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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-27-1971 City Council Minutes ,..~ -I - . .' SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL & PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION MINUTES ,'APRÜ'27,l971 1. ORGANIZAT]ON A, ROLL CALL Present: Councilmen Bridges, Dwyer, Robbins, Sanders and Smith. Commissioners Bonney, Duffy, Louden, Martin, Matteoni, Wilberding and Woodward Absent: Commissioners Aberle and Jones B. NELSON DONATION, , Mayor Robbins stated that he had received a letter from Mr. Nelson confirming that the actual transfer of property will not occur until after the deaths of Mr. Nelson and his sister. Mayor Robbins suggested that the questionaire be sent with a cover letter indicating this. Some of the opening information might be incorporated in such a letter. Mr. Robbins emphasized that we have a commitment to review this plan with Mr. Nelson before it is sent ,out and he would be pleased to have members of the Parks Commission meet with him also. II, REVISED POLICY STATEMENT A. PRIORITIES AND FISCAL RAMIFICATIONS Mr. Matteoni stated that the suggestion for a revised policy statement had come from Tom Wilberding. The bond measure had put a great deal of emphasis on acquisition over development which had originally set the Parks Commission policy. As the Commission w, .- assigned the task of coming up with a park program and meeting with residents concerning development of Wildwood Park, Kevin Moran Park and El Quito it beçame apparent that you can't buy much development with the amount of money available but the matter did begin to interest the Commission. ' Mr. Wilberding stated that he had sent out about 1,000 questionaires to residents in the Gardiner Park area. The results were f~irly positive from people in the area as to what facilities they would like to see installed. These questionaires generated a considerablè amount of interest from people who wanted to help in any way they could to get the park started as soon as possible. About the time Mr. Wilberding brought, the report back to the Commission the proposed budget for the C.I.P. came out and showed Gardiner Park allocation for 1971-72 through:l975-76 as approximately $9,000 per year. He noted that the park had not been 'completely acquired because there is still the triangle to consider. It occured to Mr. Wilberding that we had gone to the work of finding out wha~ people were interested in and reminding them that this is a parksite and that we are interested in developing a park there probably in the near future, and then we realized that something like $9,000 would do very little when yo~ consider prices that would be paid just for the work done by Mr. Beck. If the: City were to acquire the triangle it is likely there would be no money left for development during 1971-72. Mr. Wilberding also referred to the $l4,'000 allocated for El Quito Park and wondered if this amount was large ,enough satisfy a group who were very supportive of the park program. Mr. Wilberding referred to the $35,000 allocated to Brookglen Cox and wond~redhow much we should be looking at development as opposed to acquisition'. ' Mr. Matteoni stated that the Commission had come :to' this'crealiZãtion at':i,ts,;:March---------, f meefing af~er Eh"-near~ngs, park programs and generation of community interest ¡rnvõTveâ-wïths'e\.fëflîI park---sn~s. ¡He noted that the Public Hearing on Gardiner Park had been pöstponed because of the excitement that this creates when residents think that development is upon them. Mr~ Matteoni was concerned about how much meaningful development we can do with the budget limitations. There was a motion made at that meeting which indicates that it is the recommendation of the Commission that if Brookglen site is not purchased that a portion of this $35,000 allocated for the purchase be made available for more meaningful development of ~. -i . ~ '. CITY COUNCIL-PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 Wildwood Park, El Quito Park, Gardiner Park and Kevin Moran Park. Mr. Matteoni felt it would be appropriate to hear the latest situation with regards to acquisition of Brookglen. Mr. Huff stated that the City had two alternatives: 1) the possibility of an arrangement under which we could pay for Brookglen Cox acquisition on a time basis spread over four to five years; and 2) the possibility of, stretching available funds to pay outright in the event a time contract is not worked out. In response to a question from Mr. Smith as to whether the Parks Commission were talking negatively about Brookglen, Mr. Wilberding replied that at the time it appeared that chances for acquiring the site were not good. There was also a question as to how aware the Council or the Commission were about the feeling for.,a park in that area. He noted that when a Public Hearing was held on Kevin Moran site, some residents were implying that they didn't want the park there at all. Mr. Smith stated that the City did have a price and terms that were acceptable but Mr. Cox is insisting that the garage be perpetuated during the life of his son as one of the conditions. Mayor Robbins statèd that the City would be hard put to come up with the cash_in a lump sum. Mr. Cox is generally not happy with the city and would-like a contract that allows -l1finto continue the operation of. the garag~i Recent discussion