09/27/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

residence on site not only for safety reasons but also to be able to retain a qualified barn manager. • John Harpootlian, resident, suggested that during discussions of the Westwind Barn restoration project, the Council ask "why" restore vs. repair. He noted that the Town survey had shown residents had little interest in Westwind Barn and the boarders have not been interested in spending funds in the past for restoration. Harpootlian encouraged the Council to limit the funds to only repairs that were needed to ensure continuation of the Parks and Recreation programs. Shari Emling, Westwind Barn Committee, commented that the Barn should be used for the benefit of the general public but that the Friends of Westwind have kept it a private club. CITY COUNCIL GOAL SETTING SESSION 2. Mayor's Overview of Progress to Date Mayor Jones- general comments. Jones offered that recent changes in Los Altos Hills had resulted in more resources being available for the Town than any other time in history. Property appreciation, residential turn over and recent legislation that guaranteed the Town an equitable share of property taxes had increased the Town's capital. Roads and sewers were two critical issues that required funding. Additionally, Jones had set a goal of including Parks and Recreation in budget discussions to ensure that these important services to the community were also considered. Currently the Town was in the community building aspect of the process and investigating the different opportunities to develop recreation facilities. It was important to ensure that resources were allocated to benefit the greatest number of residents. Jones spoke to the recent sale of the Town's Story Hill Lane property for approximately $1.4 million dollars. The proceeds from the sale were considered a "down payment" on Parks and Recreation facilities investments. The monies realized from the sale would be circulated back into the community via parks and recreation. . Jones reviewed the four part process to identifying and prioritizing the recreation opportunities. They included: 1) a Town-wide survey that had provided important data on the resident's recreation interests; 2) per the recommendation of the Standing Parks and Recreation Committee, the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Recreation and Field Investments. They were performing the due diligence on recreation options; 3) the evening's strategic goal setting session for Council that would afford them an opportunity to hear from consultants, garner feedback and determine the overall budget and identify the recreation priorities; and, 4) the scheduling of the future public hearing to gather public comment and Town wide notification of same as the final step in the process. Vice Mayor Mordo suggested that for Council to set a multi-year budget for recreation, it was important to have an understanding of the "budget" envelope. He had asked Finance • Director Nick Pegueros to make a brief presentation to Council. 3 City Council Special Meeting Minutes September 27,2007