HomeMy Public PortalAbout20000712 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) i
Regional Open S ee
MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT
Meeting 00-20
SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
July 12, 2000
MINUTES
I. ROLL CALL
President Ken Nitz called the meeting to order at 7:09 P.M., at the Elks Lodge #1471, Palo
Alto.
Members Present: Ken Nitz, Betsy Crowder, Peter Siemens, Nonette Hanko, Deane Little,
Mary Y Y Dave and Jed Cyr.
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Craig Britton, Randy Anderson, Sue Schectman, Deirdre Dolan, Mary de
Beauvieres, David Sanguinetti, Stephanie Jensen, Jenny Preciado, Ana Ruiz, Anne Koletzke.
H. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS—None.
III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Motion: M. Davey moved to adopt the agenda. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The
motion passed 7 to 0.
IV. BOARD BUSINESS
A. Agenda Item No. 1 - Final Adoption of an Amendment to the Use and Management
Plans for Seven Preserves: Foothills, La Honda Creek, Los Trancos, Picchetti Ranch,
Pul ag_s Ridge Teayue Hill and Thornewood Open Space Preserves, Desi Tnatin , the
Preserves as Closed to Bicycle Use, Including Closure of 13.6 Miles of Existing Trails in
Seven Preserves to Mountain Bicycle Use; Final Adoption of ail Amendment to the
District's Trail Use Policy to Add a Long Range Trail Use Designation Guideline Ratio
of 60% to 65% Multi-Use (Including Bicycles) and 35% to 40% Hiking, or Hiking and
Equestrian Use Only; Final Adoption of an Amendment to the Trail Use Policies
Regarding Multi-Use Trails (Including Bicycles) to Provide Access to Regional Trails
Such as the Bay Area Ridge Trail; Confirm that the Recommended Actions Will Not
Have a Sianifcant Effect on the Environment, and are Cate orically Exempt from the
California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA) or Are Not a Project—(Report R-00-95).
330 Distel Circle • Los Altos,CA 94022-1404 # Phone:650-691-1200
Fax:650-691-0485 • E-mail: mrosd@openspace.org - Web site:www.openspace.org
Board of Directors:Pete Siemens,Mary C. Davey,Jed Cyr,Deane Little,Nonette Hanko, Betsy Crowder,Kenneth C. Nitz . General Manager:l_Craig Britton
Meeting 00-20 Page 2
R. Anderson reviewed the history of the issue and summarized staff responses to
concerns regarding bicycle use. He noted that even if the proposal were adopted,
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District would still have a greater amount of traits
open to bikes than other agencies.
N. Hanko thanked staff for the comprehensive report and said it was heartening to see so
many people who were apparently District trail users. She talked about how the District
was formed. She said the people who supported the District through taxes and who voted
for directors understood that the District was trying to acquire open space lands with low
intensity use. There were no mountain bicycles in the early years of the District, and in
1990 they had to decide whether or not bicycle use was appropriate for open space
preserves. She asked what the time schedule would be for opening the two trails referred
to in Section 2.5.
M. de Beauvieres said the Windy Hill and Russian Ridge connections to the Ridge Trail
were addressed in a letter to the Board from the president of ROMP. She said the report
stated those could be addressed or would be taken up when the use and management
plans for those preserves are dealt with. R. Anderson said the trails are not in the current
work plan and it was up to the Board to set priorities. C. Britton added that the Windy
Hill trail connection is on land that the District does not own, and until easements are
available the trail could not be built. He said the Board sets priorities in November or
December every year as part of the planning work program for the following fiscal year.
N. Hanko said people had concerns about a Teague Hill trail that exists but could not be
used to access Skyline from Redwood City. R. Anderson said it was not a designated
trail and from the District's standpoint, it has been built and used by the Woodside Trail
Club. It is not designated for mountain bike use and is not part of the adopted trail plan
for Teague Hill.
D. Little suggested that the trail committee meet to discuss opening the Russian Ridge
portion of the Ridge Trail and what can be done to obtain an easement on Windy Hill.
