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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20030528 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Regional Open ice -------------------- MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Meeting 03-11 1 SPECIAL AND REGULAR MEETINGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS May 28, 2003 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING I. ROLL CALL President Nonette Hanko called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. Members Present: Jed Cyr, Mary Davey, Larry Hassett, Deane Little, Ken Nitz, Pete Siemens, and Nonette Hanko Members Absent: None Staff Present: Craig Britton, Sue Schectman, John Escobar, Cathy Woodbury, and John Maciel IL CLOSED SESSION N. Hanko stated that the Board would adjourn to Closed Session to discuss Closed Session Agenda Items 1, 2, and 3. The Board recessed to Closed Session at 6:08 p.m. and the Closed Session commenced at 6:08 p.m. The Board concluded the Closed Session at 7:30 p.m. REGULAR MEETING M. N. Hanko called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. She announced that the Board had discussed Closed Session Agenda Items in Closed Session and that no reportable actions had taken place, and that the Board would reconvene in Closed Session following the Regular Meeting to complete discussion of the Closed Session Agenda Items. Additional Staff Present: Lisa Zadek, Cindy Roessler, Mike Williams, Gordon Baillie, Tom Fischer, and Sandy Sommer IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS—There were none. V. ADOPTION OF AGENDA 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 1 Board of Directors:Pete Siemens,Mary CG Davey,Jed Cyr, Deane Little, Nanette I lanko, Larry Hassett, Kenneth C. Nitz - General Manager:L.Craig Britton Meeting 03-11 Page 2 Motion: J. Cyr moved that the Board adopt the agenda. K. Nitz seconded and the motion passed 7 to 0. VL ADOPTION OF CONSENT CALENDAR Staff answered questions regarding Claim#5828 (interpretation of tests at Moffett), and #5854 (Skyline vegetation classification study). K. Nitz removed Agenda Item 5, Authorization to Purchase Trailhead Signboards from Von Kohorn Signmakers. Inc. of Redwood City for Fiscal Year 2003-2004, Authorize the General Manager to Purchase Ten Trailhead Signboards from Von Kohom Kitzmiller Signmakers. Inc. in an Amount Not to Exceed $27,000 for Fiscal Year 2003-2004. Motion: K. Nitz moved that the Board adopt the Consent Calendar, including Agenda Item 3, Cancel the June 11, 2003 Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors and Schedule a Special Meeting on June 5, 2003, Approve Cancellation of the June 11, 2003 Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors, Schedule a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors for June 5, 2003,Agenda Item 4,Resolution Authorizing Execution of Agreement with Bay Area Ridge Trail Council for Construction of a Parking and Staiziniz Area at the Jacques Ridge Entrance to Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, Adopt the Attached Resolution Authorizing the General Manage to Execute a Construction Funding Agreement with the Bay Area Ridjz Trail Council for Construction of a Parking and Staging Area at the Jacques Ridge Entrance to Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve; and Revised Claims 03-10. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. VII. SPECIAL ORDER OF THE DAY Resolution honoring Don Weden. N. Hanko read the resolution. Motion- M. Davey moved that the Board adopt Resolution No. 03-17, Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Honoring and Congratulating Don Weden Upon His Retirement from Santa Clara County. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. Don Weden talked about his relationship with the District and showed historical items. He presented a calendar he had designed for the District in 1976 and thanked the Board for honoring him. C. Britton added that Mr. Weden's retirement party would be June 11. Meeting 03-11 Page 3 i VIM BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item No. 1 —Program Evaluation for the Implementation of the Basic Policy of the Midpeninsula Regional nal Open Space District: Comment On and Accept Staff Program Evaluation Report—(Report R-03-50). C. Britton introduced the item. Open Space Acquisition Department—M. Williams A. Acquisition, Funding, and Negotiation B. Property Management C. Land Protection Dennis Martin Road -M. Williams updated the Board noting that they have obtained 5 of the 9 quitclaims and would like to have obtained all nine before staff begins the next steps of the project. Page 8, item 3, Easement Monitoring- T. Fischer talked about the problem with the general public entering the preserve from this private property and creating illegal trails. The District has reached an agreement with the property owner allowing them to patrol on the property and access the area without hindrance. Property exchange with Hansen—T. Fischer said that is still in discussion. Page 4, item 4, financing measure—C. Britton explained that staff is looking at refunding of some of the past note issues. 