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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19840926 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 84-21 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT 375 DISTEL CIRCLE,SUITE D-1,LOS ALTOS,CALIFORNIA 94022 (415)965-4717 REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS SEPTEMBER 26, 1984 MINUTES I . ROLL CALL President Daniel Wendin called the meeting to order at 7:45 P.M. in the Multi-Purpose Room of Los Altos High School , 210 Almond Avenue, Los Altos. Members Present: Katherine Duffy, Daniel Wendin, Edward Shelley, Teena Henshaw, and Harry Turner. Richard Bishop arrived at 9:00 P.M. Member Absent: Nonette Hanko Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Craig Britton, David Hansen, Charlotte MacDonald, Del Woods, James Boland, Mary Gundert, Joyce Nicholas , Alice Watt, David Topley, and Jean Fiddes D. Wendin introduced the Board members present and outlined the areas each member represented; H. Grench introduced the staff members present. II . APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. August 22, 1984 Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the minutes of August 22, 1984. D. Wendin seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. S. September 12, 1984 E. Shelley stated the word "Board" in the second line of the third motion on Page Four should be replaced by the word "staff". Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the minutes of September 12, 1984 with the correction noted. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. III . WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS J. Fiddles stated the Board had received the following written communications: 1 . a letter, dated September 4, 1984, from George Allegado 11 , 154 Oxford Street, San Francisco, regarding bus transit to District preserves and questioning the possibility of expanding the District boundaries; 2. a letter, dated September 20, 1984, from Harry H. Haeussler, Jr. , 1094 Highland Circle, Los Altos, regarding the revisions to the Brown Act in accordance with SB 2216 and requesting the District begin now to comply with the new requirements; 3. a letter, dated September 18, 1984, from Paula Bettencourt, Recreation Director for the City of Mountain View, discussing conflicts that occur between hikers , children in environmental education programs, and runners at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and suggested that some trails should be designated for specific use groups and that there should be an etiquette brochure; 4. a letter, dated September 21 , 1984, from J. Kevin Grayson, D.V.M. , Briarwood Clinic, Inc. , 884 Portola Road, Portola Valley, regarding the level of health care provided for the horses at High Meadow Ranch; and 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 84-21 page 2 5. letters from the following individuals expressing support for allowing High Meadow Stable to remain open in its current location: Brian Cilker, P.O. Box 61207, Sunnyvale; David G. Jackson, 23420 El Caminito, Los Altos Hills; Arelene T. Oberndorf, 664 San Martin Place, Los Altos; Sophia Loh, 4040 Park Boulevard, Palo Alto; Darlene King, 22961 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino; Carol Gottlieb, 24290 Summerhill Avenue, Los Altos Hills ; Robert E. Stutz, 25310 Elena Road, Los Altos Hills; Mrs . Chris Smith; and Shirley Beirman. Mr. Cilker and Ms. Bierman noted that equestraans and joggers could co-exist on trails. Mr. Jackson suggested that a fund be established to supply water and electricity to the stable and made a pledge to such a fund. D. Wendin requested that staff respond to the letters that did not pertain to Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. H. Grench stated that a memorandum from S. Norton had been included in the evening's informational material which stated that Mr. Norton had not yet received a final copy of the amendments to the Brown Act. S. Norton wrote that when he received the copy, he would complete his analysis and advise the Board as to whether any procedural changes were advisable to assure continued compliance with the law. IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA D. Wendin stated the Board's consensus that the agenda was adopted as presented. V. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were no oral communications . VI . NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Use and Management Plan Review for Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve D. Wendin noted that this was one of the most complex use and management plans the Board had reviewed and stated the three major items in the report, trail use, the stable, and the structures on the site, would be reviewed individually and and public comment on each specific item would be received after comments from Board and staff. D. Hansen introduced the staff report R-84-41 of September 20, 1984 on the use and management plan for Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and noted the following corrections: Exhibit "A" in the Planning Considerations section on Page Two should read Exhibit 2; the name "Mennin" in paragraph three on Page Twelve should read "McGinnis"; and the words "provide a presence on the site and identify potential hazards or problems" should be added to complete the last sentence in the Visitor and Site Protection section on Page Nineteen. D. Woods showed slides to provide an overview of the site. D. Hansen reviewed the portion of the staff report relating to trail conflicts, noting that two public meetings had been held to discuss the subject, and he discussed the type of trail conflicts that existed between hikers, runners, equestrians, and bicycles on the site. D. Woods reviewed the specific new use and management recommendations concerning