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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19740327 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Noe, Meeting 74-6 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Regular Meeting Board of Directors M I N U T E S March 27, 1974 745 Distel Drive Los Altos I. ROLL CALL President Peters called the meeting to order at 7 :40 p.m. Members present: Daniel Condron, Katherine Duffy, Nonette Hanko, William Peters, and Daniel Wendin Personnel present: Herbert Grench, Carroll Harrington, Edward Jaynes, John Melton, and Stanley Norton Audience of 5 persons II . APPROVAL OF MINUTES - March 13 , 1974 Motion: K. Duffy moved acceptance of the minutes of the March 13, 1974, meeting as presented. N. Hanko seconded. The motion passed unanimously. III . ADOPTION OF AGENDA A. W. Peters stated that H. Grench's memorandum (M-74-45) dated March 26, 1974 , and entitled Option Fee Fund could be placed under New Business Requiring Action. The Board concurred. B. H. Grench asked that an item concerning the Saratoga Union School District land be placed under Old Business Not Requiring Action. The Board concurred. C. W. Peters asked that a report on the Rengstorff House be placed under Old Business Not Requiring Action and that a report on the Stevens Creek Park Chain be placed under New Business Not Re- quiring Action. The Board concurred. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Peter Wallace, 27975 Via Ventana, Los Altos Hills, described three parcels of land which are owned by the Palo Alto Unified School District and are presently for sale. He asked that the MRPD be aware of this available land. N. Hanko stated that this item would be on the agenda of the next Trails Task Force meeting which will be held Wednesday, April 3, 1974 . K. Duffy asked that the Board be kept up to date about this matter. Mr. Walter Babbitts, Via Ventana, Los Altos Hills , added that the 62 acres parcel for sale would be especially appropriate kept as open space. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ' 'arch 27, 1974 Motion: D. Wendin mu ed acceptance of the minu-, - of the March 27, 1974, meeting as presented. D. Condron seconded. Amendment: D. Wendin moved to amend the minutes by making the following changes: Page 2, V. , B. , paragraph 2, line 3, add: thereby establishing policy at the Board level. " Page 2, Objective 1, Land Acquisition Program, line 5, add: "Development of a master plan should also be included in this program. " Page 3, Objective 3 , Open Space Resources Program, paragraph 1, line 2 , after the words "a land manager" add: "to determine whether and when a land manager should be hired. " Page 3, objective 3, Open Space Resources Program, paragraph 1, line 6 :, Delete sentence beginning "D. Wendin asked. . . . Page 3, Objective 4 , Public Communications Program: The Board discussed whether or not a new halftime position for the Public Communications Program had been authorized. After discussion it was agreed that the minutes were accurate as written. Page 3, third line from the bottom: "Objective 5" should be be corrected to read "Objective 4 . " Page 4 , VI. , B. , : Change the agenda item title to read "Saratoga Union School District--Potential Gift of Surplus Land. " K. Duffy seconded. The amendment passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 27, 1974 N. Hanko asked that the following additions be made: Page 5, B. Procedures for Grant Applications: Before the first motion add: "Application for 1974 State Bond' Money" Before the second motion add: "Application for 1974 State Bond Money and Land and Water Conservation Funds" Before the fifth motion add: "Application for Land and Water Conservation Funds" Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the minutes of the March 27, 1974, meeting as amended and with the additions from N. Hanko. N. Hanko seconded. The motion passed. Ayes: Condron, Duffy, Hanko, Wendin. Absent: Peters. Meeting 74-6 . . . page 2 V. OLD BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION A. D. Wendin reported that it was not necessary for the Board to take action regarding the Los Altos Park Proposals because the City Council of Los Altos has moved to purchase the Redwood Grove and McKenzie Oaks parcels. He will bring this matter to the Board again in the future if necessary. B. Action Plan for Implementation of the Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District H. Grench referred to his report (R-74-6) dated March 11, 1974 , regarding the Action Plan and to his memorandum (M-74-39) dated March 20, 1974, regarding Action Plan Options. He noted that the Board had directed him to prepare a plan for full implementation of the goals of the District with no strong constraints as to personnel and other resources required. He said that the Action Plan was formulated in such a way that it would be implemented near the beginning of the 1974-75 fiscal year because three months would be required to get fully into the complete Action Plan if adopted. W. Peters commented that it was the task of the Board to make critical hard decisions about the various items in the Action Plan report. H. Grench then summarized the four major programs corresponding to the main objectives of the District, namely, the Land Acquisi- tion, Governmental and Private Liaison, Open Space Resources, and Public Communications programs. He described the subprograms, tasks, expected results, and required resources under each of the four programs. After discussion about the Action Plan report and the Action Plan options, W. Peters summarized the consensus