[00:00:06]
THIS IS THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON MARCH 5TH, 2024, BEGINNING AT 1:08 PM
[ROLL CALL]
UH, COULD OUR CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLE DIRECTOR? COFFEE HERE.DIRECTOR CORBETT WILL BE JOINING US SHORTLY.
PRESIDENT ECKLES HERE, GENERAL MANAGER.
UH, GENERAL COUNSEL BURGO HERE.
UH, COULD DIRECTOR MECURIO, PLEASE LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE? YES, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE FLAG IN UNITED, UNITED STATES, AMERICA.
TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY OF JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]
UH, DIRECTOR COFFEE WILL READ THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.WE WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE TODAY MEETING ON THE UNSEATED LANDS OF THE OHLONE PEOPLE, THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS HERE ON PERALTA OAKS IS LOCATED WITHIN THE HUN TERRITORY, WHICH IS THEIR TRADITIONAL ANCESTRAL AND SHARED HOME.
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, THE OWN ONLY PEOPLE HAVE AND CONTINUE TO LIVE IN RECIPROCITY WITH NATURE, UNDERSTANDING THE SEASONS AND THE CYCLES OF THE NATURAL WORLD, MANAGING RESOURCES FUNDAMENTAL FOR SURVIVAL, AND IMPORTANT TO CULTURAL PRACTICES, ALL WHILE PASSING DOWN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE THAT WE CONTINUE TO USE TO HONE OUR OWN ABILITIES IN STEWARDSHIP, WE HONOR WITH GRATITUDE THE LAND ITSELF, THE WILDLIFE LIVING IN THESE LANDS, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE STEWARDED IT AND WHO CONTINUE TO REMAIN DEEPLY CONNECTED TO IT TODAY.
[PUBLIC COMMENT]
IF OUR CLERK COULD PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW PEOPLE MAY SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS, PUBLIC COMMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED ONE OF THREE WAYS VIA EMAIL AT PUBLIC COMMENTS AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK EB PARKS.ORG VIA VOICEMAIL AT 5 1 0 5 4 4 2 0 1 6, AND LEAVING A MESSAGE WHICH WILL BE DE TRANSCRIBED AND GIVEN TO THE BOARD AND MADE A PART OF PUBLIC RECORD OR THREE BY JOINING THE MEETING VIA ZOOM LINK, WHICH IS LISTED ON THE AGENDA POSTED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE, THE SUBMISSION OF PUBLIC COMMENTS NOTICED ON THE AGENDA AND IN THE BOARD PACKET POSTED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE, MARCH 1ST, 2024.ALL EMAILS RECEIVED PRIOR TO DEADLINE ON MONDAY, MARCH 4TH, 2024, HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO THE BOARD AND EXECUTIVE TEAM.
ANY EMAILS THAT HAVE COME IN AFTER THIS DATE WILL BE ORGANIZED AND GIVEN TO THE BOARD AFTER THIS MEETING.
SO IF ANYONE IS HERE TO GIVE A COMMENT REGARDING AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WE'LL CALL YOU WHEN AN ITEM THAT ITEM COMES UP.
HAS THE CLERK RECEIVED ANY EMAILS OR SPEAKERS CARDS FROM THE PUBLIC FOR ANY ITEMS ON THE OPEN SESSION? NOT ON THE OPEN SESSION.
JUST COMMENT, UH, GENERAL COMMENT.
FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? CORRECT.
WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD WITH THAT THEN.
RENEE, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
UH, MY NAME IS RENEE PATTERSON.
I'M AN ADMIN ANALYST TOO WITH BUSINESS SERVICES AND OPERATIONS, AND I WORK AT PERALTA OAKS ON THE THIRD FLOOR.
I'M HERE TODAY AGAIN TO REMIND YOU THAT WE HAVE A PERS FILING, AND WHEN I SAY WE, I MEAN AFSCME, WHICH FILED AN UNFAIR PRACTICE CHARGE ON AUGUST 26TH, 2022, WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEE BOARD.
SO THE CHARGE WAS FOR BAD FAITH, BARGAINING, INTERFERENCE, DIRECT DEALING, AND UNILATERAL IMPLEMENTATION.
SO I AM JUST COMING TO REMIND YOU,
[00:05:01]
I'VE HEARD RUMORS THAT SOMETHING MIGHT BE HAPPENING SOON AND WHAT SOON MEANS, I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WHO KNOWS SINCE THIS STARTED IN 2022, WHAT SOON MEANS, BUT HOPEFULLY IF SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR.AND, UM, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO COME REMIND YOU UNTIL SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN.
[APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
WELL, I THINK I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR AGENDA TODAY.ALL IN FAVOR? OH, WELL, ACTUALLY, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? UM, I GUESS I CAN JUST GO AHEAD AND DO AVO VOICE VOTE.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
AND SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR.WERE THERE ANY, UH, ITEMS THAT ANYONE WANTED TO PULL OFF THE CONSENT CALENDAR OR ANY, UM, FOR EITHER DISCUSSION OR TO VOTE ON SEPARATELY? UH, QUESTIONS WERE, UH, SUBMITTED BY DIRECTOR, UH, RIO.
WERE ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED? YES.
MAY I HAVE A QUESTION ON ITEM FIVE AND ITEM 12? OF COURSE.
DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ON THE ITEM FIVE? OH, I'M SORRY.
I CAN'T FIND WHERE I'M GOING, BUT ITEM FIVE.
I'M VERY HAPPY THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I'M VERY ENCOURAGED BY THE AQUATICS DEPARTMENT TAKING THAT GREAT STEP AHEAD TO TO, TO, UM, DO THIS.
I'M TOLD IT'S FUNDED BY THE FUNDING THAT WAS TO BE USED AT CONTRAL LOMA, THEIR SWIM FACILITY.
AND MY QUESTION IS, DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN UPDATE ON WHEN CONTRAL LOMA IS GOING TO COME BACK ONLINE? I, GOOD AFTERNOON.
REN BATES, CHIEF OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.
WE ARE LOOKING, I THINK WE'RE SCHEDULED FOR THE MAY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO BRING BACK, UH, PROPOSALS OF WHAT IT WOULD COST TO BRING CONTRAL UP ON TO ONLINE SO THAT THAT DISCUSSION CAN HAPPEN IN TERMS OF WHAT TOTAL COST WOULD BE.
JUST AS A REMINDER, WE DID A RE A STUDY IN 2021.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT LOOKED AT, UH, REMOVING THE SAND AND HOW WE WOULD HAVE TO THEN UPGRADE THE LAGOON SUCH THAT THAT SAND IS PROBABLY HAS BEEN A MAINTENANCE ISSUE FOR YEARS.
THE, UH, THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF CODE COMPLIANCE, A DA COMPLIANCE, AND THEY ALL NEED, WOULD NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IF WE REMOVE THE SAND AS WE IMPROVE THOSE THINGS BECAUSE WE ARE AN OPTIC, BECAUSE COMPLIANCE WITH CODE.
SO IN STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS TO COME UP WITH OPTIONS IN TERMS OF A MINIMUM REPAIR AND THEN TO WORKING WITH OPERATIONS TO FIND OUT WHAT OTHER OPERATIONAL NEEDS WOULD NEED TO BE IMPROVED.
SO THERE'LL BE TWO OPTIONS THAT WE'LL BRING AND PLANNING TO BRING TO THE EXEC COMMITTEE, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS IN MAY, UM, TO SHARE WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM COMMITTEE TEAM TO MAKE A DETERMINATION ON THE APPETITE FOR THE DISTRICT TO MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS AND WHAT THOSE WILL ULTIMATELY ESTIMATE THE COST.
SO I, I DIDN'T PULL THE ITEM, BUT I DO NOTICE THAT PETE IS HERE AND I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT JUST FOR A MOMENT.
IF I COULD, UM, ASK PETE, UH, THE BACKGROUND, THE BACKGROUND WE HAVE ON THIS CONTRACT.
PETE SPEAKS TO, UM, REG, UH, UH, RECREATIONAL PROGRAMMING, UH, AT, AT THE, UH, HIGH SCHOOLS.
AND WHEN YOU WERE HERE, WHEN LAST YOU SPOKE OF, UH, I, I WANNA REMEMBER AN AQUATICS ADVENTURE PROGRAM.
AND I WONDERED IF YOU COULD JUST, UH, DESCRIBE AGAIN FOR US WHAT THAT WAS.
'CAUSE I JUST REMEMBER, AND I DON'T,
[00:10:01]
I GOTTA LOOK UP MY NOTES WHERE THAT WAS, BUT YOU'RE HERE AND I WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT IT AGAIN.'CAUSE IT WAS REALLY A, A SOUNDED LIKE A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.
UH, PETE ELECTRIC SERVICE MANAGER,
UM, WHAT WE'RE STRIVING FOR THERE IS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDING, UH, AQUATIC RECREATION AND WATER SAFETY AT THEIR PHYSICAL POOLS, BOTH ANTIOCH HIGH AND DEER VALLEY HIGH POOLS, AND PROVIDING 'EM ASPECTS OF WATER SAFETY THAT THEY WOULD NATURALLY GET AT CONTRAL THROUGH OUR PROGRAMMING THERE.
UH, WHAT WE FIND IS WE'VE DONE THAT, UH, THIS LAST SEASON AND WE WERE PRETTY SUCCESSFUL.
