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Regional Opeopace
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT
Meeting 98-03
REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETINGS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
February 11, 1998
MINUTES
I. ROLL CALL
President Betsy Crowder called the meeting to order at 6:32 P.M.
Members Present.- Nonette Hanko, Betsy Crowder, Mary Davey, David Smerno� Pete
Siemens, Jed Cyr, and Ken Mitz.
Personnel Present: Craig Britton, Sue Schectman, Del Woods, Mike Williams, and John
Escobar.
H. CLOSED SESSION
B. Crowder stated that the Board would adjourn to Closed Session for the purpose of
discussing Closed Session Agenda Items 1, 2 and 3.
The Board recessed to Closed Session at 6:32 P.M. and the Closed Session commenced at
6:33 P.M. The Board concluded the Closed Session at 7:25 P.M. and B. Crowder called
the Regular Meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. She noted that no reportable actions had taken
place in Closed Session.
Additional Personnel Present: Malcolm Smith, Deirdre Dolan, Randy Anderson, and
Gordon Baillie
III. OR COMMIUNICATIONS
Harry Haeussler, 1094 Highlands Circle,Los Altos, requested that meeting notices contain
the day of the week as well as date and time.
IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Motion* N. Hanko moved that the Board adopt the agenda. D. Smern' off seconded
the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
la 4 14 UkU 544 1
Celebrate 25 Years of Open Space Preservation 330 Distel Circle e Los Altos,CA 94022-1404 9 Phone:650-691-1200
- 1972-1997- FAX:650-691-0485 * E-mail:mrosd@openspace.org - Web site:www.openspace.org
Board of Directors:Pete Siemens,Mary C.Davey,Jed Cyr,David T.Smernoff,Nonette Hanko,Betsy Crowder,Kenneth C.Nitz # General Manager:L.Craig Britton
Meeting 98-03 Page 2
V. ADOPTION OF CONSENT CAL END
D. Smernoff noted that the Roll Call for the January 14, 1998 minutes should state that he
arrived at 5:10 P.M., not 7:10 P.M.
B. Crowder requested the removal of agenda item 5, Acceptance of the Annual_Proizress
Report on the Use of Radar on District Lands; and agenda item 6, Acceptance of the
1997 Miscellaneous Enforcement Activity Summary and the Seven-Year Field Activity
B. Crowder commended D. Woods for the letter he wrote regarding the Los Gatos Creek
Country Club and requested that a copy be sent to Greenbelt Alliance.
Motion: J. Cyr moved that the Board adopt the Consent Calendar, including the
corrected minutes of the January 14, 1998 Regular and Special Meeting;
and Revised Claims 98-03. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion
passed 7 to 0.
VI. BOARD BUSINESS
A. Agenda Item No. 1 - Acceptance of the Initial Informational Report From the Ad
Hoc Committee of the Board of Directors on San Mateo CouW Coastal
Preservation and Authorization for Staff and the Ad Hoc Committee to Proceed
with the Recommended Actions Which Will Allow for Further Research into the
Feasibility of Exp nanding the District by Annexation to Establish a System of Open
Space Preserves, Parks, and Beaches on the San Mateo County Coast in
Coordination with Existing and Planned District Preserves and Trails - ( Report R-
98-23)
N. Hanko commended M. Davey and B. Crowder for their attendance at many
meetings with public officials. C. Britton said they would be meeting with others,
including Senator Kopp. There are still some issues that should be discussed in the
future; those were listed on Page 6 (14) of the staff report. C. Britton added that
the recommendations mentioned on page 1 were enumerated in detail beginning on
page 5 of the report. He agreed with N. Hanko's idea of considering the matter in
a discussion format.
J. Cyr commented that he thought question 4 on page 6 of the report, "What are
the impacts of the annexation on current District operations?", was the one to
think about now.
M. Davey said she was interested in what the public had to say.
K. Nitz said he liked the report, but as treasurer he would like to know how much
money the District would get from the measure and what operations costs would
be.
Meeting 98-03 Page 3
P. Siemens said he thought the committee needed to address the issue of timing of
funding versus annexation. He said we need to make sure we cover our operating
costs.
N. Hanko agreed that addressing this and other issues was all the more reason to
have a workshop.
