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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19901107 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Open Space MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT I Meeting 90-27 SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS November 7 1990 MINUTES I . ROLL CALL President Nanette Hanko called the meeting to order at 7 : 30 p.m. in the Cupertino Room of the Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N. Stelling Road, Cupertino. Members Present: Nanette Hanko, Richard Bishop, Robert McKibbin, Ginny Babbitt , and Elizabeth Crowder. Members Absent : Katherine Duffy and Teena Henshaw. Personnel Present: Herbert Grench, David Hansen, Del Woods , John Escobar, Sheryl Marioni Cochran, Annette Coleman, Phil Hearin, Brenda Kaufman, and Kathleen Hart . II . BOARD BUSINESS A. Review of Comprehensive Use and Management Plan for Fremont Older Open Space Preserve (Report R-90-130 dated October 31 , 1990 D. Hansen reported that the last Use and Management Plan review for this preserve was presented in July 1986 . He noted that the 1. 22-acre former Harris property had been added to the preserve since that time, making a total of 739 acres . D. Woods reviewed the Comprehensive Use and Management Plan report recommendations in conjunction with a slide presentation of the preserve. He showed slides of the popular Fremont Older house, and other areas of the preserve to illustrate the effects of increased use on the trail system, preserve access, and parking. He also discussed the potential benefits from cooperative planning with the County of Santa Clara and cities of Cupertino and Saratoga for trail easements . N. Hanko asked if staff had considered the use of fire breaks for equestrian trail use to reduce trail use conflicts. D. Hansen replied that equestrians can ride on the disc lines . J. Escobar noted that some lines are too steep for trail use. Meeting 90-27 Page 2 N. Hanko asked if discing and seeding would be enough to keep the baccharis at bay. D. Woods replied that discing and haying had kept it at bay in Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. D. Hansen noted the Resource Management Draft Policies which should be ready early next year would consider this problem further. N. Hanko asked if the Board would be included in the review committee for restoration plans of the adobe and surrounding area. D. Hansen replied that K. Duffy served on the review committee, with R. McKibbin as the alternate. N. Hanko asked what unleashed dogs were attacking deer and whether staff had any statistics . D. Hansen replied that they are generally stray neighborhood dogs , not dogs taken onto the preserve. B. Crowder asked if the District could fence the road off from the parking lot . D. Woods replied that the configuration made the turning space too tight and the most desirable solution would be for the Saratoga Country Club to allow the District to use some of their green space . B . Crowder commented that a tall golf-ball fence might be required for safety. D. Woods said the District is considering landscape screening, and D. Hansen added that the District can work with the City of Saratoga for appropriate protection and screening. R. McKibbin asked if the District had looked into a land exchange to alleviate the golf-ball. hazard. D. Woods said C. Britton had some discussions about this . R. McKibbin asked if the parking lot could be relocated. D. Woods replied that the only alternatives , the ranger residence and the hayfield, were undesirable. Vince Garrod, 22600 Mt. Eden Road, Saratoga, suggested the opening of a one hour loop trail , another trail to allow preserve access through Stevens Creek County Park, and the reopening of Fern Grotto Trail . He commented that ranger presence has eliminated the problem of motor bikes on the trails. R. McKibbin clarified that Fern Grotto Trail was originally closed by a slide. Mr. Richard Childress , 11701 Regnant Canyon Drive, Cupertino, did not see anything negative about a ten foot wide trail . Mr. Childress suggested subsidizing a haying operation. He encouraged the District to work with the City of Cupertino and the County and encouraged the District to keep the current bike and dog policies . Earl Harris , 22802 Prospect Road, Saratoga, asked what had happened to the coyotes and if they could be imported to Meeting 90-27 Page 3 Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. R. McKibbin and D. Hansen replied that cyclical. health problems had caused the decline in coyotes and that they should return. Mr. Harris also said that speed of bicyclists was becoming a major problem, especially around the adobe . D. Woods reported that staff is formulating guidelines on trail use, including speed limit signs and that he will suggest to the