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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-1973 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes• .._ 1 ~. i MINUTE S SARATOGA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION DATE: MOI`TDAY, AUGUST 20, 1973 - 7:30 P.M. PLACE: CRISP MEMORIAL CONFERENCE ROOM, SARATOGA CITY OFFICES, 13777 FRUITVALE AVE., SARATOGA, CALIFORNIA 95070 TYPE: REGULAR MEETING I. ORGANIZATION A. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: B . MINUTES ! p P~g; ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~, t Commissioners Gordon, Johnston, Ma1rovich, Rose, Te ry, Wi~berding, and Z amb e t t i. __---~\ o ~; Commissioners Clawson an Z,ra oz a-. ~ ~7`'^ v • I,r~1'r ~~' The Minutes of August 6, 1973 were approved as submitted. II. 1Y~~1 ~~ INFORPfAL PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE RE-LOCATION OF A TEN (10) FOOT WIDE PEDESTRIAN-EQUESTRIAN EASE;~IENT ON THE SOUTHERN PROPERTY LINE OF THE LATTER ~~.~~N DAY SAINTS PROPERTY ON ALLENDALE AVE. ~~ Chairman Wilberding opened the Informal Public Hearing at 7:,55 P.M. ' . Mr. Beyer stated that this matter had been referred to the Parks and Recreation Commission by the City Council after they had received several letters concerning the existing easement and a Staff report from the Planning Department presenting - three alternative s. for this easement's trail development. They are: 1, Put the trail in the existing easement and make the necessary improvements. ;~~'~~' ,,1 ~' This would involve considerable grading and several bridge crossings. - ' ~ ~ 2. Have the trail follow the creek bed. ~ 1-~~-use-''~~~ . ~'~; , 5 'Vf 3. Put the trail on Col. Barco's property. ' The Planning Director contacted Co 1.Barco regarding the third possibility, but his response was negative. Mr. Beyer then presented a letter from Mr. & Mrs. Michael Bond, 13881 River Ranch Circl expressing opposit_on to the trail. Chairman G7ilberding then opened the hearing for public discussion. Col. Ernest Basco, Jr., 18873 Dundee Avenue, Saratoga, stated that he owns the propert adjacent to th~~ eas~~_:~c•r:t ~cu:_ ciscus~~d. He. saki that the pressure to move this ea;e me.nt is coming from the Hesse io~rer's lssnciation, a minority group of 72 families in the conununity. r~o tic~n .:~keci Co~:::iission~:r Terry it rie intended to vote on this mater since he is a member of the Horse Lover's Association. Commisioner Terry stated that he has not been a member, nor has been active t•rith them for the past six months, and that he does intend to vote as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Col. Basco stated that many Saratoga residents are unaware of the fact tr.at Master Plan trails run near their property. In his case, he had been unaware of. this ease- ment's existance for 32 fears after it was first granted. He felt that a Public Heari -1- }- ~ SARATOGA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION - MINUTES - AUGUST 20, 1973 - continued should be scheduled to discuss all trails and pathways in the City in order to inform the citizens. Col. Barco referred to Part I, Section 2.3 and Part II, Section 3.3-14 of the Subdivision Ordinance, and in his opinion, this trail fits the definition of "alley", which is a prohibited use of land in a residential subdivision. The trail would be used by horses, dune buggies, trash dumpers, and burglars. Col. Barco stated that he has had numerous "No Trespass" signs torn down on his _ property. According to Section 3.9 of the Subdivision Ordinance, he said that a subdivider may dedicate land in lieu of the Parks and Recreation fee. This land caould be used by the future residents of the subidivsion. He stated that the value of the easement given by the Latter Day Saints Church is five times greater than the applicable Parks and Recreation fee, and that the residents do not want the trail. Also, he said that no thought had been given to the environmental impact of the trail when the sewer was installed. The result has been that the quail and deer once common in the area have left. Specifically, Col. Barco recommended that: 1. The present•easement should be returned to the Latter Day Saints Church, _ and no trail constructed; 2. Granting of trail easements should be discussed in a Public Hearing before the Parks and Recreation Commission, rather