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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19820428 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 82-8 AjL MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT 375 DISTEL CIRCLE,SUITE D-1,LOS ALTOS,CALIFORNIA 94022 (415) 965-4717 REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES APRIL 28, 1982 I. ROLL CALL President Katherine Duffy called the meeting to order at 7 :31 P.M. Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Daniel Wendin, Barbara Green, Edward Shelley, Nonette Hanko, Harry Turner, and Richard Bishop Personnel Present: Craig Britton, David Hansen, Charlotte MacDonald, Jean Fiddes , Pat Starrett, Joan Combs , Stanley Norton. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. April 14, 1982 Motion : B. Green moved the approval of the minutes of April 14, 1982 . D. Wendin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. III. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION J. Fiddes stated the Board had received the following written communica- tions : 1) a letter, dated April 19 , 1982 , from Harry H. Hauessler, Jr. , 1094 Highland Circle, Los Altos, discussing two areas of the staff report on the Policy and Plan for Relative Emphasis of Use and Development and Publicity for District Lands. 2) a letter, dated April 13 , 1982 from Paul N. McCloskey, Jr., House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 , to Mr. John D. Cherry, Acting Associate Regional Director, Planning and Recreation Services , United States Department of the Interior, stating his endorsement of the Dis- trict' s application for the Almaden Air Force Station on top of Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Thayer. 3) a letter, dated April 14 , 1982 , from S. I. Hayakawa, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 , thanking President Duffy for her letter concerning federal funds for new parkland acquisition. The Board referred Mr. Hauesslerls letter to staff for consideration in the preparation of the follow-up report on the Policy and Plan for Relative Emphasis of Use , Development and Publicity of District Lands. IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA K. Duffy requested the addition of an agenda item under New Business with Action Requested to discuss the upcoming annual docent celebration. K. Duffy indicated. the Board' s consensus the agenda was adopted as pre- sented with the addition noted above to New Business with Action Reauested. Herbert A.Grench,General Manager Board of Directors:Katherine Duffy,Barbara Green,Nonette G.Hanko,Richard S.Bishop,Edward G Shelley,Harry A.Turner,Daniel G Wendin Meeting 82-8 Page two V. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Robert Mark , 609 Forest Avenue , Palo Alto, complimented the Board on the outcome of the recent open space poll in the Peninsula Times Tribune. Tom Kavanaugh, 1726 Spring Street, Mountain View, requested the recommen- dation added at the April 14 , 1982 meeting to the San Mateo County Bay- lands Reserve portion of the Summary Status Report on Use and Management of Planning Area X - Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area and San Mateo County Baylands Reserve be amended to include property owners and citizens among the agencies working on the development of a comprehensive plan for the area between the Dumbarton Bridge and Cooley Landing. Discussion centered on whether the adopted summary status report should be amended, when citizen participation would be most beneficial, the Board' s desire to have Public involvement in the joint planning process , and whether the matter should be discussed at a subsequent Board meeting as an agenda item. Motion: H. Turner moved that tonight it was the intent of the Board to have staff encourage the use of public-spirited citizens to encourage other government bodies to join with the District in this planning effort. R. Bishop seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VI. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Proposed Ward Boundary Re-Alignment N. Hanko reviewed the report, dated April 14 , 1982 , from the Committee for Study of Ward Boundaries on the proposed ward boundary re-alignment. She noted the second sentence of the first paragraph on Page Two of the report should be amended to read "A Population adjustment across county boundaries was therefore necessary" . D. Wendin noted the report should refer to ideal populations , not variances. N. Hanko outlined in detail the changes to boundaries proposed for Wards 1, 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 and identified the changes on display maps. Motion: N. Hanko moved the Board adopt the Committee ' s report, recommended ward boundary re-alignment, and refer to staff for the preparation of legal boundary descriptions for final approval by the Board. R. Bishop seconded the motion. The motion Passed unanimously. B. Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (Response to Concerns of R. Bullis C. Britton introduced memorandum M-82-42 , dated April 21, 1982 , regarding the concerns and requests of Mr. Richard Bullis made at the April 14 Board meeting regarding his use of a portion of the former Skyline Ranch property. D. Hansen reviewed the first two sections of the staff report noting staff had not yet had a repre- sentative of the Agricultural Extension Service on the site to inspect the area being grazed, but had gathered general information on grazing in the area via a telephone conversation with a member of the San Mateo County Agricultural Extension Service who was familiar with the property. He stated staff felt the large Quinta Ranch sign was an intrusion and the District's Legal Counsel was looking into the legal ramifications of the exclusivity of the easement over District property. Mr. Bullis stated he had had Mr. Lawrence Costello from the San Mateo County Agricultural Extension Service inspect the area being grazed and stated Mr. Costello had indicated the pasture was in Meeting 82-8 Page three perfect condition. K. Duffy