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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19840222 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 84-04 AA, MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT 375 DISTEL CIRCLE,SUITE D-1,LOS ALTOS,CALIFORNIA 94022 (415)965-4717 REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS FEBRUARY 22, 1984 MINUTES I. ROLL CALL Vice President Harry Turner called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Edward Shelley, Nonette Hanko, Harry Turner, and Richard Bishop. Daniel Wendin arrived at 7:42 P.M. and assumed chairmanship of the meeting. Member Absent: Teena Henshaw. .Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Craig Britton, David Hansen, Charlotte MacDonald, Stanley Norton, Michael Foster, and Jean Fiddes. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 25, 1984 N. Hanko stated the minutes should be corrected to include her appointment to the Rancho San Antonio Upper House Committee (Page Six, Section C, 1984 Appointments to Board Committees). Motion: R. Bishop moved the approval of the minutes of January 25, 1984 with the correction of adding N. Hanko to the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve Upper House Proposal Evaluation Committee. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. February 8, 1984 D. Wendin stated the Board did not reconvene as anticipated after the February 8 Closed Session to discuss the letter that had been received from William Schumacher and requested the minutes of February 22 show that he had sent a letter of response to Mr. Schumacher. R. Bishop noted a copy of the letter was included in the packet. Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the minutes of February 8, 1984. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. III. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS J. Fiddes stated the Board had received the following written communications: 1 ) a letter from Sally Skol , 125 Lansberry Court, Los Gatos , regarding the Kennedy Road area, requesting additional ranger patrol in the area, and discussing hazardous use of bicycles in the area; and 2) letters from Lorian Ink, 17182 Zena Avenue, Monte Sereno, and Barbara Fluer, 15298 Kennedy Road, Los Gatos , requesting that trail bicycles not be allowed on the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, citing the incompatibility of hikers, equestrians, and trail bikes on the trails, and commenting on the hazards of trail biking and the high percentage of horse owners in the area. Discussion centered on problems created by trail bikes on District preserves, and D. Hansen stated the Mid-peninsula Trails Council would be hosting a trail compati- bility workshop in the late spring or early summer. E. Shelley and N. Hanko expressed their interest in a workshop that focused on trail biking on a District-wide basis. K. Duffy stated she would personally be contacting Mrs. Fluer. Staff was requested to respond to the written communications on the Board's behalf and report back to the Board in four to six weeks on what staff's plans were in the area of trail bike use on Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Herbert A.Grench,General Manager Board of Directors:Katherine Duffy,Nonette G.Hanko,Teena Henshaw,Richard S.Bishop,Edward G.Shelley,Harry A.Turner,Daniel G.Wendin Meeting 84-04 Page two IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA D. Wendin stated the agenda was adopted as presented by Board consensus. V. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Nancy Mason, 633 Paco Drive, Los Altos, requested the Board address the problem of trails on the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve that, due to use by equestrians after a rainfall , were impassable to hikers. She suggested an alternate trail be constructed for hikers. N. Hanko noted this problem had been discussed by the Board in the past, and R. Bishop stated that San Mateo County closed some of its trails to equestrians during the rainy season. Ms. Mason's request was referred to staff, and D. Hansen stated the problem would be discussed in the forthcoming use and management plan for the Preserve. VI. OLD BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Committee Meeting Notification H. Grench reviewed memorandum M-84-17 of February 1 , 1984, noting staff wanted to propose some additional wording modifications when the Board considered adopting a resolution amending the Rules of Procedure to include Section 1 .86 on Committee Meeting Notification. He stated the modifications concerned how to handle mailing lists for standing and special committees and requested the Board approve the proposed wording before them in principle. D. Wendin stated he would like staff to continue to follow the substance of the committee meeting notification rule even though the Board had not yet formally adopted it. In response to a question from E. Shelley, S. Norton stated the final paragraph of the proposed wording required modification, since standing committee meetings must be noticed if they are not held at preordained times. Motion: D. Wendin moved approval of the proposed rule in principle with the correction to cover standing meeting notification and with the added provision that staff will follow the substance of the procedure in the interim. R. Bishop seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VII. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Proposed Addition to Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (Quinn Property) C. Britton introduced the staff report R-84-9 of February 22, 1984 regarding the proposed acquisition of 80.16 acres located in San Mateo County which would become an addition to the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. He discussed the terms of the purchase, noting a cash payment of $90,000 was required at the close of escrow, with the possible additional payment of $25,000 if the seller did not assign the lease of the five acre homestead area and instead exercised the option to sell the leasehold interest back to the District. C. Britton outlined the restrictions concerning the leasehold area, noting that the 50-year lease could only be assigned to Robert Quinn and only during the next six years of the lease and that any problems associated with the lack of permits for the structures in the leasehold area would be the full responsibility of the lessee. D. Hansen showed slides of the property and discussed the proposed use and manage- ment recommendations. He noted that the property, if acquired, would be incorporated in the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve master plan process. Discussion centered on possible trail connections to Old Page Mill Road from Lambert Creek. S. Norton noted the Lease Agreement should include a standard clause concerning termination of the lease in the event of abandommnet of the premises for a certain number of months. C. Britton noted the abandonment clause had been inadvertently deleted from the final version of the lease document