trails, which included: preparation of a trails etiquette brochure; prohibiting running events and discouraging running- training activities; prohibiting motocross bicycles from all the trails on the site; and repairing the trail extending into the former Cho property from Wildcat Canyon. He noted staff would evaluate the results of the measures listed above Meeting 84-21 page 3 over the next eight months and, if there was still a significant trail use conflict situation, return to the Board with an amended trails plan which could include restricting ''certain trails to certain use groups and constructing a bypass trail to circumvent the Deer Hollow Farm area. He said that if the amended plan recommendations include a major change in trail use, a public workshop would be held to solicit public input. K. Duffy, referring to Item 9 on Page Six, stated she did not feel it necessary for staff to return to the Board with a bridge funding request since the amount involved was minimal . Discussion centered on the reason staff was recommending that motocross bicycles only be prohibited on the site. D. Woods stated that motocross bikes had been a problem on all the trails and that these bikes were specifically designed for speed, as opposed to mountain bikes that were designed for climbing and control . K. Duffy and E. Shelley stated that they did not think it proper to selectively exclude motocross bikes on the site, and E. Shelley suggested a set of standards or requirements be established for the type of bicycles that would be allowed on the site. 2 - Harry Haeussler, Jr. , 1094 Highland Circle, Los Altos suggested that there be parking in the Mora Drive area; that access to the upper preserve trails be allowed via a new stile at the Mora gate; and questioned whether staff had investi- gated the possibility of moving High Meadow Stables to the flat meadow area near the end of Pavensbury Avenue. Mary Gilman, representing the City of Mountain View, discussed the trail conflicts that took place on the Wildcat Canyon Trail and at the main entrance to Deer Hollow Farm. She stated there were no conflicts within the Farm's ten acres itself. She requested staff reevaluate the hours suggested in Item 2 on Page Six relating to when schools would be asked to use the site for training programs, noting the environmental education programs at Deer Hollow Farm began at 9:00 A.M. Jeff Golden, a hiker from Los Altos Hills , stated he felt runners were damaging the Preserve and urged that the Board take some action to preserve the quality of peace and solitude on the site. D. Wendin stated he felt motocross bicycles should be prohibited because they had been specifically identified as a problem. He asked staff to reassess whether motocross bikes should be prohibited from all the trails on the sites or just some of them and said he felt it critical for the staff to work on a definitive proposal that would be returned to the Board in eight months in the event the running problem is not alleviated. Fred Levine, a runner, stated that he felt that there were no conflicts on the trails between use groups and said regular runners and equestrians on the site get to know each other after a time. D. Wendin stated the Board's consensus that staff was being asked to return at the final reading of the report with a more careful analysis of the bicycle and motocross problem to see if they want to change the recommendation, including what areas they would recommend closing to motocross bicycles, and to proceed with parallel planning for solutions to the running problem so that at the end of eight months staff would have a proposal ready to bring to the Board in the event the problem has not been alleviated. An unidentified woman in the audience stated she felt that there should not be any bicycles on the Preserve since they are vehicles and called for a show of hands from the audience members to see who agreed with her. The majority of the audience raised their hands. Meeting 84-21 page 4 Georgia Prince, 824 Parnell Place, Sunnyvale, stated that there should be no bicycles on the trails , that she had stopped riding her horse in the Preserve because of encounters with bicycles, and that Rancho San Antonio should be considered a preserve, not a park. Dan Alcox, a horseowner, expressed his opposition to bicycles on the trails, and Bobbie Dowie, 24221 Dawnridge Drive, Los Altos Hills, an equestrian and a runner, stated that she would hate to see trails eliminated for horses, as she would hate to see trails closed to runners. D. Hansen and D. Woods reviewed the portion of the staff report relating to High Meadow Stable and discussed the six basic questions posed by staff which included location of the stable, need for the stable, the user group involved, parameters for use, management implications, and financial implications. D. Hansen stated staff was recommending that the High Meadow Stable facility be phased out over the next three to five years and that District staff would assist current boarders in finding alternate stable facilities. He stated that interim measures such as for fire protection and manure and hazard removal should be carried out immediately, and that the site would be returned to a natural area after the phase out period. In response to a question from K. Duffy, C. Britton stated that the unpaved portion of Ravensbury Avenue was not a public road and that the stable management and patrons had an historic use over the right-of-way easement. He said the easement might be overburdened if there were a significant increase in traffic using the road. E. Shelley asked if staff had looked into alternate locations for the facility in the area or on the site, including the location proposed by H. Haeussler. D. Hansen stated staff had not investigated the site proposed by