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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19770112 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Met- _ng 77-1 AW AV MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT Regular Meeting Board of Directors M I N U T E S January 12 , 1977 7 : 30 P.M. Midpeninsula Regional Park District 745 Distel Drive Los Altos, CA I. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by President Hanko at 7 : 38 P.M. Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Barbara Green, Nonette Hanko, George Seager, Harry Turner and Daniel Wendin. Member Absent: Edward Shelley. Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Edward Jaynes, Jon Olson, Anne Crosley, Carroll Harrington, Jennie George , Brad Clifford, Del Woods and Stanley Norton. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes of December 22 , 1976 N. Hanko said she would like to correct the information in para- graph four on page six of the minutes of December 22 , 1976 , re- garding the denial of a permit request for overnight camping by the City of Palo Alto. She said a member of the Palo Alto Planning Department advised that a permit was approved, with conditions, and that it was the opinion of Palo Alto legal counsel that a veto of overnight camping by the City of Palo Alto could have an impact on activities on District lands. Robert Mark, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, asked that the words "lack of" be inserted before the word "use" in the sixth line of the fifth paragraph on page six of the minutes. N. Hanko stated the consensus that the minutes of December 22 , 1976 be approved with the above corrections. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS A. Crosley referred the Board to a letter from the California Association of Park and Recreation Commissioners and Board A. Minutes of January 12 , 1977 K. Duffy suggested that a sentence be added following the election of officers on page five of the minutes of January 12 to reflect that D. Wendin took the chair as President of the Board. D. Wendin asked that paragraph five on page four of the minutes be clarified to reflect that Mr. Wilshire stated he had photo- graphs of damage done to District property by the motorcycle race near Permanente Creek Park and would make them available to the District, but that the photographs distributed at that meeting had been taken by J. Olson. Robert Mark, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, clarified the number of trees actually cut down for the race. ' D. Wendin stated the consensus that the minutes of January 12, 1977 be approved as amended. Meeting 77-1 Page two Members with an invitation to the District Board to join the Association and attend the forthcoming conference. N. Hanko said she would like to consider Access to Black Moun- tain Area as agenda item No. 10 under New Business With Action Requested. She referred the Board to a letter written by Robert Mark to Santa Clara County Supervisor Steinberg on this subject. IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA N. Hanko stated the consensus that the agenda be adopted with the above additions. V. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS A. Discussion of Use Permitted on El Sereno, Open Space Preserve Ed Schell, P.O. Box 1345 , Los Gatos , said he was speaking on behalf of the Wakonta Longhorn Breeders Association, a philo- sophical organization, and the San Jose Amateur Astronomers. He introduced Mr. Jack Zeiders of San Jose who also represented the San Jose Amateur Astronomers. He stated that his groups have held star parties on the El Sereno Open Space Preserve in past months , and there have been some problems which he felt have since been straightened out. He said he has talked to staff regarding the continued use of El Sereno for star parties , and he hoped to make a presentation when the use and management plan for the site is considered by the Board. He said he had received a permit to use the site, but the permit had limits on the number of vehicles and people allowed at one time, which he felt was not reasonable. He said he did not feel his group had an adverse impact on the environment, and the only continuing problem has been that his groups leave the gate open because of the steepness of the road. He added that he wanted to work with the Board because he did not feel staff had been cooperative. He asked for an indication of future use of the El Sereno site, and a definition of any en- vironmental problems associated with his group 's use of the site. He expressed his opinion that staff had a poor attitude and had given him incorrect information. Jack Zeiders, 725 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose , said he would answer any questions the Board might have regarding the San Jose Amateur Astronomers. Meeting 77-1 Page three N. Hanko explained that El Sereno Open Space Preserve did not have a use and management plan yet, and that under the interim plan for the site, staff was to use its discretion in issuing use