guidelines committee that a schedule be part of the guidelines . Sites identified as having serious problems would be scheduled for review first . N. Hanko noted that the Fremont Older neighbors would be notified if major changes were being considered. Jennifer Lyn, 22700 W. Prospect Road, Saratoga , said she lives in the adobe and sees and hears the bicyclists. She said she knows that they travel sometimes in excess of 20 miles an hour, and she has had close calls with speeding bicyclists . Ms. Lyn reported that people tend to respect District signs , and she thinks more signing would help. She said that another issue is that bicyclists are sometimes excited and yell to each other; a sign saying this is a quiet residential area would help. Kathy Nellis , 22322 Regnart Road, Cupertino, said she walks her dogs daily on the preserve, and her experience has been that other dog users also keep their dogs on leash. She said she hopes the privilege of using the preserve will not be taken away from responsible dog owners . She said that she has also ridden a horse on District lands, and in her experience, bikers have been very courteous. She named education as the key to resolving many trail use conflicts . She stated she has not found the trails to be too wide, adding that more space makes it easier for users to pass each other. She said she would like to see the hayfield maintained and hopes the District can find an agricultural tenant. Donna Harris , 22802 Prospect Road, Saratoga, described the involvement of Cora Older in the history of the preserve . Mrs . Harris said that she would like the District to consider calling the preserve the Cora and Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. Jeffry Harris , 22700 Prospect Road, Saratoga , said that he finds used toilet tissue in his garden and on the roads, adding that the District needs to think about installing another toilet facility within the preserve. Vince Garrod, addressing the hayfield issue, said a soil analysis will show some soil will support native brushland and some soil will support native grassland.. He said, if left alone, both these areas will revert to their native vegetative states , and that in the right soils the native grasses will stop the baccharis . D. Woods asked what • Meeting 90-27 Page 4 percentage of the hayfield Mr. Garrod thought would be natural grassland. Mr. Garrod replied he estimated about 70%. D. Woods said that any long term management proposals for a hayfield at Fremont Older would be based on a resource inventory similar to the Russian Ridge management project . Mr. Garrod also discussed the incompatibility of farming with nesting quail and with public use of the preserve. Doris Edwards , 22525 Rolling Hills Road, Saratoga, asked if fire breaks would still be disced if changes under discussions were implemented. R. McKibbin replied that fire control would continue to be important; only changes to resource management discing were being considered. R. McKibbin, referring to pages 8 to 9, suggested an amendment to incorporate Vince Garrod' s comments . D. Woods asked if the intent was for staff to examine all methods of managing the hayfield as an open grassland and to address recommendations in the context of the resource management element of the Plan. Motion: R. McKibbin moved that staff return to the Board with an amendment incorporating Vince Garrod ' s comments , for Board consideration. R. Bishop seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 to 1 , with N. Hanko voting against the motion. Motion: R. Bishop moved to tentatively adopt the revised Comprehensive Use and Management Plan for Fremont Older Open Space Preserve, as contained in report R-90-130. B. Crowder seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. III . INFORMATIONAL REPORTS N. Hanko reported that staff will be invited to a December 1.9 potluck buffet to introduce the new Board member, Ginny Babbitt . She said that D. Hansen will give his slide presentation from the conference, and a tape of Wangari Maathai ' s presentation will be shown. H. Grench congratulated Cupertino voters on the passage of Measure T. He reported that two new open space districts were voted in elsewhere, one in Sonoma County and one in Riverside County. IV. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9: 45 p.m. Kathleen Hart Recording Secretary CORRECTIONS TO MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 7, 1990 II . APPROVAL OF MINUTES November 7 , 1990 N. Hanko stated that paragraph 2 , page 2 of the minutes should be corrected to read "N. Hanko asked if the Board committee would be of included in the review for restoration plans . . . Motion: R . Bishop moved that the Board accept the minutes of November 7 , as corrected. B. Crowder seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to 0 .