indicates that things are moving along,h.ut there certainly is nothing definite. For the first time the developer has talked to Mr. Cox. Basically, the problem is trying to negotiate so we can pay it off over a period of years. This is a difficult legal situation involving the City, Mr. Cox and the developer., The information we have indicates that people in the area do indëed want the park and the developer has been using this as a selling point. Mayor Robbins called for a executive session following the regular meeting to discuss this matter. Mayor Robbins stated that he thought now we should put more emphasis on development and less on acquisition. He felt we should continue to acquire if we get a good opportunity. He did not think we could afford to asquire Azule at the present time. He felt the overpass over the freeway would make the Moran -Park accessible from there and that is a ten acre site which can be served from all sides. Mrs. Woodward noted that people in the area were very strongly opposed to the overpass. She was concerned that if there was no overpass, children in that area would have no access to any park on foot. There is a large segment of homes without access to the Scully property. Mr. Sanders stated that acquisition is a matter of time - you don't get the chance again. If Brookglen is not acquired it will be developed into homes. He wondered about the possibilities of a subdivision in Azule. If the City makes a deal on a time basis for Brookglen Cox it will probably be less than $35,000 and he estimated $15,000 or $20,000. Mrs. Duffy stated that that area will be covered with houses and a small tot lot or open space of ,even one acre would be very valuable. There are two school yards on the other side and a swimming club. In terms of this area, it is quite far from the school and would be completely subdivided. Mrs. Duffy was anxious to see at least some small area set aside. She had discussed this with Mr., Beck in terms of maintenance and he felt it would be high; however, Bob Bryant didn't seem to feel that this would be the case on a small lot. Mayor Robbins¡:stateâ tliat i'f we acquireâ'tlie parcel, we would be postponing development f,om 6 mos,' to- one:year .He thought we håd' to shift emphasis to development awày from acquisition, but we cannot miss out on an opportunity to pick up key parcels of land. In response to a question from Mr. Wilberding as to whether there was any indication from residents in the area, Mayor Robbins stated that the Council had recèived one petition; both homeowners groups have expressed:favor and the residents voted well in the bond election. Mr. the Matteoni wondered about the possibility of a tot lot on part of',t\1e property where library is proposed. - 2 - éITY'COUNCIL-PARKS . , & RECREATION 'COMMISSION JOINT . STUDY SESSION --APRIL 27, 1971 Mr. Huff stated that the City did have a firm quotation from Ditz-Crane on Azule. They indicated before the bond election that they would be willing to sell it to us for $21,000 per acre in a lump sum; or approximately $70,000. It was the 'consensus of the group that if the~e were available funds to be diverted, measuring the situation regarding acquisition vs. development, the City would 'prefer to spend more money' on development. B. GARDINER PARK Commissioner Wilberding stated that the City had acquired the lot on Portos Drive from George Day but/'there is still a very narrow opening into the park. There has been recent communicàtfõn',and it is the feeling of the Commission and many of the residents that it is important to acquire the triangle as part of developing the park. As far as actual development of the park is concerned, the residents have asked for open turf, creative play facilities for pre-school children, restrooms and very little more. Mention~was also mãde of'the'narrôw strip of land owned by the city that fronts on Harleigh Drive. On~_of the C?mmission's concerns, then, is the~de~ision on acquisition vs. development ''''for ttiissTte a'nd'otñe:r's. ' \ \ I , - -- ~ - -- - -~ Mr, Huff noted that acquisition by eminent domain would be $2,500./ plus tne rees-for the iproceeding~. The owner does not wish to sell just the triangle. Mr. Matteoni noted that acqu1r1ng this triangle would have the advantage of easy surveillance and keeping'down vandalism. Mr. Sanders felt it condemnation of the selling the ,lot; cost estimates. was a small .He matter of deciding which would be the cheapest way to go - piece vs buying , the entire lot and paying $750. real estate suggested that the staff work up compàrisons in terms of fee and re- Mr. Matteoni mentioned the management expense in holding the property until it is sold. He felt that if the price were fair for the total property, the city would have no ' difficulty in recouping their investment. Mayor Robbins directed the staff to complete a detailed study, and it was the consensus of ,the group that, it would be highly desirable:to acquire the triangular piece of land. C. EL QUITO PARK SITE 8. provisions of Formal Agreement Mrs. Woodward stated that late last fall members of the Commission had met with Mr. Davis, Superintendent of the; :l-ioreland School District and Gene Riordan and talked about possibilities of use of land adjacent to El Quito School. The District had obtaine,Ç!, very good results from a joint park use adjacent to their district offices betwëe~ Campbell and Bucknall which they did in cooperation with the City òf San Jose." Although they did not know the exact acreage at El Quito they felt that the existing facilities for the kindergarten and some of the older children could be brought into use in the park if the City so desired. At the same time they were negotiating about sewers and suggested placement of certain buildings in specific areas to save money. It was decided, since there was a very well organized P.T.A., that they would handle the questionaire, distribute it, pick it up and help compute the facts and figures. They sent out 472 questionaires and 214 responses were given. 