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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 25PWC_Min_092506 Los Altos Hills Pathway Committee Minutes of Meeting September 25, 2006 1. ADMINSTRATIVE Meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM by Vice Chair, Chris Vargas Members present: Anna Brunzell, Courtenay Corrigan, Nick Dunckel, Ann Duwe, Chris Vargas, Jolon Wagner, and Sue Welch Members absent: Ginger Summit, Nancy Ginzton, Bill Silver, Bob Stutz Members of public present: Mr. Bob Owens representing owners of 12366 Priscilla Lane LAH The agenda was approved as amended below 2. NEW BUSINESS A. The following properties were reviewed for on-road pathway recommendations: i. 12366 Priscilla Lane (Lands of Hyver). The reason for pathway review is construction of a new residence; Mr. Bob Owen, builder, was present representing the owners of 12366 Priscilla Lane. The property is located on a flag lot and a pathway easement already exists on the opposite side of Priscilla Lane. Neither Priscilla Lane nor the property under review connects to an off-road pathway. Nick Dunckel moved that the PWC recommend an in lieu fee be collected for 12366 Priscilla Lane because Priscilla does not connect to off-road pathways and because a pathway easement already exists on the opposite side of the road. Ann Duwe seconded; the vote was unanimous for. ii. Magdalena subdivision. This property was not discussed because most members had not visited the site. Review will be delayed until the October meeting. B. Books and Records Committee. The committee continued discussion of the Books and Records committee proposed by Chris Vargas at the August 25, 2006 PWC meeting. This committee would provide expertise on easements and other data in Town records to the PWC and other committees. A Books and Records committee would establish an ongoing, formal process for making information in Town records more accessible. The pros and cons of creating such a committee and as well as strategies for approaching City Council with a formal proposal were discussed. Chris Vargas reported that the idea was well-received in initial informal discussions. Issues raised included 1) the need for Town property records to be accurate and readily available to Town staff, residents, and realtors; 2) potential role of former Ad Hoc Committee members; 3) potential role of professional consultants to create the database and to objectively review and interpret records; 4) criteria for election of resident members to the proposed committee. Chris Vargas will contact Town Clerk, Karen Jost, about scheduling a date to put this proposal before the City Council. The committee discussed the possibility of holding sessions to review Town records (i.e., the status of easements and other relevant history) for properties that will be discussed at the regular PWC meeting. Participation of former Ad Hoc Committee members and other persons with special expertise, participation of homeowners, and scheduling of these proposed meetings was discussed. No decision was made to start such meetings. PWC_Min_092506 Chris Vargas proposed a special Working Session in which the former Ad Hoc Committee members will introduce the pathway easement database and books to the PWC. This will be an information transfer and training session about how this very useful database was created and how it can be used. Monday, October 30 and Monday, November 9 were set as tentative dates. Chris Vargas will check with Les Earnest, Carol Gottlieb, and Dot Schreiner about their availability and agenda items. i. The Committee discussed the issue of how to notify residents when PWC members will be walking their property for review. Currently, no way exists to let residents know the date and time when the PWC will visit their property on the Saturday property walks. It was suggested that Town clerk, Karen Jost, could provide the PWC with telephone numbers of residents whose sites will be reviewed on each Saturday walk. Residents could be called on the morning of the review and told of expected arrival time. ii. Recognition and thanks to members of the former Ad Hoc Committee. The desire to formally recognize and thank the members of the former Ad Hoc Pathways Committee (Les Earnest, Carol Gottlieb, and Dot Schreiner) was again discussed. Unanimous admiration and appreciation was expressed for the enormous amount of work the Ad Hoc committee members have done over several years in researching and organizing the easement information. Discussion included ways to include their experience and historical perspectives in pathway issues and ways to make their contributions known to the wider community. Suggestions for acknowledging the contributions of the AD Hoc Committee included acknowledgement of their service at the annual Volunteer Dinner on October 20; purchase of a tile or plaque recognizing their work; and naming a pathway segment in their honor. Anne Duwe will contact John Harpootlian about the process for naming pathway segments and report to the PWC at the November meeting. C. Pathway In-Lieu fees. The committee discussed how pathway in-lieu fees are calculated. No one knew the exact formula, but apparently, it is based in part on the number of linear feet of property frontage. The consensus was that the in-lieu fee should reflect the potential impact on the Town pathway system. Suggestions for adjusting the calculation included basing it on the total square footage of the property, the total developable area allowed by the Town, or the number of persons living on the property. A cap or a maximum fee was also suggested. Nick Dunckel agreed to review and analyze a series of recent in-lieu fee payments and report to the committee. He will request from City Engineer, Henry Louie, the following: 1) the formula currently used for calculating in-lieu fees; 2) the amount of the last 20 in-lieu fees paid to the Town. Anne Duwe moved that because the current formula for calculating pathway in-lieu fees appears to be inequitable, the PWC should request the above data from City Engineer, Henry Louie so that changes in the formula can be considered. Nick Dunckel seconded. The vote was unanimous for. D. Pathway Maintenance Plan. The City Council has asked the PWC to focus on improving existing pathways and building pathways that have been planned for a long time, but not yet built. The committee discussed strategies to achieve these goals. Some members felt that the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) review had been somewhat cursory and were unclear about which projects would be done. The committee agreed that it is essential to coordinate pathway maintenance efforts and priorities with Town Engineering staff. A PWC liaison with Engineering staff was proposed as well addition of maintenance updates to the monthly PWC agenda. Major goals include: 1) clarifying the status of each CIP or major maintenance project; 2) synchronizing work with Henry Louie; 3) providing updates to the PWC at regular PWC_Min_092506 intervals. Nick Dunckel volunteered to talk to Henry Louis and obtain the list and status of current CIP and major maintenance projects and report to the PWC. 4. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR 1. Nick Dunckel reported that corrections to the pathways map need to be made in the Pathways Element of the General Plan that is currently being updated. 2. LAH pathway Walking Maps are no longer available at the Town Hall. A new Walking Map will be created after the on-road Master Path Plan is completed. Providing walking maps in the interim was discussed (e.g., reprinting the existing map or scanning it and posting it on the LAH website). Because some residents have complained about errors in the existing maps, the committee decided against this. 3. Jolon Wagner reported that Saturday, October 14, 2006 is "The Day of the Horse". The Town of Woodside will hold a series of events for equestrians and the public, including a rally, a trail ride, educational exhibits, and information tables for a number of organizations. The event will be held 10 AM to 2:30 PM at Woodside Town Hall. Minutes of August 23, 2006 were approved unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM. Special Working Session to review easement database with Ad Hoc Committee date TBD Next regular meeting will be held Monday, October 23, 2006 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Next pathway walk will be held Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 8:30 AM at Town Hall Respectfully submitted, Sue Welch October 18, 2006