Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout19730808 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Mee*, 73-17 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT August 8 , 1973 Board of Directors Sunnyvale Community Center I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL President Wendin called the meeting to order at 7 :45 p.m. Members present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, Nonette Hanko, William Peters, Daniel Wendin Personnel present: Herbert Grench, Stanley Norton, Carroll Harrington Audience of three persons II . MINUTES OF JULY 25, 1973 N. Hanko made the following corrections to the minutes of July 25: page 2, line 28 - change N. Hanko to D. Wendin; page 2, paragraph 2 , line 13 - change D. Condron to D. Wendin; page 3 , under 4 . Senate Bill 463 : paragraph 1, line 5,- change Condron to Wendin and in the same paragraph, line 6 - change Wendin to Condron; in paragrpph 3 under this same subject, line 1 - change N. Hanko to D. Wendin; page 5, paragraph 4 , line 10- change N. Hanko to D. Wendin; page 5, paragraph 4, line 13 - change D. Wendin to N. Hanko. D. Wendin moved that the minutes of the July 25 meeting be approved as corrected. D. Condron seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. III. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission Phyllis Butler, 335 Lowell Ave. , Palo Alto, Chairman of the Commission, and Arthur Ogilvie, Santa Clara County Planning Department staff member appointed to the Commission, presented information about the Commission and possible ways in which the Commission and the MRPD could work together. Possible areas of cooperation include advocacy of the creation of special zoning to preserve historical, archeological, and architectural sites; working for legislation for historical preservation (there is state legislation pending in June 1974 which would be a bond act for funding for preservation of historical sites) ; and keeping in close touch with the Commission. President Wendin called for a recess at 8 : 30 p.m. President Wendin reconvened the meeting at 8 :40 p.m. IV. REPORTS A. Location of District office S. Norton reminded the Board that at the last meeting the choice of office locations had been narrowed to two build- ings. He described the property available at 745 Distel,i- Drive, Los Altos. Today Mr. Harold Bakke, the owner, presented the following oral option to S. Norton for the MRPD: (1) Initially there would be a five-year lease, renewable annually by the MWD on the same conditions as II. MINUTES OF AUGUST 8, 1973 MEETING President Wendin moved that the minutes of the August 8 meeting be approved. D. Condron seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Meet l 73-17 . . . page 2 stated in the initial lease; the MRPD could withdraw from the lease arrangement on the renewal date. (2) The space would cost 45� per square foot and this would be written into the lease. (3) The present space available is approximately 972 sq. ft. , but there is an additional approximately 200 sq. ft. which can be made available if the MRPD so desires. In addition, Mr. Bakke stated that he is willing to make the following improvements at : his own expense prior to occupancy by the MRPD: install walls according to the MRPD floor plan, soundproof the walls, install tackboard and/or a mapwall, replace the interior doors as needed, recarpet the entire area, provide standard draperies, install a blackout curtain, and provide wall plugs as required. Heating and air conditioning will be provided with an inlet and exhaust '#ent in each room. Utilities and janitorial services are included in the rent. The present tenant will be moving by September 1, 1973 , and there will have to be a short interim period to complete the needed improvements. Discussion took place about the Sunnyvale office Center site, including possible office floor plans and lease terms. The rental price on that space would be 53� per sq. ft. per month. Motion: D. Wendin moved that the staff be directed to i�'egotiate a lease for the MRPD at 745 Distel Drive, Los Altos, on bays 8, 9 , 10, 11, and the front half of 12 with the option to lease the rear half of 12 . N. Hanko seconded the motion. D. Condron expressed concern about the maintenance and location of this property. W. Peters was concerned about locating in a high cost area not as accessible to the general public as some other areas. He would prefer to have a building built to MRPD specifications, possibly in an urban area that is being revitalized (e.g. , downtown Mountain View or Sunnyvale) . N. Hanko felt that the 745 Distel Drive office is in a good location with flexible lease arrangments that would protect the District against higher costs during the next five years. H. Grench suggested the future possibility of moving into a building which has been declared an historical site. The motion passed 3 to 2. Ayes: Duffy, Hanko, Wendin. Noes: Condron, Peters* There was brief discussion about the furnishings for the office. H. Grench said that he would like for it to be a nice job, but not to plush--perhaps the quality of the furnishings in the room presently used at the Sunnyvale Community Center. W. Peters suggested that H. Grench should have maximum flexibility in working with a plan for the new office, and he should develop such an overall plan and bring it to the Board. There was consensus from the Board that H. Grench should have full control of this planning. Meet 73-17 . . . page 3 B. Staff Requirements, 1. Controller and/or accountant-bookkeeper H. Grench stated that it is important that a bookkeeping system for the MRPD be established as soon as possible. This would involve having a controller and./or accountant- bookkeeper. The controller' s duties by law are as follows: a. install and maintain system of auditing and ac- counting b. draw all warrants to pay claims C. perform other duties imposed upon him by Article 3, the Board, or the General Manager A discussion ensued about the duties of a controller and/or accountant-bookkeeper. President Wendin stated that the consensus of the Board was that H. Grench should have flexibility in filling these functions. However, the controller and/or accountant-bookkeeper should not be an employee of the MRPD, but should be hired as independent contractors to be paid for their services by the MRPD. S. Norton noted that the law requires an audit be performed within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year. H. Grench said that forms from the State have already been received for this report. Motion: W. Peters moved that the staff arrange for this auditin order to comply with the law. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 2. Assistant Manager H. Grench described the job of Assistant Manager. This person should be able to perform many of the same duties as the General Manager, but, in addition, he or she might have special knowledge about land acquisi- tion, negotiations, and perhaps management. W. Peters acknowledged that one of the prime responsibilities of the General Manager is to act as liason between the MRPD and other governmental agencies. It is important to be knowledgeable about all of the cities in the District so that when items arise concerning MRPD goals and ob- jectives, the General Manager and/or Assistant Manager can act accordingly in the interests of the District. N. Hanko said that she was not ready at this time to hire an Assistant Manager, primarily because of the financial status of the District. H. Grench replied that, as he had stated at the time of consideration of the first quarter budget,even without hiring an Assistant Manager, it will be necessary to borrow more money before the end of the year. D. Wendin said that the consensus at the July 25 meeting was that H. Grench had been so busy with administrative details that he has been un- able to spend more time in getting on with the business of the District and that he needs additional help in accomplishing this. He then stated that he was willing to approve the hiring of an Assistant Manager immediately, if it would help, and he is not reluctant to borrow more money. Meet j 73-17 . . . page 4 , H. Grench suggested that the MRPD keep a list of current projects and continue to prioritize them so that more time can be spent in achieving the goals and objectives of the District. He also stated that it is important to meet the various landowners in the District and inform them about the MRPD and its plans for the future. K. Duffy said that she felt it was important for H. Grench to have adequate staff to take care of the technicalities of the MRPD. H. Grench stressed the importance of informing people in the MRPD about the District, and although he originally looked at the MRPD from a financial point of view, he now feels it is important to spend more money on staff in order to pursue the goals of the District. D. Wendin said that he is willing to wait until the August 24 meeting in order to know more about the outcome of AB2008 , however, he does not want to pro- crastinate about the hiring of an Assistant Manager. He feels it is vital to fill this position soon, and suggested that there be further discussion aboift this at the August 22 meeting. 3. Administrative Secretary H. Grench described.-the duties of the Adminis,trative Secretary position in the MRPD. This person does the secretarial work plus other duties on the job description, e.g. , representing the MRPD to the public and administrative tasks. Presently, the Administrative Secretary needs to help with the administrative type work and we already need additional help with the secretarial tasks--perhaps a part-time person to do clerk/typist and receptionist work, plus a fill-in as needed so that the Administrative Secretary could do more of the administrative tasks as shown on the job description. It is important in fill- ing this position that it be made clear that certain duties in the office have to come first. D. Wendin suggested a compromise of hiring a strong Assistant Manager and a fulltime clerk/typist. He added that good office equipment is definitely needed too. H. Grench replied that presently the clerk/typist work does not occupy fulltime, but as the staff grows , there will be more of this kind of work to be done. Having an adequate secretarial staff to assist the administrative staff is important in accomplishing the goals of the MRPD. N. Hanko expressed that she thinks it is important that whoever does the secretarial work be qualified to handle the work of the Board (e.g. , taking minutes of Board meetings and understanding the full meaning of the discussion) . H. Grench stressed that the secretary (whether it be an administrative secretary or clerk/typist position) should have a key function in the office. It should be a fulltime position, and this person should definitely be knowledgeable about the MRPD and its goals and objectives. Meet 73-17 . . . page 5 D. Condron expressed support for a staff size of four: General Manager, Assistant Manager, Administrative Secretary, and Legal Counsel. He would like for the Administrative Secretary to do all of the secretarial duties at the present time, but as the job and the District grow, realize that it may be necessary to employ another secretary or clerk/typist. K. Duffy would support hiring part-time typing help, if necessary. There was brief discussion about the type of part-time help; that would be hired, e.g. , Manpower, Kelly Girl, etc. H. Grench stated that he already has competent people who are willing to come in on a part-time basis as needed and they are committed to and knowledgeable about the MRPD. D. Wendin stated the consensus that it is important that there