19l were 'a very strong y~ê ßnd only l8 voted no. From this questionaire it was possible to list certain7priorities~hich people considered best met their needs. They felt that creative play areas for sChool,áge- and' pre-school age and some family facilities were necessary. This area has a large amount of young people in it and many of the parents work. There seems to be a need for something constructive for the children to do. Mrs. Woodward stated that the results of the survey have been tabulated; there is complete cooperation from the P.T.A, and the merchants. Mrs. Woodward stated that she understood $14,000 had been allocated for development at El Quito Park. Mr. B'eck ~stimates approximately $25',000 p~r' acre to develop a park. Mrs. Woodward recommended development of at least one acre and moving from there in stages. - 3," " '. . , . . CITY'COUNCkL - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - JOINT STUDY SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 She felt there was a great need for a park' in this area. There are smaller lot sizes, a lot of people work and the children are unsupervised. She stated that compared to some hostility that the Commission has met, it was a pleasure to work with these people. They want that park and are willing to do a lot of things to help make it a park if we can get the plans. Gary Giannini is working on the formal agreement. Mr. Matte'oni stated that these people were so enthusiastic it had been necessary to hold them back. They wanted to go· across to the'old nursery and obtain some shrubs. We have told them that we want to get' the master plan before proceeding. Mr. Matteoni stated that a master pla~ underlines all the development for the different sites,and it doesn't app'ear 'that Eldon Beck ,is responding as well as he did lLast year. He now has Wildwood and Kevin Moran and is supposed to submit a proposal on El Quito" The Commission had looked in terms, of a Master Plan as the first phase of Wildwood and Kevin Moran and took into account that Mr. 'Beck had all the background. He noted that we have a natural inclination to go back to Mr. Beck,but with the delays we are now experiencing, he wondered whether we should advise the Council on other landscape architects. He noted that one of the criticisms which the Commission had received was hiring someone in San Francisco as opposed to someone in the Santa Clara Valley area. The Commission hoped to begin development at Kevin Moran two weeks ago when the dedication took place. It was felt that if development started in May it would be possible to consolidate what was allocated last year and this year for a total of $25,000 or $30,000. Mr. Matteoni was aware that the ,Council is 'concerned with Wildwood,and critics of the park program are quick to point to it. Mr. Måtteoni stated that the Commission has a similar concern and although not critical of Beck in his professional capacity would like to, have this information as soon as possible. Mayor Robbins directed the City Manager to contact Mr. Beck and inform him that we are not happy with the progress. Commissioner Wilbèrding cominented that Bob' Bryant had said that; Los Gatos does not go to professional park architects - they uretheir own people õn park development. Mrs. Woodward returned to the discussion regarding Wildwood Park and stated that citizens are questioning spending money on Kevin Moran. She was certain that if Wildwood is developed that the City would get help from many people on the park system. She stressed that Wildwood Park should take first priority over any park in the City. This was the, consensus of the Council and the Commission. Priorities therefore are: l. Wildwood Park; 2. Kevin Moran Park; 3. El Quito School Park; and 4. Gardiner Park b. Prince of Peace Letter Mr. Matteoni stated that thelschoof's::3i~is::3dequate in size and shape. The church's \ property adjacent to the El Quito Scnool covers 1+ acres.. The Commission's reply had been development over acquisition in this case in light of budgetary constraints. Mayor Robbins wondered whether we could convince the Church to put this into a scenic easement in order to reduce their taxes. Councilman Bridges commented that they had first applied for commercial and then P-A. The parcel is master planned as institutional. Mr. Huff stated that any property which is not being used as a Church is taxed in the normal way. He did not know whether the assessor would view this as quasi- public property because they let the softball league use it. The scenic easement status would allow it to be used under formal arrangement for softball or other recreational program and would definitely provide tax relief. Mr. Bridges stated that this was not a valuable lot - it is set off to one side, there