as follows: 1) Objective 1: THE DISTRICT WILL PURCHASE OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE INTEREST IN THE MAXIMUM FEASIBLE AMOUNT OF STRATEGIC OPEN SPACE LAND WITHIN THE DISTRICT. Land Acquisition Program Objective 1 is to have the highest priority for the next two years and at the present time there will not be more than one fulltime staff position allocated to this program. K. Duffy added that she would like to see a program for seeking gifts of land. 2) Objective 2: THE DISTRICT WILL WORK WITH AND ENCOURAGE PRIVATE AND OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES TO PRESERVE, MAINTAIN, AND ENHANCE OPEN SPACE. Governmental and Private Liaison Program There is to be no fulltime staff position for the Governmental and Private Liaison. MeeLxng 74-6 page 3 D. Wendin had previously commented that he felt that the Land Acquisition Program and the General Administrative Program should have the highest priorities and that the General Manager should report what needs to be done in the next two years to accomplish these objectives. He added that Objective 2 could be put on the back burner for the next six months . N. Hanko said that the Board and others could assume more responsibility for this program. W. Peters suggested that H. Grench coordinate and maintain the responsibility for this program due to the lack of a fulltime or part-time person. The Board suggested that H. Grench outline what he can do in this area so that the Board can formulate policy and/or initiate voluntary programs to implement this objective. N. Hanko offered to work with H. Grench in the preparation of this report to the Board. The Board could then determine which jobs would be the responsibility of the General Manager and which would be the responsibility of the Board members. D. Wendin and W. Peters suggested that it would be advantageous to work with such groups as the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women in carrying out this program. N. Hanko added that the Trails Task Force members could also help. 3) Objective 3 : THE DISTRICT WILL FOLLOW A LAND MANAGEMENT POLICY THAT PROVIDES PROPER CARE OF OPEN SPACE LAND, ALLOWING PUBLIC ACCESS APPROPRIATE TO THE NATURE OF THE LAND AND CON- SISTENT WITH ECOLOGICAL VALUES. Open Space Resources Program A land management workshop at the earliest possible date is necessary before hiring a land manager. N. Hanko has offered to arrange this workshop. The District will not open land to the public in the next six months, liability coverage will be necessary to protect the District in case someone trespasses the land, and patrol services could be used on an interim basis if necessary. In addition, a land manager will not be hired at the present time. D. Wendin asked H. Grench to prepare a job description for this position. N. Hanko requested that Objective 3 be deferred until after the land management workshop is held. The Board concurred. 4) Objective 4 : THE DISTRICT WILL EDUCATE AND MAKE CLEARLY VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC THE PURPOSES AND ACTIONS OF THE DISTRICT, AND WILL ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND INVOLVE- MENT IN DISTRICT ACTIVITIES. The Board authorized a new halftime position for public communications. H. Grench will report to the Board about restructuring the administrative/secretarial/clerical positions . The items listed under Objective 5 for the Public Communica- tions Program were acceptable; however, K. Duffy asked that the items be listed to show the one-time tasks, e.g. , preparing Meeting 74-6 . . . page 4 the brochures, and on-going tasks, e.g. , preparation of informational releases on specific activities on a regular basis . N. Hanko asked that low priority be placed on develop- ing and implementing a system of communications with radio and television. 5) Objective 5: THE STAFF WILL ADMINISTER THE AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT IN BEHALF OF THE PUBLIC SO AS TO MAXIMIZE ACCOMPLISH- MENT OF THE GOALS OF THE DISTRICT WITHIN EXISTING FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS. General Administrative Program This program is acceptable as stated in the Action Plan. The Board recessed from 10:00 - 10:20 p.m. K. Duffy referred to H. Grench' s Action Plan report (R-74-6) . In that report he had commented about reviewing and evaluating the Action Plan. K. Duffy asked that this be done as a regular procedure. H. Grench responded that there would be an evaluation at the end of the calendar year. An annual report would also be prepared. K. Duffy would like to see a list of District accomplishments. W. Peters stated the consensus that H. Grench will report on the Action Plan as an agenda item as soon as possible. VI . OLD BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION A. Rengstorff House W. Peters reported on the status of the Rengstorff House. The City Council of Mountain View has agreed to lease the property on which the house is located for $1 .00 per year which will allow time for the staff to study the status and possible utilizations of the house. The citzens ' committee has proposed that the house be used as the headquarters for the Shoreline Park. He mentioned the need for multiple-agency planning, and he will report further to the Board about this. B. Saratoga Union School District Surplus Land H. Grench reported that he and E. Jaynes met with the Saratoga Union School District Board of Education on March 26 , 1974 . They made a presentation about the MRPD at this meeting. The Board of Education voted 5-0 to instruct the staff of the School District to work with H. Grench to