Michael Weston, 31103 Page Mill Road, Los Altos Hills, urged the Board to reconsider
and reject the proposed changes. He talked about his history with the District and
mountain bicycling. He said closing of the preserves followed the same pattern of
passage over clear and overwhelming public opinion to the contrary. He said he could
not continue to be associated with the District. He returned a framed resolution that he
had received in recognition of a donation to the District in 1996 and said he hoped he
would hear in the future that they were listening to their constituency.
Sarah Fries, 135 Farm Road, Woodside, said she was speaking as an equestrian, hiker,
and mountain biker. She described her experiences as a rider, hiker, and bicyclist. She
asked for an intelligent plan for separation, where certain days or times would be
accessible to different groups.
Meeting 00-20 Page 3
Frank Lux, 759 S. Monroe Street, San Jose, said lie was a hiker, runner, and bicyclist. He
said he used a lot of the parks and thought it would be smart to separate the uses, but he
did not like being discriminated against. He described experiences on the trails and
suggested that the District place more porta-potties in the preserves. Ile passed out
brochures about Diamond Peak in Oakland and said perhaps they could do the same thing
in St. Joseph's.
Frances Rencau, 229 McKendry Drive, Menlo Park, said she was a volunteer with the
District in the outdoor education program on Skyline. She thanked the Board for being
brave enough to continue with this action. She said she viewed the open space as a
preserve, not a playground. She said they need to work together as trail users and she
saw this proposal as a way of compromising.
J. C. Dill, a resident of the Peninsula, said there is room for everyone on the trails. She
said she was an equestrian and for the most part, cyclists had been extremely polite. She
said she believed they had bad trail policies, and asked why not have a few trails for
bicyclists only, or one-way trails. She said people don't go to use a park, they go to use
the system and the maps should show the system.
Michele Dulleck, 171 Jardin Drive, Los Altos, said that she and her husband, as
administrators of a memorial fund for their son, had built a trail in Chico. She said they
would never consider closing it to any group of users. She said they are active in
building trails and hope that everyone will have equal opportunity to share the land
without fighting over it.
Norm Dulleck, 171 Jardin Drive, Los Altos, talked about the opinions of speakers and
letter writers. He referred to a quote by Director Crowder in the San Jose Mercury News.
He said taxpayers have financed the District, and he thought the land was theirs. He
asked the Board to consider whether their actions are in the best interests of the voters.
Jim Bodwin, 22475 Palm Avenue, Cupertino, challenged report statistics and statements
made by Board members. He said they had damaged the open space movement by
alienating several large groups. He believed staff had compromised their professional
integrity. He said some people will continue to fight to keep the "open" in open space.
Gino Beretti, 3193 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, said he had not seen accidents and did not
understand the District's position of removing bikers from the trails. He hoped they
would reconsider their decision.
Kurt Riffle, 469 Casita Way, Los Altos, supported the proposal. He had three
recommendations: 1. Keep acquiring land as top priority. 2. In accordance with the
mission statement, have three types of open space preserves (multi-use; light use, maybe
hiking only; wildlife use only, keep completely closed). 3. Form a subcommittee of all
user groups to advise the Board.
Meeting 00-20 Page 4
Paul Koski, 22030 Regnart Road, Cupertino, said his family uses all trails. He felt the
bicycle decrease was discriminatory. He said mountain biking was a way to enjoy the
roadway. He felt insulted by B. Crowder's comment, as he is paying for open space. He
said he would not vote for a board that had this approach.
Jeff Foster, 10892 Leavesley Place, Cupertino, reinforced the idea of a committee with
multi-purpose identification to advise the Board. He asked if any Board members were
bicyclists and said there is also a need for public relations. His real concern was that
closing trails did not become a trend.
Dani Weber, 709 S. Eldorado Street, San Mateo, invited the public to a Green Party
meeting tomorrow on the issue of public access. She said she was starting to form the
Peninsula Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition. She felt the proposed action was dividing
the community. She encouraged them to include the remarks in the record.
