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MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT
Regular Meeting
Board of Directors
M I N U T E S
March 14, 1979 7 : 30 P.M.
I. ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order by President Shelley at 7 : 35 P.M.
Members Present: Edward Shelley, Katherine Duffy, Harry Turner,
Richard Bishop and Barbara Green.
Members Absent: Nonette Hanko and Daniel Wendin.
Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Jon Olson, Anne Crosley,
Craig Britton, Charlotte MacDonald, Del Woods, Cynthia DiGiovanni,
Stanley Norton and Phyllis Lee.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Minutes of February 28, 1979
B. Green referred the Board to a motion on page two regarding an
amendment to the Land Use and Management Planning Process. She
said that on line 3 of the motion, the Resolution No. 79-14 should
be changed to "Resolution 79-12" . E. Shelley stated the consensus
of the Board that the minutes be approved with this correction.
III. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There were no Written Communications at this time.
N. Hanko arrived at 7 : 40 P.M.
IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
E. Shelley stated the consensus of the Board that an item be
added to the agenda for consideration of "Cancellation of Regular
Meeting, March 28 and Rescheduling of Special Meeting to discuss
the Proposed Lease for the Picchetti Ranch Area".
V. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Robert Mark, 720 Cowper Avenue, Palo Alto expressed concern about
Cal Trans no-parking signs posted along Skyline Boulevard near
the Long Ridge Open Space Preserve, He said he felt it was the
responsibility of the Board to work to protect and improve the
natural integrity of such scenic corridors. He added that the
chain link fence installed by the City of Palo Alto along Page
Mill Road also detracted from the scenic attraction of the area.
Meeting 79-6 Page Two
J. Olson said District staff has discussed the no parking signs
along Skyline Boulevard with Cal Trans staff, and Cal Trans has agreed
to remove the signs in front of the Long Ridge property. He said
these signs were installed as a result of complaints from area resi-
dents about problems associated with roadside parking. He said
that in the case of the City of Palo Alto chain link fence, it
was the feeling of City staff that the fence is necessary to pre-
vent people from entering Foothills park without the knowledge of
park personnel and to prevent problem associated with such entry such as
illegal camping and fires. He added that District ranger staff
does not have the capability to police these areas if the signs
on Skyline and the fence along Page Mill were removed,
B. Green suggested that District staff contact Cal Trans to find
out whether they had specifications for installation of signs
along scenic corridors.
VI. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
H. Grench introduced Charlotte MacDonald, the District's new Public
Communications Coordinator.
VII. OLD BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED
-A. Status of Hassler Health Home Property and Edgewood State
College Site.
H. Grench introduced Report No. R-79-10 , dated March 9 , 1979
regarding the Status of Hassler Health Home Property and Edgewood
State College Site. He recommended that the Board 1) continue
to delay signing an agreement for State Land and Water Conserva-
tion Funds for the Hassler property until the results of the assess-
ment District petition drive are known, and 2) approve the sources
of funding in Section 2 of the report and the attached detailed
funding plan for the Edgewood State college site and forward these,
under the President' s signature, to the San Mateo County Board of
Supervisors and Parks and Recreation Commission for their consider-
ation.
H. Turner told the Board he had met with San Mateo County Super-
visors Lyon and Bacciocco and Parks and Recreation Commissioner,
Jo Schreck. He said that both supervisors although favorable about
the acquisition of the Edgewood property, did not feel they could
support the use of County General Fund money for this acquisition.
He said the Supervisors plan to discuss with the Director of the
Park and Recreation Department the possibility that the major
portion of funds for acquisition could come from the proposed
public golf course on the site. He suggested that if the Board
approves the recommendations contained in the report, that the word
"General" be struck from "San Mateo County General Fund" at the
bottom of page two.
R. Bishop told the Board that the citizens group for the assess-
ment district had met and the petitions are being circulated.
Meeting 79-6 Page Three
He told the Board that in order to look at the western portion
of the Hassler property, he would conduct a tour of the site on
Saturday morning, March 17. He urged Board members, staff and
public to attend.
Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board approve the recommenda-
tion to 1) continue to delay signing an agreement for
State Land and Water Conservation Funds for the Hassler
property until the results of the assessment District
petition drive are known, and 2) approve the sources
of funding in Section 2 of the report and the attached
detailed funding plan for the Edgewood State college
site and forward these under the President's signature,
to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and Parks
and Recreation Commission for their consideration. H.
Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unani-
mously.
Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board approve striking the
word "General" from "San Mateo County General Fund"
listed as a source of funds in Section 2 of report
No. R-79-10. B. Green seconded the motion. The mo-
tion passed unanimously.
B. Approval of Lease Agreement with the Investment Corporation
of Philadelphia and Allen and Company for Christmas Tree
Farming on Monte Bello Open Space Preserve .
C. Britton reviewed report No. R-79-8 dated March 8 , 1979 regarding
Approval of Lease Agreement with the Investment Corporation of
Philadelphia and Allen and Company for Christmas Tree Farming on
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. He told the Board that as a con-
dition of the sale of this property, the District must lease back
to the Seller approximately 20 acres for a Christmas tree farm.
He said that a proposed agricultural lease agreement and corres-
ponding resolution must be approved by the Board ; however, several
areas of the lease are still being discussed with the Seller, so
that Board approval would have to be delayed until such time as
an agreement could be reached. He said that escrow on this parcel
is scheduled to close on March 22, 1979. He added that if details
of the lease could not be resolved, he would recommend that escrow
be extended. Some of the points still under consideration by the
Seller and the District include:
1) Seller wishes to add sentence on page 2 , item 4b
to indicate that current Christmas tree farm operation
complies with approved agricultural practices.
2) Seller wishes to combine item Db. 5 on page 3 with
item 7a on page 4 , which regard the condition of
the property at the end of the lease term.
3) Seller wishes to have more specific outline of pro-
posed recreational trail discussed in No. 9d on page
3.
Meeting 79-6 Page Four
4) Page 8 item No. llb is blank due to Seller' s
uncertainty regarding "public trail" liability.
5) Seller wishes to further consider insurance require-
ments outlined on Page 9 item No. 12 .
B. Mark said he felt the public should have access across the lease
area from Skyline Boulevard unless some sort of perimeter access
is available.
J. Olson pointed out two alternate trail routes on the lower por-
tion of the property. C. Britton added that public use of this
area would raise the question of increased liability.
Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board give staff the authority
to negotiate with the Seller on the lease items discussed.
K. Duffy seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimous-
ly.
Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board schedule a Special Meeting
for Tuesday, March 20 at 7: 30 p.m. for the purpose of
considering the negotiated agricultural lease agreement;
further giving the President of the Board the authority
to cancel the meeting if the lease has not been final-
ized at that time and giving the General Manager the
authority to approve the lease agreement at a later date
if a Board quorum is not available. B. Green seconded the
motion.
Discussion: S. Norton said that the proposed Resolution
attached to the report could be adopted by the Board at
this time, to become effective at the time the lease docu-
ment is approved. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board adopt Resolution No. 79-15,
a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
Regional Open Space District Approving Lease Agreement for
Christmas Tree Farming (Monte Bello Open Space Preserve/
Philadelphia Investment Property) . N. Hanko seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: H. Turner moved that the Board approve the interim use
and management recommendations contained in the report.
B. Green seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
VITT. NEW BUSINESS WITH NO ACTION REQUESTED
A. Review of Use and Management of Planning Area III (Los Trancos
and Russian Ridge Open Space Preserves and Thornewood. )
J. Olson introduced report No. R-79-9 dated March 9 , 1979 regarding
Review of Use and Management of Planning Area III (Los Trancos and
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserves and Thornewood) . He recommended
Meeting 79-6 Page Five
that the Board approve the supplemental use and management recom-
mendations included in the report for each of the sites in Planning
Area III. He told the Board that concurrence with the recommenda-
tions in the report did not imply a Board decision to allocate funds
for plan implementation at this time. He said that higher priority
projects would probably be included in the budget for the coming
fiscal year.
Bob Mark said he felt the signing system at Los Trancos Open Space
Preserve is confusing. He said that equestrians often use trails
marked for .hiking. He added that the trails at the site are fun
to hike in spite of the signing problem.
Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board approve the supplemental
use and management recommendations included in report
no. R-79-9 for Los Trancos and Russian Ridge Open Space
Preserves and Thornewood. H. Turner seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
B. Not-So-Annual Regional Park and Open Space District Conference.
H. Grench introduced memorandum No. M-79-47 dated March 7 regarding
the Not-So-Annual Regional Park and Open Space District Conference.
He recommended that the Board schedule a Special Meeting on April
7 in Marin County to enable Board members to attend the conference.
He said that the primary discussion topic would be legislation
and other responses to problems created by Proposition 13. He add-
ed that the conference time and location would be announced at a
later date.