be a fulltime Administrative Secretary. If it is necessary to hire someone part-time, it would be fine. H. Grench replied that he feels it would be better for him to present a job description for a clerk/typist position, have the Board approve the position with the proviso that this would be an "over- flow" position. He acknowledged that When an Assistant Manager is hired, the Administrative Secretary could handle all of the secretarial duties. However, the Assistant Manager position will take time to fill be- cause it does require a professional type person. In the interim, it is quite likely that outside help will be needed. D. Condron would like to see the Administrative Secretary position filled, see what- the time require- ments are, and evaluate the need for additional help. H. Grench remarked that with the two former Administrative Secretaries, the workload has been more than a 40-hour week. If they had had time to do more of the administra- tive work (e.g. , retirement plans) , he would have had more time to accomplish the more important work for the MRPD. He added that there should be a systematic way to have employees for the District, especially because the payroll is handled by the County, and this calls for a job category. D. Wendin said that he felt that at least the Board members had agreed that they were not willing to vote for a second clerical position that appears on the chart, but they are willing to let H. Grench hire hourly people on the basis of workload demand. The hiring of an Assistant Manager can be expedited immediately,and the Administrative Secretary should realize that she will be responsible for all of the clerical work in the office. H. Grench asked if the Board agreed that they did not want a job description or a box on the chart, but that it was okay for the part-time employees to be paid through the County. N. Hanko suggested the use of volunteers. D. Wendin said that he felt such part-time help could be handled as a claim item in order to avoid the bureaucratic redtape. D. Condron concurred. H. Grench stated that he felt this was not the proper administrative way to handle this matter. He would like to have one or two people on call to come in as needed and would therefore be regular casual employees . This is especially important because the MRPD is a Meet 73-17 . . . page 6 public agency. S. Norton said that there would not be a legal problem in hiring part-time help and briefly described the City of Palo Alto "casual em- ployee" category, which is for part-time employees of the City. It does not include fringe benefits for these employees. D. Wendin expressed the consensus that the staff would consist of the General Manager, Assistant Manager, Administrative Secretary, and Legal Counsel. H. Grench was given authority to hire additional hourly services as needed. This will be handled on a claim basis. If, in the future, H. Grench feels it is necessary to hire an additional part-time secretary or clerk/typist, he is to report such to the Board. K. Duffy asked if the job description for the Administrative Secretary would remain. H. Grench said that it would. N. Hanko ex- pressed the hope that such an employee would be hired at the lower range of the pay scale. There was consensus that Norma Grench may work part- time when other part-time help is not available. This may be necessary during the new few weeks until a new permanent Administrative Secretary is hired. B. Williamson Act Meeting S. Norton described the panel discussion about the William- son Act held on July 26, 1973, in Saratoga. It was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women. The Williamson Act is administered in each county by the board of supervisors and in each city by the city council. The county has jurisdiction over the unincorporated areas and the cities have jurisdiction over the land within their city boundaries. The Act has been liberalized since its enactment in 1965. The type of lands that can be brought into the Act are agricultural, recrea- tional, open space, and "compatible" lands. The two steps that must be taken to accomplish this are (1) declare the land an agricultural preserve, and (2) enter into contracts with individual owners in the preserve. Local rules can be imposed and can be more restrictive. He described the mechanisms available to landowners for termination of con- tracts. The Williamson Act can drastically affect the tax base in communities in primarily agricultural areas such as Gilroy and Half Moon Bay. This Act was originally intended to be used by landowners on the periphery of urban areas; however, it has been implemented primarily by land- owners in more remote areas. He concluded that it is a complex piece of legislation and has not been as effective as hoped. IF V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS W. Peters proposed the agenda for the workshop on land acquisi- tion. N. Hanko suggested that the Board study this proposed agenda and discuss it at the August 22 meeting of the Board. Meet 73-17 . . . page 7 VI. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION H. Grench referred to letters addressed to him from David Daniels, MD, and Ronald L. Russo, East Bay Regional Park District. VII . CLAIMS Motion: D. Wendin moved that the claims (copy attached) be accepted as presented. D. Condron seconded the motion. H. Grench noted claims 180 and 181 for the National Recreation and Park Association conference were prepayments for this con- ference, and Board approval for the claims would also indicate approval for his attendance at the conference. The motion was passed unanimously. VIII. EXECUTIVE SESSION The meeting was recessed into executive session at 11:45 p.m. for the purpose of discussing land negotiations underway. Ix. ADJOURNMENT The meeting reconvened and adjourned at 12 :30 p.m. Carroll Harrington Secretary