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Meeting 77-8
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
Regular Meeting
Board of Directors
M I N U T E S
March 9 , 1977 745 Distel Drive
Los Altos, CA
I. ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by President Wendin at 7 : 35
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, Del Woods and Eric Mart.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Minutes of February 23, 1977
G. Seager referred to the following typographical errors :
(1) on page five, paragraph seven, "1977" should read "1972" ;
(2) on page eight, paragraph two, "gopography" should read
"topography" ; (3) on page nine, paragraph five, "Part" should
read "Park" .
K. Duffy referred to a typographical error on page thirteen,
paragraph six of the minutes, in which the name "burry" should
read "Duffy. "
It was the consensus of the Board that the words " (weekends
only) " should be eliminated from paragraph five of page six
of the minutes. D. Wendin stated the consensus that the
minutes of February 23, 1977 be approved with the above
changes.
B. Minutes of February 24, 1977
B. Green said she did not think Councilman James Kilburg had
attended the meeting of February 24, and suggested his name
be deleted from the minutes.
D. Wendin stated the consensus that the minutes of February
24, 1977 be approved with the above change.
Meeting 77-8 Page two
C. Minutes of February 28, 1977
D. Wendin stated the consensus that the minutes of February 28,
1977 be approved as presented.
III. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
A. Introduction of Supervising Ranger
J. Olson introduced Eric Mart as the new Supervising Ranger of
the District. He said Eric had worked for the Golden Gate Recrea-
tion Area prior to joining the District, and was currently
becoming knowledgable about the District's open space preserves.
IV. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
A. Crosley referred the Board to a letter from the Santa Clara County
Local Agency Formation Commission advising the District that the
applications of San Carlos, Atherton and Redwood City to detach
from the District had been denied.
V. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
D. Wendin stated the consensus that the agenda be adopted as
prepared.
VI. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Artemus Ginzton, 28014 Nahoma Road, Los Altos Hills, said she
thought the new trails on the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve
in the Page Mill Road area were very exciting, and she asked
who had constructed them.
J. Olson responded that a trails specialist, Gene Sheehan, had
contributed a great deal to the trail construction project.
VII. PUBLIC HEARING
A. Possible Change of Name of District
H. Grench said the Board had considered a report (R-77-9) dated
February 17, 1977, from the General Manager at its February 23,
1977 meeting regarding a Possible Change of Name of the District.
The most appropriate name at that time appeared to be Midpenin-
sula Regional Open Space District, which would most accurately
reflect the goals and activities of the District.
D. Wendin pointed out that the Board would hold a second Public
Hearing on this matter in the San Mateo County portion of the
District at a later date. He opened the Public Hearing at 7 :46
P.M.
Meeting 77-8 Page three
D. Wendin said staff had received a telephone call from Ms. Nancy
Hertert, 22830 San Juan Road, Cupertino, California, who said
she hoped the Board would change the name of the District to
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Robert Mark, 725 Cowper, Palo Alto, said he had mixed feelings
about the proposed name change. He said the District was a
unique public agency with a balance between public use and land
acquisition. He said he was concerned that some people would
think the District was closing its lands.
D. Wendin closed the Public Hearing at 7 :49 P.M.
B. Green felt that this would be an appropriate time to consider
a change, since the change could coincide with publicity on
other activities.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED
A. Ordering of District Vehicles
J. Olson introduced his report (R-77-12) dated March 3, 1977,
regarding the Ordering of District Vehicles. He described the
four types of vehicles the District now owns and the capabilities
of each. He recommended that the Board authorize the purchase
of two new four-wheel drive vehicles through the State of Calif-
ornia General Services Agency, including all attendant ranger
equipment such as radios and fire-fighting equipment. He stated
that although the 1976-1977 budget includes funds for one such
vehicle, he felt that both vehicles should be ordered at this time
due to staff needs, extreme fire danger during the forthcoming
summer months, and the State GSA requirement that vehicles can
only be ordered from January through June.
Motion: N. Hanko moved adoption of Resolution No. 77-11, a Reso-
lution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Park District Authorizing the Department of
General Services of the State of California to Purchase
Certain Items for the Midpeninsula Regional Park District.
D. Wendin seconded the motion.
Discussion: In response to a question from G. Seager,
J. Olson described the process by which the State GSA
awards bids for purchasing vehicles to the dealerships
submitting the lowest bids in particular regions of
the State. H. Turner asked if the land management
budget would suffer in another area if funds were
transferred for the purchase of another vehicles. J.
Olson said some field projects may be deferred. The
motion passed unanimously.
