HomeMy Public PortalAbout19750723 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Nblol Meeting 75-17
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
Regular Meeting
Board of Directors
M I N U T E S
July 23 , 1975 745 Distel Drive
Los Altos, CA
I. ROLL CALL
President Duffy called the meeting to order at 7 :38 P.M.
Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Barbara Green, Nonette
Hanko, Edward Shelley and Daniel Wendin.
Personnel Present : Edward Jaynes, Jon Olson, Anne Crosley,
Robert Garcia, Jennie George, Carroll Harrington, Stanley
Norton and Del Woods.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Minutes of July 9 , 1975
D. Wendin said his name was incorrectly listed in the second
to the last line on page five of the minutes of July 9 , 1975
as the person who made a substitute motion. N. Hanko's name
should replace his, he added.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the minutes of July 9 , 1975
be approved with the above change.
III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
D. Wendin asked that he be given time to report on his meeting
with Directors of East Bay Regional Park District regarding
changes in regional park district enabling legislation.
D. Wendin said he would like to discuss the staff decision to
discontinue sending revised claims with minutes beginning with
the July 9, 1975 minutes.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the agenda be adopted as
presented with the above additions.
IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Dr. Robert Mark, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, asked for a clarification
of Board policy on the issuance of permits for the use of
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Minutes of July 23, 1975
On page six, paragraph three, under discussion of approval of
annual claims list, D. Wendin asked that the following state-
ment be added: The Board felt that the claims should receive
the same broad distribution that minutes receive.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the minutes of July 23, 1975
be approved with the above addition.
Meeting 75-17 Page two
District lands. He urged that interested citizens be included
in the planning process so that a regional outlook will be
reflected in use and management plans .
J. Olson advised that Black Mountain Open Space Preserve is
presently the only District-owned site which requires a permit
for entry (the Perham Ranch is an exception due to special
occupancy considerations for one year) . This property is a
fragile ecological area and more remote than other District
lands. There have been only a few instances when permits have
been granted to environmental groups under circumstances which
the General Manager felt were unusual . The site planning pro-
cess, he explained, will include a study of what kinds of permits,
under what conditions, should be issued for the different Dis-
trict lands. There would be several opportunities during the
planning process for members of the public to give input regard-
ing the use of District lands.
N. Hanko said the lack of a communications system may be one
very good reason why staff is cautious about issuing entry per-
mits.
R. Garcia advised that District personnel did have to be care-
ful when patrolling without a communications system because it
was not possible to contact the office or other enforcement
agencies when problems arise. He explained that hikers found
crossing Black Mountain are advised that it is District land
and that entry permits are required.
D. Wendin said he hoped the site planning process would include
interested citizens who want to help in that process.
Dr. Mark suggested that those people who receive permits could
be asked to check back with the District to let them know of
any activity on District sites.
E. Shelley said he thought staff was following Board policy,
although it appeared as though people interested enough in
the District' s lands to ask permission had less access than
those who did not ask permission.
N. Hanko said if the Board was going to consider a change in
its policy on permit standards, the matter should be agendized.
V. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
K. Duffy acknowledged receipt of two letters regarding the
future management of the Perham Ranch property, one from the
San Antonio Hills Association dated July 11 , 1975 and the other
from Mr. William C. Reynolds dated July 10 , 1975 .
Meeting 75-17 Page three
VI. OLD BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION
A. Site Planning Procedures
K. Duffy introduced a memorandum (M-75-111) of E. Jaynes dated
July 18 , 1975 regarding Site Planning Procedures for the Dis-
trict. The memorandum pointed out that the Open Space Manage-
ment Subprogram of the District' s Action Plan includes as one
of its projects the short and long term use and management
planning for District sites.
