The Board Meeting, which was held on October 2, 2007 at the Peralta Oaks Headquarters Building, 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, CA, was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Board President John Sutter.

ROLL CALL

Directors Present:
John Sutter, President
Ayn Wieskamp, Vice President
Nancy Skinner, Director
Beverly Lane, Director

Directors Absent:
Doug Siden, Secretary
Ted Radke, Treasurer
Carol Severin, Director

At this time, the Board of Directors met in Closed Session to discuss those items outlined on the Closed Session Board Meeting Agenda.

The Open Session of the Board Meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Board President John Sutter.

Staff Present Included:
Pat O'Brien, Dave Collins, Tim Anderson, Carol Victor, Anne Rockwell, Stephen Gehrett, Dave Drueckhammer, Shelly Lewis, Susan Gonzales, Dave Sumner, Anne Kassebaum, Nancy Brownfield, Brad Gallup, Beth Stone, Chris Barton, Jack Kenny, Ted Radosevich, Paul Miller, Megan Jones, Rosemary Cameron, Bob Doyle.

A. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

By motion of Director Wieskamp, seconded by Director Lane, the Agenda was unanimously approved.

B. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Berkeley resident Catherine Willis addressed the Board and spoke about her support of the current South Park Drive closure policy and urged the Board to keep it in place to help protect the newts. She spoke about her work as a past volunteer in Tilden Park picking up dead newts on South Park Drive.

President Sutter clarified that the issue of opening up South Park Drive year-round was brought up by one concessionaire in Tilden Park and does not reflect any action taken by the Board. General Manager O'Brien also added that staff has not made any recommendation against the current policy in place.

C. BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD

1. CONSENT CALENDAR

By motion of Director Wieskamp , seconded by Director Lane, the Consent Calendar was unanimously approved.

• C-1-a
  Approval of District Check Listing for the Period of September 8, 2007 through September 21, 2007
  Resolution No. 2007-10-241 (Attached)
• C-1-b
  Approval of Minutes of the Board Meetings of September 4, 2007

Director Lane asked that a correction be made to the 2nd bulleted item under her Board comments, page 4, to read: "… she is currently working with staff on the public benefit conveyance letter…"

• C-1-c
  Authorization to Purchase Park Bench and Picnic Table Hardware from the Firm of Design Construction
  Resolution No. 2007-10-242 (Attached)
• C-1-d
  Authorization to Purchase Microsoft Office Professional Software Licenses
  Resolution No. 2007-10-243 (Attached)
• C-1-e
  Authorization to Purchase Two Police Vehicles
  Resolution No. 2007-10-244 (Attached)
• C-1-f
  Acceptance of Bid for Asphalt Pavement Repairs: Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
  Resolution No. 2007-10-245 (Attached)
• C-1-g
  Acceptance of Bid for Asphalt Paving and Asphalt Pavement Repairs: Sibley Regional Preserve
  Resolution No. 2007-10-246 (Attached)
• C-1-h
  Authorization to Transfer Funds and Acceptance of Bid for Tree Removal: Fuel Break
  Resolution No. 2007-10-247 (Attached)
• C-1-i
  Approval to Modify Two Job Classifications in the Recreation Unit
  Resolution No. 2007-10-248 (Attached)
• C-1-j
  Authorization to Extend the Ardenwood Affairs Group Picnic and Catering Agreement through December 31, 2008
  Resolution No. 2007-10-249 (Attached)

Director Sutter asked if this proposed extension is conditioned upon the District and the City of Fremont reaching an agreement to extend the Ardenwood Operating Agreement. AGM of Operations John Escobar responded that it is the assumption, with GM O'Brien stating that this condition can be added as a condition to the proposed extension.

• C-1-k
  Authorization to Enter into an Agreement with the YMCA of the East Bay For Use of Roberts Regional Recreation Area Pool
  Resolution No. 2007-10-250 (Attached)

Director Lane spoke about the importance of this swim instruction program and expressed her desire to possibly make this a joint endeavor between the YMCA and the District in the future. Director Wieskamp concurred, stating that the District should encourage and expand this type of program to both counties covered by the District. Director Skinner voiced her agreement with Directors Lane and Wieskamp, adding that this program also exposes more young people to District parks and contributes to their overall well-being.

• C-1-l
  Authorization to Encumber Capital Funds for Payment of Annexation Fees and Water Service Connection Charges: Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park
  Resolution No. 2007-10-251 Attached)

In response to a question by Director Sutter, Chief of Design Diane Althoff confirmed that the well at Dry Creek was being abandoned as it was no longer a viable water source for the park.

• C-1-m
  Authorization to Encumber Capital Funds for Payment of a Sewer Capacity Fee for Construction of Deer Park Restroom Facilities: Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve
  Resolution No. 2007-10-252 (Attached)
• C-1-n
  Authorization to Enter Into Contract with Kevin Harper CPA to Assist with a Review of the Finance Department Levels and Organization and Reporting Structure
  Resolution No. 2007-10-253 (Attached)

Director Skinner asked that, although it may be implied as written, the resolution be revised to include the review of the Finance Department's Reporting Relationships.

2. BOARD AND STAFF REPORTS

a. Actions Taken by Other Jurisdictions Affecting the Park District (O'Brien)

GM Pat O'Brien reported that the City of Lafayette's Planning Commission recently approved a request for a subdivision, hillside development and lot line adjustment for a 39.35 acre parcel adjacent to Briones Regional Park. As part of the project, the District gained a dedicated Emergency Vehicle Maintenance Access into the park.

3. GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Environmental Program Manager Brad Olson introduced staff members; both he and GIS Planner Beth Stone gave a presentation on the Environmental Review and GIS Applications Department's various projects.

4. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CLOSED SESSION

President Sutter announced that the Board voted unanimously to appoint Allen Pulido as Clerk of the Board.

5. BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS

a. Ecology Committee (9/12/07) (Severin)
b. Operations Committee (8/16/07) (Wieskamp)

There were no additional comments presented regarding the Board Committee reports submitted.

6. BOARD COMMENTS

Director Wieskamp reported on meetings attended. Director Wieskamp

• Attended the Fremont Liaison Committee at Coyote Hills and stated that the items discussed included the new restrooms at Ardenwood, the construction of the road needed to open Vargas Plateau, and parking problems encountered at the Stanford Staging area. She asked staff from both the District and the City of Fremont to work on both short and long term solutions to the issue of parking;
• Attended the Alameda County Liaison Committee meeting at Sunol;
• Will be attending the Bay Institute event on October 3;
• Will be attending the Diamond in the Rough event at Camp Arroyo on October 6;
• Will be attending the Gathering of the Ohlones event at Coyote Hills on October 7;
• Will be going to the opening of the revamped Lawrence National Lab;
• Will be attending the Children's Memorial Service at Fairmont Ridge.

Director Lane reported on meetings attended and also gave some comments. Director Lane

• Commented that she had a great time at the Little Farm event, stating that it was well attended;
• Attended the 100th event for the Ivan Dickson Trail project;
• Attended the Tri-Valley Mayors Luncheon;
• Attended the dedication and opening of Rosie the Riveter at the Ford Plant in Richmond;
• Attended the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) Community Advisory Committee meeting on September 18, where various alternatives to the future of CNWS were presented;
• Attended the Contra Costa Council meeting where CNWS was also the topic of discussion. She will be attending this same group's meeting tonight, October 2, wherein the public will have an opportunity to speak to this issue;
• Attended the EBMUD Liaison meeting;
• Will be attending the Contra Costa County Mayors Conference in San Ramon on October 4;
• Will be attending the Diamond in the Rough event on October 6;
• Stated that she was very pleased with the District's Public Benefit Conveyance letter and maps sent to the Concord City Council and expressed her appreciation to District staff Brian Holt and Emma Ng for their work.

Director Skinner reported on meetings attended and presented some comments. Director Skinner

• Expressed her appreciation for Director Lane's work in representing the District at the various meetings pertaining to CNWS, stating that the opportunity that CNWS presents, while long range, is comparable to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Crissy Fields, and the Presidio;
• Attended the Little Farm event and stated she was very impressed with the work that staff from the EEC and other District departments put into the event;
• Attended the Operations and EBMUD Liaison Committee meetings;
• Attended the North Contra Costa County Shoreline JPA meeting on September 27, and commented that all JPA-member groups agreed to bring forward to their respective Boards a resolution regarding a collaborative approach to access the railroad rights-of-way for the Bay Trail;
• Attended the Save the Bay Workshop sponsored by Assemblymember Loni Hancock;
• Stated that she received concerns from the public regarding a perceived lack of recycling receptacles at some park picnic sites, including Tilden and Pt. Pinole. She has also asked that this issue be added as an agenda item at the next Ecology Committee meeting;
• Spoke about up an issue brought to her attention by a number of visitors to Coyote Hills wherein they expressed dissatisfaction over the dry condition of the wetlands, and stated she will try to relay District staff's explanation that this condition was due to a resource management decision to not artificially flood the area to minimize the growth of cattails (and in the long term assist the bird population);
• Plans to attend the Bay Institute Event in San Francisco;
• Stated that the Golden Gate Audubon Society runs bird watching field trips to various District parks; she has drafted a memo to GM O'Brien that lays out a possible framework for the District to develop partnerships with like organizations;
• Stated that she had discussions with GM O'Brien regarding various possibilities by which the District can start looking more seriously at the issue of global warming and climate change, for example membership in the California Climate Action Registry, a State-established entity which serves as a repository of "emissions inventories".

Director Sutter reported on meetings attended and presented some comments. President Sutter

• Attended a presentation by Will Travis on global warming and rise of sea levels in the Bay area, where it was mentioned that the current estimate is that sea levels will rise about one meter within a century, which will affect District parks, especially the shoreline areas. He suggested that this is a topic that the District needs to be discussing;
• Attended hike sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance and Sierra Club originating from Jack London Square to the Oakland Coliseum to view possible areas that the Bay Trail may be extended to. He emphasized the need for the District to examine its role in the maintenance and policing of the Bay Trail. He also noted the progress of construction at Tidewater;
• Attended the Waterfront Action Committee meeting, and mentioned that there is a conflict between the industrial- and residential-use proponents. He suggested that the District's position should be neutral regarding these two groups' proposals, but should be monitored for any impacts to the District.
• Attended various meetings of the Chabot Space and Science Center's (CSSC) Board and Budget committees, stating that they are in a better financial condition compared to a year ago, partly due to assistance received from the City of Oakland and the Oakland Unified School District. President Sutter also mentioned the CSSC raised the possibility of being appropriated some of the District's Measure AA renewal funds;
• Attended the CESP meeting on September 22;
• Attended the PAC meeting last September 24;
• Will attend the CSSC's gala, which is in conflict with the Diamond in the Rough event.

D. PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments at this time.

E. ADJOURNMENT

The Board Meeting was adjourned at 3:30 pm. by President Sutter.

Allen Pulido, Clerk of the Board

Attachments:
Visitors Log
Resolution Nos. 2007-10-241 through 2007-10-253
Board Committee Reports

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