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• Alto meeting, but he was hopeful that the Council could provide direction at the Special <br /> Meeting. <br /> City Manager Carl Cahill offered that the Town's primary goal was access to Foothills <br /> Park for Town residents. In conversations with City Manager Frank Benest, Cahill had <br /> learned that the annual maintenance and operating budget for the park was approximately <br /> $1 million. If the Town were to base their fee for use of the facility on population <br /> percentages, it would be approximately $140,000 annually which was also the amount <br /> needed to fund the re-opening of Fire Station No.8. Cahill suggested that if following <br /> discussion,the Council wished to move forward with an offer to the City of Palo Alto, he <br /> would convey their proposal to City Manger Benest for discussions with his Council. <br /> Council discussion ensued. <br /> Councilmember Kerr stated that if the question was budget, he would prefer funding <br /> access to Foothills Park over completion of Segment 3 of the El Monte pathway. <br /> Councilmember Mordo suggested that the Council consider the value of the proposal in <br /> two segments: 1) access to the Park for residents; and 2) fire protection. He did not <br /> believe there was a real value in paying $140,000 annually for park access without a clear <br /> understanding of how many residents would use and benefit from the access. Mordo <br /> added that if the Los Altos Hills County Fire District had no interest in sharing the costs <br /> • associated with staffing Fire Station No.8, it was uncertain what the benefit would be <br /> regarding fire protection. <br /> Mayor Pro Tem Jones explained that he would limit his comments to the recreational <br /> opportunities that could be realized by a trial program with Palo Alto. He noted that the <br /> recent recreation survey results had clearly indicated residents' primary interest was a <br /> park. Jones suggested that this was a very expensive proposition that included the <br /> purchase of appropriate land, improvements and continued maintenance. The Ad Hoc <br /> Committee on Recreation has been reviewing recreational opportunities and reached a <br /> consensus that the exploration of leveraging existing assets was a cost effective method <br /> for providing recreation for a small Town and access to Foothills Park has been an <br /> ongoing interest. He noted that Foothills Park was geographically contiguous to the <br /> Town and would be easily accessible to residents. Jones suggested that the Council <br /> consider authorizing the City Manager to negotiate with Palo Alto to determine the level <br /> of interest there would be in the Town paying their "pro-rata" share of associated costs <br /> for exchange for equal access to the Park by the Town. The "pro-rata" share to be <br /> determined. If the money were to be used for the Fire Station, that would be an <br /> additional benefit for the Town's residents. <br /> Mayor Warshawsky thanked Councilmember Kerr for taking the initial step in providing <br /> the Town with an excellent opportunity. He believed there was real interest in the Hills <br /> community for resident access to the Park and offered that exploration of the issue was <br /> warranted. Warshawsky believed the proposal offered to wins; both a recreational and <br /> • fire safety benefit for residents. <br /> 2 City Council Special Meeting Minutes <br /> July 12,2007 <br />