is an easement through it near the Lutheran Church and it would only be good for a parking lot. Mayor Robbins suggested that the Commission inform the Church that the City does not have the money to acquire this parcel; however, if they are interested in tax relief, we would be pleased to advise them about scenic easements. - 4 - ',,'6¡TY COUNCIL-PARKS & RECREAtON COMMISSION JOINT STUDY . SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 < D. Congress Springs a. Pony League Commissioner Bonney stated that a question had been raised as to whether a Pony League field would ,be necessary in view of the West Valley College plans. Representatives fróm the college had attended a commission meeting and outlined their expansion programs including land for athletic use. At that time the commission asked them about availability for use by Pony League and non-college use and the information obtained was very favorable. The arrangement would be similar to that with the high school where the League signs up in advance and uses the facility on the days specified. Mr. Bonney felt there was a need for a Pony League field. At the present time there are several baseball fields,but there, is no facility in Saratoga where a TIoy of high school age can play baseball on a week-end. The Little League parks are not adequate for the older boys because they are not large enough. Mr. Bonney felt this would be an asset to the city but wondered whether the cost would be justified because of the limited use. He stated that the Pony League would be 'willing to make a propòsal to the City Council in- ,dicâting to what extent they could help finance, deveìop and maintain a field. and they did not feel that it should be restricted to Pony League except for priorities during the season. Mayor Robbins noted that the Council felt that the Congress Šprings property was the best location for a ball diamond. However, the Parks Commission'nas not ini icated the priority. , Commissioner Woodward stated that Gene Goldberg was very enthusiastic about acquiring the strip needéd for a' Pqny League field because the Pony League committee felt there wasn't enough space for a regulation field. The owner ,is landlocked and would only sell the whole parcel since his only access would be that strip. It would,be possible to install two fields - one is suggested as a permanent 'f.ony E~ague field and the other as a grass area which would serve different types ~f ball and different age groups since the bases can be moved very easily': Mr. Goldberg might be able to come' up with some money similar to what we did at the Foothill joint project. One dugout area could serve both fields and would also act as a buffer zone. Mr. Huff ~aid the property value was estimated at $10,000 per acre or $66,000. A representative of the property owner has indicated that she just sold a piece and would like an, interest only arrangement for 4-5 years. We made a proposal to pay the interest of $2,500 for the first five years and then payoff the principal. They are not interested in selling just the strip. It was the consensus of the group that Congress Springs site would be Priority 115. II. DONATIONS FOUNDATION AND/OR STUDY COMMITTEE Mr, Matteoni stated that the idea of a donations foundation was 'put into motion by Rose Aberle. Kay Duffy, from her files, was able to secure a County of Santa Clara brochure published in 1965 regarding gifts of land and tax advantage to the indiv- idual. It was Mrs. Aberle's initial thought that perhaps we need a specific group of people concerned with donations to the city for park and open space purposes. There seems to be some misconception that one cannot just give property to the city, and that there should be a specific çommission, corporation or non-profit foundation which would be the "watch dog" to see that land waS used for the purpose for which it was donated. From the âspect'of giving publicity to the fact that the city is interested in land donations, perhaps this would be encouraging to such people and it would not just be a one-time thing but would be there as a ready source of information at all times. ,Mr. Matteoni suggested that it might be worthwhile to form a committee for the purpose of putting together a brochure similar to the one used by the county, updating tax information,and ,this could be administered through the City offices. In ,this way, there would be a source of information within the City where someone could assure individuals that their property would be used for the purpose int~nded. Perhaps this should be handled by the Mayor or other members of the Council. Mr. Matteoni had reservations about setting up a foundation and going to the trouble of incorporating as a non-profit organization. - 5 - --.