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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19841212 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting 84-27 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT 375 DISTEL CIRCLE,SUITE D-1,LOS ALTOS,CALIFORNIA 94022 (415)965-4717 REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS DECEMBER 12, 1984_ MINUTES I . ROLL CALL President Daniel Wendin called the meeting to order at 7 : 35 P .M. Members Present: Daniel Wendin, Teena Henshaw, Edward Shelley, Nonette Hanko, Harry Turner, and Richard Bishop. Katherine Duffy arrived at 7 : 38 P.M. Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, Craig Britton, David Hansen, Charlotte MacDonald, Del Woods, William Tannenbaum, and Emma Johnson. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES November 14 , 1984 Motion: R. Bishop moved the approval of the minutes of November 14, 1984 . E. Shelley seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to 0. November 28 , 1984 Motion: H. Turner moved the approval of the minutes of November 28 , 1984 . R. Bishop seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 to 0 with D. Wendin and N. Hanko abstaining because they were absent from the meeting. K. Duffy arrived. III . WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS E. Johnson stated that the Board had received the following written commu- nications : 1) a letter dated November 16 from Portola Heights Association with suggestions for the uses and development of Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve specifically, and all District lands in general. The attach- ments to the letter were addressed to 2-M and outlined the Associa- tion' s concerns regarding fire safety, sanitation, ecology, and the nuisance factor; 2) a letter dated December 8 from Harry Haeussler of Los Altos enclosing his suggestions for the Skyline Ridge Master Plan, favoring safe use of fires on the Preserve. He also asked to have maps of the proposals available at the office and the January 16 meeting; and 3) a letter from Lois Hogle of Palo Alto dated November 24 expressing appreciation for open space and suggesting the District help to pre- serve the open space on Stanford land as a scenic backdrop to Palo Alto. D. Wendin stated the first two letters would be addressed in the agenda item concerning Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Ms . Hogle ' s letter was referred to staff. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Robert Fisse introduced his grandson who was visiting from Twin Falls . 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 84-27 Page 2 V. ADOPTION OF AGENDA D. Wendin stated that the agenda was adopted by Board consensus. VI. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY A. Declaration of Election Results and Administration of Oath of Office E. Johnson, referring to memorandum M-84-104 dated December 5, 1984 stated that Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties had forwarded official results of the election and that the Board was required to declare Directors Henshaw, Shelley, and Bishop elected Directors for their respective wards. Motion:. H. Turner moved that the Board declare T. Henshaw, E. Shelley, and R. Bishop as elected to the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional open Space District. D. Wendin seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. The Oath of Office was administered by the Acting District Clerk. VII . NEW BUSINESS WITH NO ACTION REQUESTED A. Governmental Research Council Report H, Grench reviewed memorandum M-84-102 dated December 3, 1984 and then introduced Robert Marks, Executive Director of the Governmental Re- , search Council of San Mateo. R. Marks explained that the Council has studied and worked with govern- mental agencies for 25 years. He expressed his appreciation for the time, materials provided, and cooperation given by the District ' s General Manager during the study. He also thanked Directors Bishop and Turner for participating in the interviews and apologized to Direc- tor Hanko for being overlooked. His comments focused on four of the Council ' s recommendations to the Board: 1) cooperation between the District and its neighbors to make areas more attractive; 2) annual meetings for planning purposes between the District and cities and counties, giving staffs and elected officials an opportunity for input and giving the public of the area a greater opportunity to give direction to the District; 3) joint budget sessions with San Mateo County leading to greater efficiency; and 4) an extensive survey of the public to determine what kind and how much development of District lands is desired. Board members discussed with Mr. Marks the misconceptions that exist among some organizations and individuals about the District ' s purpose and charter, that it is not like the East Bay Regional Park District which the Research Council had used as an example or model because the East Bay Regional Park District is a park district for two counties and because there is a division of responsibility between parks and recreation departments and the open space district in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. E. Shelley added his concurrence to other Directors when he reiterated that a number of the Council ' s recommendations are already being done and it may be just the degree of emphasis and speed with which the District is proceeding that differs from the recommendations. He mentioned the formulation of a master plan for the development of Sky- line Ridge Open Space Preserve, cooperation with the City of Mountain View at Deer Hollow Farm, and work by a committee toward achieving public transporation to District preserves. Meeting 84-27 page 3 N. Hanko, a member of the Public Transporation Committee, invited the GRC ' s help in achieving that goal . To the Council ' s recommendation that the District conduct a public poll, several Board members responded that the poll would have to be carefully constructed to get valid answers that would be useful to the District. K. Duffy said it would have to be done in conjunction with other park and recreation agencies because of the division of responsibility between the two kinds of entities. Gloria Sarin, 1344 Stambaugh Street, Redwood City, a recreation- leisure study graduate from San Jose State suggested leaving the land alone to balance the developed land and high tech that is prevalent in the area. She noted that intensive recreation isavailable elsewhere in our communities and that open space is for re-creating. D. Wendin thanked Mr. Marks for his presentation on behalf of the Board. R. Bishop noted the presence of Connie Barba and welcomed her to the meeting. VIII. OLD BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Final Adoption of Revised Use and Management Plan for Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve D. Hansen summarized memorandum M-84-106 dated December 5, 1984 . He said that no further public comments had been received on the use and management plan and that an overview of the Master Plan had been prepared to show how District and POST policies relate to the alterna- tives and proposals under consideration. D. Woods noted that staff had added comments to the considerations in Table II attached to the report which could generate Board discussion. Discussion centered on how the Board should respond to the Management Options Analysis. Board members concurred that the Board should not inject itself into the planning process for the Master Plan and that it was inappropriate to establish a Board position at the present time. H. Grench noted that the next stage of developing the Master Plan is development of a draft plan by the Consultant for public and Board review, that there is concern that 2-M may proceed on one specific plan which may be unacceptable to the Board, and that therefore some feedback from the Board was desirable. D. Wendin expressed the consensus of the Board that individual members be free to comment through staff on the options but that comments should not be construed as endorsements. He re-stated that the Board could serve as a seven member resource to the consultant.