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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 16Next meeting: November 20, 2007 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 1 of 3 Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Meeting Minutes of October 16, 2007 (Actions Items Printed in Bold) Present: Nancy Couperus, Mary Davey, Karen Lemes, Richard Partridge, Sue Welch Regrets: Patty Ciesla, Alice Sakamoto, Roger Spreen, Jean Struthers Guests: none Staff: none 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:00 am. The minutes of the August 14th and September 8th meetings were approved as written. 2. Introductions/Presentations/Guests: Richard Partridge is now officially a member of the LAH Open Space Committee. 3. Current Business:  Wildlife Corridor Project No new news.  Riparian Corridor Policy The OSC agreed to work on a riparian corridor policy in the new year, as Sue is currently occupied working on an update of the Landscape Guidelines for the Water Conservation Committee.  General Plan Update The General Plan Committee has completed the Safety and Noise Elements and will soon begin work on the Land Use Element. The slope subcommittee is looking towards holding its first meeting the weekend of November 3-4. Time and date have not yet been determined. Richard, Nancy, and Sue on the OSC are interested in being part of the subcommittee. Dot Schreiner and Art Lachenbruch will be invited to join.  O’Keefe Shelterbelt is waiting for a response from the OSC on a time to meet and discuss the project. Sue will get in touch with Shelterbelt on behalf of the OSC.  Fencing Issues Next meeting: November 20, 2007 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 2 of 3 Alice was unable to attend the meeting but sent an e-mail stating that she is gathering information from other communities for a presentation at a future meeting.  Byrne Preserve Master Plan Richard suggested hiring an expert to look at the whole of Byrne Preserve – preferably an arborist with expertise in SOD – to evaluate and make recommendations to the Town. A motion was made and passed unanimously to request this. Sue will check with arborist Deborah Ellis to see if she has this expertise. Deborah is recommended by oak expert Barry Coate.  Water Conservation Update Sue is continuing to work on an update of the Landscape Guidelines.  Herbicide Reduction No new news.  Educational meetings Hidden Villa and Hills 2000 are co-sponsoring another meeting on Sudden Oak Death on Wednesday, November 7th at 7 pm.  Matadero Creek Update At the last meeting Roger said that he would write a letter to the engineering company that wanted to know which agencies should be involved in the restoration project. Nancy said that she would check with Roger to see if he had advised the firm. Sue explained that a joint permit would include all of the agencies.  NEW BUSINESS – Foothill College Nancy passed out the letter that Debbie Pedro from the Town had prepared for Foothill College’s scoping meeting. The letter was comprehensive and dealt with the creek issues of concern to the Committee. The proposed perimeter road will impact the neighbors and Purissima Creek in particular. Foothill refers to the latter in their document as a “drainage ditch.” Karen stated that the parking lot is already very close to the top of bank of Purissima Creek. She suggested monitoring the water coming into both creeks (Purissima and Adobe). Sue suggested writing a letter to Foothill expressing our Committee’s concerns. Sue is also worried about the native garden at Foothill which is in this same Next meeting: November 20, 2007 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 3 of 3 area. Sue, Karen, and Nancy agreed to meet with Foothill officials and the neighbors on Friday, the 19th at noon to learn more about the project and the neighbor concerns. They will report back at the next OSC meeting. OPEN DISCUSSION: Nancy passed out the new creek set-back ordinance that will be reviewed by the Portola Valley Planning Commission at its next meeting. So far, public response has been positive. Sue is very concerned about the removal of vegetation on the property at Page Mill and Central Drive. The property has been denuded of all vegetation which will alter the drainage. The natural drainage swale on the property should not have been disturbed. Nancy suggested that she and Sue meet with Debbie about this situation. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am. Submitted by: Nancy Couperus The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 20th at 9:00 am.