permits. H. Grench said that although a member of staff might have given out incorrect information on use policies for this site, this would not have been done deliberately. D. Wendin said he was not willing to listen to further comments about the staff, since he felt they had handled the matter satisfactorily. He said he would prefer that staff prepare a response if they wished, rather than continue this discussion at this meeting. J. Olson said environmental impact was not the major issue in this matter. He said the access road to the site, Montevino Road, narrows to a one-lane , steep dirt surface that is a safety hazard in the dark and especially if the ground is wet. Traffic on the road is unmonitored, and limitation of the number of cars for the present time is felt to be appropriate by staff. In the case of the groups that Mr. Schell repre- sents, the limitation is for 15 people and 8 cars. In response to a question from D. Wendin, S . Norton said it was his opinion that the District may be exposed to some liability regarding the hazardous condition of the road. E. Schell said he believed that 25 people and 15 cars was a reasonable number, and he did not know of any accidents on the road. J. Olson said the staff could study the road situation and return with a report to the Board; however, he would prefer to plan for the road in conjunction with preparation of the use and management plan for the site. D. Wendin noted that the use and management plan for El Sereno is due in March, and since the planning process would begin soon, a special report was probably not necessary. J. Zeiders invited Board and staff members to attend one of the San Jose Amateur Astronomers ' star parties so they would be familiar with SJAA activities. He said some of the equip- ment needed for star gazing was extremely heavy and necessitated vehicles transporting it all the way into the site. B. Discussion of Damage to Permanente Creek Park Resulting From Motorcycle Race on Adjacent Property Meeting 77-1 Page four R. Mark advised the Board that he had observed destruction to the Permanente Creek Park site where a large number of motorcyclists had conducted a race. He said that numerous trees had been cut to widen the existing equestrian trail to accommodate motorcycles. The trees averaged 6" to 8" in diameter and were up to 251 in height. He added that the County Sheriff did not stop the race even though it was held without a permit. J. Olson added that staff is working with the County on this matter, since the motorcyclists were apparently in violation of the entertainment ordinance and caused damage to property. K. Ray Smith, 23230 Ravensbury Avenue, Los Altos Hills , said he and other residents near the site of the race had done ,everything they could to try and stop it. He said the attorney for the motorcyclists claimed the gathering was a political rally. He added that the County Sheriff told residents that the motorcyclists would be cited, but this did not occur. He urged the Board to take legal action against the motorcycle group. N. Hanko suggested that staff could prepare a report discus- sing the District' s alternatives in this matter. Mr. Howard Wilshire, 1752 Begen, Mountain View, said he would confirm R. Mark' s description of the damage done to District property. He distributed photographs of the area to the Board. H. Grench said staff would report back to the Board. VI . SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY A. Swearing-in of Directors Incumbent Directors Barbara Green, George Seager and Harry Turner were given the oath of office by A. Crosley in accord- ance with their election to the Board on November 2 , 1976 . B. Election of Officers N. Hanko said she wished to thank the Board for electing her to serve as President during the past year. Although she enjoyed the term, she said she was happy to retire in order that another Board member could serve in that capacity. She noted that during 1976 , the District had a successful annexa- tion election, a productive workshop on land use, and had begun to extend the Master Plan into the annexed area. She expressed her appreciation for the support she had been given by the Board and staff. Meeting 77-1 Page five N. Hanko advised that E. Shelley stated he would not be available to serve as President of the Board. Following election by secret ballot, the following Board members were selected to serve as officers for 1977 : President. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel G. Wendin Vice-President. . . . . . . . .Harry A. Turner Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nonette G. Hanko Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . .George F. Seager VII. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED Motion: N. Hanko moved that agenda items No. 6 and 9 regard- ing the Master Plan be considered prior to the remaining agenda items. B. Green seconded the mo- tion. The motion passed unanimously. A. Amendment to Contract with William Spangle and Associates, Inc. H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-76-198 , dated December 23 , 1976) regarding an Amendment to the Contract with William Spangle and Associates, Inc. He pointed out that the con- tract that had been approved by the Board provided for a series of payments to coincide with work progress. All work performed thus far has been on schedule , and only one final payment of $7 ,434 remains. The consultants have requested that the final payment be split in order to improve their cash flow situation, especially to cover costs incurred. He recommended that the Board approve the payment split as fol- lows : $3,200 upon completion of Tasks 3 , 27-32 and 34 ; and $4 ,234 upon completion of Tasks 33 and 35 and completion of printing. Motion: H. Turner moved that the Board approve the recommen- dation in the General Manager 's memorandum M-76-198 , dated December 23 , 1976 , to amend the District' s con- tract with William Spangle and Associates , Inc. , in order to split the final payment due them. G. Seager seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. Master Plan Extension Data Review H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-77-2 , dated January 5 , 1977) regarding the Master Plan Extension Data Review. He advised that the District ' s Master Plan consultants have pre- pared display maps showing the results of calculations of scores for various open space functions. Staff has reviewed the maps in detail, and the maps are available for Board review prior to preparation of the final graphics and the new draft Master Plan document. He recommended that the Meeting 77-1 Page six Board review the maps and adopt the new composite map of open space values as the basis for the new draft Master Plan map, subject to minor revisions that may be necessary after a, second computer run is made. He noted that the draft text had previously been adopted by the Board. He estimated the complete draft would be available in mid-March. Larz Anderson, of William Spangle and Associates , Inc. , ex- plained the method by which the composite map was created. He said the non-urbanized lands within the District had been divided into land units, and each land unit was given a score based on a number of factors. He said the scoring on the annexed area appeared to be consistent with scoring for the original District boundaries. The Board recessed at 9 :18 P.M. and reconvened at 9 :44 P.M. H. Grench said the final computer run would score both the original, and annexed areas of the District. H. Grench recommended that the Kite Hill area in Woodside not be included in the planning area, since the site is surrounded by development, cannot be scored consistently with other areas , appears to fall outside the Board's acquisition policies (ex- cept perhaps for Urban Open Space of Regional Significance) , and its inclusion may cause false expectations on the part of the public. D. Wendin said he would rather the Kite Hill area did not appear as an isolated open space area on the map. He said it was a situation similar to that for the Valparaiso Hill area in Menlo Park, which was not included. Motion: G. Seager moved that the Kite Hill land unit not be shown in the planning area on the composite map for the reasons cited by D. Wendin and H. Grench. N. Hanko seconded the motion. Discussion: In response to a question from Dorothy Jennings, 441 East Meadow, Palo Alto, L. Anderson advised that the total area involved approximately 150 acres. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: D. Wendin moved adoption of the new composite map subject to rescoring along the Skyline area, and subject to minor revisions , leaving to staff the decision as to whether or not the Board should again review the map after the final computer run. B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. H. Grench said the revised composite map would be available for individual Board member's review. He said there would be no further Board review unless something came up as the result of the final computer run. Meeting 77-1 Page seven C. Distribution of Ftnds from State, Urban and Coastal Park Bond Act of 1976 H. Grench introduced his report (R-77-2) dated December 31, 1977 regarding the Distribution of Santa Clara County Funds from the State , Urban and Coastal Park Bond Act of 1976 , which was approved by the voters at the November 2 , 1976 election. He recommended that the Board adopt a resolution approving the formula for dis- tribution in Santa Clara County which was , suggested by Robert Amyx, Directors of the Santa Clara County Parksiand Recreation Depart- ment. Preliminary estimates indicate the District would receive about $792,694 under this formula, which allots 50% of the funds to regional agencies and 50% to cities. The District and Santa Clara County would divide the regional share on the basis of population. N. Hanko suggested the formula be sent to San Mateo County. H. Grench replied that he would be meeting with Jack Brook of the San Mateo County Department of Parks and Recreation shortly. Motion : N. Hanko moved adoption of Resolution