D. Smernoff suggested that it was premature to carry out recommendation 1
regarding discontinuing consideration of annexation of northern San Mateo
County. He said that is where the major tax base is.
J. Cyr also expressed concern regarding the impact on operations and echoed the
need for a workshop.
B. Crowder mentioned the draft letter to coast side residents which was part of the
report.
Chuck Kozak, P. O. Box 917, Moss Beach, expressed thanks and appreciation to
the committee and staff members for their enthusiasm and professionalism. He
said residents' questions were answered and concerns addressed. He said interest
has not waned from when the first signatures were gathered, and feedback is
enthusiastic. He said they are committed to following through, and believe that an
expansion of the District to the coast is to the benefit of everyone in the Bay Area.
He addressed the issue of elections, especially the advisory vote. He said they feel
that having an advisory vote on the coast would be to everyone's benefit and
would be part of a successful campaign moving to the funding measure. He said
they are aware there are planning issues in terms of the funding measure and
recommended that the Board adopt the committee's recommendations. He said
they are ready to move forward with the District on this effort.
John Lynch, 2098 Touraine Lane, Half Moon Bay, reminded the Board that when
they did a survey regarding the tunnel it showed a 50/ plurality; however the Y
came in with 74%. He said they have 2,900 active supporters who would work for
the District on this.
Zoe Kersteen-Tucker, 776 Buena Vista St., Moss Beach, agreed with Mr. Lynch,
and stressed the importance of having an advisory vote on the coast. One thing
that unifies them is a commitment to coastal conservation and this will allow them
to crank up the campaign machinery again.
Dick Curtis, 178 Cypress Point Road, Half Moon Bay, talked about what they
have on the coast. He said he has traveled all over the world and it is important to
remember that they are talking about preserving one of the last great beauty spots
of the world.
Harry Haeussler said he was concerned about the tax rate and needed a workshop
to explain the issue.
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Meeting 98-03 Page 4
N. Hanko agreed regarding the workshop. She said the survey showed that
existing District citizens were very interested in preserving the coast and were
willing to pay up to $20 per year per household.
Those in the audience told B. Crowder that they had reviewed the proposed letter
to coast side residents and thought it was good.
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K. Nitz said he was puzzled by the conclusions contained in the executive
summary. M. Davey said their objective is open space preservation and the
opportunity to do this on the coast side by involving them in an elective process is
an optimistic one in today's world where it takes a 2/3 vote to pass a funding
measure. She said the motivation is to do the right thing and the right thing is to
preserve open space on the coast side; however, she believed it would be difficult
to get people to tax themselves to do that. Therefore, they wanted to let people to
know early on that it won't bean easy job. She said they are practical but hopeful.
Chuck Kozak addressed K. Nitz's concern.
Zoe Kersteen-Tucker said that the tunnel initiative was an easy sell in spite of the
early indications, and we have to trust that people will do the right thing. B.
Crowder noted there was no money involved in that election.
C. Britton talked about the decision regarding north San Mateo County and the
following reasons for that decision: 1. The District is unknown there and has
provided no services. 2. The District would not be proposing to buy any open
space in those communities and could not offer programs to those communities. 3.
It would change the District by shifting the voting power north. He said he
thought they would be drawn into urban acquisition and management. 4. The
proposal has met with resistance from San Mateo County Parks. 5. One of the
reasons they are suggesting that Pacifica be considered part of that urban area is
that Golden Gate National Recreation has completed a study of open space needs,
and they feel that those needs will be satisfied through Golden Gate National
Recreation and will also satisfy the voters on whether they have to pay for it or
not. He said his opinion is that it will not be productive to pursue that and it
makes the job too big for the committee and staff. B. Crowder said she thought
that is how the ad hoc committee felt as well.
Motion: I Cyr moved that the Board accept the informational report from
the Ad Hoc Committee on San Mateo County Coastal Preservation,
and authorize staff and the Ad Hoc Committee to proceed with the
recommended actions as contained in the staff report, which will
allow for further research into the feasibility of expanding the
District by annexation to establish a system of open space
preserves, parks, and beaches on the San Mateo County coast in
coordination with existing and planned District preserves and trails;
with recommendation 7 on page 6 of the report to be amended to
read, "Return to the Board by May 31, 1998 in workshop format..."