than before the Planning Commission, and that an Ordinance requiring notification to all property owners within S00 feet of the proposed easement be written 3. Drop the West Valley College trail from the Master Plan; and 4. The Horse Lover's Association should provide land for their horse trails, or a horse tax should be levied to pay for future horse trails and their maintenance. Mr. Van der Toorren, 1455 Horseshoe Drive, Saratoga, stated that he had read Col. Barco's letter. He said that he is aware of the existance of the Master Plan for Trails, and congratulated the City for it: He is a pla.nning~consultant, and said that his professional goal for the City would be to plan the use of public land so that it can be used in as many ways as possible, whether for horse, pedestrian, or bicycle trails. He does not think trails will have an impact on the privacy or value of private property surrounding them, and that public land should be available for public use. He said that people should think of themselves more as tenants on a piece of property, and members of the community, and that he would be glad to donate his time to work on trail development. Mr. Richard E. Kauffmann, 207 4th Street, ~~7, said he came regarding the Gatehouse trail, but that he supports Col. Barco in his belief that citizens should be notified, and a Public Hearing held before a trail is established on the Master Plan. Mr. James Rodrigues, 14975:Quito Road, asked if this trail had been one_of the stated purposes of the easement at the time it was acquired, or whether it had been granted specifically as a sewer easement. Chairman Wilberding answered that the proposed .use for an easement must be stated at the time of acquisition, and that its use as a trail had one of the proposed uses. Pir. Rodrigues felt that in establishing horse, bicycle and pedestrian trails, the mileage should be proportional to the number of users in the City. He also objected to problems such as s^ell, noise, dust, mud and erosion inherent in horse trails. He felt the horse ocaners should assume responsibility for the trail's maintenance. He pointed out that a private owner must follow a 50 -foot setback from a structure on his property and a 100-foot setback from any neighboring house in establishing a corral or paddock, and he felt a trail shoui:: have to follow the same requirements. He does nc>t feel a horse trail is compatible with bicycle or vedestrian trails. ~i: F -2- e •. _. SARATOGA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION - MINUTES - AUGUST 20, 1973 - continued Mr. Bob Jacob, a resident of the Gatehouse ,Condominiums, stated that he had not been aware .of the proposed Gatehouse Walkway until last week, and presented a petition against its development signed by 55 residents of•the Condominiums. He supports Col. Barco in his proposal that Public Hearings be required in estab- lishicig a trail. Commissioner Rose stated that there have been many misunderstandings regarding the development of the Gatehouse Walkway, and that there are no plans to develop it in the near future. She invited those citizens concerned to attend a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission to discuss it. Mr. Delphaine McDaniel stated that he had worked on the 1968 and 1973 General Plan Reviews. He said that the Master Plan for Trails is the result of much work, and that in drawing it up, they had tried to put together a logical, connected system. He said many of the problems experienced by Col. Barco are a result of the gravel road on his property built by West Valley College. Mr. Mal Malcomson of the Castle Rock Horsemen's Association stated that he does not believe this trail would affect property values in the area. He said that many of the groups interested in this trail, such as his and the 4-H are among the most active groups in the community. Mr. Glen Dennee, 13785 Saratoga Avenue, felt that procedures to notify property owners of the possible establishment .of a trail should be initiated. Mr. Bob Clayburn, 14155 Sobey Meadow Court, Saratoga, stated that he was surprised to find an equestrian easement located near his property. He said he has had problems with equestrians straying from the path onto his property, and with motor- cycles. Col. Barco again stated his opposition to the trail. He said that West Valley