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SCTF 01-16-01 City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Stevens Creek Trail Task Force Kick-off Meeting Minutes MEETING LOCATION: Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room C and D 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino MEETING DATE: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 at 4:00 PM MEETING TIME: 4:00 PM ATTENDANCE: Task Force Members Richard Lowenthal, Cupertino City Council Jeanne Bradford, Cupertino Parks and Recreation Commission Susie Brain, Friends of Stevens Creek Trail Craig Breon, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society John Buenz, Meadows Home Owners Association Ann Cleaver, Meadows Home Owners Association Dave Constant, Cupertino Swim & Racquet Club John Giovanola, Hanson Permanente Cement David Greenstein, Cupertino Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Mary Jo Gunderson, Linda Vista Neighborhood Scot Hathaway, Deep Cliff Golf Course Steve Haze, Cupertino Historical Society Beez Jones, Stevens Creek Canyon Homeowners John Kolski, Stevens Creek Quarry Community Members Emily Adams, Santa Clara University Staff Members Mike O'Dowd, Recreation Supervisor, Blackberry Farm Therese Smith, Parks and Recreation Director Consultants Jana Sokale, Environmental Planner These meeting minutes, if not corrected at the next meeting by any party in attendance, shall be acknowledged as an accurate report of the events that transpired at this meeting. I. Welcome JS: Cupedino/SCT/Task Force Kickoff II. III. IV. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Richard Lowenthal opened the first Task Force Meeting with a warm welcome to the members. Mr. Lowenthal noted that the Task Force represents community members from along the proposed trail alignment and trail users groups. He stated his beliefs that the trail will provide a significant community amenity and that the vision of a trail from the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean will leave a legacy. Introductions Task Force Members, staff and consultants introduced themselves and provided a brief background on their interest and involvement with recreational trails. "First Impressions" Slide Show Tour Jana Sokale provided an armchair tour of the trail corridor via a slide show. She discussed the natural environment of the creek corridor, history of the site, features unique to Cupertino and the opportunities and constraints to trail development. She noted that Cupertino is the first city where the trail begins to climb from the valley floor into the foothills. This change in elevation will afford trail users expansive views of Silicon Valley. She also noted that Cupertino was the only city in which an orchard remained along the trail corridor. The citrus orchard located on the Stocklmeir site will remind trail users of the Valley's agriculture roots that inspired the name "Valley of the Heart's Delight." She also noted that the roadway crossings of the creek would create challenges to providing for a Class I route, which is defined by Caltrans as a pedestrian and bicycle path grade-separated from roadways. The connections to Rancho San Antonio County Park and Stevens Creek County Park would provide opportunities for other types of trail use possibly including horseback riding and mountain bicycling. These foothill park sites would offer challenges to meeting the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Role of the Stevens Creek Trail Task Force The role of the Steven Creek Task Force is to complete the planning and public review of the Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study. The Task Force will learn about the opportunities and constraints to trail development including land availability, environmental sensitivity and geotechnical suitability. Based on this data, the Task Force must select a trail route from a variety of alignment alternatives prepared by the consultant team. A primary charge of the Task Force is to collect public input on the trail alignment options. JS: Cupedino/SCT/Task Force Kickoff VI. VII. City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Task Force members must be willing to: · Make a one-year commitment to the committee · Attend meetings once, occasionally twice, a month throughout 2001 · Balance the interests of trail enthusiasts with the carry capacity of the environment and desires of property owners. The Task Force will work directly with City staff and the consultants. Trail alignment alternatives will be presented to the Task Force for review. The Task Force will also be responsible for gathering public comment on the feasible trail routes through a series of community meetings. The information supplied by the consultants, reviewed by the Task Force and refined by the community will provide the basis for the trail alignment through Cupertino. The selection of a chair and vice-chair was discussed. Richard Lowenthal, Cupertino City Council, David Greenstein, Cupertino Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Craig Breon, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society each expressed interest in these capacities. All members were encouraged to give consideration to serving in these roles. At the next meeting, members can further discuss these roles, identify their interest in these two positions and, then a vote will occur to elect the chair and vice-chair. Scope of Work and Schedule - Jana Sokale Jana Sokale distributed a proposed project schedule that highlighted the scope of work, deliverables and meeting schedule required to complete the associated work products. Task Force Members were requested to review the schedule in the coming month against their personal calendars so that a final schedule can be adopted at the February Task Force meeting. Upon adoption of the schedule, staff will notify the community of the public hearing dates through a variety of media forms. What will make the Stevens Creek Trail a Success in Cupertino? Richard Lowenthal engaged the Task Force in an exercise to answer, "What will make the Stevens Creek Trail a Success in Cupertino?" The comments from this discussion were recorded and are included as an attachment to the minutes. Task Force Members are asked to review this attachment and bring any additional ideas to the February meeting. Next Steps/Announcements The next meeting will focus on the geotechnical report and the implications of the findings on the feasibility of constructing the trail. JS: Cupedino/SCT/Task Force Kickoff City of Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study Steve Haze noted that the Cupertino Historical Society meets in the evening of the fourth Tuesday of every month. Programs planned in February and March may be of interest to the Task Force. He also noted that on Merch 24 at 1:00 PM the Society would be participating in the Commemoration and Re- enactment of the Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition. An announcement detailing this program is provided as an attachment to the minutes. VIII. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM. The next meeting will be held February 27, 2001 at 4:00 PM at Cupertino City Hall to review the geotechnical report and base mapping. JS: Cupedino/SCT/Task Force Kickoff