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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19750514 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) 1W At Meeting 75-11 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Regular Meeting Board of Directors M I N U T E S May 14 , 1975 745 Distel Drive Los Altos, CA I. ROLL CALL President Duffy called the meeting to order at 7 :31 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, Robert Garcia, Stanley Norton and Carroll Harrington. Audience of six persons. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes of April 23 , 1975 K. Duffy asked that the words "and costs" be inserted after the 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. ADOPTION OF AGENDA H. Grench distributed copies of the proposed survey questions for the annexation of south San Mateo County. H. Grench suggested that the Board members view the most recent Master Plan maps displayed on the office walls during a meet- ing break. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A., Minutes of May 14 , 1975 E. Shelley said he remembered making the initial suggestion that letters be sent to school districts advising them of the gift of land to the Park District from the Saratoga School District (page five, paragraph four of the minutes of May 14 , 1975) . He also pointed out an error in the last line on page six, where it appeared the words "report back to the" had been omitted. K. Duffy stated the consensus that the minutes of May 14 , 1975 be approved as amended. Meeting 75-11 Page two B. Green suggested the Board consider a policy for the naming of its properties. H. Grench said some preliminary research had been done several months ago on the subject, and it was discussed. D. Wendin said he felt the Board should 'be a part of the naming process. K. Duffy stated the consensus that the naming of District sites be considered under Old Business Not Requiring Action. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were no oral communications at this time. V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS The Board acknowledged the receipt of meeting announcements from the County of Santa Clara Historical Heritage Commission and the California Association of Park and Recreation Commissioners and Board Members . VI . SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY A. Introduction of Robert Garcia, New Ranger of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District J. Olson introduced Robert Garcia as the first ranger for the District. R. Garcia has a B.A. degree in Biological Science and has lectured on Ornithology. He is a member of the Sierra Club and Cooper Ornithological Society, and currently resides in Campbell. VII . PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Proposed Fremont Older Open Space Preserve H. Grench referred to his report (R-75-8) dated May 8 , 1975 , regarding the Proposed Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. He noted that a previous report on the natural resources of the property had been presented to the Board in September, 1974 (R-74-18) . At its September 11, 1974 meeting, the Board had decided to purchase an option to buy the 266 acre parcel. Since that time, planning for the use and management of the land has begun. J. Olson said the proposed Preserve had some special problems; for example, the property boundaries did not relate to the characteristics of the land well, access was poor and there were neighbors whose property might be affected by public use of the Fremont older land. In the past, the property has had some agricultural use. There have been nature study programs conducted by schools, and low-intensity uses such as hiking and horseback riding have also occurred on the property. Meeting 75-11 Page three At a community meeting held on May 6 , 1975, neighbors of the property and interested citizens made observations about past and future use of the property which the staff is now studying. Staff will prepare an interim use and management plan for the site which will also be presented to citizens for comment. The interim plan, after appropriate revisions by staff follow- ing community input, would then be presented to the Board for its consideration. J. Olson said the staff planned to investi- gate agricultural possibilities next week. N. Hanko asked if J. Olson felt the suggestions for long-term use of the property on page three of the report had any merit. J. Olson replied that all possibilities should be explored, al- though he had reservations about item No. 1, an expansion of the Saratoga Country Club golf course. N. Hanko suggested the cities of Saratoga and Sunnyvale might be approached about a cooperative effort for a foothills park with the City of Cupertino. K. Duffy noted there were two errors in the first paragraph on page five of the report: in line three, "Stevens" should read "Steffan" and in line four, "W. H. Hearst" should read "W. R. Hearst. " B. Green suggested the words "public hearing" on page three of the report should be changed to read "community meeting. " D. Wendin said he would like to see a