Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting Summary for 1/6/05
	Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ronald Horii, Holly Davis, Lynne Paulson, Sam Drake, Kitty Monahan, Tony Ruiz, Paul Vincze, Mario Blaum Trail work days at the Stile Ranch Trail Jan 8, 9 at the trailhead at 9:00 on San Vicente Rd. There was an article by Jeanne Lewis on Santa Teresa Park in the Blossom Valley and Santa Teresa Times. There was a letter in reply to the article that was complimentary about the park and Mike. We talked about opening the Ohlone Trail to bikes. Paul Vincze sent a letter to Rachel Gibson on opening this. The county has a standard for what qualifies for bikes. Paul talked to Mark Fredericks, who said the master plan calls for opening the trail to bikes. Greg Bringelson wants to change the specs on what qualifies as a bike trail. Sometimes a ranger or a maintenance person will enforce the restrictions on bikes on the Ohlone Trail. The master plan needs an update. Paul was riding up Bernal Road in the evening. Fernando stopped him and said he can't be on the road at night. He was told to turn around and leave. Who has jurisdiction over the road? The San Jose Police? The ground underneath the road is part of the park. IBM employees use the road to get to work at Almaden Research. What if they want to get to work at night? Ron showed slideshows on the Stile Ranch trails in early December, the water level and spillway at the Spring, the roof of the old barn, Christmas in the Ranch house, stacked rocks by the Joice Trail, people flying a glider near the Joice Trail, and the workday at the Bernal Ranch on Nov. 13. Bank balance:  $603.44 We talked about becoming a 5013c non-profit, tax-exempt organization. It costs $800/year for corporations. It may be free for a group like ours. It may cost $12/year for the permit. The UNSCC can help. We talked about the Muriel Wright Center. It is for youths under 18, boys and girls. They are separated by gender. It was originally a girls-only ranch. They added new wings and 100 beds. It is common for kids to run away. There are no locks on the doors. Locks are not allowed by the fire marshall. The kids go home on weekends. Kids stay there for a maximum of 160 days. They are there for reasons that are not severe. We would like someone representing the ranch to come to one of our meetings to answer questions. John Dorrance needs volunteer help at the ranch on Fridays for tours. Sam's wife may be able to help. Proposed activities for 2005: We would like to tour an historic area this year. We'll go to Chitactac. The VCC dinner will be on April 7 (in place of our meeting). California Trail Days are 4/16 (no site designated) and 4/30 at Coyote Bear Ranch. Wildflower walk in the spring. Geocaching event in May. It can be combined with the wildflower tour. Garden tour at the BGJ Ranch in June. (Paul's wife is running the garden.) Sept. is the Santa Teresa Community Fest. We want to treat the person who cleans Bernal Road every morning to lunch. We talked about the new trail at the Norred Ranch. Is there a route for the trail yet? Who is planning it? We should ask Joe Schultz for a presentation on the trail. We will do a trail dedication event and thank Forrest Williams for the city's help in securing the Pyzak Ranch. On 5/15, there will be a dedication at Almaden Quicksilver at 12:00 of a Hacienda Civil War plaque. We want to fix up the fence at the Pueblo Area. The Horseman's Associatoin wants to fix it. We talked about the Coyote-Alamitos Canal: Mike attended a joint planning meeting between San Jose City and County parks commissions. The first topic of discussion was the Coyote-Alamitos Canal. The Water District installed a 6-foot gate across the Coyote-Alamitos Canal at Bernal Road. They did it because vehicles were dumping trash there. Lynn Paulson said there will be a meeting on April 6 between the Water District and the Santa Teresa Foothills Neighborhood Association. Water District Commissioner Rosemary Kamei says that the Water District wants to help with the plans for the trail on the Coyote-Alamitos Canal. She thinks it can be done piecemeal. Some places will be easier than others. The city received funding from the Open Space Authority. They have $350K that they haven't spent. Ron talked about some Web pages he worked on: the Coyote Creek Trail and the Bay Trail. Volunteer Hours: Ronald Horii: 24 hours Mike Boulland: 10 Mario Blaum: 8 Holly Davis: 10 Kitty Monahan: 6 Sam Drake: 4 Next meeting will be on 2/3/05 at the usual time and place. Return to the Friends of Santa Teresa Park Home Page

Created 1/30/05 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park