Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting Minutes for 11/9/00

 

  • The meeting was held at 7:00 in the upper clubhouse. Mike Boulland was presiding. Ron Horii was the recording secretary. Minutes from last meeting were reviewed.
  • Mike talked about UNSCC (United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County), of which FOSTP is a member. If we send them a calendar of our planned events, we can get events insurance. This will cover us for anything that happens during those events outside of park property. (We are covered on park property.) 
  • We would like to file for 501-3C status as a non-profit corporation, which would allow us to accept tax-deductible donations. We would need to find a lawyer to draw it up and an accountant to process it.
  • The Silicon Valley Parks Foundation was organized because corporations wanted to donate to parks and get a tax-deduction. However, it is not setup as an umbrella organization for groups such as FOSTP. People or corporations can donate money for capital projects at Santa Teresa Park by writing a check to the foundation and stating that it is for a project at the park.
  • The annual Fantasy of Lights show will be held at Vasona Lake County Park again this year. It is run by the county parks department and the Silicon Valley Parks Foundation. Volunteers are needed to help run it. It's a fundraising effort that raises about $160K for the county parks. It starts Nov. 23. Mike will be helping out.
  • The proposal from Rosebank Equestrian Center to establish a center at the Norred Ranch site received a reply from John Romero of the parks department. The letter talked about the park's master plan and goals. It said the mounted patrol and caretaker will be at the Norred Ranch, but that's it. 
  • Holly said that the neighbors are not opposed to the mounted patrol because it will help prevent vandalism. They do have reservations about a facility the size proposed by Rosebank. 
  • The cross-country championship meet was held at Santa Teresa. Rangers were there. Jim O'Connor said he will have a meeting in May with the cross-country groups. He wants to make sure they follow park rules in terms of marking the trail routes and proper parking. At a race at Mt. Madonna, trees were marked with paint. Parking is a problem. They should use a shuttle system.
  • Jim O'Connor, park ranger, reported on the park status. 
    • The park cooperates with the San Jose Fire Department, which handles fires in the park. The Fire Department called and asked the park to close because there was red flag fire danger. The park closed and reopened late Monday.
    • Country View Drive has been a problem. It leads to a entry point to the park by the Coyote Peak Trail, but it is not really an official entrance. Kids hang out there and have been littering the area. They are thinking about putting a gate at the bottom of the road.
    • Jim want to setup a meeting with the park neighbors so they can meet the rangers. He will tell them how to deal with park issues and who to call and when. 
    • They will be redoing directional signs in the park to match the state standard. They are trying to make the signs in all parks the same. They will need to buy 4X4 posts. They will install them over a couple of weekends in the spring. They could use help installing them.
    • There will be 3 trailhead bulletin boards installed, like the one by the Hacienda entrance to Almaden Quicksilver: 1 by the Stiles Ranch Trail, 1 by the Coyote Peak Trail, and 1 by Heaton Moor and Bernal. They can put up notices, rules & regulations, and maps.
  • Mike mentioned that when kids walk up Bernal Road to the park, he's afraid they might get hit by golf balls. He's wondering if another route can be used to get into the park.
  • Mike got a calendar of suggested park volunteer projects from rangers Chris and Eddie. Though the calendar shows projects for every month, Mike said we prefer to do projects every other month. We don't do trail work during the rainy season (November through February) because it is too wet. We could do some work on the Ohlone Trail, make trail signs, open up trails to provide more vertical clearance for equestrians, cut back vegetation, and paint out graffiti.
  • There are 5 parks people assigned to maintenance for Santa Teresa, Almaden Quicksilver, and Calero County Parks. The Wright Center crew helps. In 3 years, the CCC will have 10 people dedicated to trails.
  • Jim O'Connor gave a report from Robin Schaut on the Joice-Bernal Ranch interpretive center project. Research is on-going. James Delgado, who is now in Vancouver, and Justice Paul Bernal are acting as resources. The researchers have been visiting similar historical sites around the state. Platypus has been developing a sign plan. What is needed are historical photos and artifacts of the ranch house and interior, buildings that were once in the historical district, pictures of the people who lived there, ranching and agricultural operations around the turn of the century, information on life around the valley, furnishings and decorations.
  • There is $1314.33 in the treasury.
  • Volunteer hours reported: Mike Boulland: 6, Ron Horii: 10.
  • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ron Horii, Dorothy Wuss, Jim O'Connor, Dave Ellis, Holly Davis.
  • The next meeting will be a board meeting at Mike's house.
Ronald Horii,
Secretary, Friends of Santa Teresa Park
11/9/00

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Created 11/23/2000 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park