Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting, 10/1/15

 


  • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ed Jackson, Greg & Roxanne Koopman, Ellen Finch, Marty Reinders, Ron Horii, Kim Gardener, Eric McLinley, Kevin Pietschker
  • Eric and Kevin live on Manila Drive, as does Ed. They came to discuss problems with illegal activity in the park across from Manila Drive.
  • Last month's minutes were approved.
  • Treasurer's report: $550.75 balance, with 10 receipts pending. We approved the treasurer's report.
  • Our CAP Grant Cycle 29 application has been approved. We should be getting the MOU and funds soon.
  • Mike and Ron submitted the CAP Cycle 28 final report and submitted it. We passed around the report and approved it.
  • We had a cleanup event at Santa Teresa Spring on 9/26/15. (Ron made a photo album.) Senior Ranger Phillip Hearin, along with Robin Schaut and Julie Lee thanked us. John Dorrance was impressed by the job we did and posted a picture of us on the bulletinboard at the ranch.
  • Marty suggested putting a screen or cover on the cistern along the hillside above Santa Teresa Spring to keep dirt falling off the hill from filling up the cistern.
  • Kim took a picture of graffiti on a sign near the archery range and reported it. Greg cleaned graffiti off a trail sign on the Joice Trail. There's still graffiti on the canal near the spring where the contractor who was painting it over could not reach it. Ed will paint it over later.
  • Eric said there's been a lot of activity at Santa Teresa Spring. Someone let a pitbull loose to swim in the pond. There's often a lot of trash around the spring, like beer cans and bottles and smoking items. People have been bushwhacking up the hill around the spring, causing erosion.
  • Parking on Manila Drive along the fenceline can start fires. Parking on Manila Way would be better, as it's paved on both sides of the street. The entrance to the park was planned to be opposite Manila Way, but the trail connection was not completed. 
  • Vandalizing an historic site can result in higher than normal fines. There should be signs warning of that.
  • People causing problems in the park are a mix of school kids and young adults from 3pm on. 
  • There used to be gang fights in the Buck Norred barn before the Mounted Ranger Unit was placed there.
  • Roxanne said we should talk to the principal of Bernal School. They have a system which teaches the kids how to behave in certain areas. They should be taught how to behave while in the park.
  • At our next meeting on November 5, we should invite the park rangers and the sheriffs to meet with members of the community. Ron recommends getting the city involved, as city officials come to the Santa Teresa Foothills Neighborhood Association meetings. Mike will see if who he can get to come to our November meeting. If we can get officials to come, Eric and Kevin will get the community to attend. They will send a summary of what they'd like to discuss at the meeting.
  • Ron showed pictures: The Oak Grove School District cross-country race, the cleanup of Santa Teresa Spring, Reptile Night at the Bernal Ranch, bee warning on the Ohlone Trail, tree falls and cleanup, sign graffiti, the first 4H meeting in the barn, sunset pictures, trail pictures.
  • We're planning to get an Historic Heritage Commission (HHC) grant to help preserve the Pyzak House. Marty is on the commission. He said there will be a meeting on October 15 at 6:30 in the County building in the Board chambers. Groups seeking grants will be giving presentations to the Commission. It would be good for us to attend that meeting to see what the presentations are like.
  • In order to get an HHC grant for preservation of the Pyzak House, we need to document its historical significance. It was the house of Jacoba Bernal, a descendant of the original founder of Rancho Santa Teresa. Mike got a letter from Paul Bernal describing the historical background of the Jacoba Bernal house.
  • Mike talked to park planner Antoinette Romeo. She said it would not be likely that the Pyzak House will be restored. Mike said that if we could at least get it treated for termites, it would prevent further damage. He estimates it would cost $2K-$2.5K to get it tented. Ron said that's just for drywood termites. If it has subterranean termites, it would cost more.
  • 7-9 volunteers have been entering 50K records into the County's archive system. They work in the staff offices in the Casa Grande. We need to get Santa Teresa's records entered into the system. If we learn their methodology and format, we could do it ourselves.
  • Meet at the Casa Grande on 10/23 at 12:00 pm to discuss the HHC grant and learn the system used to scan and enter records into the County Parks archives.
  • Mike said we should thank the golf course's bartender. He stays late, which allows us to have our meeting. We should give him a thank you card and gift.
  • Upcoming events:
    • Oct. 3: Martial Cottle Harvest Festival 10 am - 3 pm.
    • Oct. 10: Pioneer Day, Almaden Quicksilver at the Hacienda Entrance, dedication of the bell tower, 11:00 am.
    • Oct. 17: Geocaching class, Wood Road Trail, Almaden Quicksilver, 9am-12pm
    • Oct. 17: Volunteer Recognition Barbecue, 12:00-2:00 pm, Pueblo Group Area, Santa Teresa. Volunteers with at least 5 hours of volunteer time will be invited. Submit outstanding hours online or to volunteer@prk.sccgov.org before Aug. 31.
    • Oct. 17: Outer Limits Night, Bernal Ranch, 7:30-10:30 pm. Bay Area astronomers will bring telescopes for stargazing. Episodes of the TV series "The Outer Limits" will be shown.
    • Nov. 14: Ron Horii's Introduction to Outdoor Photography class, Bernal Ranch, Manila Drive at Camino Verde, 10am-1pm: "Join a Docent for a FREE outdoor photography workshop. Learn how to choose and use a camera, how to take better outdoor pictures and about photo composition. Workshop begins with an indoor slideshow, followed by demonstrations and a walk around the historic area to take pictures. Meet at the Ranch house with your camera. Register online or call (408) 355-2201."
    • March 19, 2016: Anza Expedition Hike, Pueblo Day Use Area, 10:30am-1:00pm.
    • There will be a big cleanup day at multiple parks in April.
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   Created 10/2/15  by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park