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P&R 01-06-11 APPROVED MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF CUPERTINO Regular Meeting January 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Community Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA Note: This meeting will be televised 1. CALL TO ORDER Acting Chairperson Paul called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Hall Council Chamber, 10350 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Note: Acting Chairperson Darcy Paul thanked Commissioners Lee and Bradford for their many years of service on the Commission. Since this was Commissioner Bradford's last Commission meeting, after having served a partial two -year term and two full four -year terms, Commissioner Paul asked if Commissioner Bradford would like to be the Honorary Acting Chairperson for tonight's meeting. Commissioner Bradford accepted and continued the meeting as Acting Chair. 3. ROLL CALL Commissioners present: Darcy Paul, David Lee, Jeanne Bradford, David Greenstein and Marcia St.Clair Commissioners absent: None Staff present: Mark Linder, Julia Lamy, Terry Greene, Timm Borden, Don McCarthy and Donna Henriques 4. MISCELLANEOUS — NO ACTION REQUIRED A. Staff oral reports Director Linder said that there will be an Open House at the Sports Center on Saturday, January 8 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Residents will have the opportunity to sign up for a discounted membership before the rates increase. Also, Franco Park, formerly Villa Serra Park, will have a grand opening on Saturday, January 22, at 10:00 a.m. Franco Park is located at 10981 Franco Ct., at the corner of Homestead Road and Franco Ct. 1 Mayor Gilbert Wong will give his State of the City address on January 26, at noon, at the weekly Rotary meeting at Quinlan Community Center. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for this event. B. Commissioner contacts Commissioner Greenstein reported that he attended an event in San Jose, called "Our City Forest ". The group is comprised of volunteers who plant trees. He would like to agendize the possibility of looking into bringing this group to work with Cupertino. 5. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING A. Regular meeting of December 2, 2010 Action: Commissioner Paul made an amendment to the minutes and inquired as to whether proposed guideline 6, under Item 8A, would apply regardless of whether the owner of the tower /pole decided to apply for renewal of its permit. Acting Director Lamy clarified that guideline 6 related only to those instances in which the owner of the tower /pole had decided not to apply for renewal and would otherwise be required to take down the unused tower /pole and related equipment. The Commissioners will approve the minutes at the February 3 meeting so they can review Commissioner Paul's proposed amendment. 6. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS — None 7. NEW BUSINESS A. Stevens Creek Corridor Park Trail update on Phase II design and funding. Director Mark Linder introduced the new Public Works Director, Timm Borden. Director Linder said that the information regarding the changes to the Blackberry Farm Golf Course had changed in the last two days and his presentation is updated to reflect the change. His presentation showed that when the Council was first informed about Phase II at the November 29, 2010 Council meeting, the creek restoration in Alternative 4A, was shown to encroach 35 feet into the ninth fairway. However, at a meeting with Balance Hydrologists yesterday, it was determined that there would only have to be a 15 foot encroachment on the ninth fairway. Director Linder showed in the presentation that there would have been a substantial 2 loss in revenue if the golf course would have had to close during the creek restoration. He explained that there is a landscape buffer zone of 10 feet and it was determined yesterday by the hydrologists that they are very optimistic that they can plant some grasses on the buffer zone so that the golfers will be able to continue to play. If they proceed with the creek restoration and protect the golf course at the same time, the construction would begin in 2013 after the design is completed this year. Director Linder thanked staff in Public Works for getting the hydrologists to come out to further assess the golf course encroachment and for getting the information together in time for tonight's meeting to present to the Commission. Director Linder turned the next presentation over to Timm Borden, Director of Public Works who said the new information obtained from the hydrologists, was very helpful in determining the best alternative (4A), for the creek restoration and would also help keep the revenue from having the golf course open during the restoration and to protect the Stocklmeir orchard. Director Borden introduced Terry Greene, City Architect, who gave a brief version of the presentation he made to Council