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CC 12-17-01APPROVEDMINUTES CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL Regular Adjourned Meeting Monday December 17, 2001 CALL TO ORDER At 6:05 p.m. Mayor Lowenthal called the meeting to order in Conference Room C/D, 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California. ROLL CALL City Council members present: Mayor Richard Lowenthal, Vice-Mayor Michaei Chang, and Council members Sandra James, Patrick Kwok, and Dolly Sandoval. Council members absent: None. Staff present: City Manager David Knapp, Administrative Services Director Carol Atwood, Community Development Director Steve Piasecki, Public Information Officer Rick Kitson, Public Works Director Ralph Qualls, and City Clerk Kimberly Smith. COUNCIL WORKSHOP 1. Discussion of the Mary Avenue/Stevens Creek Boulevard Improvement project. Public Works Director Ralph Qualls reviewed a conceptual layout chart titled "Mary Avenue Civil Improvements Project" which would narrow Mary Avenue by 13 feet, add 12 diagonal spaces by the Senior Center, add bulb-outs at both sides of the intersection, and add a crosswalk with imbedded lights. He said that a budget of $13,000 had been set aside for the design and $187,000 for construction. Council members noted that this street was originally designed as a freeway off ramp and there is an opportunity now to increase the emphasis on pedestrian use. Their ideas for the improvements, included the following: A safe and pleasant way to cross the street with enhanced landscaping and a planted median, possibly with a trellis; a raised crosswalk with a refuge island for pedestrians; reducing the number of lanes by combining the left turn lane with the forward lane, changing the turning movements, and slowing traffic; creating diagonal parking all the way on Mary; and moving the crosswalk to the other side of the Senior Center parking lot entrance. James suggested that staff also talk to owner of the Glenbrook Apartments and the manager of the Oaks Shopping Center. Council members agreed they would accept fewer spaces directly in front of the Senior Center so there can be a wider median in that location. City Manager David Knapp noted that the bike lane should go straight through to DeAnza College. December 17, 2001 Cupertlno Clty Councll Page Planning Commissioner Marc Auerbach said the Commission was considering methods of traffic calming throughout the city, as well ways to create beautiful public works with interesting detail, so the goal does not always have to be low maintenance. He suggested trying parallel parking on both sides of the street if the budget allows, because parked cars act as a buffer for pedestrians. He noted that raised sidewalks also increase the safety for pedestrians, but perhaps both locations should be marked as crosswalks in someway, with one being preferred. Council directed staff to include additional parking spaces for the Senior Center, add a median, and provide an enhanced, more protected crosswalk from the Senior Center to the Oaks Shopping Center. Qualls said that staff would work with the landscape architect to implement these ideas and make sure there are no safety concerns. He expected to report back on this matter in March. RECESS Council was in recess from 6:40 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE At 6:50 p.m. Mayor Lowenthal called the meeting to order in the Council Chambers, 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California, and led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL City Council members present: Mayor Richard Lowenthal, Vice-Mayor Michael Chang, and Council members Sandra James, Patrick Kwok, and Dolly Sandoval. Council members absent: None. Staff present: City Manager David Knapp, Administrative Services Director Carol Atwood, Community Development Director Steve Piasecki, Parks and Recreation Director Therese Smith, Public Works Director Ralph Qualls, Public Information Officer Rick Kitson, Senior Planner Vera Gil, Recreation Coordinator Rich Gonzales, Recreation Supervisor Don McCarthy, City Attorney Charles Kilian, and City Clerk Kimberly Smith. CEREMONIAL MATTERS - PRESENTATIONS 2. Presentation of a plaque recognizing the City of Cupertino as a founding donor for contributing $250,000 to the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County. Chris Block presented a plaque to City Council in addition to 120-day report cards. December 17, 2001 Cupertino City Council Page Presentation of a plaque recognizing Helen and Sanford Diller as founding donors for contributing $250,000 to the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County. Chris Block presented a plaque to Prometheus Development for their partnership and support of affordable housing in the community. Presentation of a video fxom Fadba Nejat, president of the Iranian Women's Federation Club, for their support of the Cupertino community. Fariba Nejat and Sharareh Derakhshandeh showed a video titled "Hand in Hand" from Payvand Cultural School, which is an Iranian-American cultural organization. They presented a poster to Council and displayed a rug that the students had made, to be sent to New York in memory of the September 11 tragedy. Nejat mentioned that the group would be having 2 fundraisers, January 27 and March 17, 2002. Annual Report of the Cupertino Housing Committee. Julia Abdala, Chair of the Housing Committee, presented the report. She reviewed a handout, which listed the projects that the committee worked on this year in addition to anticipated projects for the upcoming calendar year. POSTPONEMENTS - None WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS A thank you letter from Pacific Scribes was handed out. They had received a fee waiver for use of the Quinlan Center's Social Room for their December card exchange. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Marc Auerbach showed photos of Calabazas Creek and suggested opening up a creek trail. Chun Lee of San Jose mad a statement asking for a resolution condemning China's persecution of the practice of Falun Gong in China. Lowenthal referred it to staff for review. CONSENT CALENDAR James moved to approve the items 6-12 on the Consent Calendar as recommended. Chang seconded and the motion carded 5-0. Approval of minutes, November 28 Accounts Payable: November 30 and December 7, Resolution Nos. 01-251 and 01-252. Payroll: December 7, Resolution No. 01-253. December 17, 2001 Cupertino City Council Page 4 Approval of a resolution documenting that veterans' preference shall not be granted in the City of Cupertino's hiring process, Resolution No. 01-254. 10. Approval of a resolution authorizing enhanced 457 deferred compensation plans, which reflect current amendments to the Internal Revenue Code, Resolution No. 01-255. 11. Annexation: Make determinations and approve the reorganization of territory designated "Alcazar Avenue 01-01", property located on the south side of Alcazar Avenue between Byrne Avenue and Almaden Avenue; approximately 0.2088 acre, Lewizky (APN 357-14- 036), Resolution No. 01-256. 12. Improvement Agreement, Sherman Tuan and Yun Zheng, 20706 Kirwin Lane, APN 359- 23-005, Resolution No. 01-257. Vote AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: Members of the City Council Chang, James, Kwok, Lowenthal, and Sandoval None None None ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR (above) 13. Approving contract change order No. 1, Safe Routes to Schools Project No. 9541, Resolution No. 01-258. Lowenthal spoke briefly about the necessity for this project. Kwok moved to adopt Resolution No. 01-258. James seconded and the motion carried 5-0. 14. Recommendation from Cupertino Telecommunications Commission to award a $10,000 educational grant to a Cupertino High School video production class. Public Information Officer Rick Kitson reviewed the staffreport. He introduced 2 instructors from the school, Library Technology Instructor Laura Dominguez-Yon and Television and Video Production Instructor Bill Boggie. Dominguez-Yon spoke about the project the class produced. Sandoval moved to award the educational grant. Chang seconded and the motion carded 5-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS - None PLANNING APPLICATIONS - None UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None December 17, 9001 ~upertlno City Co,ell Page NEW BUSINESS 15. Ordering abatement of public nuisance (city-wide weed abatement) pursuant to provisions of Ordinance No. 724 and Resolution No. 01-239, Resolution No. 01-259. City Clerk Kimberly Smith reviewed the staff report. Gwan-Ling Deng, 7855 Festival Drive, said that he received notice about weeds in his yard and said that the notice wasn't clear about what needed to be cleaned up. He asked that future notification be more specific. Smith said that she would have the Fire Marshal's Office contact Mr. Deng directly with more specific instructions about which portion of his property is still a problem. Chang moved to adopt Resolution No. 01-259. James seconded and the motion carried 5- 0. 16. Review of Parks and Recreation Commission and Teen Commission recommendations for Sports Center programming. Parks and Recreation Director Therese Ambrosi Smith introduced the consulting team, Lauren Livingston and Mark Schatz in addition to staff members Don McCarthy and Rich Gonzales. Smith gave some background regarding the Sports Center and then showed a video giving additional background. Schatz talked about the condition of the existing building. Livingston did a PowerPoint presentation regarding the demographic and demand analysis and discussed 3 program options. Smith talked about staff recommendations (option B of the PowerPoint presentation), which included: · 3,800 square foot fitness room · Aerobics room · Child watch room The youth amenities included: · Lounge area · Table tennis and pool tables · Climbing wall December 17, 2001 Cupertino Clfy (~ouncll Page 6 Smith said that only 2 tennis courts maximum would be removed, if any at all. She mentioned the results of a racquetball survey shown on pages 16-37 and 16-38 of the packet. She responded to questions fi.om Council, which included the mention of a possible joint use agreement with the F00thill Union High School District (FUHSD) of their new field house facility at Cupertino High School for a competitive table tennis and badminton program. The