing what the new accounting software program offered as a property management component may be included. Director Hassett referred to the Hawthorne property and asked if the District is the responsible owner and is legally committed to it. M. Williams said that the Board previously approved an agreement to accept the property as a gift. He said they are looking into getting partners and that the District is the right entity to manage the open space, and that the historic structure is of concern. Director Hassett said he is glad that staff is looking for partners. i President Davey asked what happened at Hidden Villa. M. Williams gave detailed information. He said that staff is looking for a viable parking area and that the parking area needed to have a trail that works in the area. Director Riffle added that there is a steep trail from the Rhus Ridge parking area, but he understands the situation and that it is prudent to look at other opportunities. ..... .._... _ c Meeting 10-04 Page 6 President Davey thanked staff for giving a clear and logical presentation of the 2010- 2011 Action Plan, and recognized staffs' excellent work. The Board members accepted the staff report. No formal Board action was required. VIII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS COMMITTEE REPORTS Administration and Budget Committee: Director Riffle said the committee met on January 28, February 2 and 4 and made great progress. Cooley Landing Ad Hoc Committee: Director Harris said the committee met last Friday. She said the city's consultant was at the meeting. There would be a community event on Saturday, February 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. STAFF REPORTS B. Congdon said that the Form 700 would be sent out on February 16. The FPPC Guidelines would be sent out in March. She thanked the Board for their calendar updates. A. Duong scheduled the next Use and Management Committee meeting for February 25, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. DIRECTOR REPORTS Director Siemens said that the Administration and Budget Committee meetings on January 28, February 2 and 4 and tonight's meetings are his compensable meetings. President Davey said she attended the Cooley Landing meeting and found it interesting. Her compensable meeting is tonight. Director Riffle said he participated in an equestrian docent-led event. Director Cyr said he hiked a section of the Coyote Creek Trail, about 9 miles. Directors Hassett and Harris had nothing to report. IX. ADJOURNMENT President Davey adjourned the Special and Regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District at 9:17 p.m. Lisa Zadek, Recording Secretary