Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting, 11/3/05
	Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ronald Horii, Kitty Monahan, Paul Vincze, Ed Jackson, Kevin & Darla Pietschker, Mario Blaum, John Klimaszewski Paul Vincze said there was a water line break at the Muriel Wright Center, which caused mud and erosion on the trails below.  Paul talked to Greg Bringelson who said that next week they will be putting gravel in the area at the start of the Mine Trail at the Pueblo Area. This area tends to get very muddy in the winter. They will also take care of the creek crossing on the Mine Trail near the Rocky Ridge Trail junction.  They will also be re-cutting the Ohlone Trail to the archery range with the trail machine and will rebuild a bridge on the trail. The trail machine cuts a path wide enough for bikes.  We talked about allowing bikes on the Ohlone Trail. We should try to change the trail's designation in the next revision of the park master plan Next time we should use a park volunteer form as a sign-in sheet for our meetings. Then we will be covered by the park's insurance. We talked a lot about the problem of pigs in the park: Residents on Manila Drive and Heaton Moor have had their lawns torn up by pigs who come out of Santa Teresa Park at night. Mike heard that Forrest Williams will be having a meeting on the pig problem in the next few weeks. Kitty said the parks department tried trapping and killing pigs in Grant Ranch Park, but after 3 days, they were stopped  (she didn't know by whom). Kevin called around different agencies, including Vector Control, who all said it was not their responsibility. He finally talked to the California Department of Fish and Game. They acknowledged the problem. They said the neighbors can get a DFG permit and hire a trapper trap and remove the pigs, but at their own expense. The DFG also recommended putting up a pig fence. The neighborhood along Coyote Creek and Metcalf Park had a lot of pig damage. They hired trappers, but they were only able to trap 2 pigs. There was too much other food in the area, so the pigs did not go for the bait. Kevin said he's lived on Manila Drive for 16 years, and this is the first time he's had pig damage. He's seen them at dusk. A pig charged a hiker in Calero. We talked about how pigs could pose hazards to hikers, kids, drivers, and pets.  The pigs also damage park property. The hillside around the Nature Trail has been a frequent target. This can cause erosion and trail damage.  They also damage city park property. Metcalf Park and Shady Oaks Park along the Coyote Creek Trail have been hard hit. The Santa Teresa Golf Course has been able to avoid pig damage by fencing. John Klimaszewski, who lives near the hills west of Cottle, said he sees pigs in the hills, but they don't cross the Coyote-Alamitos Canal. The Coyote-Alamitos Canal may be forming an obstacle for the pigs, but there are gaps in the canal, such as at Santa Teresa Springs and the Joice Trail. The pigs may be using those gaps to cross the canal. Putting gates at such gaps may stop the pigs from going into the neighborhoods. We should draft a letter to the county requesting a course of action to address the pig problem. Paul said he was concerned about the apparent increased number of deer in the park. He almost ran into one while biking.  We talked about Yes on Parks: In the 70's, the voters voted that a certain percentage of the county budget would go to parks. The first year, it was 10 cents of every $100 in assessed value of property taxes going to parks, 80% for acquisition, 20% for operations. 4 years later, it was reduced to 5 cents per $100. The money was used to buy parks. Later it was reduced to 1.5 cents/$100, with 20% to acquisition, 80% to operations. This went on for 12 years, except in the 7th year, the amount dropped to 1.45 cents/$100. Even though the percentage decreased, property values during this time went up, which made up for the decrease..  The next election to approve the parks funding will be on June 6, 2006.  This time, Yes on Parks wants to keep the funding level the same at 1.45 cents/$100, but change the allocation to 15% for acquisition, 5% to development, and 80% for operations. The open space districts in the county have been buying land, so reducing the amount for acquisitions will not hurt. All 4 members of the Board of Supervisors support putting the issue on the ballot, but we need to tell them what to put on the ballot. The last time this issue was up before the voters, it was approved by 85%. The County Executive is not in favor of it because he wants control over the whole budget. Kitty Monahan moved for the Friends of Santa Teresa park to support the park funding issue. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. We talked about the Yahoo Groups. We need to have an acceptable use policy for postings. Dec. 3 is a trail day on the Stile Ranch Trail. Mike talked to Joe Schultz about the Norred Ranch trail proposal. There has been no opposition to it so far. It will go before the board on Dec. 6. Mike heard that some Eagle Scouts were looking for a project. He referred them to Greg Bringelson. They may be able to help with the new trail. There is a new "no dogs" sign at the Bernal Ranch. Robin Schaut had it put up.  Paul said there is a "no parking" sign at the monument at the Bear Tree Lot.  John Klimaszewski said another house was approved at the top of the Santa Teresa Hills, which is in unincorporated land. It had not gone through the proper reviews because of a slip-up in the review process. By the time the county realized it, the foundation had already been built. The only thing they could do was modify the architectural plan somewhat. The new person in charge of  planning said the process will be cleaned up to make sure this doesn't happen again. There will be a meeting of the Santa Teresa Foothills Neighborhood Association at 7:00pm, Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at Sakamoto Elementary School, corner of Shadelands and Colleen Drive. Dr. Earl Stevens from San Jose Prepared will present information and answer any questions on disaster preparedness in our own city.  City councilmembers Nancy Pyle and Forrest Williams will also be present.  Other topics include hillside development, trail progress, and Curie Drive Beautification. We will have a meeting in December. We will not have a regular meeting in February. Instead, we will have a dinner at Mike's house. Ron showed pictures of the fire in the hills east of Santa Teresa Spring, the mountain bike race in the park on 10/5/05, the new DVD display in the BGJ Ranch barn, landscaping by the barn, loose end bricks on the wall by the springs, Search and Rescue training at the Pueblo Area, and the volunteers BBQ at Vasona. Volunteer Hours: Ronald Horii: 62 Mike Boulland: 20 Kitty Monahan:  3 Paul Vincze: 20 Ed Jackson: 3 Kevin Pietschker: 20 Darla Pietschker: 8 Mario Blaum: 8 John Klimaszewski: 6 Return to the Friends of Santa Teresa Park Home Page

Created 11/3/05 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park