H. Haeussler, that Rancho San Antonio County Park or the Consigny property in Stevens Creek Park might provide alternate stable locations and that city or county park departments, rather than a regional open space district, should be responsible for providing public stables. In response to D. Wendin's question regarding what type of an operation staff would recommend if the Board were to decide to retain a stable on the site, D. Hansen said such an operation should not include breeding stallions, should have an increased number of public boarders and should have fewer management horses. He noted such an operation would probably continue to be a local community-oriented facility. D. Wendin and E. Shelley stated they had difficulty supporting a breeding operation at the facility, and H. Turner questioned whether there should be rental horses at the stable for members of the public. T. Henshaw stated she did not see any evidence against what staff had discussed in the stable location section of the report, particularly the environmental concerns. She said that if the stable is on public land, all members of the public should be able to use it. R. Bishop stated that he felt a boarding or rental stable was an appropriate use of District land and that a commercial lease was justified if it did not present fire or health hazards, or damage to the environment. D. Hansen reviewed the capital improvement estimates on Page Fifteen of the report. He noted that it might be possible to lower the cost estimates for a new trailer and installation as per County requirements to $10,000 - $20,000, which would lower the total estimate for all capital improvements to $154,00 - $200,000. In response to a question from D. Wendin regarding which capital improvements would be required if the Board were to adopt staff's recommendation to phase out the stable, D. Hansen replied upgrading of the water supply, manure Meeting 84-21 page 5 removal , and any safety mitigation would be required. He estimated the cost for such interim mitigation measures would be approximately $10,000 - $20,000. D. Hansen stated that the staff had not conducted a quantitative assessment of the economic viability of continuing a stable operation without any breeding. Beverly Fike, the manager and owner of High Meadow Stable, stated that the issue before the Board was whether there should be a stable on the site, not whether it should be her stable. She said there was a need for a stable, that since the District bought the Cho property she had lost 15 horses with 58 remaining, and that she does not keep a waiting list. She noted she is as concerned as her neighbors about the rural atmosphere of the site, which is one reason she never expanded the stable. Mrs. Fike stated the District had lowered the number of horses allowed on the site to 58 and that she was looking into the possibilities of securing a Honda generator and a cellular telephone. She noted the generator could be used to pump water. She said she liked H. Haeussler's idea of where to move the stable and that she had already been looking for alternate locations to move her breeding operation. Mrs. Fike noted she did not see the need to remove the stallions from the facility since well-trained stallions were not a hazard. She added that 75% of the manure along the streambed had been removed and that the stalls will be cleaned out as soon as the dumptruck*she has purchased arrives. She stated that a rental operation was a great liability because of the inexperienced riders involved and said that she would be serving the community with 58-60 horses being boarded. The following individuals spoke in favor of retaining High Meadow Stable: c H. Haeussler, Brooke and Cheryl Fike of High Meadow Stable; Connie Bassett; David Jackson, 23420 El Caminito, Los Altos Fills; Frances Stevenson, 26989 Beaver Lane, Los Altos Hills; Robert E. Stutz, 26310 Elena Road, Los Altos Hills; Martin Miller of Ravensbury Avenue; Carolyn Lekburg of Sunnyvale and Fred Levine. Reasons cited by these individuals for retaining the stable included: the increasing number of horses in the area; the need for a public boarding stable; a stable operation would be an appropriate use on District property; the educational opportunities offered children by the stable and the opportunity for them to ride horses ; the moral responsibility the District has to the tenant; the pressure on other stables in the area to close because of housing developments; and the precedent that has been set in national and state parks for private boarding stables. Several speakers noted that well-trained stallions should not be a problem at the stable and spoke against a rental operation because of the problems and liability involved. Rye Smith, a neighbor on Ravensbury Avenue, stated that some of the neighbors had signed a petition expressing their concerns about traffic generated by the stable. He said traffic should be maintained at or below the current level and expressed his concerns about parking near the stable. Mrs. Closs, an adjacent property owner, stated she had studied the road easement and that it was not a public easement. She said that if the size of the stable is increased, the easement would be jeopardized, and that traffic on the road had deteriorated the road itself, and had broken drainage lines. Christine Bate, 23344 Camino Hermosa, Los Altos Hills, stated her concerns about increased traffic in the surrounding residential area. D. Wendin stated he favored retaining the stable if it could be permanently, economically viable and environmentally sound. He stated it should not include a rental operation, not increase traffic flow, and should have horses for classes. He said that a breeding operation did not seem to be consistent unless needed economically and that other locations should be