-- ',/ o , ~. . . . , CITY COUNCIL-PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 ~ Mrs. Duffy stated that Mrs. Aberle's suggestion had been prompted by some people's fear and antipathy towards city government,and this was her basis for a separate entity that wasn't influenced by politics. This has worked in some places where there are very active conservation organizations. Mayor Robbins shared Mr. Matteoni's feeling and did not see the advantage in setting up a foundation. He stated that a brochure could explain' to people the various ways which are available to donate money, He has told Mr. Nelson that the City is interested in seeing that his property is best used and whether it is given to the city or the Sierra Club doesn't make any difference. We can encourage people who want to donate property in a different way. Councilman Smith did not want to see a separate entity set up. He recognized the negative feeling but felt it was the burden of city government to erase this feeling and encourage people to realize it is really ',their" government. However, information information on dOQations can be 'compiled by the C1ty staff and made available to people who are ~nterested. ' it was the consensus of the group that unless a dramatic need is shown, a separate entity is not desirable. ' C. MAINTENANCE AND. POLICING " Mayor Robbins commented that the Parks Commission has done an excellent job of getting resource people in. Mr. Matteoni stated that he was very impressed with Bob BryanL of the Los Gatos Parks Department, with his scope of knowledge, his continuing interest in the people he has working for, him, tying in with the policing problems (being aware of where there limitations are and knowing when to call for assistance). Mr. Matteoni stated that there would be maintenance costs as soon as development is complete, but we don't have a good idea of what this is going to be. Bob Bryant said there is no rule of thumb per acre and it depends on the type of development, how much overall park development is in the city, type of equipment needed, hours of operation. Los Gatos holds about 70 acres and has development on five large parks, 12 smaller parks, one or two tot lots and some area under P.G. & E.right- of-way. Th~y spend approximately $130,000 per year which includes the salary of the department, insurance liability, capital equipment and maintenance of equipment. They operate on a 7 days a week, 365 days a year basis. During the SUmmer they stay open in the evening. They employ high school and college students during the summer to help with the vacatiqn schedule. They have a large operation involved in maintenance, planning the layouts and developing the elements to be contained in each park site. Mr. Bryant pointed out that you do get community support, He referred to Bachman Park where the Los Gatos Parks staff master planned it.and the JCs did all the construction. Plans were designed for a creative play area,and the groµp took on the project on a volunteer basis. Mr. Matteoni stated that West Valley College now has a park management program which is the second one in the Country. It is geared primarily to educate people into the federal park system which does not have a four year requirement as the State does. Bob Bryant is a guest lecturer. Mr. Matteoni wondered if this could be tied in with the college and make Saratoga a workshop for students participating in this program. Mr.. Matteoni felt is was important to have' someone ,in charge directing things and chaImelj;!!g~ the'righ't 'people into the right areas. Since we are going to be slowly phasing into dêvelopment, Mr. Bryant had reviewed three possibie methods of park maintenance: 1) contracting with a landscape maintenance service. This was not advantageous from his point of view. One of the considerations is how responsive is such a company? There are on-the-site complaints,and a little more is eKpected of a maintenance man than just sweeping upfleaves and cleaning restrooms. A company contracting to do service will not spend the extra time or be responsive to citizens complaints. 2) setting up your own department - this is costly and something that we are probably not in a position to do; 3) another possibility is contracting with another public agency, such as Los Gatos. 'Mr. Bryant made no representation as to whether his city is receptive; however, he personally did not object. It would be ,up' to our City Council to petition Los Gatos or any other public agency, to see if we could pool our resources. One of the advantages is that they are already involved in park maintenance and have a good feel for it. Problems would involve - 6 - " o ~CITY COUNCIL-PARKS --' AND REC~TION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SE.ON - APRIL 27, ~97l ~ '. o responsiveness to the contract city; wouid the Parks Department be responsible to two City Councils, two Commissions, two City Managers? Would priority go to that particular governmental entity? Mr. Matteoni felt it would be beneficial to hire someone ··to;.ìhelp us supervise a small beginning for park maintenance, and we could use some of the equipment and get into this with proper guidance and then as we grow we can establish our own park department. There is no time limit. Mr. Bonney pointed out that it would be very easy for us to under estimate what is involved in maintenance and policing àspects. This is a rather substantial aspect of having parks and we should be thinking about this now as we are starting to develop. Mr. Matteoni stated that Bob Bryant felt that his operation, 7 days per weèk every day of the year performed a self-policing role. These maintenance men are not park rangers, are not deputized, but have received some training from the Police Department in terms of recognizing possible disturances. Vandalism has not been great this past year in Los Gatos nor has drug use on their park sites. These people, simply by being there, have this self-policing aspect, and Mr. B,yant doesn't see any need for having a Park Ranger or deputizing