Jim Sullivan, 2506 Indian Drive, Palo Alto, works with "Big Brothers." He had talked
about how they use the trails at the previous meeting. He disagreed with B. Crowder's
remarks in the newspaper. He said mountain bikers plan on being a positive part of the
outdoor fabric. He presented a petition with 168 names of those opposing closing areas
to mountain bikers.
Vicki Rosenthal, 11865 Skyline Boulevard, Los Gatos, talked about several encounters
with bicycles while riding her horse on District preserves. She outlined a three point
proposal to make trails safe, including adoption of the proposed changes to the trail use
policy, development of a long-term plan, and increasing ranger and volunteer patrols.
Doug O'Neill, 1280 Brookfield, Sunnyvale, said he felt prejudice from B. Crowder's
remarks. He attacked the stereotype of mountain bikers and said he did not think
separatism was good. He believed the proposal created tension between groups. He
urged the Board to adopt a policy that encourages diversity.
Andrew Nourse, 40 Forest Road, Woodside, said he could not support the proposal
because it is taking away a large amount of trail from the largest user group of the
preserves. He said it was discouraging to see B. Crowder remarks in the newspaper. He
said he hoped they would reconsider the proposal.
Greg Beattie, 971 Segva Avenue, Los Altos, said for the most part he supported what the
District does. He responded to B. Crowder's statements in the newspaper. He said all
taxpayers have the responsibility to care for the lands and should be allowed to enjoy the
recreation of their choice in a responsible manner. He said the statistics clearly show that
the majority of interested parties are in favor of continuing to allow the cycling
community access to the preserves.
Audra Soltis, 2293 Radio Avenue, San Jose, said she was a hiker, a biker, and an
equestrian. She had done trail maintenance for hiking and bicycling trails and has spent a
Meeting 00-20 Page 5
lot of time in the parks throughout the area. She said she had encountered rude mountain
bikers and equestrians. She said her son mountain bikes with her and was being taught
appropriate trail manners. She asked that the Board reconsider and give her son a chance
to see all the trails she has seen and to learn how to get along with others. She said
separation of trail use is negative.
Dave Perrone, 316 Ridge, Kings Mountain, said everyone in the room probably
considered themselves nature lovers and environmentalists. He said the whole thing is
not about prejudice or use, but is about preservation. He said it was human technology
that damages things. He said the Board has decided to limit technology in certain part of
the preserves.
Robert Stutz, 25310 Elena Road, Los Altos [tills, talked about his experience with the
trail committee in that town. He said he was there to report back to the committee and
felt the thing that affected them most was the staff s attitude regarding trail access. He
said courtesy and the Golden Rule are the things that will save multiple use.
Chris Hughes, 493 N. 14"' Street, San Jose, a member of the Volunteer Trail Patrol, said
all users of trails need to be educated. He said closing trails to one use group is not the
answer.
Ross Finlayson, Mountain View, said he thought the vote to be taken at this meeting was
a foregone conclusion. He said other land agencies, including Santa Clara County Parks,
talk with bicyclists, not at them.
Paul Nam, 19863 Portal, Cupertino, said everyone is paying for the trails so we can all
use them. He said every mountain biker cringes when they run over anything. He
opposed the District proposal. He said everyone needs to share trails and go forward in a
progressive manner, the land belongs to everyone.
Scott Turner, 104 Bronson Street #22, Santa Cruz, said lie was a representative for a
mountain bike manufacturer and they had seen an increase in mountain bike sales in the
Bay Area of over 400 percent in the last four years. He said the District should not ignore
this, and they should increase the percentage of trails available to cyclists, not decrease it.
Scott Berlier, 245 Waverly Street, Sunnyvale, said everyone needs to share trails. Ile said
hikers seem to be able to go where they want. He asked that the Board not elevate one
group over another.