WE'RE HOPING TO GO BACK AND REPEAT THAT AGAIN, UH, AND THEN USE, UH, THAT EDUCATION MORE OF AS A FOUNDATION TO PROVIDE RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT IN THAT AREA.
UH, THIS IDEA SPECIFICALLY THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A FACILITY THAT IS EMPLOYED AND TRAINED, UH, WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL THERE.
AND SO CURRENTLY WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, ANTIOCH HIGH, DEER VALLEY HIGH AND DOZER LIVING MEDICAL HIGH, WHICH ARE ALL THREE HIGH SCHOOLS WITHIN THE ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND, UH, THE CONCEPT OF, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, GAINING EXPERIENCE WITH THESE KIDS AND, UH, TRAINING WITH THESE KIDS AND THEN ACTUALLY USING THE POOL OF KIDS THAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING WITH FOR RECRUITING FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES IS JUST BRILLIANT.
AND I, IT, UH, IT ADDS A FACET TO THIS.
I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND, SO THANK YOU.
OKAY, SO IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR? I BELIEVE THAT DOC, UH, DIRECTOR WASPY HAD A QUESTION ON 12.
SORRY, I JUST MARKED THAT'S OKAY.
SO I, ITEM 12 IS THE AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDS FROM THE CALIFORNIA FIRE SAFE COUNCIL'S FIRE CAPACITY GRANT PROGRAM FOR FUELS MANAGEMENT, WILDCAT CANYON.
AND BOY, I REALLY SUPPORT THIS.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY IF WE CAN GET A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HELP OUR WORK THROUGH THE STATE.
I'M WONDERING, IT SAYS IN THE BODY OF THE LANGUAGE HERE THAT THERE ARE, UM, 400 COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE RECEIVED A TOTAL OF $125 MILLION THROUGHOUT THIS PROGRAM.
I'M WONDERING, THIS IS ONE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL.
I'M NOT WANNA, I DON'T WANNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT I'M WONDERING HOW MANY FIRE SAFE COUNCILS ARE THERE WITHIN OUR BOUNDARIES? 'CAUSE I WOULD ASSUME EVERY FIRE SAFE COUNCIL WOULD PROBABLY BE BY THE
AND WHY HAVEN'T THEY RECEIVED GRANTS OR HAVE THEY? UH, YEAH, I, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO, SEE OR WORK WITH, UH, CHIEF TYLEE AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO YOU.
'CAUSE I THINK, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
I KNOW PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ARE MM-HMM.
AND I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE VARIOUS, UM, FUNDING IN THE, UH, CONSENT CALENDAR TODAY, BOTH IN TERMS OF GRANTS AS WELL AS, UH, MEASURE FF FUNDS.
UM, SO THIS IS A, IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO APPROVE THIS.
AND SO WITH THAT, UH, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR? SECOND MOVE BY DIRECTOR MECURIO AND SECONDED BY DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
MOTION PASSES AND, UH, WELCOME DIRECTOR CORBET.
AND, UM, WE HAVE, UM, DIRECTOR CORBETT APPEARING REMOTELY.
UH, SO THEREFORE, I NEED TO ASK DIRECTOR CORBETT IF THERE ARE ANY INDIVIDUALS OTHER THAN HER IN THE ROOM WITH HER WHO ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.
CAN YOU HEAR US? DIRECTOR CORBETT? I THINK YOU'RE MUTED.
I DUNNO IF YOU HEARD MY QUESTION.
UM, I HAVE TO ASK FOR, UNDER THE REGULATIONS, WHETHER THERE ARE ANY INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER WITH YOU THERE IN THE ROOM TODAY? NO.
[00:15:01]
WELCOME.UM, OKAY, SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG.
NOW WE CAN START WITH OUR, OUR REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS, UM,
[ACQUISITION, STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION]
STARTING BY WITH THE ACQUISITION, STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION.UM, PRESIDENT ECCLES, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M THE RESTORATION PROJECTS MANAGER HERE.
AND I'LL GIVE A, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE ITEM AND THEN HAND IT OFF TO SCOTT STOLLER, OUR PROJECT MANAGER, UH, THE NORTH BASIN STRIP PROJECT.
UM, IT'S, UH, IT'S A, IT'S IN LINE WITH THE PARK DISTRICT'S ONGOING EFFORTS FOR CLIMATE SPAR SMART AND SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES, UM, WHICH ARE IN LINE WITH THE STATE'S 30 BY 30, UH, GOALS, UM, AND CURRENT MOVEMENT.
UM, SPECIFICALLY THE THREE PILLARS OF 30 BY 30 ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY AND ACCESS TO NATURE.
UM, THE PROJECT BUILDS ON PRIOR WORK.