P. Siemens seconded the motion.
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Meeting 98-03 Page 5
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Discussion: Discussion followed regarding recommendation 1 on page 5. N.
Hanko said she was worried about spending additional staff time
on this item. C. Britton responded there was no more polling
planned in the area. D. Smernoff went on record that he believed it
was premature to approve the recommendation and that he was
concerned that they be able to raise the money so they can proceed
with preservation.
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P. Siemens said they have asked for more information regarding the
cost of managing the coastal areas and an idea of the money they
can raise. He said he wanted to look at the best scenario that
allows them to preserve the area.
C. Britton said the workshop would occur after the two meetings
on the coast and that would be the only subject of the workshop.
He outlined some of the questions that might be answered at the
workshop.
Vote: The motion passed 7 to 0.
B. Agenda Item No. 2 -Proposed Addition of Peninsula Open Space Trust PropeMto Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve;Determination that the
Recommended Actions are Categorically Exempt from the California
Environmental Qual�X Act;Tentatively Adopt the Preliminary Use and
Management Plan Recommendations Including Naming the Proper as an
Addition to Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, and Indicate Their
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Intention to Dedicate the PrppeEtyas Public Open Space -import R-98-22).
M. Williams presented the staff report.
Motion: D. Smernoff moved that the Board determine that the
recommended actions are categorically exempt from the California
Environmental Quality Act as set out in the staff report; adopt
Resolution 98-07, a Resolution of the Board of Directors of the
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Accepting Gift of Real
Property and Authorizing Execution of Certificate of Acceptance
With Respect Thereto (Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space
Preserve -Lands of Peninsula Open Space Trust); tentatively adopt
the Preliminary Use and Management Plan recommendations
contained in the staff report, including naming the property as an
addition to Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve; and
indicate their intention to dedicate the property as public open
space. K. Nitz seconded the motion.
Discussion: C. Britton said this is an area of second growth redwoods. The
subdivision was put on paper around the turn of the century. The
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Meeting 98-03 Page 6
District's plan is to acquire it on a parcel-by-parcel basis. He
described the improvements on the property.
Vote: The motion passed 7 to 0.
C. Agenda Item No. 3 -Proposed Addition of Glasspool Propeato Cathedral Oaks
Area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve; Determination that the Recommended
Actions are Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental_ Quality Act•
Tentatively Adopt the Preliminary Use and Management Plan_Recommendations
Including Na_mins the Glasspool Prol2eM as an Addition to the Cathedral_ Oaks
Area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve; and Ln_dicate Their Intention to Dedicate
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the Propffy as Public Open Space- (Report R-98-24).
D. Woods presented the staff report and showed slides of the area.
M. Williams explained the terms of acquisition. He said they have an estimate of
$8,400 to take out remains of the improvements and $1,000 has been set aside to
clean up the debris dumped on the property. He said they plan to put up a gate on
Cabrillo Road to prevent continued dumping. M. Williams explained the difference
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in price per acre between this site and another one the District recently purchased.
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C. Britton said essentially they are buying the density credits. They do not
dedicate the density because in the long run it might be transferable. J. Escobar
commented on the fire. C. Britton said very few homes were lost.
Motion: J. Cyr moved that the Board determine that the recommended
actions are categorically exempt from the California Environmental
Quality Act as set out in the staff report; adopt Resolution 98-06, 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
Appropriate to Closing of the Transaction(Sierra Azul Open Space
Preserve-Lands of Glasspool); tentatively adopt the Preliminary
Use and Management Plan recommendations contained in the staff
report, including naming the Glasspool property as an addition to
the Cathedral Oaks Area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, and
indicate their intention to withhold the property from dedication as
public open space at this time. D. Smernoff seconded the motion.
The motion passed 7-0.
D. Agenda Item No. 4- Authorization to Apply for a Santa Clara County Historical
Protect Grant for the Seismic Ung[ade of the Winery Building at Picchetti Ranch
Area Monte Bello Open Space Preserve- ( port R-98-26).
D. Woods described the grant request and said the application is ready to be
submitted.