Roger Myers, 3507 Altamont Way, Redwood City, quoted the District mission and said
this was the strongest argument for the proposed action. Ile disagreed that cyclists are
being discriminated against. He said what is being removed are the cycles, not cyclists.
He said this proposal is about protecting land, the environment, and the fragile
ecosystem.
Meeting 00-20 Page 6
Shane Reed, 700 East Middlefield Road, Mountain View, said he strongly objected to the
proposal. He said when he hikes he pays attention to what he is doing and to all trail
users. He disputed the stereotype of mountain bikers and felt that the Board is being
hypocritical as there are no mountain bike only trails. He disagreed that the District
would be unable to enforce an alternate day use policy. He asked that they consider
leaving the trails closest to houses open to bicyclists so they don't have to use their cars
to access them.
Murray Hartman, San Jose, said he makes a living selling bicycles. He said he feels the
proposal is taking away his way of life.
Rod Brown, 11124 La Paloma Drive, Cupertino, said he was president of ROMP. He
said the comments in the media indicate that many of the facts relevant to the decision at
hand are not well understood. He reviewed some of those facts. He urged them to strike
down their target of 65 percent. He said the District has held three public meetings and
during the public comment, overwhelming opposition has been presented. He urged
them to demonstrate that they have heard all the people who have spoken.
Cornelia Woodworth, Cupertino, said she was opposed to the proposal. She asked that
they work to meet the population's needs and work together to keep the trails open. She
said they need to listen to the majority.
David Skinner, 1455 Cedar Place, Los Altos, said mountain bikers have a lot of energy
and enthusiasm that the District should put to good use rather than ignoring them. He
applauded the District's efforts to acquire more land but opposed this proposal.
Rob Montgomery, 338 Solana Drive, Los Altos said he had been riding the trails for 30
years. He said he appreciated the vision of the District and enjoys the preserves every
week. He said he was opposed to restricted usage for mountain bikes. He said he was
concerned about the trend. He said he had noticed a lot of digging from the pigs and
asked if there was a plan to address that. He emphasized some points made tonight: be
aware, courteous, share, respect, and preserve.
Jim McNely, 636 Keats Court, Palo Alto, expressed support for the proposal. He agreed
that the primary purpose of the District is to preserve open space. He talked about the
contrast between hikers and bikers and related a negative personal experience with a
biker.
A woman representing Ellen Lapham, Los Altos Hills, read a letter from her strongly
opposing the proposed closures.
Patty Ciesla, Los Altos Hills, suggested that the Board compromise. She recommended
striking the words, "access policies of adjoining agencies' trail systems" from section
2.5, item 2. She said she would like to see Los Trancos, Foothills, and Teague Hill
removed from the list, as they contain trails that are important regional connectors to the
Meeting 00-20 Page 7
urban area. She said it's a safety and environmental issue; they are forcing people into
their cars or onto a dangerous road.
Linda Palmer, 369 La Herran Drive, Santa Clara, said there are issues to address and
work out. She urged the Board to reject the proposal and instead continue their steps
toward a true multi-use environment. She asked that they don't leave a legacy of
exclusion.
Rich Gooch, 985 Ilima Way, Palo Alto, said mountain biking is a mechanism for getting
more people to respect the natural experience and open space. He expressed
disappointment with how Board members handle the mountain biker community. He
said he did not think it was fair to compare District policies to those of other land
management groups.
Erik Goetze, Palo Alto, said he was struck by how everyone loves the land. He said it
was beginning to be like a freeway on some trails. He said that even though he is a die-
hard hiker, he did not think mountain bikers should be excluded. However, he would like
to have a choice of what type of nature experience lie has and thought the plan provides
that. He suggested having mountain bike only trails.
Linn Repetsky, 1150 Blewett Avenue, San Jose, said she appreciates the open space
available to her. She said mountain bikers really need connecting access trails and
suggested the Board look at compromises.
Richard Holtermann, 3842 Sark Way, San Jose, member of the Almaden Cycling and
Touring Club, urged the Board to listen to the public comments. He quoted from the
dedication on the Stegner memorial bench and asked the Board to remember that the open
space is for everyone.