Meeting 77-8 Page four
Motion: H. Turner moved that the Board authorize a budget
transfer of $10 ,000 from Services and Supplies to Fixed
Assets - Vehicles as recommended in the General Manager' s
memorandum M-77-28, dated March 7 , 1977. D. Wendin
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
IX. OLD BUSINESS WITH NO ACTION REQUESTED
A. Status of Structures on the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve
J. Olson introduced his report (R-77-11) dated March 3, 1977,
regarding the Status of Structures on the Fremont Older Open
Space Preserve. He described the condition of each structure,
the recommendation for each as set forth in the Use and Manage-
ment Plan adopted by the Board on May 18, 1976 , and the intended
action on each by staff. He said the grey house should continue
to be upgraded and used as a rental unit.
J. Olson said the adobe house should be restored and rehabilitated
to make it possible for a caretaker or tenant to live in the
building. He felt the restoration of this structure would be
important in preserving the cultural history associated with
the site. He added that the empty pool by the adobe should be
filled in to about one foot from the top of the rim, and sur-
rounding plants and grass would be kept trimmed, but not cared
for otherwise.
N. Hanko said she would like to see the adobe preserved as a
museum someday. She said Donna Harris, who resides on an in-
holding within the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve, had slides
of the way the structures used to look before their present
state of deterioration.
A. Ginzton said she was familiar with much of the history of
the Fremont Older family, and hoped the Adobe could be a
museum someday.
C. Baumgartner, 233 East Rincon Avenue, Campbell, expressed
concern that the roses be watered to prevent wilting. J. Olson
replied that the level of maintenance of the garden area would
not change, but that the area would be groomed. He added that
holes would be drilled in the bottom of the pool for drainage.
J. Olson said that numerous historical groups were contacted
to determine if a viable program could be developed for the
restoration and maintenance of the Fremont Older ranchhouse.
The estimated cost, as of last spring, of bringing the ranch-
house up to code was $60 ,000, and there were problems with pro-
viding water and sewer facilities to the structure. He said
staff had investigated the architecture of the building and
consulted professionals to determine if the structure had a
significant style or architect associated with it. It was
the opinion of staff and consultants that this was not the case.
Meeting 77-8 Page five
J. Olson said it was now staff's intention to remove the ranch-
house as soon as possible, since no solution for restoration
had been offered, there appears to be very little historical
significance associated with it, and the District' s exposure to
liability is very great.
Arthur Ogilvie, 948 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, said he was
representing the El Camino Trust for Historic Preservation as
its Executive Director. He referred to his letter of February
21, 1977, which recommends the following: (1) the back two-
story wing of the house should be retained; (2) an architectural
historian be directed to research the structure to determine
the architect, which, in his opinion, is probably one of some
renown; (3) architectural students should thoroughly sketch
the structure; (4) the interior should be redone for housing
or other park use, or for a secondary garden use. He further
recommended that some fencing might be installed to prevent
vandalism. He said he had made application to place the
ranchhouse on the National Register of Historical Places,
which would qualify the property for federal grants under the
National Preservation Act of 1966. He cautioned against
prematurely destroying the building. He added that after
further study of the structure, it appears that architect
Julia Morgan designed it in consultation with Mrs. Older, and
much of the work was inspired by foreign architectural designs.
D. Wendin asked if the El Camino Trust had any source of funds
for preserving and maintaining the building. A. Ogilvie said
he felt they could try to raise the money.
In response to a question from B. Green, A. Ogilvie estimated
it would take at least four to six months to get State approval
of the application for National Registry and submit it to
Washington for consideration.
A. Ginzton said Dr. V. Thompson, the Stanford Professor Emeritus
who had examined the building, felt the beams, the form of the
building and the window arrangements were significant.
R. Mark said he had been a member of the citizens advisory group
that had worked on the use and management plan with staff last
spring. He pointed out that the house was in bad shape, and
he felt placing a fence around it would give a prison-like atmos-
phere to the site. He said being on the National Register also
had disadvantages, since it would make any actions on the site
by the District more difficult to accomplish.
D. Wendin said he doubted that sufficient funds could be raised
to restore and maintain the ranchhouse for several years.
A. Ginzton said she felt the presence of the house was important
to the garden experience. She urged that at least part of the
house be kept and that the trellises be restored.
Meeting 77-8 Page six
In response to a question from N. Hanko, A. Ogilvie said the
disadvantages of placing the ranchhouse on the National Register
would be that if that District applied for funding, plans for
the site would have to be approved and an audit would be con-
ducted. Also, the District would be restricted in its use of
the property.
K. Duffy suggested the District could consider selling the
house to someone who was willing to restore it. She said she
felt the building was not useful and should be removed, al-
though some materials could be saved.
G. Seager said he felt the District should leave its options
open.
In response to a question from A. Ogilvie, H. Grench said the
Board had approved a Negative Declaration on the Use and
Management Plan when it was adopted.
A. Ogilvie said if the District were to seek grant funds,
drawings would have to be made of the entire structure, at
a cost of about $1,000.