1 I Picchetti Winery lease -M. Williams said staff hired an appraiser and are waiting for the tenant to provide information. He talked about the negotiations regarding use by the public. N. Hanko said there may come a time when a committee would be appointed to look at policies that have to do with additional public access provisions for docent tours and other things that were not included in the original lease. M. Williams said this matter has been discussed at the Acquisition and Property Management Committee meeting. Regarding the assigned lease, M. Williams said there are five years left on the term the tenant acquired. C. Britton said he thought it would probably take a year to negotiate. Open Space Planning Department—C. Woodbury A. Advance and Resource Planning B. Current Planning and Capital Improvements C. Woodbury noted that there had been a lot of work by the Board including 23 actions on planning items, three workshops, three Use and Management Committee meetings, and 13 Coastal Ad Hoc meetings. Meeting 03-11 Page 4 Item#3 page 12, El Corte de Madera Creek Road Assessment—C. Woodbury said the assessment is complete and has been turned in for review. She said the seismic upgrade for the Picchetti Winery building is not in the plan; the project needs an additional $90,000 before it is fully funded. Page 14, Virginia Mill Trail—C. Woodbury said staff is ready to obtain permits for the restoration. Lawrence Creek Bridge—C. Woodbury said the construction season is short. She said that staff does not necessarily need more people, it is more a matter of the process staff needs to go through. C. Britton added that on El Corte de Madera, the regional board process took some time and required staff to reassess all the roads. As a result, staff have been more deliberate and careful in the permitting process. Pulgas Ridge—C. Woodbury said this is part of the use and management planning process. The first meeting is this weekend. Page 16, Windy Hill improvements, lower meadow bypass—C. Woodbury said she did not know if staff would get the improvements constructed this year. Page 16, #2, Standard Details and Specifications Book—C. Woodbury said this is ongoing. ECDM work—C. Woodbury said some of the work has been folded in as part of the implementation plan to reduce sediment. She said everyone agrees that these are high priority projects. The preliminary plan says ten years. C. Britton said staff would not make a final agreement with the regional board until it comes back to the Board. He added that 25-30%of the planning department's work comes through the door after the Action Plan is approved. He cited a letter regarding wells at Ravenswood as an example of this. Standard details and specs for trails and road construction—C. Woodbury said part of the standards were developed working with the information provided by the consultant. J. Cyr commented that this provides the District with important information to justify how things are designed and built. Page 15, Long Ridge, comprehensive inventory of roads and trails—C. Woodbury said a number of projects were deferred until they take a comprehensive look at what they are doing there. C. Woodbury referred to the charts attached to the report which listed all the projects contained in the plan. Meeting 03-11 Page 5 Operations Department—J. Maciel A. Field Operations B. Resource Management J. Maciel highlighted Field Operations. He said the initial draft of the Field Operations Manual is completed and is being reviewed. The department hired 7 people last year. J. Cyr commented that this fits in with an issue raised at a prior Board meeting relative to having policies anticipatory of need. He felt that if staff felt it was worth the time invested, it was well worth the process. J. Maciel said there were no sections on trail maintenance and construction. This manual is strictly for maintenance and patrol. The next task is to put together a crew handbook. D. Little asked if the Use and Management Committee could be kept in the loop about that. He was concerned regarding practices with regard to trail maintenance. Regarding legal review, S. Schectman said this is similar to a police manual. It is important in terms of risk management that the peace officer procedures meet current standards. Public Page 19 Item 3, Restoration and Mitigation of Off-trail Impacts of ub c Use— J. Maciel said some trails have been closed and staff is monitoring the closed trails. Staff are working with natural structures. N. Hanko said she thought there should be stepped up enforcement efforts. Regarding the use of remote monitoring devices, J. Maciel said some simple counters are being used on a few of the trails. Page 21, handball court—J. Maciel said the Bay laurel tree is doing well. C. Roessler outlined the Resource Management key projects. Christmas tree farm restoration, 13 acres around Horseshoe Lake—C. Roessler said grading and tree removal would start this summer. Page 23, monitoring vegetation changes for feral pigs—C. Roessler said staff had not noticed much change. They do not have much comparison, and they have not measured adjacent areas. Staff did some seeding in the rooted areas several years ago. Discussion followed regarding burns. Page 