College has tried to close the road, but trespassers keep destroying the baricades. Col. Barco asked that a Public Hearing be scheduled to discuss the entire trails system. Commissioner Zambetti moved that the Public Hearing be closed, and Commissioner Marovich seconded. The Motion passed unanimously, and the hearing was closed at 9:50 P.M. Commissioner Rose asked if costs and the feasibility of the different alternatives had been studied, and also the possibility of eminent domain proceedings if the City decided the best trail would be on Col. Barco's land. Mr. Beyer said that the Public Ldorks Department is checking out the costs and feasibilities of each alternative, and tta t he would check with the City Attorney regarding possibile eminent domain proceedings. Chairman Wilberding asked that the Public Works Department look into a possible combination of Alternative ,I and II, using the present easement whenever possible. Commissioner Rose moved that the Commission postpone making a decision, and Commissioner Johnston seconded. The Commission passed the motion unanimously. III. OLD BUSINESS A. REPORT ON SITES I2~ CITY [~,'i~ERE: T?~:E IS Aii APPARENT NEED FOR A PARK The possibility of adding historical sites to the General Plan Map as a part of the parks map was discussed. The Planning Commission is working en an historical sites report which includes mostly buildings. The next step would be to adopt some type of ~listorical ordinance. . -3- ~,~~°~' SARATOGA BARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION - MINUTES - AUGUST 20, 1973 - continued The Commission discussed the report submitted by the Sub-committee on Recommen- dations for the General Plan Review. They agreed that they would rather classify parks in terms of short-range (less than five years in the future) and long- range (more than five years in the future) development than use the category system presently used. The recommendation that the oak trees on the Pec}~ property (area 4, #3) be..a long-range acquisition goal was discussed. Mr. Beyer said that it is not absolutely necessary for the City to buy the land in order to save the oaks, The City could require any subdivider to develop the property in such a way as to preserve the grove, or that piece of the property could be dedicated to the City in lieu of the parks and recreation fee. ~~, ~ Commissioner Terry felt that the real question is whether or not the public 4 1-e 3 will ever want access to the property. If the City is interested only in +J `•~,; saving the trees for their aesthetic contribution to Saratoga, City owner- e~~ ~•~~"(~ ship is not necessary. ` yJ rt The Commission discussed possible park sites in the Douglass Lane-Wildcat J r ~~~ b - h rd Creek area (Area 7, ~k2). Three possibilities are availa le the Pace orc a , , ,~,y~ •~ the undeveloped property next to it, or the property across Douglass Lane from }~r .;'W" it. There is a Master Plan trail which goes through the Pace orchard to ~ ,~'~~°' a'T3',~.,, ,~ Saratoga.-Los Gatos Road. The Commission would like to study this area further. ~'' Fr ~ ~ `~" ~ °~~~ ~ ~ ' k b ll b ld b ' ~ ' I~ ,_rs~' s a par ase ui s proposal to ie Commission discussed Mr. Rodrigues ~ J~f~~`„;..~ on the Congress Springs Park site. :~:r. Beyer felt that ~ the best solution ~ to the problem of scheduling .t he park would be to let the Los Gatos-Saratoga ~~1~ t~~~' I ` ~ Recreation District schedule its use rather than set up a separate agreement ~~ ~J' J )~ , between the Little League and the City. Commissioners Rose and Terry agreed ~~, that this would be the logical way to handle the scheduling of the baseball ,t,`~.~ diamonds . ,~~ V ~'~:., The Indian encampment south of Saratoga High School (Area 8, ~~~) was discussed, N ~~~ but the Commission felt that it is too far out of the way to be valuable as C~ ~~~•~~~ ~~,~ a park site, or as part of the trail system. \ ~V1 ~~~~~ Chairman Wilberding asked that this item be continued to the next agenda. ~- ; ~,, ,~,, B. REPORT ON SPECIFIC TRAILS PLAN FOR,PORTIONS OF SARATOGA, OTHER THAN THE SOBEY '' ~~~~~.'~ts~~ ROAD AREA } ~r^~"" .This item was carried to the next agenda. ' sf`..~,t b_, ,, • • . `DIV. NEW BUSINESS `"k~~,~s1...S A. CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST BY MR. JIM HOLZHAUER, BUSINESS MANAGER, SARATOGA SCHOOL DISTRICT, FOR CITY CONTRIBUTION TO A JOINT TURFING PROJECT AT ;' ~ ~ `'<~~~`~ ~ ARGONAUT SCHOOL. t• ~~~.