UH, SO THE PARK DISTRICT HAS BEEN DEVELOPING OUT EAST SHORE FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS NOW, UM, STARTING WITH THE BERKELEY MEADOW FROM 2004 TO 2009.
AFTER THAT, THERE WAS, UH, DEVELOPMENT, UM, AS THE BOARD KNOWS AT, AT, UM, ALBANY BEACH.
AND THAT WAS FROM APPROXIMATELY 2009 TO 2020.
AND MOST RECENTLY WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE, THE BERKELEY BRICKYARD, UM, BEING THREE OF THREE OF THE MAIN IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS OF THE GENERAL PLAN AT EAST SHORE.
UM, BETWEEN, UH, THESE TWO AREAS, ALBANY AND BERKELEY IS THE NORTH BASIN STRIP, AND IT IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING UNDEVELOPED AREAS OF EAST SHORE.
UH, AND THIS, THIS PROJECT WILL LOOK AT DEVELOPMENT THERE.
UM, THE, OUR PLANNING GROUP, UH, BRIAN HOLT'S TEAM RECENTLY COMPLETED, UH, UH, IT'S CALLED THE WRAP.
UH, THE BOARD HAS HEARD OF THIS BEFORE.
IT'S THE RISK ASSESSMENT AND ADAPTATION PRIORITIZATION PLAN.
AND IT DID DESIGNATE THE NORTH BASIN STRIP AS BEING A PRIORITY, UM, AREA, UH, SUSCEPTIBLE TO, UM, HIGH TIDES, UH, LOSS OF PUBLIC ACCESS FROM THAT.
SO THE PROJECT WILL BE LOOKING INTO THAT.
UM, OUR GRANTS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION AUTHORITY FUNDING, UH, FOR THE PROJECT.
UH, AND WE'VE ASSEMBLED A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONSULTANT TEAM TO SUPPORT DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, UH, TO ADVANCE THIS PROJECT.
AND SCOTT'S GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH, UH, THIS ITEM.
UH, PRESIDENT NICHOLS AND, AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UH, MY NAME'S SCOTT STOLLER.
I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER WITHIN THE RESTORATION PROJECTS UNIT IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THIS EXCITING PROJECT THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON.
UH, THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS, UH, IS TO PROVIDE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE DISTRICT TO AWARD A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT, UH, TO THE CONSULTING FIRM, WRT FOR $630,000, UH, TO SUPPORT THE RESTORATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS PLANNING AT THE NORTH BASIN STRIP IN THE MCLAUGHLIN EAST SHORE STATE PARK.
THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT IS THE PROJECT AREA OUTLINED IN YELLOW.
AND, AND SO THAT BIG OPEN BODY OF WATER IS THE NORTH BASIN.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE IS THE 20 ACRES THAT COMPRISES THE NORTH BASIN STRIP, WHICH INCLUDES THE PANHANDLE THAT EXTENDS NORTH ALONG THE TOM BATES REGIONAL, UH, SPORTS COMPLEX.
THE PROJECT ALSO INCLUDES ON THE SOUTH SIDE, THE VER VIRGINIA STREET EXTENSION, AND THEN ON THE WEST IS PROPERTY OWNED BY THE CITY OF BERKELEY.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE PROJECT TIMELINE, UM, AND REALLY IS, UH, HIGHLIGHTS WHAT I'LL BE DELVING INTO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ON, UH, THE LATER SLIDES.
UH, BUT JUST ON A HIGH LEVEL, UH, JUST WANTED TO, UH, AGAIN, UH, HIGHLIGHT THAT THE, THE GENERAL PLAN IS REALLY THE, THE GUIDING LIGHT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING, UH, FOR DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS AT THE PARK.
UM, THAT WAS, UH, ADOPTED IN 2002 AND REALLY HAS BEEN AS, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, UM, IMPLEMENTED OVER THESE LAST 20 YEARS.
UM, AND IN 2020 IS WHEN WE REALLY STARTED TO LOOK AT THE NORTH BASIN STRIP, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY, UH, WITH THE, THE WRAP AS, AS CHRIS MEN, AS CHRIS MENTIONED.
AND THEN, UM, AFTER THAT, UH, PLAN WAS, UH, UNVEILED.
UH, WE APPLIED FOR GRANTS FROM, UH, THE RESTORATION AUTHORITY THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE, UH, PLANNING TO, TO WORK THROUGH.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO, UM, OUR, OUR BLUE AREA, UH, FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
UH, WE, UM, IN INTEND TO GO THROUGH, UH, THIS, UH, THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
AND THEN AT THE END OF IT, UH, WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO THE BOARD, UH, TO, UH, TO CONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF A PREFERRED CONCEPT AND TO PROCEED WITH
[00:20:01]
CQA.SO, STARTING AGAIN WITH THE, WITH THE GENERAL PLAN.
