HomeMy Public PortalAbout19750423 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) 4& 1 Af Meeting 75-10
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
Regular Meeting
Board of Directors
M I N U T E S
April 23, 1975 745 Distel Drive
Los Altos, CA
I . ROLL CALL
President Duffy called the meeting to order at 7 :34 P.M.
Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Barbara Green, Nonette Hanko,
Edward Shelley and Daniel Wendin.
Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Edward Jaynes , Jon Olson,
Anne Crosley, Stanley Norton and Carroll Harrington.
Audience of four persons.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Minutes of April 9, 1975
K. Duffy suggested that N. Hanko' s motion on page four of the
minutes of April 9, 1975 should refer to the recommendations
listed on pages two and three of the minutes. She stated the
consensus that the minutes be accepted with that change.
B. Minutes of April 11, 1975
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the minutes of April 11, 1975
be accepted as presented.
III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the agenda be adopted as
presented.
IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Lloyd P. Honsberger of Leslie Salt Co. introduced his replace-
ment at District'meetings, Mr. Herbert Crawford.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Minutes of April 23 , 1975 .
K. Duffy asked that the words "and costs" be inserted after the
L word "time" in the second line of the second paragraph under
the Negotiations Subprogram on page three of the April 23 , 1975
minutes.
D. Wendin asked that the words "on resources required from staff"
be inserted after the word "input" in the sixth line of the
fourth paragraph under the Annexation Subprogram on page five
of the minutes. He also suggested that the words "pending ap-
proval of the budget" be added in the first paragraph on page
nine following the words "can proceed. " He asked that the same
words be added to the motion following that paragraph.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the minutes of April 23 , 1975
be accepted with the above changes.
Meeting 75-10 Page two
V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There were no written communications.
VI. OLD BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION
A. Interim Permit Standards
H. Grench referred the Board to his report R-75-6, dated April
17, 1975, regarding Interim Permit Standards. He advised that
Ordinance No. 75-1, which was adopted by the Board at its
April 9, 1975 meetingo refers to Permit Standards for Dis-
trict lands. Since it appeared that it would take several
weeks before such Standards could be prepared, it was recom-
mended that the Board exempt the North Foothills Open Space
Preserve and Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve from entry permit
requirements until action is taken on permit standards. He
also recommended that staff be authorized to issue permits on
other sites in unusual circumstances .
MOTION: E. Shelley moved that, pursuant to Section 200 . 1 of
"Regulations for Use of Midpeninsula Regional Park
District Lands ," the parcels known as North Foothills
Open Space Preserve and Saratoga Gap Open Space Pre-
serve be exempted from entry permit standards and
that staff be authorized to issue permits on other
sites in unusual circumstances until further Board
action. B. Green seconded the motion. The motion
passed unanimously.
VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION
A. Update of the Action Plan for Implementation of the Basic
Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District
H. Grench introduced his report (R-75-7) dated April 17 , 1975,
regarding the Update of the Action Plan for Implementation of
the Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District.
He said that the Action Plan adopted in March, 1974 has been
very useful in structuring activities, establishing priorities,
and reviewing progress. It has also served as a means of edu-
cating people about what the District is doing. He said the
proposed updated Action Plan reflects input from Board and
staff members. He added that priorities are generally reflected
in the order of projects listed and in the resources suggested
for the five programs and the eighteen subprograms. Although
the updated Action Plan represented projected activities for
the coming year, it also indicated the direction the District
would be headed through the next five years.
Meeting 75-10 Page three
H. Grench advised that there were three areas that showed a
significant change from last year's Action Plan:
1. The Land Acquisition Program had added a Donations
Subprogram to emphasize the expected increase in
staff involvement in encouraging gifts of land to
the District.
2 . An Annexation Subprogram was added to the Govern-
mental and Private Liaison Subprogram to indicate
the projected activities the staff might be involved
in during the pre-annexation period.
3. The Open Space Resources Program had expanded due
to the acquisition of property by the District
since adoption of the first Action Plan.
H. Grench said that no new full-time staff members were being
requested at this time, but that future requirements were very
uncertain, Particularly in land mdnagem6nt. He said he hoped
the District could use part-time and intern help for the present
in order to keep the District' s programs operating at viable levels.
1. Land Acquisition Program
(a) Negotiations Subprogram
H. Grench said the Negotiations Subprogram included
the normal negotiating activities of the District in
attempting to obtain high priority parcels at desirable
prices (market value or less) and to obtain lands of less
than high priority at bargain prices. He pointed out
that the Assistant General Manager was expected to spend
35% of his time in this area during the 'coming year as
opposed to 50,% last year. E. Jaynes explained that the
initial urgency to acquire specific parcels of land had
decreased, and less money was available for acquisition.
K. Duffy said she would like to see an evaluation of
time spent on condemnation activities. E. Jaynes said
the time was considerable, and affected the overall nego-
tiations program.