J. Olson presented proposed site planning procedures for the
District which had been revised by staff based on Board com-
ments at the June 25 , 1975 meeting and a subsequent meeting
with D. Wendin and E. Shelley. The analysis and planning pro-
cess remains structured in two phases : Pre-acquisition and
Post-acquisition. Under the pre-acquisition phase, procedure
No. 11 has been added to provide for public hearings when a
property is under option. Procedure No. 16 has been added to
establish a time element in which an interim plan will be
developed. Under the post-acquisition phase, procedure No. 1
has been added to implement the last step of the pre-acquisi-
tion phase. A planning recommendation step has been inserted
under procedure No. 7 to determine whether site specific or
area planning is more suitable . The environmental assessment
that is developed from information generated in steps 1 through
6 will be included as part of the use and management plan.
Procedure 11 has been expanded to include refinement of that
plan and precedes preparation of the final draft. A final
addition to this phase is a description of factors relevant
to the yearly review of site plans .
He noted that staff would be emphasizing phase I - pre-acquisi-
tion - during the next few years. Development of an area plan-
ning process would evolve as the District and other public
agencies acquire significant acreage. He recommended that the
Board adopt the site planning process as set forth in his
memorandum .
J. Olson noted that citizens ' committees, whether formal or
informal, would be formed depending on the nature of each site.
He said the amount of time needed to prepare an interim plan
would depend on the complexity of each site and other factors.
He suggested the District' s priority for development of use and
management plans for its sites might be as follows : (1) Fre-
mont Older Open Space Preserve, (2) Black Mountain Open Space
Preserve and (3) Permanente Creek Park. Other sites, he added,
seemed to be less complex than these.
E. Jaynes stated that title to the Fremont Older property was
expected to be taken in approximately three or four weeks.
Meeting 75-17 Page four
Motion: E. Shelley moved that the Board of Directors adopt
the recommendations of staff as set forth in M-75-110
for the generalized site planning policy for the Mid-
peninsula Regional Park District. K. Duffy seconded
the motion.
Discussion: Dr. Mark asked that citizens be given
every opportunity to participate in the planning pro-
cess. E. Shelley suggested permits might be issued
by the General Manager for the purpose of allowing
citizens to aid the District in its planning process.
J. Olson said he thought the General Manager did have
this authority. D. Wendin said he felt it was import-
ant to receive input from interested citizens. The
motion passed unanimously.
B. Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Establishing a Policy for the Handling
of Candidates ' Statements of Qualifications at District
Elections
E. Jaynes ' memorandum (M-75-106) dated July 16 , 1975 introduced
a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Establishing Policy for the Handling
of Candidates' Statements of Qualifications at District Elec-
tions. The proposed resolution was prepared by Legal Counsel
at the direction of the Board given at its May 28 , 1975 meeting.
The resolution would state the Board' s policy that candidates
for Board seats would not be billed for election statements of
qualifications or for requested Spanish translations.
Motion: K. Duffy moved adoption of Resolution No. 75-16 , a
Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Establishing a Policy for the
Handling of Candidates ' Statements of Qualifications
at District Elections . N. Hanko seconded the motion.
Discussion: D. Wendin said he objected to the inclusion
of paragraph three, which states that a reason for the
resolution is that billing for candidates ' statements
might give an unfair advantage to affluent candidates.
N. Hanko said she would like to see all reasons for
the resolution included. S . Norton advised that his
inclusion of the paragraph was to state the reasons as
they were set forth in the court case Knoll v. Davidson,
which is previously referred .to in the resolution.
Amendment: D. Wendin moved to amend the motion to
delete the third paragraph of the resolution. K.
Duffy seconded the amendment. The amendment passed on
the following vote: AYES K. Duffy, B. Green, D.
Wendin and E. Shelley; NOS N. Hanko. The motion
passed unanimously.