requested Mr. Bullis submit a written report on the grazing matter. N. Hanko stated she would Prefer the Board not take any action on the grazing matter until information was provided by an Agricultural Extension Service representative after an on-site inspection. S. Norton stated he had been contacted by Mr. Bullis' s attorney and had received copies of the appropriate deeds. S. Norton said it was his firm conclusion with respect to the question of exclusi- vity that no exclusive easement was granted anywhere to Mr. Bullis. He suggested a Possible signing alternative the staff and Board might want to consider and stated he would be discussing the matter further with Mr. Bullis ' s attorney and would report back to the Board. Mr. Bullis presented a diagram of the area in question, noting he proposed that a fence be constructed along the road and up to the grassy knoll to prevent members of the Public from walking too far down the road and entering his property. K. Duffy stated she felt it would be inappropriate to fence off public property to create a buffer zone for Mr. Bullis 's home . C. Britton reviewed the portion of the staff report dealing with the number of residential units on the property, noting the San Mateo County Planning Department was researching the matter. He said the overall density is approximately 120 acres per unit and that dwellings were included in a 50 year lease to the Wasserman family. Mr. Bullis stated 'he was concerned the units were being rented with- out the proper permit. Motion: D. Wendin moved 1) for Item 1 the staff continue to pur- sue a meeting with the San Mateo County Agricultural Service and report back to the Board; 2) for Item 2 District' s Legal Counsel meet with Mr. Bullis ' s attorney and make a final recommendation on the matter of the easement and Mr. Bullis' s right to a sign and that staff make a recommendation about the sign based on Legal Counsel' s report; and 3) for Item 3 that staff continue to pursue the issue as to whether there is a problem as far as the District is concerned. B. Green seconded the motion. Discussion: Jim Curlett, the Wasserman family' s attorney, noted that District staff, in negotiating for the purchase of Skyline Ranch, had been consistent in not allowing the Wasserman family to retain grazing rights for their own use in the area grazed by Mr. Bullis. K. Duffy stated the Board' s consensus that the three matters covered in the motion return to the Board at one time as one aaenda item. Robert Mark stated he felt Mr. Bullis ' s "No Tres- passing" signs should be removed, and D. Wendin responded he felt it would not be appropriate to remove the signs un- til the District' s Legal Counsel had reported back to the Board on the matter of the easement. The motion passed unanimously. C. Parking Requests on Long Ridge open Space Preserve Entrance Road D. Hansen, referring to memorandum M-82-41, dated April 22 , 1982 , stated he and J. Boland had met earlier in the day with Charles Touchatt and Don Campbell, two of the three members of the Portola Heights Association Road Committee. He said the group had reached a verbal agreement on how to handle the parking situation and said the interim solution being proposed for Board approval was to allow parking for up to two cars that displayed the Portola Heights Association decal at the entrance to the Long Ridge Open Space Meeting 82-8 Page four Preserve for the use of the school children for a period of up to one year. D. Hansen stated that during the one year period the staff and members of the Road Committee mutually agreed to look for other parking areas outside the Preserve, preferably on the Cal- Trans right-of-way, for parking cars to be used by the children and to look into the construction of some type of shelter for the children that the District and residents could mutually work on. He stated the representatives from the Association would be asking all Portola Heights homeowners to comply with the agreement if approved by the Board. Motion: R. Bishop moved the Board approve the agreement outlined by D. Hansen in his staff report and authorize the staff to go ahead and implement the agreement. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. D. Docent Celebration K. Duffy stated she had been contacted by J. Nicholas, Coordinator of Volunteer Programs , about the up-coming graduation of new Dis- trict docents. After Board discussion of the annual Board-hosted celebration to honor the District' s docents, K. Duffy stated the Board' s consensus the docent celebration be held on Saturday, June 19 , 1932 , on the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. VII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS D. Hansen informed the Board the next on-site meeting for gathering in- put for the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve Use and Management Plan, including the former McNiel property, would be held on Saturday, May 8, 1982, beginning at 10 : 00 A.M. C. Britton reported on 1) the spectacular wildflowers at Edgewood County Park, 2) the sale of the mobile home on the former McNiel property for $8, 000, and 3) the status of SB 1680 and AB 2521. C. MacDonald reported the City of Sunnyvale ' s Fourth Annual Baylands Run had been held on April 24 , and B. Green stated a petition was circu- lated at the event to gather support for Santa Clara County' s application for a San Francisco Bay Access Grant from the California Coastal Conservancy. C. MacDonald showed slides of the wildflowers at the Edgewood County Park. Doni Hubbard, President, Mid-Peninsula Trails Council, stated the Council was interested in participating in the District' s 10th Anniversary Celebration. VIII. CLAIMS Motion: D. Wendin moved the approval of the revised claims 82-8 , dated April 28 , 1982 . E. Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. IX. CLOSED SESSION The Board adjourned to Closed Session on land negotiation matters at 9 : 03 P.M. X. ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 10 :45 P .M. Jean H. Fiddes District Clerk