Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting, 4/7/16

 


  • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Greg & Roxanne Koopman, Monica Kress, Kim Gardner, Ron Horii, Sam Drake.
  • The volunteer program is moving from Muriel Wright in June, but they don't know where. The County Health Dept. isn't ready to move into Muriel Wright at this time.
  • We discussed the issue of parking on Manila Drive. It's dirt on the park side starting from the bus stop behind the east barn-. The issue with widening it are the trees. Do they prevent the street from being widened? Would they have to be cut down? Can the street be widened around them? There is a huge heritage oak on Santa Teresa Blvd. near the library. The road goes around it.
  • Parking may be an issue with Fandango. It's the only event at the Bernal Ranch that draws enough people to cause a parking problem. There was a proposal to move Fandango to the Pueblo Area, but they dropped that plan. It will stay at the Bernal Ranch. 
  • Mike suggested that participants in Fandango park at Pyzak's to reduce the parking impact on Manila Drive. Ron suggested parking on Manila Way and at the Bear Tree Lot, which are closer.
  • A neighbor near Santa Teresa Spring reported hearing shots and had to call several times to get a response. 14 shell casings were found by the spring. Greg Koopman said he heard rifle shots on the Mine Trail. 
  • Ron showed pictures: rainbows at our last meeting; picture of Mary Simonis, who is working on the gardens; broken and repaired rails at Santa Teresa Spring, waterfall in Laurel Canyon, wildflowers, the pond by the Hidden Springs Trail overflowing, the new cattle trough by the Mine Trail, water flowing over the Mine Trail, muddy ruts and grass growth on the Rocky Ridge Trail, Anza Expedition hike to Coyote Peak, views from the Fortini Trail, weeds overgrowing the Norred Trail, grass cut around the Bonetti Ranch, broken fence at Pyzak, tall grass at the Bear Tree Lot parking area, the area of our proposed trail from Santa Teresa Spring to Manila Way, Bay checkerspot butterflies on Bernal Hill, Stile Ranch Trail flowers, weed growth on the Ohlone Trail and Nature Trail.
  • We received $740 from the CAP Grant. Our balance is $1018.50.
  • There is a new system for filing state and federal taxes for non-profits, which we have to adhere to.
  • We discussed March's meeting on neighborhood safety. Greg talked to the sheriffs. When problems happen in the park, who gets the call, SJPD or the sheriffs. They said the city and the sheriffs will jump on it, but the sheriffs will always respond. 
  • Mike is preparing thank you letters to the officials who came to last month's meeting.
  • We re-elected the current board of directors: Mike Boulland - President, Kitty Monahan - Vice President, Greg Koopman - Treasurer, Ron Horii - Secretary.
  • We discussed finding grant funds to pay for the extension of the trail from Santa Teresa Spring to Manila Way. Kim and Mike have been meeting to organize the project.. 
  • The current CAP cycle runs from 9/1/15 to 8/31/16. This year's Fandango falls under this year's CAP cycle. Our current CAP grant does not include money for Fandango, except for publication expenses. We can request money for next year's Fandango. Note that we are not allowed to fund raise at Fandango. We could do a fundraising event earlier in the day, like a race or walk. We could also do a fundraising event associated with the volunteer's picnic. (Note that any such event would require permits and insurance.)
  • We talked about sponsoring parking in the park for June-July. It would promote more usage of the park. We would need to find out how much was collected last year.
  • For our next newsletter, we want to publish it and have it ready to distribute at Festival in the Park at Hellyer on June 4. Deadline for the articles: May 15. Mike has an article on Dorothy Wuss, who is 94 years old and is a Bernal Family member. The San Jose Historical Museum is honoring her with a May 1 party at the museum.Greg can write something about mountain biking. Ron can write about Fandango and other events. Mike can write a story about Phil Hearin and the rangers.
  • Fandango is on August 13 from 5 to 8 pm. We can help with setup and cleanup. We'll have a booth. Ron will have posters with pictures and will take picturs of the event. Dorene Boulland will be telling stories. Mike will tell Bernal stories. Kim and Monica can handle the booth. We will give out walk-away gift items or toys for kids. We voted to spend $20 on them.
  • Van tours of the park have been cancelled. Phil Hearin is too busy.
  • Ron mentioned that the Open Space Authority has community grants. He has been going to meetings. It's a possible source of funding for the trail extension. This is separate from the existing 20% grants that the OSA gives to cities, which require detailed documentation. The new grants are for community groups and are simpler.
  • Monica said there is a tamarisk bush near the entrance to the Bernal Ranch. Tamarisks are invasive trees, which suck up water and extrude salts. Park maintenance looked at it, but since it's on private property (owned by the Joice Family), they can't touch it. It would take a backhoe to remove it. Someone would have to talk to the Joice Family about it. Kitty knows someone in the Joice Family. The bush could be replaced with a tree from Our City Forest.
  • There is a Calpine grant available for $250K for the neighborhoods surrounding the power plant. It's for neighborhood projects. Ash Kalra's office will have more information about it.
  • The Park Charter Fund is up for renewal. It is Measure A on the June ballot.
  • There is a memorial for former park's director Lisa Killough at the Casa Grande on 4/30 at 1 pm.
  • We are giving wildflower hikes on 4/16 at 10 am the Bernal Ranch and 4/30 at 9 am at Stile Ranch. Ron made a poster for these hikes, which have been posted on mapboards.
  • Ron is giving a photo class and hike at Coyote Lake's Mummy Mountain Trail on May 7 at 10 am starting at the Mendoza Ranch staging area on Roop Road.
  • There is a wildflower scavenger hunt on the Wood Road Trail in Almaden Quicksilver on Saturday April 9 from 12 pm to 3 pm.
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   Created 4/29/16  by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park