Meeting 75-17 Page five
C. Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Establishing Procedure for Published
Advertisement of Elections to Fill Board Seats and of
Opportunities to Apply for Board Vacancies
E. Jaynes' memorandum (M-75-107) dated July 16 , 1975 , introduced
a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Establishing Procedure for Published
Advertisement of Elections to Fill Board Seats and of Opportun-
ities to Apply for Board Vacancies. The proposed resolution
was prepared by Legal Counsel at the direction of the Board
given at its May 28 , 1975 meeting. The resolution would set
forth qualifications for advertising of District elections and
Board vacancies.
K. Duffy stated the consensus that the Valley Journal be added
to the list of newspapers in Ward No. 3 which may be used for
publication of Board vacancies and elections , under Section
Three of the proposed resolution.
Motion: B. Green moved adoption of Resolution No. 75-17 , a
Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpenin-
sula Regional Park District Establishing Procedure
for Published Advertisement of Elections to Fill
Board Seats and of Opportunities to Apply for Board
Vacancies. E. Shelley seconded the motion.
Discussion: K. Duffy noted that Section Four was a
necessary technicality to protect the validity of an
election or filling of a vacancy. The motion passed
unanimously.
VII. NEW BUSINESS REQUIRING ACTION
A. Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Determining and Declaring that Cer-
tain Easements and Rights of Way Do Not Adversely Affect
Proposed Park and Recreation Uses (Permanente Creek Park)
E. Jaynes introduced his memorandum (M-75-104) dated July 15 ,
1975, regarding a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the
Midpeninsula Regional Park District Determining and Declaring
that Certain Easements and Rights of Way Do Not Adversely
Affect Proposed Park and Recreation Uses (Permanente Creek Park) .
He said that in order to comply with the rules and regulations
relating to State Bond and Land and Water Conservation Fund
grants which the District has applied for, the State agency
administering the grants must be assured that all private ease-
ments and public utilities affecting the property will not
adversely affect proposed recreational uses of the property.
Staff has evaluated private and public easements on the site
and has found no interference with proposed uses for the property.
Meeting 75-17 Page six
J. Olson showed the Board members a map of the PG&E, water and
surface easements on the Permanente Creek Park property.
Motion: N. Hanko moved adoption of Resolution No. 75-18 , a
Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpenin-
sula Regional Park District Determining and Declaring
that Certain Easements and Rights of Way Do Not Ad-
versely Affect Proposed Park and Recreation Uses
(Permanente Creek Park) . K. Duffy seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
B. Approval of Annual Claims List
E. Jaynes introduced his memorandum (M-75-105) dated July 16 ,
1975, regarding proposed Board Approval of an Annual Claims
List. He noted that the Board had adopted a resolution on July
24, 1974 which permitted approval of certain recurring claims
on an annual basis. This procedure gives the Controller author-
ization to pay recurring claims up to an approved amount as
they come due during a fiscal year. He recommended the Board
adopt the attached Annual Claims List which was prepared in
accordance with the budget adopted by the Board for the 1975-
1976 fiscal year. He added that the list could be amended if
the Board decided to change a budgeted figure related to it.
Motion: D. Wendin moved adoption of the Annual Claims List
for the Fiscal Year 1975-1976 as set forth in Memo-
randum M-75-105 dated July 16 , 1975 . E. Shelley
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Wendin referred the Board to a memorandum received with the
July 9 , 1975 minutes which stated the General Manager ' s in-
tention to discontinue including the approved claims list with
the minutes. D. Wendin said he felt the claims should be
included.
A. Crosley advised that the staff currently pails in excess
of 100 copies of the minutes of Board meetings. Inclusion of
the approved claims list adds significantly to the cost of
copying and postage. Board and press both receive copies of
the claims list when meeting materials are mailed out, she
said. An official file of the approved claims lists would be
kept in the office . E. Jaynes added that this was an attempt
to streamline office procedures and reduce costs.
K. Duffy stated the consensus of the Board that the approved
claims list should continue to be sent with meeting minutes.
The Board recessed at 8 : 50 P.M. and reconvened at 9 :09 P.M.