25, wildlife surveys—C. Roessler said the information collected would be available to the Board. K. Nitz said he thought the District should spend additional money on this. C. Roessler said there would be more consultant dollars spent this year, and some graduate students are proposing some projects. She talked about the students from San Jose State who did work at Bear Creek Redwoods. Meeting 03-11 Page 6 N. Hanko asked if students working on such projects could be honored at the volunteer event. D. Little liked the idea of working with well-qualified graduate students in the research arena and thought they might discuss an ongoing research program in which they might fund some research in this area. Page 25, #5, Creeks and Springs/Pond management—K. Nitz was concerned regarding sedimentation of Sausal Pond. g 8 Invasive plant consultant—C. Roessler referred to page 20#5, increase resource staff hours. She said consultants' proposals are due June 9 and staff managementsta s P P ex expects to come to the Board b the end of June. P Y #7, redwood forest monitoring—C. Roessler said a monitoring program started at Bear Creek several years ago. It was not continued last year, but the San Jose State students are doing wildlife and plant biodiversity monitoring in that same area. It is not in this year's budget. Public Affairs Department—C. Britton A. General Public Information and Outreach B. Legislative, Funding and Organizational Relations C. Community Programs C. Britton highlighted the proposed projects. He said he did not think staff would get the good neighbor brochure drafted this year. N. Hanko commented on the guidelines and standards in the draft final service plan (for the Coastal Annexation). She thought this was an excellent good neighbor policy document. Page 28 #4, develop public affairs protocols and provide media and public communications training for all staff/interested Board members—J. Escobar talked about the protocols for public information officer emergency procedures that staff has been working on. Discussion followed regarding email policies. Web site- C. Britton said a volunteer had revamped the site. This volunteer is moving out of the area but he will still be working on this project. Page 29 #11, Implement a new sustainable system to maintain the District's web site- J. Escobar talked about what staff is doing to maintain the system and gave examples of some of the improvements. I Meeting 03-11 Page 7 Page 33, Daniels Nature Center$12,000 grant—C. Britton said work is still going on there. I Escobar said volunteers are looking at the design of the existing pond community display. Administration Department—C. Britton A. Administration B. Human Resources C. Legal Services C. Britton outlined the report and gave an update on the State budget crisis and its possible effect on the District's finances. S. Schectman reported on the Legal Services program. Thornewood quitclaims - S. Schectman said the legal staff is not involved in getting the quitclaims. Staff is waiting for the process to be completed so they can proceed with the quiet title. C. Britton talked about the problems involved in obtaining the quitclaims. L. Hassett expressed concern regarding the fact that people organized and came to the District and that the process is painfully slow. S. Schectman said they are trying to make the process voluntary, and think it is being well received. N. Hanko noted that the discussion on this item had taken one hour and forty-five minutes. Motion: L. Hassett moved that the Board accept the staff program evaluation report. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. B. Agenda Item No. 2- Authorization to Enter into Annual Service Agreements with HiTech Construction Management and Design. Inc, and Stratepik Construction Management to Provide Construction Management Services for Capital Improvement Projects in Fiscal Year 2003-2004, Authorize the General Manager r to Execute an Annual Service Agreement with HiTech Construction Management and Design., Inc. of San Francisco to Provide Construction Management Services for Capital Improvement Projects in Fiscal Year 2003-2004 in an Amount Not to Exceed $58,000, Authorize the General Manager to Execute an Annual Service Agreement with Strategic Construction Management of Santa Cruz to Provide Construction Management Services for Capital Improvement Projects in Fiscal year 2003-2004 in an Amount Not to Exceed $30,000—(Report R-0341). S. Sommer presented the staff report. N. Hanko said she assumed the budget committee looked at this proposal thoroughly. C. Britton referred to the report which stated an estimate of over $93,000 had been budgeted. S. Sommer said that by hiring a specialist it allows Meeting 03-11 Page 8 staff to cover more ground and maximize their internal expertise so they can get on with other key projects. C. Britton talked about having a construction person on staff versus using a consultant. He thought it was an economical way to handle construction 8 Y expediently. S. Sommer talked about the qualifications of the firms being considered. Board Members agreed that this kind of project ultimately pays for itself and that this was not a large amount to spend on what staff are trying to accomplish this year. C. Woodbury said whether the projects get done depends on getting permits. Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board authorize the General Manager to execute an annual service agreement with HiTech Construction Management and Design, Inc. of San Francisco to provide construction management services for capital improvement projects in fiscal year 2003-2004 in an amount not to exceed $63,000; and authorize the General Manager to execute an annual service agreement with Strategic Construction Management of Santa Cruz to provide construction management services for capital improvement projects in fiscal year 2003-2004 in an amount not to exceed $30,900. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. C. Agenda Item No. 5- Authorization to Purchase Trailhead Signboards from Von Kohorn Signmakers, Inc of Redwood City for Fiscal Year 2003-2004, Authorize the General Manager to Purchase Ten Trailhead Signboards from Von Kohorn Kitzmiller Signmakers, Inc. in an Amount Not to Exceed $27,000 for Fiscal Year 2003-2004—(Report R-03-53). K. Nitz said he thought the new signs were supposed to eliminate the condensation problem but he noticed one that had condensation in it. C. Woodbury said staff would check on that. She added that staff are ordering a different sign for the one at Windy Hill because the one there does not work well. L. Hassett said he thought the District had developed a good relationship with the previous vendor and hoped the consistency in the signs will continue with the other firm. C. Britton talked about the bid process and said he thought the process worked well. Motion: K. Nitz moved that the Board authorize the General Manager to purchase ten trailhead signboards from Von Kohorn Kitzmiller Signmakers, Inc. of Redwood City in an amount not to exceed i Meeting 03-11 Page 9 $27,000 for fiscal year 2003-2004. M. Davey seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. IX. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS K. Nitz: 1. He had visited six parks in southern Utah. 2. There will be a Use and Management Committee meeting at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. D. Little: 1. He had done lots of hiking and the wildflowers are beautiful. He had noticed quite a lot of a thistle along the trails at Rancho San Antonio. In addition, some sort of motorized vehicle has been using that trail. On the Bella Vista Trail, what looks like hundreds of star thistles are coming up where the trail work had been done. N. Hanko: 1. She asked for a report from the Acquisition and Property Management Committee. P. Siemens said initially they are looking at leases including antenna leases. 2. The Stanford matter is comingu on June 4 and she has been working with Supervisor Liz P g p Kniss on language to protect the view shed. 3. She talked about a contact with the President of Wells Fargo Bank she had made during the luncheon prior to the Avenidas recognition event and the possibility of having checks with pictures of District land on them. C. Britton: 1. The FYIs contained a letter to the Santa Clara Valley Water District summing up an excellent meeting. He said C. Roessler is very highly thought of there. Also in the FYIs was a letter from the Town of Los Gatos to P. Siemens proposing to name a feature in the south end of the District. He said this matter will be brought to the LFPAC. 2. He had an offer from Bay Nature magazine for a free trial subscription. He said he thought the magazine was worth supporting. 3. The last of three tours with POST took place, and they were gracious hosts. Sixty staff members went and it was good for them to see what was going on the coast. 4. AB 1195 passed the Assembly and the first Senate hearing will be June 18. 5. He said the area of Rancho San Antonio called the"elephant ear" has been turned over to the County. There are three small pieces that will be turned over to the District. 6. He had read an article that indicated that global warming provides an environment for invasive species. 7. The Avenidas celebration was a nice event and was proud of N. Hanko who was honored there. Regarding the coastal tours, J. Escobar added that he could not have done coordinated them without the help of Lisa Zadek. L. Zadek handed out copies of the Guide to Elected Officials in San Mateo County. J. Maciel: 1. The new ranger will start June 2. Warren Phillips will retire August 15. Interviews will begin soon for ranger and farm maintenance worker positions. 2. The grading contract starts June 16. He said by implementing the new grading standards, they will disturb more soil. Staff will have to go back and treat or mow the thistles. 3. New trail signs will soon be going up in Woodside. I Meeting 03-11 Page 10 C. Woodbury reported that they had hired Steven Schur to fill the Planner H position. X. ADJOURNMENT At 10:00 p.m., the Regular meeting was adjourned. The Special Meeting Closed Session was reconvened at 10:10 p.m. and adjourned at 10:37 p.m.,to discuss Agenda Items I and 2. Agenda Item 3 was not discussed during the Special Meeting Closed Session. No reportable action occurred. Roberta Wolfe Recording Secretary