historical report on the Seven Springs Ranch included in the final report on the proposed Preserve. H. Grench said that the total purchase price to the District, if the Board chose to exercise the option, would be $689 ,500. The $25, 000 paid for the option would be deducted from that SUM. He recommended that the Board adopted the resolution attached to the report. He noted that the name of Jack R. Lyddon appears in the resolution as a formality. Mr. Lyddon passed away recently, he said. He emphasized that the proposed Pre- serve was still private property and it might be December of this year before the public could have access to the land. K. Duffy opened the public hearing at 7 :58 P.M. Mr. Robert Marks, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, suggested community meetings regarding particular parcels should be listed in publications other than local newspapers so all the citizens in the District are aware of them. He also requested that public viewings of proposed District sites be conducted prior to holding public hearings. He said he would support the acquisition of the proposed Fremont Older Open Space Preserve even though he had not seen the property. Meeting 75-11 Page four E. Shelley said that the community input was sought for the purposes of preparing the interim plan. J. Olson added that a more general meeting would be held at a later time. R. Marks said he was formally requesting that community meetings be listed on agendas whenever possible. Ms. Margaret Dennis introduced herself as a representative of the Castle Rock Group of the Sierra Club. She said that a good government group had formed in the Saratoga area to watch the actions of governmental agencies, and it had been suggested that she monitor the actions of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District. She said it appeared that much of the problem between citizens and agencies was due to a lack of communications. Mr. Bob Denny, land manager of the Fremont Older-Seven Springs Ranches, suggested the property or a portion of it be named in recognition of the Lyddons ' efforts to preserve it. H. Grench, in response to Mr. Marks ' request for public view- ings of proposed District sites, said there were a number of problems which made it difficult to provide for such tours. First, all negotiations for land are confidential and the owner of the land may not wish the public to know of the possible sale or donation. The owner also may not want any visitors except for Board and staff until the sale of the land is final. The District must also be careful about structuring invitations to the public to view potential District sites until use and management plans have been formulated, and the question of public access has been addressed. K. Duffy closed the public hearing at 8 :17 P.M. H. Grench said the words "General Manager" in Section One of the Resolution should be changed to read "President. " Motion: With the above correction, K. Duffy moved adoption of Resolution No. 75-6, a Resolution of the Board of Direc- tors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Author- izing Exercise of Option to Purchase Real Property, Authorizing Officer to Execute Certificate of Acceptance of Grant to District, and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All other Documents Necessary or Appropriate to Closing of the Transaction (Fremont Older Open Space Preserve) . E. Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. Proposed Congress Springs Open Space Preserve H. Grench introduced his report (R-75-10) dated May 8, 1975 , regarding the Proposed Congress Springs Open Space Preserve. He mentioned that in January of 1974 , he had sent letters to various school districts in the District asking them to notify Meeting 75-11 Page five the District when surplus lands were being disposed of. After a number of discussions, the Saratoga Union School District has formally offered a 2 .1 acre parcel of vacant land to the Park District as a gift. As a part of the offer, the School District would be allowed use of the property for educational purposes for a period of twenty years. J. Olson said the property, although small in size, was highly visible. The only use of the property appears to have been occasional hiking, school nature programs and dumping of litter. He doubted use of the parcel would increase since access was difficult and parking limited. H. Grench said the property was important as a visual open space resource. He added that the School District would not have exclusive use of the land, and pointed out that the Park Dis- trict must, according to the deed, use the land for park, recreational or open space purposes. If the District does not or can not use the property as designated, possession would revert to the School District. He said he hoped the action of the Saratoga Union School District would set a precedent for other school districts ' plans to dispose of surplus land. He noted that the Saratoga Union School District will still have use of the land while not paying taxes on it. K. Duffy and N. Hanko agreed that it would be a good idea for the