investigated for the stable. He noted that the question of who gets to board their horse at the stable would need to be addressed at a later time. Meeting 84-21 page 6 T. Henshaw said she was not opposed to a stable in the area, but was opposed to the stable in its current location. K. Duffy expressed her support for a stable, adding that there were serious environmental and management questions that must be addressed. She noted that the County's requirements might be difficult to meet. R. Bishop stated he suported a stable operation, but felt there may be problems meeting health and fire standards. He said the staff should determine what the minimum requirements should be for continuing the lease. E. Shelley stated that he suported keeping the stable, that he preferred that it be located on alternate preserve sites or in Rancho San Antonio County Park, and that all environmental , health, and safety requirements be met. He said the facility should emphasize serving the public (e.g. , training classes) and that it must be economically viable. He added it was too early to judge who would operate the stable. H. Turner said he felt the stable could be a benefit to the public, that the stable site should satisfy all environmental and County standards , and that alternate locations should be explored. H. Grench stated the staff could report back to the Board in four to six months , and D. Hansen stated that concerns about fire, manure on the site, and other safety hazards would need to be addressed before staff returned to the Board. D. Wendin summarized the Board's discussion and stated the Board's consensus that paragraph three on Page Seventeen should be deleted from the use and management plan and that staff is directed to return sometime within the next four to six months with a proposal for a stable operation which best serves the public, meets the environmental concerns that have been raised, meets the County's requirements, does not include a rental operation or a breeding operation, and maintains a traffic pattern at or below the current level . He added staff should also con- sider other sites in the Preserve or in the County park for the stable. D. Wendin's initial consensus statement included the words "proposal for an economically viable stable operation" , but subsequent discussion resulted in the deletion of the words "economically viable. " E. Shelley stated that the District should continue to lease the stable on a monthly rental basis during the interim while staff prepared its proposal . Other members of the Board concurred with E. Shelley's statement. D. Wendin clarified that the issue before the Board had been whether there should be a stable on the site and not whether Mrs. Fike should continue to be the lessee. K. Duffy noted that the District usually assigns leases through an open bid selection process. The Board recessed for a break at 10:55 P.M. and reconvened for the meeting at 11 :07 P.M. D. Wendin stated that, due to the lateness of delivery of packet material to the Boy Scouts ' representatives, who had expressed an interest in the Upper House, and the lateness of the hour, he felt the remainder of the use and management plan should be considered at the Board's next regular meeting. Motion: D. Wendin moved that the Board continue the item on the Use and Manage- ment Plan Review for Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve to the Regular Meeting of October 10, 1984. T. Henshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to 0. Meeting 84-21 page 7 VII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS D. Hansen stated that there had been two small fires on the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve and on land adjacent to the Coal Creek Open Space Preserve during the previous week. H. Grench reported on the reception the Peninsula Open Space Trust hosted for the Conservation Foundation. C. Britton said the State Lands Commission had approved Commission acquisition of the World College West property from the Peninsula Open Space Trust and, as part of the transaction, the Commission could lease back the property to the District and the State Department of Fish and Game. H. Grench stated that the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Commission was trying to establish a new date for its joint meeting with the MROSD Board. He noted the Legislative Committee would be meeting at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, October 3 at the District office. D. Hansen announced the second public hearing in the Skyline Ridge Master Planning Process would also be held on October 3 beginning at 7:30 P.M. in the Los Altos High School Multi-Purpose Room. VIII . CLAIMS Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the revised claims 84-17 of September 26, 1984. T. Henshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to 0. IX. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11 :17 P.M. Jean H. Fiddes District Clerk CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES OF III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. September 26, 1984 Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the minutes of September 26, 1984. K. Duffy seconded the motion. Discussion: Harry Haeussler, 1094 highland Circle, Los Altos clarified his statements noted on page 3, paragraph 4 and page 5, paragraph 3, saying that he had referred to retaining a stable but not specifically High Meadow Stable. K. Duffy questioned the meaning of the statement regarding the dump truck in line 15, paragraph 2, page 5. She said she understood Mrs . Fike's statement to mean that the dump truck will be used to remove the remaining manure. H. Turner stated the Board's consensus that "remainder will be cleaned out" should be substituted for "stalls will be cleaned out". The motion passed 5 to 0.