Motion: K. Duffy moved that the Board schedule a Special Meeting
for April 7, 1979 in Marin County for the Not-So-Annual
Regional Park and Open Space District Conference. H.
Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unani-
mously.
C. Cancellation of Regular Meeting, March 28/Scheduling of
Special Meeting to Discuss the Proposed Lease for the Picchetti
Ranch Area.
Motion: E. Shelley moved that the Board cancel the Regular meeting
scheduled for March 28 and schedule a Special Meeting for
March 31 at 9 : 30 A.M. at the Picchetti Ranch Area. K. Duffy
seconded the motion.
Discussion: E. Shelley told the Board that the purpose of
this Special Meeting is to review the proposed lease for
the winery at the Picchetti Ranch and to obtain further
public input regarding its use. He added that the Board
would not approve the lease at this meeting.
The motion passed unanimously.
IX. OLD BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED
A. District's Volunteer Program
H. Grench referred the Board to memorandum No. M-79-49 dated
Meeting 79-6 Page Six
March 9 , 1979 regarding the District 's Volunteer Program. He
explained that this item was a continuation of Board discussion
following the approval of the Volunteer Coordinator Contract ap-
proved at the meeting of February 14 .
E. Huggins told the Board that as a result of an article which
appeared in the March 4 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle
regarding the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve, use of this site
had increased significantly. She told the Board that currently
there are 30 to 35 docents in class who will be leading hikes
on District sites this spring and summer. She suggested that
these docents could represent District "presence" on sites such
as Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and Los Trancos to give
the District a higher level of visibility and to monitor how much
use a particular site is receiving. She further suggested that
docents could ask questions of site users and other volunteers
could compile data on District constituents who use these sites.
R. Mark suggested that the Board attempt to identify current site
users who may be willing to aid the District in evaluating use
levels and problems on District sites.
X. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
A. H. Grench told the Board that as a result of passage of SB 31
the District could receive up to $603,500 in State surplus funds in
the current fiscal year. He added that he had attended the
Senate Local Government Committee where SB 186 ( the new "bail-out"
bill) had been considered. He said the committee had voted
to increase the overall allocation of funds for enterprise
and non-enterprise districts from $200 to $300 million.
B. H. Grench told the Board he recently attended the Environmental
Fair held at Fort Mason in San Francisco. He said the local
Environmental Volunteers had an exhibit at the fair and sug-
gested that the District might contribute to the fair next year.
C. J. Olson told the Board that the Picchetti Ranch Area has been
nominated by the State Department of Parks and Recreation for
National Register designation.
D. J. Olson told the Board that a fence is being constructed at
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve by the St. Josephs
Seminary staff, He said the fence will extend from the
underpass at 280 to the bridge at the Preserve and is expec-
ted to be completed in approximately one month.
E. J. Olson told the Board that one rare and one endangered
vegetative specie had been discovered on the Edgewood State
college site, He said this discovery may preempt certain
types of development on the site,
Meeting 79-6 Page Seven
F. E. Shelley told the Board that he recently attended a showing
of the slide presentation entitled "The Wheeled Locusts" . He
said the presentation provided an objective view regarding
effects of off-road vehicles and their environmental impact.
He said that the show was impressive because of the photogra-
phic expertise of its producers and accompanying music. He
urged anyone who has an opportunity to see it and suggested
that perhaps the District might want to co-sponsor the slide
presentation for the benefit of more of its constituents.
G. J. Olson advised the Board that staff had been contacted by
City of Cupertino staff regarding fencing required to enclose
the Voss Pond area. He said that District staff had previously
offered to recomrend donation of 400 feet of surplus chain link fence to the
Evergreen Resource Conservation District for this purpose.
He told the Board that when the Conservation District and the
City of Cupertino finalize the plans for this area District
staff will return to the Board for authorization to donate
the fencing.
XI. CLAIMS
Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board approve the revised claims
list (C-79-05) dated March 14 , 1979 . H. Turner seconded
the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board recessed to Executive Session at 10 :45 P.M. to discuss
Land Negotiations.
XIII. ADJOURNMENT
The Board reconvened to adjourn at 11 :55 P.M.
Phyllis Lee
Recording Secretary
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A. Minutes of March 14 , 1979
D. Wendin reminded the clerk of Bob Mark's requested addition
of a sentence to be reflected- in the March 14 minutes which was
recorded in the April 11 minutes.
B. Green stated the consensus that the minutes of March 14 be
approved as corrected.
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