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.

• Members voted to reaffirm the FOSTP board. The board members signed a paper that will be sent to the state of California to state they are officers of the corporation, which is FOSTP. There is a $50 license fee to be paid ($20 normal fee + $30 late charge). The members approved paying the fee. The license indicates who has legal responsibility for the organization in case the state needs to send us legal documents or being served for court procedures. The license is good for 2 years unless there is a change of officers. It costs $20 each time to renew (unless the fee is late).
• In order to file for 501-3C status as a non-profit corporation, we would need to pay $1000-$2000 for bookkeeping costs. That status would allow us to accept tax-deductible donations.
• Pam Ashford and Marguerite Michels of Rosebank Equestrian Center discussed their proposal to move their riding school to the former Buck Norred Stables in Santa Teresa Park. They had been operating in Los Gatos at Hicks Road and Shannon Road, but had to move when their lease was terminated. They are currently the Shadowbrook Ranch at the end of Piercy Road, but they are looking for a more permanent home. They propose to renovate and reopen the Buck Norred stables, which would improve the safety and security of the area. They would offer riding lessons, a therapeutic riding program, trail rides, training, and boarding. They would provide a house trailer occupied by their manager, who would serve as a camp host for the area. They would provide care for the park rangers' horses, which would save the county money. The grazing by the horses would keep the grass down and reduce the fire danger in the area. They would assist with maintaining the park trails and equestrian amenities. In the past, the Buck Norred Ranch was used for company picnics of 200-300 people. Rosebank has no intentions of hosting large parties, picnics, or horse shows.  They have a Website: http://www.rosebank.org. FOSTP members listened to their proposal and offered opinions and advice. Mario told the presenters about the neighbors' concerns with noise and large group disturbances in the neighborhood due to Buck's operation in the past. Ranger Jim O'Connor also explained that the departments has not made any plans to change the current policy about limited use at Buck Norred's. The Buck Norred Ranch was purchased too late to be included in the park's master plan, so developing that area may be difficult than if it were in the plan. President Mike Boulland thanked the group for their presentation and keeping us informed.
• Robin Schaut from the parks department's interpretive staff presented the current status and needs of the interpretive development plan for the Rancho Santa Teresa Historic District, primarily the Joice Bernal Rancho. The plan has been completed. It identifies historically significant sites and recommends signage and what to do with the resources. An RFP was put out to professional consulting firms. Platypus Studio was chosen. The owner, Richard Valencia, has been reviewing the historical information and files. He is forming a design plan for interpretive signage, the interior of the ranch house, and for the indoor barn exhibits. There will be signage around the buildings and along the trail between the springs and the rancho. The ranch house will have exhibits, but it is too small for large school groups. The barn is much larger, so will be used to accommodate groups. The Historical Heritage Commission has provided $140,000 for the development of the site. However, it is estimated that $250,000 will be needed to do the complete job. Platypus will come up with cost estimates. The parks department will do what it can with the money available and look for further funding. There will be a demonstration farming area, with crops and orchard trees between the springs and the bar. The crops will be old stock heritage varieties that were grown during the farming era. Water from the springs will be used for irrigation, as it was during the rancho days. Water will the unifying theme for the exhibits. They are looking for information sources from the three main periods of the rancho's history: the Ohlone Indians, the Bernal Rancho, and the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice period. Robin Schaut met with Patrick Joice, who gave her some family albums, photos, bills, and deeds. There is no schedule yet for implementation of the plan. People with information should contact Robin at robin.schaut@mail.prk.co.santa-clara.ca.us.
• Jim O'Connor, park ranger, reported on the park status. The emergency call box has been installed in the Pueblo area near the Hidden Springs Trail. It is a cellular phone. It calls out OK, but it can be hard to hear County Communications. There will be road repair work done at the Pueblo area. The roadway will be sealed with an asphalt and sand slurry. The parking areas will be re-striped. The contractor who is installing the light at the Santa Teresa Springs has received a notice to proceed. The light should be installed in 2-3 weeks. The Joice-Bernal Rancho construction should be done in December. A retaining wall is currently being installed. During the last cross-country meet, there was a lot of trash left in the corral area. The principal of one of the schools was informed..
• The Park Watch meeting was held last month. Park ranger Ed Tanaka came and made presentation for the parks department. Representatives from the County Sheriffs and San Jose Police also made presentations.
• Trail report: the paved section of the Mine Trail above Buck Norred was covered with mud from the last rainstorm.
• Ron Horii went to the County Parks Commission meeting last week. He talked about the FOSTP website and discussed the issues brought up during the last FOSTP meeting. He showed a picture of the vandalism at Santa Teresa Springs and mentioned that the promised light at the springs had not been installed. He talked about the reduction in park usage since the park fees were implemented, discussed possible reasons for it, and recommended that the supervisors look into it.
• Ron Horii reported on the FOSTP Website. It includes pictures from the park volunteers barbecue held on 10/2/00 at Santa Teresa Park. He made up posters on the site and gave one to the Santa Teresa Library for posting and dropped one by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority.
• Volunteer hours reported: Baldwin School, waterfall clean up, coastal cleanup: 130 hours. Kitty Monahan: 2, Mike Boulland: 15, Dorothy Wuss: 2, Mario Blaum: 10, Steve Crockett: 5, Holly Davis: 5, Joy Sandoval: 15, Maria Brasewell (from KEC): 20, Ron Horii: 16 (Web pages and park patrol).
• Attendees (5 board members present): Mike Boulland, Kitty Monahan, Ron Horii, Steve Crockett, Dorothy Wuss, Mario Blaum, Robin Schaut, Jim O'Connor, Holly Davis, Pam Ashford, and Marguerite Michels.

Ronald Horii,
Secretary, Friends of Santa Teresa Park
10/15/00

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