Meeting 75-17 Page seven
VIII . NEW BUSINESS NOT REQUIRING ACTION
A. Annexation Survey Results; Citizens Committee for Annexation
Mr. John Breithaupt of Diridon Research Corporation reported to
the Board on the results of a survey conducted in the south San
Mateo County area to determine support for annexation to the
Midpeninsula Regional Park District. He explained that about
50 volunteers surveyed 482 registered voters in the area, which
included San Carlos on the north and the area east of Skyline.
He stated that, as the result of the survey figures, he was
95% certain that if an annexation election were held today,
60% to 69% of the population in south San Mateo County would
vote in favor of annexation. According to the survey, 64.7
favored annexation, 23. 6 were opposed, and 11. 7 were undecided.
Referring the Board to page 51 of the Summary of Primary Re-
sults, he pointed out that 62% of those surveyed who had been
reassessed favored annexation; 68% of those surveyed who had
not been reassessed favored annexation and 69% of those who
did not know if they had been reassessed favored annexation.
Generally, younger people with higher education, higher incomes
and with children supported the idea of annexation. Reasons
cited included the desire to preserve open space and to have
more recreation. Those opposing the idea of annexation felt
it would cost too much. Mr. Breithaupt pointed out that in all
areas surveyed, a majority supported annexation.
Ms . Lennie Roberts, 339 La Cuesta, Ladera, representing the Cit-
izens' Committee for Annexation, said the survey took longer
than expected, but the results were gratifying. She said fifty
people worked hard on the survey and were willing to work as
hard gathering signatures on a petition. She added that the Com-
mittee hoped to begin that task over the Labor Day weekend.
Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board of Directors direct staff
to prepare for its consideration at the next meeting
a resolution of commendation for the volunteers who
participated in the Midpeninsula Regional Park District
annexation survey submitted July 17 , 1975 . B. Green
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board of Directors does hereby
go on record as supporting the Citizens Committee in
its efforts to annex portions of southern San Mateo
County to the Midpeninsula Regional Park District and
directs staff to prepare for the Board' s consideration
at its next meeting a resolution to that effect and
authorizing the District staff to provide reasonably
necessary information and technical assistance to the
annexation committee as provided in the Action Plan.
E. Shelley seconded the motion.
Meeting 75-17 Page eight
Discussion: S. Norton suggested that the words "and
to direct staff" be changed to read "and directs staff"
for consistency. The Board agreed to the change by
consensus. The motion passed unanimously.
S. Norton advised that he would be meeting with Santa Clara
County LAFCO officials in the near future regarding an annexa-
tion petition. He said he hoped to return to the next Board
meeting with a report on the annexation schedule.
B. Changes in Regional Park District Enabling Legislation
D. Wendin said he had met with Dr. Howard Cogswell and Mr. Fred
Blumberg, directors of the East Bay Regional Park District,
regarding that District' s opposition to Assembly Bill 1164 ,
a measure sponsored by the Midpeninsula Regional Park District
to make various changes in the regional park district enabling
legislation. He advised that a few technical errors had been
made in translating the intended changes into bill form, and
the bill will require amendment in order to correct them. The
East Bay officials indicated a willingness to reconsider their
position in this instance. The provision for an increase in
the borrowing power of regional park districts was a point of
concern to East Bay, but they recognized that the younger
regional park districts' emphasis was on acquisition and the
increased borrowing power was important for that purpose. D.
Wendin said he hoped to meet with S. Norton and H. Grench in
the near future to redraft the covering material for AB 1146.
He added that he would attend the meeting of the East Bay Board
of Directors when the matter reached their agenda.
IX. CLAIMS
Motion: N. Hanko moved acceptance of the revised claims (C-75-
15) dated July 23 , 1975, as presented. K. Duffy
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board recessed to Executive Session at 9 :50 P.M. to discuss
land negotiations and personnel matters.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
The Board reconvened to adjourn at 10 :55 P.M.
Anne Cathcart Crosley
Administrative Secretary