* Motion: E. Shelley moved that the Board receive the report for informational purposes only and refer it to the consultant. K. Duffy seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. Motion: E. Shelley moved that the Board adopt the Revised Use and Management Plan for Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve as contained in report R-84-51. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. R. Bishop wanted the record to show that the Board action was for the present use and management for Skyline and was independent from the planning being done by the District consultant. Meeting 84-27 page 4 B. Final Adoption of Interim Use and Management Plan for Addition to Windy Hill Open Space Preserve (Lands of Fiore) D. Hansen summarized memorandum M-84-101 dated November 30, 1984 noting that no further public comment had been received and that escrow had closed on the property. Motion: R. Bishop moved that the Board adopt the interim use and management plan contained in report R-84-44 and dedicated the property as public open space. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. C. Los Gatos Creek Park Fence Bid D. Hansen, referring to memorandum M-84-105 dated December 5, 1984, stated that staff and District consultants had discussed the fencing project with several local fencing companies, but none had bid in the second round except Central Fence Company. He said that the second bid did not decline from the first due to labor intensive methods required to drive fence posts by hand rather than digging holes and pouring cement. The Company indicated that the cost could be lowered if access to the job were possible through the adjacent Sisters of Charity property. Motion: D. Wendin moved that the Board accept the $116, 250 bid from Central Fence Company to complete the fence at Los Gatos Creek Park, authorize the General Manager to sign the contract, and authorize a change order to reduce construction cost by $1. 20/lineal foot (or a total of $6936) by allowing Central Fence to enter the property from the Sisters of Charity pro- perty, if feasible. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. IX. NEW BUSINESS WITH ACTION REQUESTED A. Proposed Addition to the Mt. Umunhum Area of the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve (Barlow Property) W. Tannenbaum summarized report R-84-52 dated December 5, 1984 and pointed out the location of the 120 acre site on the map. He said that the cost of $833 per acre represents a favorable purchase price. D. Hansen stated that the property has three geographic areas and landscapes and that the ridgetop will offer potential parking site. He continued that access is via Mt. Umunhum Road and that the existing roads and trails should be open to hikers and equestrians. Motion: K. Duffy moved that the Board adopt resolution 84-49, a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Authorizing Acceptance of Purchase Agreement - Bargain Sale, Authorizing officer to Execute Certificate of Acceptance of Grant to District, and Authorizing General Manager to Execute Any and All Other Documents Necessary to Closing of the Transaction (Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve - Barlow Property) . N. Hanko seconded the motion. Discussion: Tom Kavanaugh, 1726 Spring Street, Mountain View asked how much of the property is outside the District, and D. Hansen replied that 40 acres are outside the District boundaries. N. Hanko added that it is all within the Dis- trict ' s Sphere of Influence. The motion passed 7 to 0. Meeting 84-27 page 5 Motion: K. Duffy moved that the Board indicate its intention to with- hold the property from dedication at this time and tenta- tively adopt the Interim Use and Management Plan recommenda- tions contained in the report. H. Turner seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. B. Rescheduling of Second December Meeting H. Grench summarized memorandum M-84-100 dated December 3 , 1984 . He said that a second meeting in December is advisable. Motion: H. Turner moved that the Board reschedule its second Regular Meeting in December from December 26 to December 19 at 7 : 30 P .M. T. Henshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. X. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS D. Hansen reported that a field trip to Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve was attended by 35 people. T. Henshaw added that participants were in all age groups. D. Hansen noted that 3 Preserve users had been bitten by dogs at High Meadow Stable, that the horse population was down from 57 to 23 and that the owner is not getting rid of manure as quickly as required. District staff has been looking at alternate stable sites and will report back to the Board. D. Hansen said that Brendan Leary, track coach at Mountain View High School had met with Rangers and is helping staff to formulate an etiquette bro- chure for runners . Mr. Leary will conduct voluntary monitoring sessions of runners. T. Henshaw volunteered to work with the runners on the eti- quette brochure. C. MacDonald pointed out the new portable District display in the lobby and said it could be set up in many different configurations and at different locations in public buildings. XI . CLAIMS Motion: N. Hanko moved that the Board approve revised claims 84-22. T. Henshaw seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. XII. CLOSED SESSION The Board adjourned to Closed Session at 9: 35 P.M. to discuss land negotia- tions and litigation matters. XIII. ADJOURNMENT The Board reconvened to adjourn the meeting at 10: 54 P.M. Emma Johnson Secretary CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES OF II, APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. December 12, 1984 Motion: E. Shelley moved the approval of the minutes of December 12, 1934 . K. Duffy seconded the motion. Discussion: D. Wendin requested the last sentence of the fifth paragraph of the section of the minutes concerning Final Adoption of Revised Use and Management Plan for Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve on Page 3 be amended to read: "He re-stated that Board members could serve as a resource to the consultant" . The motion passed 6 to 0 .