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Meeting 98-03 Page 7
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Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board adopt Resolution 98-08, a
Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional
Open Space District Approving the Application for Grant Funds
Under the Santa Clara County Historical Project Funding Program
for the Following Project: Seismic Upgrade of the Winery at
Picchetti Ranch Area Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. N.
Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
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E. Agenda Item No. 5, Acceptance of the Annual Progress Report on the Use of
Radar on District Lands—(Report R-98-18L
B. Crowder commented on the table on the first page of the report, pointing out the
high speeds at which bicyclists were traveling. She asked if rangers on bikes could
carry radar. I Escobar said the units now in use are not portable. He said if they
went to newer units it could be done, but he didn't know if the two activities were
compatible. He commented that the hours are up because this is the first time there
has been a performance standard for rangers. There is a request for another radar unit
in the budget.
P. Siemens said he would like to see a small unit in all trucks.
I Escobar said every bicyclist that passes the unit is counted. He said rangers are
more comfortable with staffing radar stations with two rangers.
Motion* N. Hanko moved that the Board accept the report on the radar
program. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to
0.
F. Agenda Item No. 6, Acceptance of the 1997 Miscellaneous Enforcement Activity
Summary and the Seven-Year Field Activity Summary—(Report R-98-05).
B. Crowder referred to the chart on page 5 of the staff report, and commented that
the District keeps adding land and doesn't keep adding rangers. She observed that
if we were better able to cover our land there might be more violators contacted. C.
Britton said there are many variables that affect the numbers contained in the report.
B. Crowder said people often tell her they never see rangers.
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I Escobar talked about the variables, stating the lower number of violations could
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reflect better compliance or lower visitation. He explained that the difference in
numbers between the Appendix B chart and the radar report represented the
difference between monitoring and taking action. Staff answered questions about
helicopter landings, explaining that those figures listed under mutual aid reflect
incidents that staff was involved in but are not related to District land.
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Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board accept the 1997 Miscellaneous
Enforcement Activity Summary and the Seven-Year Field Activity
Summary. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
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Meeting 98-03 Page 8
VIE. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
N. Hanko said Galen Rowell, author and photographer for the book`Bay Area Wild", would
be at Kepplers on February 17, 7:30 P.M. to sign copies of the book. She gave a copy of the
Yosemite Plan to staff to have available in the office.
B. Crowder said that at the San Mateo County Trails meeting, Tim Duff of ABAG stated he
had a map from the District. C. Britton said staff will check on that.
B. Crowder asked for information about access from Skyline Blvd. to Burleigh Murray State
Park. Residents who live nearby are opposed to any such access. She said other residents
said they had been told by a District ranger that the park does not adjoin Skyline Blvd. C.
Britton showed the area on a map and said it is inevitable that there will be access.
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C. Britton reported as follows: 1. He announced the following dates: 1998 volunteer
recognition event July 16, 23 or 30; Kids Art of Open Space March 5 at 6:00 P.M.;March
27,Bay Area Open Space Council free seminar at the Presidio; Special Districts Forum starts
on May 13 with pre-conference events, and opening reception at 6:00 P.M. followed by an
opening breakfast and field tours of East Bay Regional Park on May 14. He said he would
like as many Board Members to attend as possible because we are co-hosting. May 15
MROSD is hosting an open space tour, and a tour of Black Diamond coal mines preceding
the closing luncheon. 2. He has been in contact with Ralph Heim; the potential bond act is
still going forward. Another bill has to do with LAFCO funding. They are proposing three
way funding—county, cities and special districts. He said if special districts are funding, we
should be seated on LAFCO. Also, the budget should be based on the share of tax revenue.
3. Art O'Neal was in the audience and will be working with staff tomorrow on team
agreements.
J.Escobar reported that the Use and Management Committee had met earlier to discuss the
Resource Management Program. Crew leader training kickoff is tomorrow. The ECDM task
force was rained out on Feb. 7 and they will try again on February 21.
C. Britton announced a Special Meeting of the Board next Wednesday, February 18, 7:30
P.M.
D. Dolan asked Board members to leave the time sheets in the binders and they will be
collected at the end of month.
C. Britton told Mr. Haeussler he assumed the workshop on the coast side will be in May.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:32 P.M.
Roberta Wolfe
Recording Secretary "1
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