and said negotiations had in- cluded inclusion of such a clause. He stated it was the seller' s intent to have had the clause included in the agreement. Meeting 84-04 Page three S. Norton stated the Board could take action on the resolution currently before them with the proviso that an insert be included in an appropriate place in the lease agreement with respect to abandonment of the premises subject to the approval of Legal Counsel . Motion: R. Bishop moved the adoption of Resolution 84-10, a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Authorizing Acceptance of Purchase Agreement, Authorizing Officer to Execute Certificate of Acceptance of Grant to District, and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All Other Documents Necessary or Appro- priate to Closing of the Transaction (Skyline Rige Open Space Preserve - Quinn Property) , subject to the provision stated by Legal Counsel concerning abandonment of the premises. D. Wendin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board tentatively approve the interim use and management recommendations contained in the staff report, including the naming of the property as an addition to the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, and indicate its intention to dedicate the property as public open space. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. B. Option to Acquire Lands of Wilkins (Purisima Creek) C. Britton reviewed report R-84-10 of February 15, 1984 regarding the opportunity for the District to acquire an option to purchase 1662 acres of land on the western slopes of the northern Skyline Ridge in San Mateo County from William T. Wilkins. He stated the Option Agreement called for a payment of $400,000 which would give the District the exclusive right to purchase the property until April 18, 1984. He noted that if the District declined to exercise the option, the owner would retain $25,000 of the Option payment and repay the remaining $375,000 on or before Feb- ruary 25, 1985 without payment of interest. He added that if the option were exercised before the expiration date, the purchase price of the property would be $6,000,000 and would require a cash payment at the close of escrow of $4,300,000 with the $1 ,700,000 balance payable over five years at 10% interest. C. Britton reviewed the Option Agreement in detail , and discussion centered on the 50 acre life estate the owner would retain on Bald Knob, access rights to the area, and the ability for the owner to build a summer home not to exceed 1500 square feet in size. C. Britton stated a timber cruise would be done to help establish the value of the timber on the property and said that staff would be working with Save the Redwoods League to seek the League' s financial support for the acquisition of the property. Further discussion focused on the Timber Preserve Zone status of the property. C. Britton stated that the District would not be required under any circumstances , if the property were acquired, to harvest the timber on the property. D. Hansen reviewed possible planning considerations for the property, noting it could provide connecting trails for a City to the Sea Trail . He stated there were virgin redwoods on the property and showed a series of slides. D. Wendin and H. Turner stated they both supported acquiring the option, but could not support having the District pay $6,000,000 to acquire the property. R. Bishop noted the decision to purchase the property depended upon the amount of financial support received from Save the Redwoods League. N. Hanko expressed her support to acquire the option and noted the property provided the opportunity for a close-in Bay Area exposure to redwoods. E. Shelley stated he supported acquiring the option, but such action should not be interpreted as a commitment to purchase the property. Meeting 84-04 Meeting 84-04 Page four C. Britton requested Section Three of the resolution be amended to allow the General Manager to expend up to $11 ,000, rather than $1 ,000, to cover the cost of the option escrow and associated fees and costs related to the transaction. He noted this change was necessary since it was anticipated that the timber cruise and appraisal information would cost approximately $10,000. Motion: D. Wendin moved the adoption of Resolution 84-11 , a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Authorizing Acceptance of Option Agreement, Authorizing Officer to Execute Option Agreement, and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All Other Documents Necessary or Appropriate to Closing of the Transaction (Wilkins Property) , as amended. E. Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. C. Preliminary Action Plan for the Implementation of the Basic Policy of the Midpen- insula Regional Open Space District for Fiscal Year 1984-1985 H. Grench, C. MacDonald, D. Hansen, and C. Britton reviewed their respective sections of the Action Plan, as outlined in report R-84-7 of February 15, 1984, emphasizing changes resulting from the February 8 review of proposed objectives and key projects and activities and discussing changes proposed in other typical projects and activities. K. Duffy requested staff create a photographic display of District staff and Board members so the public could connect names with faces. D. Wendin, referring to H. Grench 's and D. Hansen's statements regarding possible staffing changes, ques- tioned when the full Board would be involved in considering the possible changes. H. Grench responded some recommendations might be folded into the 1984-1985 budget preparation process if they were ready, and the full Board would consider the matter when the preliminary budget was presented to them. He added that proposed staffing changes, as necessary, could be presented to the Board at any time during a fiscal year. Motion: D. Wendin moved the tentative adoption of the Action Plan for fiscal year 1984-1985 as presented. E. Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. VIII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS H. Grench stated the members of the Board had been invited to Leslie Nichol 's investiture ceremony on Friday, February 24. C. MacDonald noted the exhibit at the California History Center at DeAnza College opened on Friday, February 24. Beez Jones, referring to H. Grench's February 10 letter to Larry Norris, said Harry Haeussler was the individual who mentioned Santa Clara County was still considering adoption of parking or entry fees at Rancho San Antonio County Park. D. Hansen reported there had been heavy use of District preserves over the weekend, and H. Grench noted Sunrise Winery was open for informal winetasting at the Picchetti site. IX. CLAIMS Motion: D. Wendin moved the approval of the revised claims 84-4 of February 22, 1984. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. X. CLOSED SESSION The Board adjourned to Closed Session on land acquisition and litigation matters at 9:45 P.M. XI . ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn at 10:45 P.M. Jean H. Fiddes District Clerk