Tim Nicholson, 213 S. Greer Road, Palo Alto, urged the Board to amend the plan. 1. To
give access entry points into the trail system from roads so bicyclists do not have to drive
to the trail heads. 2. Interconnectivity of trail system so people can do a long ride if they
wish. 3. Protect the interests of the hikers, offer them trails where they can hike without
worrying about bike riders. 4. Trail maps — urged them to develop maps that will help
everybody. He thanked them for what they were doing and urged them not to alienate
people who can help them.
Andy Milosovich, 6925 Wilton Drive, Oakland, said Oakland has done education and it
has worked. They had 50% fewer complaints after just one year. He said what the Board
decided tonight would set a trend that would reverberate in California. Ile said if we take
away the parks, we are putting kids back on the street. He said tolerance and compassion
will create unity and urged the Board to look forward and educate.
Henry Pastorelli, 1207 Lisa Court, Los Altos, read a May 26, San Jose Mercury editorial
he had written, in which he related his personal experiences at a Midpeninsula Regional
Meeting 00-20 Page 8
Open Space District Board meeting. He said they created exclusionary policies, isolating
themselves from a user group who will be the land stewards.
Karen Morgan, 5837 Blossom Avenue, San Jose, said the policy is politically and
morally wrong. She said they need the solid united support of all trail user groups to
continue in their mission. She said different users have different expectations and
different concepts Putting one user group's expectation of a peaceful, tranquil outdoor
experience above another's fosters distrust and resentment among user groups and creates
a segregated and discriminated against group of trail users. Education within and
between trail user groups has historically proven to promote tolerance, understanding and
cooperation. She suggested the Board table the decision, collect unbiased research and
gather current, valid data specific to the areas in consideration for two years. During that
time all trail user groups would be involved in the collection of the data and in education
within and between the groups. At the end of two years the data would be analyzed by the
Board and a representative of each of the trail user groups and a decision could be made.
Cyrus Martin, Los Gatos, contested and refuted Board statistics. He suggested doing a
scientific study and removing the emotion from the debate.
Elizabeth Brown, 24D Escondido Village, Stanford, talked about the statistics, noting that
they needed to be done in a different way to make them comparable. She said bikers use
Los Trancos and talked about access to the preserve. She said there are lots of people
willing to volunteer their time for an analysis or statistical study.
Keith White, 18650 Overlook Road, Los Gatos, said he was a mountain biker and
thanked the Board for preserving open space. He said he would like to have the
opportunity to ride in the preserves with his son. Ile asked the Board to consider some
alternatives that would make the cyclists more willing to work with them in the future.
Scott Schlachter, 7161 Via Colina, San Jose, said he was a mountain biker and volunteer
and was against a proposal that would ban any single user group. He asked Board to
consider alternative methods of providing hiking only experiences. He read from the
California Public Resources Code Section 50.51. He said removing an alternate route to
a road for cyclists is in direct conflict with the resolution which exists as California law.
He said in his opinion, this could expose the District to liability.
Brian Dermick, 1050 Egret, Foster City, said he enjoyed mountain cycling and thanked
the District for providing single-track trails. He said he was there to ask that they not
close any other trails. He said mountain bikers are the only users with restrictions, even
though they are the ones using the trails the most. He said at the May 22 meting,
approximately 80 percent of the speakers were pro bike. He talked about the statistics
regarding accidents.
Tom Fernwood, 1158 Burgoyne Street, Mountain View, said he did not understand how
the Board could approve this, given people's objections. Ile said he had not heard that
Meeting 00-20 Page 9
the District was planning to do anything about horse manure which ruins his experience
in the park. He said he had lost his faith in he Board. He didn't like B. Crowder's words
and he was completely against the proposal.
Rich Hamilton, P. O. Box 8214, San Jose, said he represented approximately 1,500
people who signed a petition against the proposal.