prepare a proposal and agreement for consideration by the MRPD Board and the SUSD Board. The Board concurred that this matter should proceed as recommended. VII . NEW BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION A. Budget for Fourth Quarter of 1973-74 Fiscal Year H. Grench referred to his report (R-74-8) dated March 21, 1974, regarding the budget for fourth quarter of 1973-74 fiscal year. Meeting -6 . . . page 5 He explained that the Opportunities and Emergencies budget of $250, 000 cash was intended to be supplemented by $650,000 of the borrowing power of the District if necessary. Most of the rest of the borrowing power would be available to the Land Acquisition fund. J. Melton said that it was his responsibility to oversee and advise on this item in the budget. W. Peters would like to see the Action Plan reflected in the bduget. D. Wendin replied that the Budget Subcommittee plans to do so in the next fiscal year. Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the budget for the fourth quarter of the 1973-74 fiscal year as shown with the added provision that of the borrowing power of the District, $650,000 be designated a reserve to be used in conjunction with reserve for Opportunities and Emergencies. D. Condron seconded. The motion passed unanimously. B. Procedures for Grant Applications H. Grench referred to his report (R-74-9) dated March 25 , 1974 , regarding procedures for grant applications. He pointed out that the two most viable possibilities in the 1974-75 fiscal year for a significant grant to the District for its land acquisition pro- gram are the federal Land and Water Conservation Funds and funds from the 1974 State Bond Act for Park, Recreational, and His- torical Facilities. After discussion, the following motions were made: Motion: N. Hanko moved that the staff be directed to prepare a recommended list of non-specific priority projects for consideration by the Board on April 24 , and that a public hearing on the list be set for the same date. W. Peters seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Santa Clara County UD/OS plan be adopted as the District' s interim master plan to be considered by the Board on April 10, and that a public hearing be held. W. Peters seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: N_ Hanko moved that the staff be directed to recomnjerAO., EIR and EIS guidelines and to prepare an appropriate ordinance for adoption by the Board on April 10 . W. Peters seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: N. Hanko moved that the staff be directed to recommend Relocation Guidelines and to prepare an appropriate resolution for adoption by the Board by April 10 . W. Peters seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: N. Hanko moved that the staff be directed to report on Affirmative Action Program requirements on April 10 . W. Peters seconded. The motion passed unanimously. W. Peters complimented the staff on the excellent presentation on the information for procedures for grant applications. Meeting 74-6 . . . page 6 C. Land Acquisition Procedures Motion: D. Wendin moved continuance of this item to the meeting of April 10. N. Hanko seconded. The motion passed unanimously. D. Option Fee Fund H. Grench referred to his memorandum (M-74-45) dated March 26 , 1974, regarding the establishment of an option fee fund and authorization for the General Manager to expend monies from it. Motion: W. Peters moved acceptance of H. Grench's recommendation described in this memorandum and that this fund would be established as of March 1, 1974 . N. Hanko seconded. The motion passed unanimously. VIII. NEW BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION W. Peters reported on the Stevens Creek Park Chain. He mentioned the possibility of multiple agency planning in this area. He asked that this item be placed on the April 10, 1974 , agenda. The Board concurred. IX. RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES Resolution Adopting the Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District (Resolution 74-4) Motion: W. Peters moved acceptance of Resolution 74-4 , Resolution Adopting the Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District. D. Condron seconded. Discussion: K. Duffy asked that the following addition be made on page 4, 2nd line from the bottom, after "the public in" : "the operation of the District and in. " The Board concurred. W. Peters asked that copies of the Basic Policy be sent to all of the agencies which interface with the MRPD. The Board concurred. It was agreed thtt the Directors would develop lists of persons in their particular areas to whom the Basic Policy would be sent. The motion passed unanimously. X. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS H. Grench referred to a letter received March 22, 1974 , from Erik Layman, 1274 Pitman, Palo Alto. He added that he has already replied to Mr. Layman' s similar letter in the Palo Alto Times . XI . CLAIMS Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the revised claims (C-74-6) (see attached) as submitted. K. Duffy seconded. Amendment: N. Hanko moved that Item No. 424 on the revised claims list ($49 .00 to the City of Palo Alto for City Council and Meeting -6 . . . page 7 Planning Commission agendas and minutes) be removed. W. Peters seconded. The amendment passed unanimously. The original motion as amended passed unanimously. XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board recessed to Executive Session to discuss land negotiations at 11:15 p.m. XIII . ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 12 :45 a.m. Carroll Harrington Secretary