AND, AND JUST TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE, THE STATE PARK ITSELF.
UM, THIS SLIDE IS AN EXCERPT, UH, FROM THE GENERAL PLAN, BUT THE MCLAUGHLIN EAST SHORE STATE PARK ENCOMPASSES EIGHT AND A HALF MILES OF SHORELINE ALONG THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
UH, IT'S A MIX OF TIDE LANDS AND UPLAND AREAS.
AND MOST OF THE UPLAND AREAS, INCLUDING THE ENTIRE NORTH BASIN STRIP, UH, IS COMPRISED OF, UH, FILL PLACED IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
UH, THE EXTENT OF THE, OF THE ENTIRE STATE PARK GO FROM THE CITY OF RICHMOND ALL THE WAY DOWN, UH, THROUGH EMERYVILLE AND OAKLAND, UH, TERMINATING AT THE BASE OF THE BAY BRIDGE.
THE DISTRICT OPERATES THE STATE PARK UNDER AN OPERATING AGREEMENT, UH, THAT WAS RENEWED IN 2013, UH, WITH THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, UH, FOR ANOTHER 30 YEAR TERM.
UM, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE GENERAL PLAN PROVIDES, UH, REALLY THE, THE GUIDANCE FOR PROJECT ELEMENTS THAT WE'LL BE CONSIDERING, UH, FOR THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
A COUPLE OF, UH, COMMENTS JUST ABOUT THE, THE, THE BAY TRAIL, UH, WRAP.
UH, THE, AND AGAIN, THAT'S THE RISK ASSESSMENT AND ADAPTATION PRIORITIZATION PLAN.
I REALLY LOOKED AT SEA LEVEL RISE VULNERABILITY ALONG OUR SHORELINE PROPERTIES.
AND THEN THE IMAGE THAT'S SHOWN HERE IS A RENDERING OF, UH, OF THE NORTH BASIN STRIP AREA, UH, INCORPORATING SOME OF THOSE ELEMENTS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL GENERAL PLAN.
THE WRAP WAS LED BY A WRT, UH, WHO WAS OUR LEAD CONSULTANT FOR THIS PROJECT.
UM, AND REALLY THEY LOOKED AT PRIORITIZING, UH, NATURE-BASED ADAPTATION PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE ECOLOGICAL RE RESTORATION, UH, RECREATION CRITICAL MOBILITY, AND ALSO BUILDING IMPORTANT, UH, INTERPRETIVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
IN 2022, UH, WE APPLIED FOR A GRANT FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION AUTHORITY, UH, THAT WAS AWARDED FOR $600,000.
UH, AND THE DISTRICT IS CONTRIBUTING A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, TO FULFILL OUR, OUR GRANT REQUIREMENTS.
UH, THIS PAST FALL, WE ISSUED A, A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, AND WE RECEIVED PROPOSALS AND INTERVIEWED, UH, TWO FIRMS, UH, THAT WERE BOTH WELL QUALIFIED.
THE WRT TEAM, UH, WAS THE HIGHEST, UH, RANKED, UH, BUT BOTH TEAMS WERE REALLY WELL QUALIFIED AND, AND WOULD PRODUCE, UH, WHAT WE FELT WERE, UH, WOULD BE HIGH QUALITY, UH, WORK PRODUCTS.
UH, BUT WHAT REALLY STOOD OUT WAS, UM, THEIR ABILITY TO ARTICULATE A WELL CONSIDERED AND LAYERED PUBLIC OUTREACH PLAN AND THEIR FAMILIAR FAMILIARITY, UH, WITH THE SITE AND STAKEHOLDER GROUPS FROM THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE ORIGINAL GENERAL PLAN, UH, BACK IN 2002, IN FACT.
UM, AND THEN THEIR ABILITY TO ASSEMBLE A PROGRAMMATIC, UH, RECREATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS PLAN.
THEIR TEAM ALSO, UH, INCORPORATES AND INCLUDES, UH, SOME, UH, PIONEERING, UH, MEMBERS OF, OF THE RESTORATION COMMUNITY, UH, THAT WILL LOOK AT NATURE-BASED, UH, RESILIENT SHORELINE, UH, DESIGN OPTIONS.
AND REALLY, THE, THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IN THIS PRE-DESIGN PHASE, UM, IS TO DEVELOP, UH, PRELIMINARY DESIGN THAT CREATES A RESILIENT SHORELINE THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO SEA LEVEL RISE.
AND THAT'S COUPLED WITH, UH, PUBLIC ACCESS THAT'S ROOTED, UM, IN THE GUIDANCE FROM THE GENERAL PLAN SPECIFICALLY.
UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE TOUCHING ON ARE THE TECHNICAL STUDIES LISTED HERE, UH, LOOKING AT SEA LEVEL RISES, UH, BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES, UH, GEOTECHNICAL AND, AND HAZARDOUS WASTE, UH, CONSIDERATIONS.
AND THEN THE UTILITY, UH, SYSTEM, SYSTEM CAPACITY.
THE PHOTO ON THIS SLIDE IS OF THAT SOUTH PORTION OF THE PROJECT AREA ON THE VIRGINIA STREET EXTENSION.
THIS WAS TAKEN EARLIER THIS YEAR DURING A KING TIDE.
AND JUST ILLUSTRATING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING, UH, BAY WATERS, UH, COMING UP TO AND, AND SMALL, UH, AND, AND CROSSING, UH, THE, THE EXISTING TRAIL THERE.
THIS SLIDE IS AGAIN, PULLED FROM, FROM THE GENERAL PLAN.
UM, AND WHAT, UM, WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES IS SOME OF THE, UH, ELEMENTS IN THE GENERAL PLAN THAT WE'LL BE CONSIDERING, UH, I'LL JUST HIGHLIGHT THEM, UH, QUICKLY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THE, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, UH, WE SHOW, UH, THE, THE POTENTIAL OF REGRADING OR, OR EVEN, UH, INSTALLING THE BENEFICIAL FILL, UH, TO, UM, TO IMPROVE, UH, HABITAT ALONG THAT SHORELINE AND TO ADAPT, OBVIOUSLY TO, UH, TO SEA LEVEL RISE.
UM, AND THEN ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE, UH, THERE WAS CONSIDERATION AND WILL BE
[00:25:01]
CONSIDERING DAYLIGHTING SCHOOLHOUSE CREEK, UH, WHICH DRAINS FROM THE CITY OF BERKELEY.AND THEN WITHIN THAT NORTH BASIN STRIP AREA, UM, THERE'S, UH, CONSIDERATION FOR, UH, PUBLIC FACING FACILITIES, UM, INCLUDING, UH, PARKING AND, AND OTHER RECREATIONAL AMENITIES.
THIS IS OUR, UH, TENTATIVE PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A BUSY SLIDE, UH, BUT REALLY THE, THE TAKEAWAY IS THAT THE, THE PROJECT WORK THAT'S SHOWN IN GREEN AT THE TOP, UM, IS FILTERED THROUGH THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON OUR WAY TO EACH OF OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UH, EVENTS.
AND THAT, UH, THAT PROCESS REPEATS, UH, THROUGH, UH, THREE COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, UH, WE'LL BE COMING TO THE FULL BOARD, UH, TO CONSIDER ADOPTING A PRELIMINARY DESIGN THAT IS, UH, THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
AND THEN TO, UH, MOVE INTO THE, THE CQA PHASE IN TERMS OF THE USE AND SOURCE OF FUNDS.
UH, THE PROJECT HAS 600, UH, HAS $700,000 IN IT.
AND, UH, THIS CONSULTANT CONTRACT WOULD TAKE, UH, 630,000, UH, LEAVING SOME FUNDS REMAINING IN THE PROJECT.
AND THEN JUST TO RECAP, UH, WHAT OUR, UM, RECOMMENDATION IS, UM, AND THAT IS TO AUTHORIZE THE AWARD OF THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT FOR $630,000, UH, TO WRT FOR THE RESTORATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS PLANNING FOR THE NORTH BASIN STRIP WITHIN THE MCLAUGHLIN EAST SHORE STATE PARK.
UM, BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
UM, THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT PROJECT.
UH, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING, UM, OOPS, I'M SORRY.
I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT WHAT I JUST SAID.
UH, QUESTION ABOUT, UM, SEA LEVEL RISE WHEN WE DO, 'CAUSE WE'RE BASICALLY, WHAT ARE WE, UH, BASING OUR CALCULATION OR PROGNOSTICATION, UH, ON SEA LEVEL RISE, WHERE IT'S GONNA BE, ARE WE USING A STUDY FROM 10 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING MORE RECENT? YES.
UM, SO I MEAN, SEA LEVEL RISE, THE, THE PROJECTIONS ARE UPDATED, UM, EVERY, EVERY, UH, SEVERAL YEARS.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE RELYING AND WORKING WITH OUR CONSULTANTS TO LOOK AT THE LATEST DATA AND TRENDS, AND THEN WE'LL BE WORKING COLLABORATIVE COLLABORATIVELY WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY THE, THE MOST SALIENT, UH, DESIGN CRITERIA FOR THE PROJECT.
'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE, UM, SEA LEVEL RISE IS OCCURRING MUCH QUICKER THAN THAT, THAN, UM, EVEN FORECAST.