following individuals spoke on this item: · Ed Hirshfield, 734 Stendhal Lane · Harry Kaplan from Palo Alto (used to be Cupertino resident) · Shenn Waldman, 7585 Bollinger Road · Jack Murphy, 7603 Newcastle Drive · Jim Guidotti, 22640 Ricardo Road · Amid Salad, 21551 Regnart Road · Reza Mortezaci · Steven Hoffi'nan, Vadan Way · Marc Auerbach, 18860 Bamhardt Avenue · Sofia Song and Renee East · Denise East (and husband), 10635 Johnson Avenue · Jon Kessler, 10090 United Place · Tony Scarpa fi'om Mountain View (representing 15 people that play racquetball) · Vijay Pathak, 1085 Oak Tree Drive · Leslie Bumell, Holly Oak Drive · Marcus East Their comments included the following: · Keep the center as it is but repair and replace as needed without diminishing the use of the tennis courts · Much support for racquetball · Concern about "streetscape and urban form" (types of buildings, pedestrian access, etc.) · Concern about the site of the new facility · Other ideas for paying the cost of racquetball, for example keeping the membership fees low, but charging for the cost of playing · Comments on the relative costs of subsidizing tennis players ($1,000 per person) versus the library at $50 per person · Consider reducing tennis courts for space at a future time for a gym or other uses · Encourage support for diverse sports Smith commented that there would be at least 3 more community workshops on the design of the Sports Center. December I 7, 2001 Cupert;no C~ty Counc;l Page Sandoval's comments included: · Council should not just talk about the capital cost to build a facility but also what the long-term use would be · She was interested in the FUHSD joint use agreement for the Cupertino High School facility Chang's comments included: · This is still a work in progress and there needs to be a better sense of how the different parts fit in · He thought the joint use with the FUHSD was an interesting alternative for a table tennis facility and would like to see a draft of the agreement · He suggested a study session tO look at the different components, the vision for the Sports Center, and how it fits in with other groups, like the YMCA Kwok's comments included: · Having a sports center which included racquetball, tennis, fitness, table tennis and badminton so that everybody from all ages could benefit from its use · Interest in a workshop with Parks and Recreation and Teen Commission · Question regarding the membership breakdown Smith responded that 45% of Cupertino residents and 55% of non-residents are currently members and that there is no difference in the fee currently, but that in the pro forma. there would be a resident discount. Kwok's comments continued: · Need to look at retum investment and decide whether this is a business venture or a service to the community · Discuss location and possible mixed use · Concern about the down-turn in the economy · Interested in a workshop before he could make a decision · Look at what the YMCA is offering comments included: Due to ADA compliance and legal issues, time is a concern It is the City's business to provide services for the community Non-residents should pay more for a membership than residents Liked the Teen Commission idea of lighting additional courts to offset the possibility of having fewer courts Wanted to move forward with the joint use agreement with FUHSD Liked the idea of a climbing wall Liked the ideas from the Teen Commission and ways to encourage usage from young people without having a formal teen center December 17, 2001 (~upert~no (~ity (~ounc[1 Page Lowenthal's comments included: · Council needs to spend time with the input and come up with a plan · Put the mixed use item on the agenda for discussion Council concurred to hold a study session on January 25, 2002 from 9-2 at Blackberry Farm, 21975 San Femando Avenue. ORDINANCES - None STAFF REPORTS 17. Revenue and expenditure status report. Director of Administrative Services Carol Atwood reviewed the staff report. COUNCIL REPORTS James mentioned the annual Rotary Club children's shopping excursion, a senior luncheon, in which the Cupertino Middle School choir sang and the Rotary Club donated $500 to the school's music program, and bell ringing in front of Target for the Cupertino Community Services charity drive. Kwok mentioned that the Leadership Cupertino committee was scheduled to meet in January, and that the Asian Community would be sponsoring a luncheon for the seniors and low-income residents of Cupertino the following day at the Quinlan Community Center. Chang commended the staff for the holiday luncheon. He also commended staff, Council and the community for working together on the wording for the utility user tax extension. Sandoval she enjoyed the employees' holiday luncheon and thanked the organizers, and that she had attended the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Political Action Committee last week and they discussed noise mitigation on highway 85. Lowenthal said he attended an award ceremony at Cupertino High School for two teachers in the Phoenix Program who had won the Disney Award for excellence in teaching. CLOSED SESSION - None ADJOURNMENT At 10:00 p.m. the meeting was adjourned. Kitty Clerk