H. Grench said an alternative would be to hire a new
staff member who could handle more routine matters and
therefore increase the effort spent by E. Jaynes on the
Donations Subprogram.
In response to a question from N. Hanko, H. Grench ad-
vised that the tax benefits report due from L. Klein was
scheduled for completion sometime toward the end of May.
A brochure was already being designed to aid the Dona-
tions Subprogram.
Meeting 75-10 Page four
(b) Donations Subprogram
H. Grench said the Donations Subprogram included publicity,
letters and personal contacts in an attempt to receive at
least one donation of land per year for the District. It
was expected that a tax benefits brochure would be very
helpful to this subprogram.
(c) Land Analysis Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram was designed to gather
existing and new information about sites in the District,
which can be valuable in the negotiations process. He
said that E. Jaynes ' time in this Subprogram was reduced
in order to give more time to the Donations Subprogram.
He reminded the Board that the District had hired a Real
Estate Analyst last summer to work on gathering information
about parcels of land within the District. If a staff person
were hired to assist the Land Acquisition' Program, some of
his or her time could be used in this area. He said that
volunteers and interns take time to train, and the District' s
office space is limited. They cause some disruption of
normal activity, and volunteers are not always reliable.
However, they are much cheaper than hiring consultants,
and they do bring in new ideas and new perspectives.
(d) Special Projects Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram included projects not
listed in the other Subprograms, such as grant applica-
tions, consultants, contacts with non-profit charitable
institutions .
K. Duffy suggested the consultants' fees listed under
Required Resources might be more appropriately listed
under another Subprogram.
E. Jaynes advised the Board that the District' s initial
interest in particular parcels of high priority had
been, for the most part, taken care of. Due to other
factors, such as the pending condemnation, availability
of money for acquisition was uncertain. He said in-
creased staff in the Land Acquisition Program would
benefit the District, although perhaps not right away.
He said site analysis was beneficial to negotiations,
however, it should be an on-going program.
2. Governmental and Private Liaison Program
(a) Governmental Liaison Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram generally reflected the
current level of activity.
Meeting 75-10 Page five
It was suggested that the words "will be made" be in-
serted between "problems" and "easier" in the eighth
line under Expected Results on page eight to make the
sentence intelligible.
(b) Annexation Subprogram
H. Grench advised that this Subprogram had been added
to project the kinds of activities the staff expected
to be involved in during the pre-annexation period.
He asked that the Board give some policy direction to
staff regarding the appropriate level of staff involve-
ment in this Subprogram.
D. Wendin said he felt the percentages of staff time
listed under Required Resources were too high at this
point.
N. Hanko suggested the Annexation Subcommittee meet
with the citizens' committee to determine what the
citizens could take responsibility for.
D. Wendin suggested the Annexation Subcommittee meet
with the citizens' committee to determine what activ-
ities they could be responsible for, and what activities
they could not do without staff assistance. Then
the Annexation Subcommittee could meet with staff for
input and finally make recommendations to the full
Board as to the appropriate degree of staff involve-
ment in pre-annexation activities.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that this was agreeable.
(c) Private Liaison Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram includes contact with
members of private organizations to exchange informa-
tion and technical expertise, and influence the programs
of private groups favorably toward District goals.
(d) Special Projects Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram generally included
items such as advocacy of open space legislation,
review of Urban Service Area boundaries, and maintain-
ing contacts with legislators.
The Board recessed at 8 : 50 and reconvened at 9: 06 P.M.
Meeting 75-10 Page six
A. Crosley advised the Board that major activities or
projects may sometimes utilize more of staff ' s time
than is anticipated by the Board. She cited the Stevens
Creek Trail Study as an example, and estimated that in
the past several weeks it had required from 10% - 200
of her time, not including the regular Trails Task
Force activities. Other staff members faced similar
demands on their time. She advised that it was dif-
ficult to get volunteer help for mundane tasks and on
short notice, and other District activities sometimes
suffered.
J. Olson said that the time he had been giving recently
to the Stevens Creek study had caused him to give less
time than he should be giving to other projects of a ,
greater priority. He said that at some point extra
resources may be required to deal with Trails projects.
3. Open Space Resources Program
(a) Open Space Management Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram included planning for
District sites on both short-term and long-term bases.
He commented that Typical Project No. 5, regarding the
development of a system to analyze long-range impli
cations of changes in vegetation dynamics, could be
done in cooperation with other agencies.
K. Duffy said she would like to see wildlife added to
that project and J. Olson concurred that it would be.
H. Grench advised that the Required Resources reflected
a backlog of activities in this Subprogram.
(b) Patrol Subprogram
H. Grench said this subprogram included patrol of Dis-
trict lands, and training of District rangers in the
patrol, analysis and maintenance of District lands.
In response to a question from D. Wendin, J. Olson
said he did not foresee on-site rangers at this time,
and he hoped tenancy arrangements could be worked out
on some sites.