John Novitsky, 168 Bardet Road, Woodside, and he had calculated in his training logs
that he had run over 60,000 miles in the last 20 years and bicycled over 30,000 miles in
the last five years. In addition he contributed 50 hours of trail building and maintenance.
He said he had not personally seen any conflict between a horse, a bike, and ajogger. Fle
was strongly opposed to closing any trail to any user. He said in Woodside, they dealt
with the problem with education which reduced conflict issues. He said the District
should exploit the energy and initiative of the people who were at the meeting. He said
he would not continue contributing to the District until they revert to a policy of equal
access to all users and change it to be an education oriented policy.
Jeff Hane, Sunnyvale, said he was very opposed to trail closures, and sees this leading to
more closures. He talked about other agencies that are opening up more trails while the
District is taking them away. He said the silent majority is here and has spoken.
John Bilderbeck, P. O. Box 16422, Stanford, a student at Stanford, said one of the biggest
draws to this area is the open space. He said he saw blatant opposition to the proposal
and would hate the see that opposition ignored. He said there is room for compromise.
He said there is no conflict and these measures are extreme.
Jeff Kring, 335 Orick Court, San Jose, said most of the arguments for the plan have been
wiped out and there is no valid statistical evidence of a conflict or environmental damage.
He asked if the District has done everything it can do to let people know there are already
places they can go to have an experience free of mountain bikers. He said the reasons for
closure presented so far have been ludicrous. He asked that they try to keep the
community together rather than fracture it.
Peter Fox, 2844 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, said he was opposed to the closures.
John Grundy, 218 McKendry, Menlo Park, said he had a two-fold message: 1. He
agreed with people who suggested tabling the matter and getting statistics. 2. The
comments in the paper are not productive and apology goes a long way. He said he saw
fear, knowledge, and tolerance as underlying driving factors.
Randy Hodge, Mountain View, said because of the newspaper comment and the email
volume he would like to urge the Board to pursue trail sharing. He did not feel
alternatives have been explored, and the statistics are not valid. He asked the Board to
look at the successes in solving access issues, delay their decision, and consider more
mutually beneficial alternatives.
Meeting 00-20 Page 10
Christopher Hoover, Los Gatos, was opposed to the proposed amendment. He said
education is key, not closure.
Roger Rintala, Sunnyvale, said people supporting multiple use trails had not been heard
at these meetings. He said he wanted nothing more than to share the trails with all. He
hoped the Board and staff would help educate users.
David Payne, 687 Valley Way, Santa Clara, said he was a member of the Palo Alto
Running Club and had been a member of Western Wheelers and ROMP. He said he had
run many miles in the District preserves and had never had a conflict with a biker. He
said he saw a sense of the Board alienating the largest constituency of trail users who are
also advocates of the environment. He suggested biker-only trails or an alternate day
schedule.
Bill Bauriedel, 3673 South Court, Palo Alto, said he rides his bike to work but was
speaking on behalf of hikers. He said he liked hikers only trails and hoped the Board
would stay with their decision.
Kory Mingus, San Jose, quoted Wallace Stegner talking about the land. He said he did
not think closing trails would help resolve conflicts in the future. He said the easiest
thing would be to reject this plan and try to develop a more integrated, stable plan.
Rob Johnson, San Mateo, said most of the people speaking tonight were against the plan
to close trails and he did not see how the Board could ignore that.
Dawn Rintala, Sunnyvale, said many good solutions had been offered at this meeting.
She asked that the Board work with their constituents.
Debbie Goff, San Mateo, referred to the staff report which said there would be no
significant impact on the environment and that the trail closures would provide a more
positive visitor experience for all user groups. She said not all user groups agree with
that. She said she thought the fear that closing trails would become a trend was a
legitimate one. She agreed that many ideas offered tonight offered a compromise.
At 10:20 K. Nitz announced there would be a 5-10 minute break.
B. Crowder referred to the article in the San Jose Mercury and explained how her quote
had been taken out of context.