J. Olson said he did not feel selling the house was a practi-
cal idea, since an inholding would present management prob-
lems, and the garden would not be open to the public. H. Grench
added that a vote of the electorate would be required to sell
the land under the house, and he considered it a poor alternative.
D. Wendin noted that the District had been involved with the
Fremont Older property since 1973. He said he did not feel
it was appropriate for people to urge the District to spend
money on historical restorations since the District is an
open space acquisition agency. He said he was opposed to
spending District funds to restore this building.
N. Hanko said she would like to give interested people a
reasonable opportunity to raise the funds, and she pointed
out that the District was limited in the amount of money it
would spend on capital improvements.
H. Grench said this is a difficult decision for the Board to
make, but the District is an open space agency. He pointed
out that the District had contributed toward preservation
of historical items when possible, such as the Picchetti
Ranch artifacts and its commitment to restore the Adobe.
He said if the Board decides to delay a decision on removing
the ranchhouse, a fence will have to be installed because
of the liability involved. He added that he considered
restoration of the ranchhouse contrary to Board policy.
Meeting 77-8 Page seven
A. Ginzton urged the Board to delay demolition of the structure
until application can be made to the National Register.
Motion: N. Hanko moved that staff invite Mrs. Donna Harris to
show her slides of the Fremont older area at a Board
meeting to be held within thirty days. G. Seager
seconded the motion.
Discussion: J. Olson said if a decision of removal of
the building is delayed beyond the thirty days, the
staff will have no choice but to either board it up
or install a fence. The labor involved in installing
ti the fence would cost about $1,000 .
Amendment to Motion: N. Hanko amended her motion to
state that the slides would be shown at the next Board
meeting. G. Seager agreed to the change. H. Turner
called for the question. The motion passed on the
following vote: AYES - K. Duffy, B. Green, N. Hanko
and G. Seager; NOES - H. Turner and D. Wendin.
The Board recessed at 9 :50 P.M. and reconvened at 10 :01 P.M.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED (continued)
B. Proposed Land Management Secretary Position
H. Grench introduced his report (R-77-13) dated March 3, 1977,
regarding a Proposed Land Management Secretary Position. He
pointed out that the current Action Plan and budget provide for
additional secretarial assistance, and the Action Plan also
indicated that some restructuring of secretarial support would
be considered when appropriate. He explained that the increased
overall workload and land-management-related workload have
made it no longer practical or efficient to continue the present
two-person "pool" system. He felt that secretarial support
should be assigned to programs, rather than to individual office
tasks, in the future, and that a Land Management Secretary
position be established by the Board with an annual salary
range of $9,020 to $11,725.
N. Hanko said she supported this new position strongly, since
she had observed the need for it for some time now.
Motion: H. Turner moved that the Board establish the position
of Land Management Secretary and approve the Job
Description attached to the General Manager's report
(R-77-13) and salary range of $9 ,020 to $11,725 annually.
ti B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unan-
imously.
D. Wendin said the General Manager had advised him that plans
for additional office space in the District' s present location
were not materializing. He suggested the matter be placed on
Meeting 77-8 Page eight
the next Board meeting agenda for discussion, and the Board could
then give staff appropriate direction. It was the consensus of
the Board that office status be considered on the next agenda
as an informational item.
C. Scheduling of Next Board Meetings
H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-77-27) dated March 3 ,
1977 , regarding the Scheduling of Next Board Meetings. He ex-
plained that a 4/5 majority of the Board was needed for chang-
ing the name of the District. He said it also appeared that
the draft Master Plan would be ready about March 23 . He sug-
gested the Board consider holding a Special Meeting on a date
when at least six members would be present.
D. Wendin stated the consensus that the Regular Meeting of
March 23 may be cancelled at the discretion of the Vice Presi-
dent and that a Special Meeting be scheduled in San Mateo County
on March 30 or another convenient date at a place chosen by
the Vice President.
X. OLD BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED
A. Proposed Amendment to PERS Contract
H. Grench introduced his memorandum (M-77-26) dated March 3,
1977, regarding a Proposed Amendment of the PERS Contract. He
explained that the Board had adopted a Resolution of Intention
to approve an amendment to the contract between the District
and the Public Employees Retirement System at its February 9 ,
1977 meeting. The amendment would cause the District to unpool
from the miscellaneous member group by adding the final com-
pensation benefit for computation of an employee's retirement
allowance. The action would have the effect of reducing the
District's employer contribution rate from 8.67% to 6 .155% ,
which would save the District at least $6 ,400 per year. He
said this savings is equivalent to a one-time savings of at
least $107,000, assuming a 6% interest rate. He recommended
that the Board approve the resolution attached to the memoran-
dum which authorizes the amendment.
Motion: B. Green moved adoption of Resolution No. 77-12, a
Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpenin-
sula Regional Park District Authorizing An Amendment
to the Contract Providing for the Participation of
the Midpeninsula Regional Park District in the Public
Employees Retirement System, Making Its Employees
Members of Said System. D. Wendin seconded the mo-
tion. The motion passed unanimously.