Park District to contact other school districts about the possibility of donating surplus land in exchange for use of outdoor education sites. K. Duffy opened the public hearing at 8:30 P.M. K. Duffy read a letter from the Castle Rock Group of the Sierra Club in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills supporting the District's acquisition of both the Congress Springs and Fremont older Open Space Preserves. The letter was signed by Mr. John A. Brigham, Jr. , Chairman. K. Duffy closed the public hearing at 8 :32 P.M. Motion: K. Duffy moved adoption of Resolution No. 75-7 , a Reso- lution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Accepting Gift of Real Property, Authorizing Officer to Execute Certificate of Accept- ance With Respect Thereto and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All Other Documents Necessary or Appropriate to Closing of the Transaction (Congress Springs Open Space Preserve) . B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. H. Grench recommended the Board consider exempting the Congress Springs Open Space Preserve from entry permit requirements for the present time. Meeting 75-11 Page six Motion: K. Duffy moved that Congress Springs Open Space Pre- serve be exempted from entry permit requirements pending development and approval of Permit Standards for District lands. B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VIII. OLD BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION A. Report of Annexation Subcommittee Regarding Annexation Subprogram N. Hanko introduced the report of the Annexation Subcommittee dated May 11, 1975, regarding the Annexation Subprogram of the proposed Action Plan. Although the Subcommittee was to deter- mine citizens ' committee needs with respect to staff time and financing, she said it was difficult to determine what these needs would be. The Subcommittee felt the citizens ' committee should bear the greater share of responsibility for the annexation movement; however, it was important that staff aid and communicate with south San Mateo County residents and officials. Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board adopt the staff-recom- mended Annexation Subprogram as amended by the Sub- committee in its report of May 11, 1975, which in- cludes the addition of item (c) in the category of General Administration to provide for 4 to 5 hours per month of legal assistance on the annexation petition and other legal matters. B. Green seconded the motion. Discussion: D. Wendin said he had expected specific recommendations on staff activity. N. Hanko replied that it wasn't possible to determine specific demands on staff time. B. Green added that the Subcommittee had advised the citizens ' committee that it was hoped minimal demands would be made of staff. Mr. Norton Batkin of Redwood City, a citizens ' committee member, said the committee had discussed the annexation time- table and decided to proceed with the survey, and had also begun appointing coordinators who would communi- cate with the staff. D. Wendin said he would support the staff spending a minimum amount of time on annexa- tion activities at this time. K. Duffy agreed, stat- ing she would expect the General Manager to use his judgment regarding allocation of time. H. Grench suggested the staff could review time demands in a few months and return to the Board if a reassessment of the District' s commitment should be considered. B. Green said the Subcommittee expected that staff would allocate their time with discretion. Amendment to the Motion: N. Hanko amended her motion to add that staff should expend the minimum percentages of time recommended in the Annexation Subprogram and re- Meeting 75-11 Page seven Board if more than a minimum commitment is required. B. Green seconded the amendment. Discussion: In response to a question from E. Shelley, N. Hanko said the citizens ' committee had not made any requests to the District for financial assistance or other materials or supplies, although some may be expected. C. Harrington suggested brochures and addi- tional slides and display materials would be needed by the citizens ' committee. It was agreed that fig- ures would be developed during the preparation of the budget. H. Grench noted that C. Harrington was in the process of preparing an informational packet on annexation. N. Hanko said she would also include in her amendment that the Annexation Subprogram as amended by the Subcommittee report be tentatively adopted pending approval of the budget. The amendment passed unanimously. The motion passed unanimously. B. Communications System H. Grench referred the Board to his report (R-75-7) dated May 2 , 1975 regarding the Communications System for the District. Pursuant to the Goals Workshop Follow-up report (R-75-1) dated February 22, 1975, the District has proceeded with its plans to contract with the County of Santa Clara for communications services and to receive bids for equipment. Noting the low bid received by the County was in the amount of $6 ,930.00, H. Grench recommended that the Board approve the ordering of the list of communications