(c) Permit System Subprogram
H. Grench said the establishment of a permit system
and required personnel would depend on the type of
system adopted and the demand for permits. Generally
Meeting 75-10 Page seven
the Subprogram aim would be to allow citizens access
to District lands without disturbing the ecological
character of such lands.
(d) Trails Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram involved liaison with
the Trails Task Force and review of its recommenda-
tions, and 10% of the Land Manager' s time is allocated
for it.
J. Olson advised that he currently spends about 15%
of his time on Trails Task Force work. D. Wendin said
10% seemed reasonable, as the Trails Task Force was
saving the District both time and money.
(e) Intern and Volunteer Subprogram
H. Grench said there were many projects in the Open
Space Resource Program and other programs where volun-
teers and interns could be used, for example: patrol-
ling, litter clean-up, mapping, analysis.
B. Green suggested the District take into account re-
imbursement for expenses incurred by volunteers.
H. Grench pointed out that, under Required Resources,
it should read "Contract Services - $1, 500 - $2, 000 or
Part-time staff person" .
J. Olson said he and C. Harrington were trying to work out
volunteer program with the Environmental Volunteers.
A. Crosley advised that the District received more
requests from students volunteering to work on projects
than could currently be offered and supervised.
(f) Special Projects Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram included a number of
projects which could be implemented under the open
Space Resources Program, such as investigation of
revenue-producing land uses, nature study programs
with school districts, interpretive programs and
development of a standardized mapping system. He
said a consultant could be considered for Typical
Project No. 2, a study of revenue-producing land
uses .
K. Duffy suggested the Typical Projects be reordered
to reflect their priorities. Mapping was given highest
priority, revenue sources second, interpretive program
third, and nature programs with schools was listed
last.
Meeting 75-10 Page eight
J. Olson said an important factor in the Open Space
Resources Program was the possible addition of staff.
It might be possible to continue work on the various
subprograms and provide adequate patrol for the present
with the addition of a ranger and the use of interns
and volunteers (especially in summer) . If the District
acquires additional lands, however, especially in the
southern portion of the District, it may be necessary
to add personnel.
4. Public Communications Program
(a) Publications Subprogram
H. Grench advised that this Subprogram requires the
most time for the Public Communications Assistant.
The publication and distribution of informational
materials for citizens is the primary focus of the
Subprogram. He suggested the District might use more
consultants during the next year. He noted that
the Public Communications Assistant has not had the
benefit of much secretarial assistance, and perhaps
the budget should provide for this.
(b) Media Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram reflected regular com-
munications with the press. He added that there would
be a greater effort to obtain publicity of the dona-
tions program and the District' s open space program in
general through articles in nationally-distributed
newspapers and magazines.
(c) Public Participation Subprogram
H. Grench said this Subprogram included the input and
feedback from citizens regarding the District' s pro-
grams. He noted that the Master Plan will be pre-
sented to both governmental and private groups in
the District for comments and suggestions.
5. General Administrative Program
H. Grench advised that he spends his time on the var-
ious programs as follows: Land Acquisition - 25%;
Governmental and Private Liaison - 20%; Open Space
Resources - 15%; Public Communications - 15% ; and
General Administration - 25%.
N. Hanko said she considered the Action Plan document unique as
compared to the output of other governmental agencies and she
commended the staff on it.
Meeting 75-10 Page nine
D. Wendin suggested the Board tentatively approve the updated
Action Plan pending the report of the Annexation Subcommittee,
so that budget preparation can proceed.
Motion: D. Wendin moved tentative approval of the updated Action
Plan for Implementation of the Basic Policy of the
Midpeninsula Regional Park District pending the report
of the Annexation Subcommittee. N. Hanko seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously.
B. Appointment of Budget Subcommittee
K. Duffy referred to her memorandum (M-75-66) dated April 15,
1975, which stated her intention to appoint B. Green and E.
Shelley to the Budget Subcommittee for the 1975-76 fiscal year.
The proposed schedule would give the staff and Budget Subcom-
mittee until May 16 to prepare a budget. By May 21 the General
Manager and Controller would have their reports prepared. On
May 28, the Board would consider the proposed budget for adop-
tion, and on June 2 the budget would be sent to the County.
She also suggested the Budget Subcommittee could develop pro-
posed expense reimbursement policies for Directors.
It was suggested that reimbursement policies for volunteers
also be considered.
Action: K. Duffy appointed E. Shelley and B. Green to the Budget
Subcommittee for the purpose of working with staff to
prepare the 1975-76 fiscal year budget.
VIII. CLAIMS
Motion: D. Wendin moved adoption of the revised claims (C-75-9)
dated April 23, 1975. K. Duffy seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board recessed to Executive Session at 10: 10 P.M. to dis-
cuss land negotiations.
X. ADJOURNMENT
The Board reconvened to adjourn at 11: 00 P.M.
Anne Cathcart Crosley
Administrative Secretary