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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