equipment attached to the report and that the Board concur in the contracting of communications services from Santa Clara County. J. Olson advised that both General Electric and Motorola seemed to provide similar service and quality equipment, but General Electric had submitted a much lower bid than Motorola. E. Shelley asked if the annexation of south San Mateo County would have any effect on the service provided to the District by Santa Clara County. J. Olson replied that the County is currently cooperating with Santa Cruz County, and that with a repeater unit south San Mateo County could be covered. E. Shelley pointed out an error in report R-75-7 in the last line, wherein the month of March should read May. J. Olson said he did not feel additional staff was required at this time for the operation of the communications system. He showed a chart to Board members which explained the County communications operation. Motion: E. Shelley moved adoption of the recommendation in re- report R-75-7 that the Board approve ordering the Meeting 75-11 Page eight munications equipment and concur in the contracting of communications services from Santa Clara County. B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting recessed at 9 :13 P.M. and reconvened at 9 : 31 P.M. IX. OLD BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION A. Master Plan of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District H. Grench referred to his memorandum (M-75-70) dated May 6 , 1975 , regarding the Master Plan of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District. He explained that several maps had been pre- pared for Board viewing from the results of the most recent computations, using the revised scoring system for the District's Master Plan. He distributed a memorandum dated April 23, 1975 prepared by Don Weden, a Santa Clara County planner working with the District on its Master Plan, which explains the Cumu- lative Weights Assigned to Individual Evaluation Criteria in the MRPD Composite Plan Map. D. Weden advised the Board that the new maps reflected two main differences from the last computer run: (1) the revised Board priority weightings and (2) minor changes in the factors used in scoring land provinces. He said he had noticed the following changes: (1) Parker Ranch, the Maryknoll Seminary lands and watershed lands near Los Gatos Creek had increased in priority, and (2) some Mt. Umunhum land and Charleston Slough had decreased in priority. H. Grench said he felt the Board 's objections to the previous Guiding Urban Form weightings had been taken care of. He noted that Larz Anderson, the District's Master Plan consultant, was preparing text material to be presented to the Board at its next meeting. He said the staff would try to prepare more maps by that time. B. Naming of District Sites H. Grench advised the Board that a memorandum had been prepared in August, 1974 regarding the policies of other agencies in naming acquired lands. In that memorandum he listed a number of questions which a subcommittee of the Board might address , for example, District policy on naming parcels after persons who had donated land or offered a significant bargain sale to the District. Arrangements might be made for placing a plaque on District land when appropriate. N. Hanko noted that the City of Palo Alto had adopted a policy of naming its park lands with historical Spanish names. After a period of time, the names became familiar to residents even if they had other names previously. Meeting 75-11 Page nine D. Wendin said he thoughtt-e establishment of both interim and long-term names for District sites should include Board input. B. Green suggested the District should be cautious about refer- ring to parcels by their geographic locations, since that is subject to change. The North Foothills Open Space Preserve, she said, may not be the "north foothills" after annexation. D. Wendin recommended the Board appoint a Subcommittee to dis- cuss naming policies of the District. He suggested short-term names could be determined casually, but long-term names should require more thoughtful consideration. Action: K. Duffy appointed a Subcommittee consisting of herself and D. Wendin to discuss possible Board policies on the naming of District sites. It was agreed that the Subcommittee should return to the Board with its recommendation when time permits. X. CLAIMS Motion: B. Green moved adoption of the revised claims (C-75-10) dated May 14 , 1975. E. Shelley seconded the motion. Discussion: N. Hanko said she would abstain because of Claim No. 1052 . The motion passed on the following vote: AYE - K. Duffy, B. Green, E. Shelley and D. Wendin; ABSTAIN - N. Hanko. H. Grench announced that the annexation survey questions would be discussed at a meeting in the District office at 5 : 00 P.M. on May 15, 1975 . XI . EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board recessed to Executive Session at 10 :10 P.M. to discuss land negotiations and personnel matters. XII . ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 11:15 P.M. Anne Cathcart Crosley Administrative Secretary