No. 77-1 , a Reso- lution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Approving the Priority Plan for Expenditure of Allocation of Funds to the County of Santa Clara for Park, Beach, Recreational and Historical Preservation Purposes (State, Urban, and Coastal Park Bond Act of 1976) . B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. D. Naming of North Foothills Open Space Preserve H. Grench introduced his report (R-77-3) dated January 7 , 1977 , regarding the Naming of North Foothills Open Space Preserve. He noted that the existing Preserve consisted of two separate land units , the 274-acre former Dahl site and the 160-acre Blair and Crocker parcels, all of which had been unofficially designated the North Foothills Open Space Preserve. He said a brochure describing the properties was being prepared by staff, and it would be preferable if the official names for the site were in- cluded. J. Olson pointed out that one of the projects in the Action Plan is that staff determine appropriate planning areas for the Dis- trict. It appears that there are about twelve planning areas based on geographical and watershed areas. He suggested the watershed area to the west of Page Mill Road be designated as being within the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, and that the area to the east of Page Mill Road be designated as either the Rancho San Antonio or the Adobe Creek Open Space Preserve. He gave a brief historical background on each of the proposed names. N. Hanko said she liked the name Adobe Creek Open Space Preserve. Motion: K. Duffy moved that the Board designate the former Dahl property as being within the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve and the former Blair and Crocker parcels as Meeting 77-1 Page eight being within the Adobe Creek Open Space Preserve, and that both preserves be within the Page Mill Road Area. H. Turner seconded the motion. Discussion: D. Wendin said he did not feel the name Adobe Creek was appropriate to the larger open space area. D. Jennings suggested there might be some confusion with the Adobe Creek Lodge. B. Green said the Board might want to choose a name which would also apply to the Permanente Creek Park area. D. Wendin said he felt there should be further study on a name for the area east of Page Mill Road. K. Duffy agreed to withdraw the part of the motion naming the Adobe Creek Open Space Preserve. The Board voted unanimously to designate the former Dahl property as within the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve and both parcels as within the Page Mill Road Area. The Board con- curred with H. Grench that the Blair and Crocker parcels were still unofficially named North Foothills Open Space Preserve. E. Annual Goals Workshop H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-76-197) dated December 23, 1976 , regarding planning for the Annual Goals Workshop. He advised that the draft of the 1976 Progress Report would be circulated to the Board shortly, and that a workshop would be the first step toward preparation of an action plan and budget for the 1977-78 fiscal year. He recommended that the Board appoint a Subcommittee to suggest the date, location and proposed agenda for the workshop. He further recommended that the workshop be held in February to allow sufficient lead time for action plan and budget preparation. D. Wendin appointed K. Duffy, N. Hanko and G. Seager as members of the Goals Workshop Subcommittee, to prepare a proposed date, location and agenda for the 1977 workshop. A. Crosley suggested Board members advise the Subcommittee or the office of the dates they would be unable to attend a work- shop. F. Resolutions Establishing Signatories for Santa Clara County Account and for Wells Fargo Bank Checking Account H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-76-200) dated December 28 , 1976 , regarding Board adoption of new Resolutions Establish- ing Signatories for Santa Clara County Account and for Wells Fargo Bank Checking Account. He pointed out that the District ' s Rules of Procedure provide that two of the financial instrument signatories for the District shall be the President and Treasurer. Since the incumbents of these two offices were changed by elec- tion earlier in the meeting, it is now appropriate to notify Santa Clara County and Wells Fargo Bank, where the District maintains savings and checking accounts , respectively, of those persons who will be financial instrument signatories for 1977. He recommended adoption of resolutions acknowledging the change. Meeting 77-1 Page nine Motion: G. Seager moved adoption of the following resolutions : Resolution No. 77-2 , a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Park District Establishing Financial Instrument Signatories of the District for Santa Clara County Accounts; and Resolu- tion No. 77-3 , a Resolution Authorizing Signing and Endorsing Checks and Other Instruments (Wells Fargo Bank) . H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. G. Peninsula Open Space Trust Board Appointments H. Grench