BUT, UM, AND THEN GOING BACK TO, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS, THIS AREA WAS CAPPED.
WHAT WAS THE, WHAT WAS THE TOXIN THAT WAS THERE? I DON'T HAVE A LIST OF, OF THE TOXINS WITH ME.
UM, PRIMARILY IT'S CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS THAT IS, UH, LOCATED IS, IT COMPRISES THE LANDFILL THERE.
UM, AND JUST MY, MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT, UM, FROM THE GENERAL PLAN AND, AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE, UM, AT THAT TIME, UM, THE, THE CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN, UM, WERE IDENTIFIED, UH, SOMEWHAT, UM, SPORA, LIKE SPORADICALLY, LIKE IT, LIKE THERE WASN'T, LIKE, IT IS NOT A VERY CONTAMINATED SITE FROM, FROM MY RECOLLECTION.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE POINT ISABEL.
AND THEN, UH, UH, THINKING OF POINT ISABEL, UH, DO WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE IF, IF THE CAP WERE TO BE, UH, UH, EXPOSED OR DAMAGED IN SOME WAY, AGAIN, LOOKING AT POINT, ISABEL
UH, RENATE CHIEF OF DESIGN INSTRUCTION, I DON'T DIRECTOR ROSARIO, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE AN EXISTING AGREEMENT FOR THAT.
THE AGREEMENT WE HAVE IS JUST AN OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
I THINK ONCE WE GET, IF IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT WE'LL NEED TO DO, WE'LL HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THE STATE.
BUT THE, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THERE IS NOT AN EXISTING AGREEMENT FOR ANY SUCH STIPULATIONS OR CONDITIONS IF SOMETHING'S FOUND.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE AVOID WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCED WITH POINT ISABEL.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS PROJECT DIRECTOR CHURO.
YEAH, I, I THANK YOU ALSO FOR THE, THE PRESENTATION AND THE, THE GRAPHICS ARE NICE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SEE LOOKING DOWN THE FU IN THE FUTURE, HOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE ENJOYING THAT AREA AND HOW IT'S GONNA BE RESTORED AND HOW IT'S GONNA BE PROTECTED AGAINST THE ONSLAUGHT OF THE BAY WAVES AND ALL THAT.
BUT, UM, WHILE WE'RE HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A NEW SECTION OF THE BAY TRAIL, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE'RE
[00:30:01]
DESIGNING IT TO ACCOMMODATE THE HEAVY USE THAT OUR REGIONAL TRAILS GET.ESPECIALLY IN AN AREA LIKE THAT.
THAT'S A GREAT THING ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS THERE'S SO MANY, UM, SUCH A BIG POPULATION IN THAT AREA THAT IT'LL BE DRAWN TO IT.
AND SO, UM, THE, THE RENDERING LOOKED TO ME LIKE IT'S MORE THAN 10 FEET.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW, YOU, I I COULD NOT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO WAY TO SCALE THAT EXACTLY, BUT I WOULD THINK THAT 12 OR 15 WOULD BE WITH SHOULDERS WOULD BE, UH, AN APPROPRIATE, UH, CROSS SECTION THERE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S JUST TO, TO BE ABLE TO SORT OUT ALL THOSE USERS, YOU NEED MORE SPACE AND, AND, UH, I THINK, UH, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US WHEN WE'RE BUILDING SOMETHING NEW TO NOT DO IT THE OLD WAY, BUT TO REFLECT THE INCREASED USAGE AND INCREASED, UM, ACCESS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING.
THIS IS REALLY INFORMATIVE AND IT'S GREAT TO REVIEW THIS.
UM, REAL QUICK, AND I THINK THIS WAS JUST VERIFIED, BUT THIS LAND THAT WE'RE, UM, THAT THIS PROJECT IS FOR, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S OWNED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT WE HAVE THE OPERATING AND LICENSING AGREEMENT THROUGH.
IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY, THANK YOU.
UM, AND THEN MY OTHER, IT MIGHT BE MORE OF A COMMENT, UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED THE FUNDING COMING FROM, OH, EXCUSE ME FOR ONE MOMENT.
UM, UH, CHRIS BARTON, RESTORATION PROJECTS MANAGER.
ONE THING TO ADD, JUST ON THE, UH, LAND OWNERSHIP.
SO THE, THE PARK DISTRICT HAS AN UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN EAST SHORE STATE PARK, UM, ALONG WITH STATE PARKS.
SO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, IT'S DEFINED IN THE OPERATING AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE, UH, WITH, WITH STATE PARKS.
AND, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S ENVISIONED HERE AND THE PROCESS THAT WE GO THROUGH, UM, IS ALL DEFINED IN THAT OPERATING, UH, AGREEMENT.