XI . NEW BUSINESS WITH NO ACTION REQUESTED
A. Report on Orienteering Day
Meeting 77-8 Page nine
C. Harrington referred to her report (R-77-14) dated March 7,
1977, regarding Orienteering Day held on March 5, 1977. She
said the orienteering event was the first one sponsored by the
District andit was held at the Los Trancos Open Space Pre-
serve. About eighty people participated in the event during
the day. Participants were given instructions in map reading,
compass, pacing and orienteering strategy. Afterwards, the
participants used these skills to find control points marked
on a map. She expressed her gratitude to all the people who
assisted in planning the event, which, she felt, had a minimal
impact on the site.
B. Green said she felt the orienteering event was an excellent
way to publicize open space.
D. Wendin said he was aware that a substantial amount of staff
time was utilized to prepare for the event, and he felt it
might be appropriate to have a report on the overall impact
of the event. He suggested the information could be given to
the subcommittee responsible for formulating policies on group
use. H. Grench said the data would be compiled and submitted
to the subcommittee.
XII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
A. Regional Park Districts Joint Meeting
H. Grench confirmed that the joint regional park district meet-
ing sponsored by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District
would be held on April 30 and May 1 at the Holiday Inn in Carmel, and
he asked that Board members advise him as soon as possible
what nights they would need reservations.
N. Hanko asked about reimbursement for Friday night, April 29.
D. Wendin stated the consensus that the Subcommittee on Reim-
bursement of Directors ' Expenses would consider the question
of overnight expense reimbursement and make a recommendation
to the Board at a future meeting. He suggested that reserva-
tions made now be made on the assumption that individual Board
members will have to pay their own expenses.
B. CPRS Meeting in Anaheim
H. Grench advised that he had recently attended the annual
California Park and Recreation Society meeting in Anaheim, Calif-
ornia. He reported that one session on the subject of open
space described how maintenance districts can be formed to
provide care for large open space left over from subdivision
development. Such districts are funded through the property tax.
He said he also discovered that such a district in southern
Meeting 77-8 Page ten
California (West Covina) has extremely high landscaping main-
tenance costs. Areas with trees cost up to $5200 per acre
per year to maintain.
C. Letter from Marin County Open Space District re Legislation
H. Grench referred the Board to a letter dated March 8, 1977,
from the Marin County Open Space District regarding proposed
legislation which would permit certain regional park districts
to exchange some open space properties under certain circum-
stances. H. Grench suggested the Board might want to consider
whether to support this legislation.
D. Wendin said the matter could probably be discussed at the
forthcoming regional park district joint meeting.
D. MRPD Brochure on Page Mill Road Area Sites
J. Olson introduced the recently printed brochure describing
the District's properties along Page Mill Road. C. Harrington
said the Regulatory ordinance was being printed on the same
type of paper.
E. Progress on Hassler Health Home Property
H. Grench advised that he met recently with Bob Allen, City
Administrator of San Carlos, regarding the recommendations of the
MRPD Board of Directors on joint acquisition of the Hassler
Health Home property. He said they cleared up several items of
confusion or uncertainty. He said San Carlos has approved the
filing of eminent domain proceedings on the site, and has
started to establish a non-profit organization to sell the
bonds. He said the City Manager would like to meet with
the San Carlos Mayor, the District' s President (or Vice-
President) and General Manager in the near future to discuss
the proposal in detail.
F. Transfer of Property from San Jose to Cupertino
N. Hanko said she was aware of a proposal to transfer a portion
of San Jose into the jurisdiction of Cupertino, and she wanted
to be sure that LAFCO would keep the District in mind when the
proposal came before them. H. Grench said that a change of the MRPD
boundaried to include any new part of Cupertino was part of the proposal.
E. Progress on Hassler Health Home Property (continued)
G. Seager said he had received many favorable comments about
the District's presentation on the Hassler Health Home site.
He said there seem to be many uncertainties about how such a
proposal would work, and what the liability associated with
the buildings was.
Meeting 77-8 Page eleven
D. Wendin said he would like Legal Counsel to determine what
the Board can discuss in Executive Session on the Hassler site.
XIII. CLAIMS
Motion: D. Wendin moved acceptance of the revised claims (C-77-
6) dated March 9, 1977 as presented. B. Green seconded
the motion.
Discussion: H. Grench pointed out that claim No. 2841
represented two 'separate projects and did not exceed
the $3500 prior authorization rule. The motion passed
unanimously.
XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board recessed to Executive Session at 11: 10 P.M. to discuss
land negotiations.
XV. ADJOURNMENT
The Board reconvened to adjourn at 12: 00 midnite.
Anne Cathcart Crosley
District Clerk