introduced his report (R-77-1) dated January 5 , 1977 regarding Peninsula Open Space Trust Board Appointments. He explained that staff had been working on the establishment of a non-profit foundation to raise funds on behalf of the District, to seek out gifts of land and other assets , and to act as a holding agent for property which the District might not be in a position to acquire at a particular time. This project is included in this year's Action Plan. B. Clifford explained that POST is being incorporated, and an application for tax exempt, charitable status has been made. He said the bylaws of POST provide for a total of nine members of the Board of Trustees , one of which is appointed by the MRPD President and one of which is appointed by the MRPD General Manager. The organizing Board presently has three members Herbert Grench, Bradley Clifford and R. Gene Brown. He recom- mended that the President officially designate Herbert Grench as their appointee for a period of one year or earlier if a successor is appointed. In response to a question from D. Wendin, S. Norton said former Board members could serve on the Board of Trustees of POST. D. Wendin formally appointed Herbert Grench as the President's choice to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Peninsula Open Space Trust. He noted that the other MRPD Board members agreed with his selection. H. Access to Black Mountain Area R. Mark advised the Board that he had written a letter to Santa Clara County Supervisor Steinberg to object to the notice of violation he had received for parking at the top of Charcoal Road near signs prohibiting motor vehicles . He said his assump- tion was that the signs were meant to keep vehicles from driv- ing on park land, especially motorcycles, and that he objected to the "mechanical" enforcement activities of the County park rangers. He said he felt there was a problem if park rangers are acting as police officers rather than as public educators Meeting 77-1 Page ten and resource protectors . He added that it was his understand- iHg that he would receive a reply shortly. He asked the Board to consider contacting the County regarding this problem. D. Wendin suggested it might be more appropriate to handle the matter at a staff level. J. Olson advised that the County is working toward providing additional parking, and is coordinating their plans with the District's staff. He did not feel a formal letter from the Board was necessary. VIII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS A. Orienteering Day C. Harrington advised the Board that on March 5 , 1977 the Dis- trict would sponsor an Orienteering Day on one of its properties , which would involve interested people in navigating on land with the aid of map and compass . The event would be mentioned in the February issue of Sunset Magazine, and registration will be limited. She said this was a good way to communicate the concept of low intensity recreation to the public. B. Joint Regional Park District Conference H. Grench advised the Board that the general managers of the four regional park districts in California will be meeting on January 21 to discuss proposed legislation of -mutual inter- est and a proposed location, date and agenda for the forth- coming second joint regional park district conference. He asked Board members to let him know if they had any specific items they would like to have discussed at the meeting. C. BOR Urban Recreation Study H. Grench advised the Board that he was one of a small group of administrators who had been asked by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation to submit ideas for proposed opportunities in urban recreation that might be included for Land and Water Conservation Funds. The ideas will be taken into consideration by the Bureau when it prepares a report on the subject. IX. CLAIMS Motion: N. Hanko moved approval of the revised claims (C-77-1) dated January 12 , 1977. D. Wendin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Meeting. 77-1 Page eleven X. EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board recessed to Executive Session at 11:15 P.M. to discuss land negotiations. XI . ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 12 :05 A.M. Anne Cathcart Crosley District Clerk A. Minutes of January 12 , 1977 K. Duffy suggested that a sentence be added following the election of officers on page five of the minutes of January 12 to reflect that D. Wendin took the chair as President of the Board. D. Wendin asked that paragraph five on page four of the minutes be clarified to reflect that Mr. Wilshire stated he had photo- graphs of damage done to District property by the motorcycle race near Permanente Creek Park and would make them available to the District, but that the photographs distributed at that meeting had been taken by J. Olson. Robert Mark, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, clarified the number of trees actually cut down for the race. D. Wendin stated the consensus that the minutes of January 12 , 1977 be approved as amended.