Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/31/20231 City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 25, 2023 Town of Los Altos Hills City Council Special Meeting Minutes Wednesday, May 31, 2023 Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California Mayor Swan called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm CALL TO ORDER (6:00 P.M.) A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Linda Swan, Vice Mayor Stanley Q. Mok, Councilmember Lisa Schmidt, Councilmember George Tyson, Councilmember Kavita Tankha Absent: None Staff: City Manager Peter Pirnejad, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Administrative Services Director Sarina Revillar, Public Works Director/City Engineer WooJae Kim, Community Services Manager Sarah Robustelli, Interim Assistant to the City Manager Cody Einfalt, City Clerk Deborah Padovan B. Pledge of Allegiance 1. PUBLIC COMMENT (PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO ITEMS THAT ARE THE SUBJECT OF THE SPECIAL MEETING) There were no public comments. 2. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Councilmember Schmidt moved to approve the Consent Calendar. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Tyson. MOTION PASSED 5-0: AYES: Swan, Mok, Schmidt, Tankha Tyson NOES: None ABSTAIN: None RECUSE: None ABSENT: None A. Authorizing the Mayor to Sign a Letter to Sheriff Robert Jonsen Expressing Support for Automated License Plate Reader Information Sharing Policy (Staff: C. Einfalt) B. Rejection of Claim of Alex Fit-Florea (Staff: D. Padovan) 2 City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 25, 2023 3. STUDY SESSION A. Receive Staff Report, Consider Public Comments, and Provide Feedback Relative to the Future of Purissima Park with Respect to Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League Agreement (Staff: S. Robustelli) City Manager Peter Pirnejad introduced the topic. Community Services Supervisor Sarah Robustelli presented the staff report. Council asked questions of staff and received responses. Steve Apfelberg, Los Altos, provided information on how often the fields are used by Little League. Nate Blair, Los Altos Hills Finance and Investment Committee, provided information about the cost structure for Little League. Looking at the maintenance crew hours and the cost that we bear as the town for that staff, relative to what we are billing the league. Those costs are in line with the analysis. Mayor Swan would like to see a more enhanced version of the cost breakdowns. How much is this actually costing the Town. The staff report said that the budget estimates $45,000 in revenue from Little League in the charges for services, which results in the general fund support of $102,000. Council discussion ensued. Nick French, Los Altos Hills, said that our fields are the envy of the community. Everyone in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills looks at our ballparks and is jealous of how nice they are. Why are we here? Who is spearheading this conversation? As we have talked before, we have already been down this road before, and it feels redundant. What are the alternatives uses for the ballparks? Etta Granbery, Los Altos, said please do not turn the park into a dog park and keep it as a little league park. David Rock, Los Altos, said he was the past president of Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League and in addition to bearing the brunt of the maintenance costs, the little league provides a service by providing baseball fields for the youths on the four fields. Los Altos Hills kids also get to use Los Altos City fields. That is a service that everyone forgets when looking at enrollment numbers. Palo Alto Unified School District granted the deed to Los Altos Hills and it was supposed to be used for recreation. 3 City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 25, 2023 Lori McKinney, Los Altos Hills, said she is the current president of the Little League. It has been an important part of her family’s life; it’s our sense of community. She requested that the contract be completed so they can make some improvements to the fields. David Park, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of the little league. There are no other fields like Purissima; there is energy and magic in these fields. Patrick Carey, Los Altos Hills, this little league pre-dates this town as it was incorporated in 1953. This is part of the history of the town. There is a cost for making changes to the town. Melina Carey, Los Altos Hills, said that she grew up in Los Altos and she loves the little league. Having her children able to play at Purissima Park is incredible. Her kids use the playground, which is very safe. They love to work with the community to create a space that is truly a community space. We do need to think about additional costs, but not make changes for trends. Parker French, Los Altos Hills, spoke in support of the fields David Yamamoto, Pinewood School, when you come to a great park, it is inspiring. The facility is inclusive of kids of all ages. The league is currently growing and it starts with the little kids. The City Council now allowed individuals to cede their time. Nick French, Los Altos Hills, said that if we are really looking for alternative use, we have other facilities that we can look at. Perhaps using the native garden/orchard. Talk about an area that doesn't provide income for the town. Purissima Park is the single most used facility in the Town. Lori McKinney, Los Altos Hills, asked about the contract. She would like to have that determined. Will it be one year? Three years? Revenue is going to the Town. They contributed $30,000 to the concession building. Council discussion ensued. There was Council consensus directing staff to proceed with a three-year contract between the Town and Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League. 3. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 7:54 p.m. 4 City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 25, 2023 Respectfully submitted, Deborah L. Padovan Deborah Padovan City Clerk The minutes of the May 31, 2023, special City Council meeting were approved as presented at the June 15, 2023, regular City Council meeting.