his people. If you deputize, you have to pay more money. Mr. Matteoni wondered if we could work in cooperation with the college program by having students work on some parks as part oft the project. ~ Bruce Louden stated that he and Marilee had formed a committee to of hiring students in the park program during the summer months. wa~tïfig fòr some word from the Youth Commission. survey the possibility They are presently Mr. Matteoni felt we should make this a continuing program with our youth as Los Gatos does in taking advantage of col~ege and high school students who are on vacation and looking for a job when parks personnel are on vacation. There are long-range possibilitie s as well. Mayor Robbins summarized that we would gradually phase from acquisition to acquisition and development and then most of the money will go into maintenance. He felt that it would be advantageous for Saratoga to have a Parks Department, before too many years had elapsed. Mrs. Duffy noted that the minute we start developing, there would be staff work involved. Public Works staff would oversee construction. Mr. Sanders commented that we are leading toward somebody on staff assuming temporary ,~upervisiofi! for parks. Mr. Matteoni thought we should move in that direction and have the expertise of Bob Bryant to make sure we get started in the right way. Contracting with Green Valley postpones this transitión and would probably cost more. He measured cost considerations by the desirability of having someone on staff that has the responsibility as well as taking advantage of neighboring cities: expertise. Mayor Robbins' inclination was to use Mr. Bryant for advise, but before too long we should hire a man to work into Parks Director. ' D, LIBRARY SITE/HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROPOSAL Willys Peck was present on behalf of the Historical Foundation. He stated that the proposal of the Historical Foundation to establish a local history museum has been discussed for about five years now. It was about five years ago when they sought permission to take initial steps to use the house that was,located on the present site of Plaza del Roble and moved,it, temporarily to,Wildwood " Park. This house was progressively vandalized and later-'·, it was demolished. They received a commitment from the Council about two years ago to the effect that the present library building on Oak Street would be turned over to the Historical Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce when another library was built on that site. The latest plan suggested was a proposal to use the house on the southeast corner of 4th Street and Big Basin Way that was occupied ,by Elgin Capital and vacated about a year ago. It was suggested that the right-of-way on Fourth Street begween Big Basin Way and Oak is owned by the City and the Foundation came up with the idea of moving the house into this right-of-way and urging that the City develop this narrow strip as a sort of historical park mall. The Building - 7 - ;;;" - , '. .-:'- ç ~.., .. . . , CITY COUNCIL-PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 Inspector did look over the house and made some recommendations to adapt it to meet the code and the Foundation came up with a rough estimate of $4,000 to $5,000 in order to move it and bring it up to Code. This figure took into account the posslbility of donated materials, labor at cost as far as foundation and other construction was concerned. It was the Foundation's proposal that the City undertake this project and maintain this building as a museum and also that it 'be used by the Chamber of Commerce as its,office. This was the plan outlined to the Parks Commission about a year ago,and it was the intention of the Historical Foundation to approach Council members individually to try and persuade them as to the desirability of this project. Mr. Peck stated that he had been approached a couple of ' months ago by Andy Mariani, who was in the process of making up the City's annual report. The theme of this~ report was going to be Saratoga's historical background. Mr. Peck had prepared some text and provided some pictures to be incorporated in the report. It seemed to M~. Peck that if the city was going to'include this pride in historical back- ground that it would be fitting to include in its park projects an historical park mall. He felt ,that the 4th St. right-of-way location was ideal. There is undeveloped property on either~side which'is probably available for development. He believed this would'enhånce'the upper end of town. Their proposal, is ,that if the city, provides this building at,a minimum of cost, the Historical Foundation would undertake to stock it with exhibits'and provide the volunteer supervisory people on week-ends' and' for school groups' in the same way as the Los Gatos Museum Association functions. He felt Los Gatos had established a very good example of what could be done in cooperation with the City. Their proposal would be to ask the city to provide the structural maintenance, insurance, utilities, etc.,and they would see that displays are maintained and volunteer personnel are available to act as guides; They envision starting c'with this building and developing further 'bY.'landscaping on the hill behind it. This would make a rather attractive park site and could lend itself to an historical theme. There is open space for a horseless