R. Anderson said there is a substantial body of evidence that demonstrated there is a
conflict problem. He said he thought the staff report clarified that the intention is to add
trails. He said the intention is that the picture would get better and better for bikes.
Meeting 00-20 Page 11
D. Little said he was chair of the Trail Use Committee from which the proposal
originated. He said those who spoke were exercising their right in the democratic process
and had done a good job of expressing their opinions. He listed some options they had if
they disagreed with the Board's decision. He said the Board listens to every word people
say. The District's first and primary mission is preservation of open space lands, and the
Board's role is to see that those lands accumulate and that they are preserved and
protected. The District is the friendliest open space agency in the Bay Area to bicycles.
Second, 69 percent of the trails will remain open to bikers. Third, the proposal is not a
first step to eliminating bikes from trails. He said there is an impact on the trails from
bikes. He said he would support the proposal with an amendment to encourage access to
the Ridge Trail and refer that to the Trail Use Committee; and an amendment to perhaps
create some trails open only to bikes, as long as they are ecologically sound and
constructed in a safe fashion.
J. Cyr respond that a number of the modifications suggested this evening were already
considered by the committee, and the report responded to those suggestions. He said he
agrees that education needs to be an ongoing process to help everyone learn how to share
the trails. Regarding the domino theory of reduction, he understood the proposed
percentage is a guideline and not an absolute. He added that even with this proposal, the
District will remain dominantly multi-use. He said this proposal does represent a
compromise, and he would vote for it.
B. Crowder said ROMP has been involved with education by giving out information at
trail heads. In addition, they helped build the Leaf Trail in El Corte de Madera. She
clarified that there is no connection to Skyline from Teague Hill, and people who bicycle
through it to get to Skyline are on private property. She suggested the following
amendments to the proposal: Section 3.1, change the word "consider" to "adopt."
Section 2.1, change to read, " . . . allow trail use consistent with the protection of the
values of the open space. . ." and place "appropriate to the nature of the land . . ." at the
end of the sentence. Section 2.5, add, "and other regional trails." Add Section 3.2,
"Bicycles are permitted on paved roads, paved bike trails, and unpaved roads over 8 feet
in width unless otherwise posted. Bicycles shall be equipped with a standard bicycle
bell."
N. Hanko said she was disappointed that those from the bicycle community who were
present had not understood the whole purpose of the original memo. She talked about
founders of the District who had stopped using the preserves because they were afraid of
injury, and families who were afraid to take their children on the preserves. She said the
memo was to respond to those concerns and the need for balance. She said they would
continue to build trails for mountain bikes. She would like the staff to develop brochures
for families to inform them of where they can go where there are no bikes. She offered an
amendment to Section 2.5 to remove the words, "the access policies of adjoining
agencies' trail systems", noting that she preferred to provide trail connections. She
commented on the organizational study of the District that had been conducted and said
the Operations Committee had been dealing with some of the problems that the
Meeting 00-20 Page 12
consultant found. She said when the section on public services goes back to the
Operations Committee, she would like to see them go through the letters and comments
to see if they can find others ways to reduce conflict. She said she would be opposed to
future closures.
P. Siemens said he has advocated for more bike access on streets and trails. He said he
agreed with the proposed amendments. He said they previously had no policy regarding
percentage of access for bicycles, and this policy will endeavor to reach 60-65 percent.
He thought it was important that people have the ability to have a place to go for a
tranquil nature experience. He said they get input from many places on the policies
regarding the preserves, and that input told them that the primary concern is resource
protection.
M. Davey agreed that the Board does listen. She said it was impressive that the bicycle
community had so many people out to speak and she hoped they would continue their
interest in the District. She assured them that the proposed action was not the beginning
of closing trails. She said they hope to continue to buy open space and offer more multi
use trails and trails that are appropriate for the land. She said she still believed that this
was an honest disagreement and that the staff would not give the Board misinformation.