~,/~1 Mr. Jim Holzhauer introduced Dr. Glen McNicholas, District Superintendent ~~~•~'~ ~.~,; ~~ of the Saratoga Union School District, and r1r. Jim Lovely, a Trustee of the ,~R" Saratoga Union School District, who joined him in presenting this request. ~ `r_~,11- Mr. Holzhauer explained that the School District is asking for Caty support d• ' ~i ~ ~~'` . ~:~ as they have done in the nst years in making improvements at Foothill, `.,y,, Congress Spriggs, agc :~~~:;ood Schools. This year they are asking for support ,,;R.,'E` in comply t _n , t..e tu_ ~ __ _~n•.~t School . The comet of this project would • be $9,500 and would be divided as follows: • ~~, ~ • h,os Gatos-Saratoga Recreation District $2,000 ,` ~ City of Saratoga 5,500 Saratoga L'nion School District ~ 2,000 + all maintenance .., J'~ 41' ~ ~ 0 \~ ° t~~ o, .. • ~ • ~ I SARAT_ OGA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION - MINUTES - AUGUST 20= 1973 -_continued Commissioner Gordon asked how the facility would be used. Mr. Holzhauer said that the facility would be open 24 hours a day for use by the residents, Little League, Girls' Softball, soccer, etc. The School° District arranges organized recreation for 1-1~ hours after normal school hours during the school year. The time schedule for development of the turf would be to plant the seed before late October. It would take about 9 months for the grass to get established, so that by next summer, this turf would be in the condition of that at Redwood School. As far as budgeting the project, Mr. Beyer said that they would have to make some alterations of the budget, but did mention that the Gatehouse Walkway funds had not yet been re-allocated. Chairman Wilberding asked that the information about budgeting be available for the next meeting, and the Commission will take action at that time. B.• REVIEW TRAIL POSSIBILITIES FOR SDR-1055, ROBERTS COMMUNITIES, INC., SARATOGA AVENUE AND DAGMAR DRIVE Mr. Beyer presented a map of. the proposed subdivision for.the_Commission.'s review. The Commission discussed various possibilities for locating a trail along the adjacent P.G. & E. and freeway rights-of-way, but found no feasible possibility. They also discussed the possibility of the Subdivider dedicating one of the lots for a park in lieu of the Parks and Recreation Fee. They decided that this also was not feasible. V. COMMITTEE AND STAFF REPORTS A. COMMITTEE REPORTS 1. PARKS AND RECREATION SUB-COMMITTEE ON GENERAL PLAPI REVIEW The report was discussed under "Report on sites in City where there is an apparent need for a park". B. STAFF REPORTS 1. PROGRESS REPORT AND SCHEDULE OF BID OPENING FOR GARDINER PARK Mr. Beyer informed the Commission that the Gardiner Park and Kevin Moran Park projects will go out to bid next week (August 26, 1973). 2. REVIEW POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO PARK FACILITIES Mr. Beyer stated that the Saratoga Rotary Club is interested in making a contribution to one the the City's parks. He mentioned in particular the trees needed at E1 Quito .Park and a children's unit at Gardiner Fark as possibilities. He felt that the contribution of trees to E1 Quito Park could allow considerable community involvement, and give the Commission and the groups involved valuable publicity. The Commission agreed with Mr. Beyer. 3. PROGRESS REPORT 0~; PURC'r~SE OF LA;\~ ADJACENT TO CONGRESS SPRINGS PARK This item was postponed to the next meeting.' -5- • '~ • SARATOGA PARKS AND RE::kEATION COT1iIISSION - MINUTES - AUGUST 20 1973 - continued VI. COMMUNICATIONS A. WRITTEN '. 1. COMMUNICATION FROLi CAROL JACKLIN ASKING THAT SHE BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE COMMISSION HAS FUTUP.E DISCUSSIONS ON THE USE OF CITY FACILITIES BY LITTLE LEAGUE: ` There was no discussion of this item. B. ORAL There were no oral communications to the Commission. The next regularly scheduled meeting for the Parks and Recreation Commission was September 3, 1973. Because this was Labor Day, the Commission voted to cancel this meeting, and meet next on September 17, 1973. VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Commission= the meeting was adjourned at 12:05 A.M. Respectfully Submitted, Y r' ~1 i .. .^ ~ .._.... Robert F.~Beyer l Acting-Secretary: mm i "~ ,. -6- ''