carriage exhibit, art exhibits, etc. Mr. ,Peck wanted to present this proposal to the combined group and request that it be discussed and hopefully included in the overall park plans. Whether it is in this building or in the library building it is the Foundation's serious intention to establish this museum. There is a detailed cost estimate totalling approximately $8,000 which Mr. Mariani had prepared. There is some money which was willed for this purpose. Mayor Robbins felt the question was where'the best place would be to put this museum. He stated that initially the Youth Center had come to the Council with a similar proposal, and each year the city is being asked to do more. Mr. Robbins mentioned the possibility of a museum in the County Library building at the corner of Cox and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road where the exhibits wou~d be viewed by more people. In addition, the County would be paying for the people who would be supervising it. Mayor Robbins favored this approach.' Referring to the Haun house, Mr. Peck,stated that historically it is significant. Part of the house dates back to the ~850s. The house has a unique step-down gable arrangement" and is worthy of preservation in its own right. If the Chamber of Commerce were incorporated 'then the Secretary ~o?ld be present to keep an eye on things so that daily visitors would be,~éê~mffiodatèd. Volunteers would be available on week' ends to handle the tourist tradê., Mr. Huff stated that the Planning :of this area has had some study. j -.- -"- --. , Mrs, Duffy noted that she was in favor of-this approach. Not only äoes it have the historical aspect but commercially itco~ld be very attractive. There is also the recreational aspect for the ,older people who are interested in the history of the area. It could become a center of interest for them. Mrs. Duffy would like to see the Historical Foundation do a little more in the way of fund- raising, gathering public interest, etc. 8 - - IÞ . . ~ " . .~ .~~~ ~ ¿ CITY COUNCIL-PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION - APRIL 27, 1971 Mr. Dwyer felt that the chances of working out a reliable program of staffing would be better with an organization like the Historical Society than with the Youth Center. He questioned the responsibility of the City of Saratoga to the downtown area.For-Saratoga: residents it would probably be more useful at the Cox site; in terms of appeal to tourists it would be b,etter downtown. 0 Mr. Peck added that the location on 4th s,treet is right in the cc:.enter, of things and less susceptible to vandalism. To his knòwledge, the house hasn't been occupied for about a year, and there are no traces of vandalism. Mr. Sanders stated he would like ill see some historical exhibits in City Hall. Mr. Peck replied that there have been pho~o murals ordered which will be mounted and hung in the city offices. He noted that thee was an almost unlimited supply of this sort of thing. Mr. Peck referred to a meeting on May 17 at Saratoga High School. There will be a series of slides and a commentary showing old scenes in Saratoga compared to Saratoga now. This program,will be making the rounds of various service clubs. Discussion tabled. E. TRAILS & PATHWAYS Mrs. Duffy stated that the Trails and Pathways Committee had met with the General Plan Committee and reviewed the trails proposal and had generally come to an agreement. They looked at bicycle pathways, horsettrails ald walkiqg'trails. This proposal has been submitted as part of the General Plan. It is the hope of the Committee that this will be given quite a bit of consideration as develop- ment occurs. Wherever there was a pathway along a creek, it has been moved away from the creek. Bicycle paths are shown as a route designation. It is necessary now to look at individual things such as where a bicycle path~and a sidewalk can be used simultaneously. In other cases, the bicycle and foot traffic is too much for the same pathway and it should be separated. As a next step in looking at the bicycle paths and trails the Parks Commission submitted a recommendation for a trial program on Saratoga Avenue, Cox Avenue and Herriman. The Public Works Department is looking at this now. The routes are good ones to' start on because of the safety factor. There are a lot of bicycles and cars traveling these roads now. Mrs. Duffy felt these streets were so busy that there should be two lanes - one for bicycles and one for pedestrians. There is a proposed multiple use for Fruit;ale unless it is widened. In P;'lo ;U'to the Council passed an ordinance which says there is a marked bicycle lane and bicycles are not allowed anywhere else in the street. t~Saratºga, it is proposed that marking and signing be done along Saratoga, Cox' and Herriman Äve~ues. In Palo Alto the staff recommended no parking between specified hours. Mrs. Duffy noted that the horse trails were mostly in undeveloped areas, The ¡Planning Commission is very enthusiastic about the P,G. & E. right'-of-way. ' LJ Mr',W~lberding asked whether it would be possible,' prior to develo~ing'suchthings as a Cap~tal Improvement Plan that we have a joint session.' It was also suggested that the Parks Commission be given the opportunity to comment on' the ,71-,72 budget. - ---- ~ ·----F'fnãIly, the Parks Commission was asked F? furnish a list of priorities via, city staff. Respectfully submitted, A~'~ AM:r