on November 29, 2010. He said that the City has received notice of award of $1.2M grant from the California River Parkways Agency. This grant had a project completion date of September 2013. The grant stipulates 50% for Creek Restoration and 50% for the Trail. Mr. Greene recommended alternative 4A, which would satisfy the requirements for the creek restoration. Donna Austin, member of the Stocklmeir Task Force, spoke in favor of alternative 4A and handed out a letter stating she feels that it is the best alternative for restoring the creek and natural habitat, implements the trail completion, and preserves the historic orchard and the Stocklmeir property for a future legacy farm. Anne Ng, board member for Friends of Stevens Creek Trail thanked the Commission and the City for the excellent job on Phase I. She also thanked Commissioners Bradford and Greenstein for their devoted work. She referred to her emails in support of alternative 4A and said the news was good regarding the possibility of not having to close the golf course during restoration. She feels that the creek restoration should be done before building the trail and bridge and said she encouraged the 3 Commission to advise the City Council to grab the grant and proceed with 4A. Joanne McFarlin, on the board of Stevens and Permanente Creeks Watershed Council, said that she and their six - member board, unanimously supports alternative 4A. She also thanked the City for the great job they did on Phase I of the project. She said it is very important to include the upland creek restoration as well as the channel restoration and to be sure of the biological impact of alternative 4A on the creek and the area surrounding it. Marianne Cali, Sunnyvale resident, who is also on the board of the Stevens and Permanente Creeks Watershed Council, said that she is in support of alternative 4A. She feels it is very important to protect nature and the wildlife in the creek and orchard areas as well as the trees. Debra Jamison, a 26 -year Cupertino resident, said the Commission and the City should be more concerned with the creek restoration rather than the trail. She feels that more information is needed regarding alternative 4A so that the fish are protected and the creek is restored as an ecological eco system. She urged the Commission to be an advocate to the City Council for the creek restoration. Shani Kleinhaus, Environmental Advocate with the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society at McClellan Ranch, feels that the creek is the heart of the project and if the restoration is done correctly and respectfully of nature and the animals' habitat, all the other pieces will fall into place. She supports 4A or 413, if the City can afford it. Mark Fanucchi, a regular golfer at Blackberry Farm Golf Course, said that he and his fellow golfers enjoy the beauty of nature on the golf course and that for many of the older golfers, it is their only outlet for exercise and social life. He said he understands why the creek is important, but also feels that keeping the golf course open is equally important. He and his fellow golfers would like the least amount of encroachment possible on the course and the least amount of time for the golf course to be rendered inoperable. He also feels that the lost revenue, due to golf course closure time, is very important to the City. Cherise Voci said that she would like the creek to be restored, the orchard to be maintained, and is in favor of alternative 4A. Michelle Hameed, is an Environmental Science major at De Anza and has lived in Cupertino for two years. She has done a lot of research on this project and is very impressed with Phase I. She is concerned that the concrete creek bed is preventing the natural plant species from growing in 4 properly and protecting the riparian environment. She is more in favor of alternative 4A, rather than 4B. Mike Ferreira, is a current member of the executive committee of the Loma Prieta Chapter of Sierra Club and is Chair of the conservation committee. He said that he felt that staff did a good job of providing information in their staff report and that if 4A could be completed without encroaching on the golf course it would be even better. He is in favor of the Commission recommending 4A to the City Council. The Commissioners made brief comments and said that they all concur that alternative 4A is the best option. Action: Commissioner Greenstein made a motion to recommend to adopt alternative 4A, as configured at this evening's meeting, and send the recommendation to the City Council. Commissioner Lee seconded the motion. Commissioner Paul asked to add a friendly amendment that the figures presented should be modified before sending to Council. The motion carried unanimously. 8. ADJOURNMENT — Acting Chairperson Bradford adjourned the meeting at 8:43 p.m. Respectfully submitted, /s/ Donna Henriques Donna Henriques, Administrative Assistant Minutes approved at the February 3, 2011 regular meeting 5