K. Nitz said he appreciated people coming out and he liked what was said about
education. He said he liked idea of one-way trails and of expanding the Ridge Trail. He
agreed with D. Little's comments that these are preserves, not parks. There will still be
152 miles of trails open to bikes. He said they are buying land at the rate of about a
thousand acres a year, and this new land will have trails.
Motion: D. Little moved that the Board confirm that the recommended actions will
not have a significant effect on the environment, and are either
categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act or are
not a project; amend the Trail Use Policies regarding multi-use trails
(including bicycles) to provide access to regional trails such as the Bay
Area Ridge Trail, as follows: Section 2.5 The District will strive to
provide multi-use trail access (including bicycles) to dedicated sections of
the Bay Area Ridge Trail by allowing exceptions to preserve bicycle
closures for the Ridge Trail. The District will also strive to provide multi-
use trail access to regional trails connecting urban areas to the Ridge Trail.
Access to such regional connecting trails will be evaluated on a case-by-
case basis, including consideration of availability of suitable regional
trailhead staging, the access policies of adjoining agencies' trail systems,
the availability of other alternative multi-use trail connections in the same
region, and completion of the CEQA process. The District will encourage
other agencies to provide Ridge Trail and regional trail connections on the
same basis; amend the Trail Use Policies as follows: Section 3.1 As a
planning tool to aid the Board and staff in determining future trail use
designations, the District will consider, along with the Trail Use
Meeting 00-20 Page 13
Guidelines, and these Policies, a guideline target trail use designation ratio
of 60 to 65% multi-use trails (including bicycles) to 35 to 40% hiking or
hiking-and-equestrian trails (excluding bicycles). This will not be a
quantitative restriction, but a flexible planning tool to consider. Actual use
designation of trails and preserves will only be established after the Use
and Management Planning Process and CEQA process has been
completed; amend the Use and Management Plans for seven preserves:
Foothills, La Honda Creek, Los Trancos, Picchetti Ranch, Pulgas Ridge,
Teague Hill, and Thornewood Open Space Preserves, designating the
preserves as closed to bicycle use, including closure of 13.6 miles of
existing trails in six preserves to mountain bicycle use. J. Cyr seconded
the motion.
Amendment: D. Little moved the following amendments: 1. That the 'Frail Use
Committee reconvene to examine the issue of opening all areas of the
Ridge Trail that are currently closed within the District to mountain bike
use in accordance with the proposal that was stated at this meeting that the
District will generally open access to the Ridge Trail. That would include
Russian Ridge and Windy Hill. 2. That the Trail Use Committee
reconvene to come up with a recommendation of bicycle only trails in
some areas, particularly for trails that might be one-way descending trails
for cyclists, and they would be allowed to climb on other multi use trails.
N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed 6 to I (Dir. Crowder
voted no).
Amendment: B. Crowder moved to amend Section 3.1 to substitute the word "adopt" for
the word "consider."
Discussion: S. Schectman said they felt that the word "consider" best reflected the
intent of these policies and how the guideline would be used by the Board.
Withdrawn: B. Crowder withdrew the motion.
Amendment: B. Crowder moved to add to Section 2.5 "and other regional trails" after
the words "Bay Area Ridge 'Frail." P. Siemens seconded the motion. The
motion passed 7 to 0.
Amendment: B. Crowder moved to add Section 3.2, "Use as an eventual goal the
policies of our sister agency, East Bay Regional Park District." The
motion died for lack of a second.
Motion: N. Hanko moved to amend Section 2.5, line 6, to delete the words, the
access policies of adjoining agencies' trail systems P. Siemens
seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0.
Meeting 00-20 Page 14
N. Hanko asked that staff be given direction to develop two brochures, one
for the bicycling community that would address the questions as to where
people who are just learning to ride could go; and one for the families
seeking a tranquil nature experience.
Vote on the main motion as amended: The motion passed 7 to 0.
V. ADJOURNMENT
At 11:34 P.M., the meeting was adjourned.
Roberta Wolfe
Recording Secretary