BUT AS FAR AS PROPERTY OWNERSHIPS AND RIGHTS, WE HAVE, UH, EVERY RIGHT TO, TO BE WORKING HERE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE.
AND I GUESS ON THAT NOTE, IN REGARDS TO THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, IS THERE A CHECKPOINT WITH THE STATE WHERE THE STATE PARKS WOULD ALSO HAVE TO REVIEW AND APPROVE THIS PROJECT? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, AND SO MY COMMENT, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT THE FUNDING WAS MENTIONED FROM MEASURE AA.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT INITIATIVE FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY RESTORATION AUTHORITY.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, I'M GONNA KEEP THIS AS MORE OF A COMMENT, BUT FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THIS WENT TO THE VOTERS IN 2016, AND IT'S A PARCEL TAX THAT PROPERTY OWNERS PAY EACH YEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT GOES TO HELP FUND PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
UM, AND IF I'M INCORRECT, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME ON THAT, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S WHERE THIS FUNDING IS COMING FROM.
AND THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SHARE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ALTHOUGH IN, IN HEARING ALL THIS, I'M, I'M, SO DID THE STATE AND OUR AGREEMENT DEFINE WHO IS GONNA PAY FOR STUDIES LIKE THIS? WHO IS GONNA PAY FOR IMPROVEMENTS LIKE THIS? IT'S, I, I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S ALL US.
I JUST, AND, AND IF, BUT WE DON'T OWN IT, WE OPERATE IT.
I, I'M NOT A LAWYER, BUT I MEAN, SO IF WE FIND SOMETHING, I MEAN, A CAPPED LANDFILL, COME ON,
WHAT? YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND, UH, CANDY CANES UNDER THAT THING,
SO WHAT WOULD LEAVE US TO BELIEVE THERE'S NOT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE, WE DID A STUDY BEFORE THE PRELIMINARY STUDY DID IT, OR, I MEAN, I GUESS I CAN'T, IT'S AN UNANSWERABLE QUESTION.
ARE WE GONNA FIND SOMETHING IN THERE THAT'S NOT, UH, TO OUR LIKING? AND IF WE DO, WILL THIS BOARD HAVE THE CHOICE TO SUGGEST THAT AS LOOKING AT THE, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OVERALL MAP THAT WE'VE GOT? UM, YOU KNOW, THE TOM BATES SPORTS CENTER IS BEAUTIFUL.
THE NORTH BASIN STRIPS LOOKS LIKE IT'S COULD BE DEVELOPED.
AND EVERYTHING BELOW IT, BRICKY YARDS TREMENDOUS.
JUST LEAVE IT THERE AND LET ANIMALS
UH, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT, CAN WE JUST NOT DO THIS? 'CAUSE IT'S, IS THAT AN OPTION OR WILL THAT BE AN OPTION? OR WILL WRT LOOK INTO THAT? WELL, I THINK, I THINK YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE DO NOTHING ALTERNATIVE.
UM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND, AND WE'RE COGNIZANT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING AT POINT, ISABEL, AND, AND THE ISSUES, UH, WITH, WITH SOME OF THESE LANDFILLS AND,
[00:35:01]
AND OUR INTENTION, UM, IS, IS REALLY TO LIMIT ANY EXCAVATION, UM, THAT WE MAY DO, UM, IN TERMS OF IF WE'RE DAYLIGHTING THE CREEK OR IF WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, RUN UTILITIES OR SOMETHING.UM, BUT REALLY THE INTENTION IS TO BE BUILDING, UH, YOU KNOW, PLACING FILL ON TOP OR PLACING FILL OUTSIDE OF THE CURRENT, UM, SHORELINE AND NOT TO DIG INTO THE EXISTING LANDFILL, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO.
AND THEN THE TECHNICAL STUDIES WILL BE LOOKING AT THOSE SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE WE MAY BE DOING THAT TO DO ADDITIONAL, UM, ADDITIONAL RECONNAISSANCE ON THE MATERIALS WITHIN THE LANDFILL.
AND IF I COULD JUST ADD ON REALLY QUICKLY TO THIS, JUST, YOU RAISED SOME VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS THERE, DIRECTOR WASPY.
AND, UM, THERE, THESE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING AT THE STAFF LEVEL, JUST ABOUT THE LANDS THAT WE OPERATE THAT WE DO NOT OWN, UM, JUST GLOBALLY AND KIND OF WHAT'S OUR OBLIGATION THERE.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF PROJECTS, AS YOU GUYS KNOW.
I THINK CROWN BEACH IS A GREAT EXAMPLE WHERE WE, UH, ARE DOING THIS WITH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE, BUT, UM, RECEIVE NO FUNDING AND CONTINUE TO MOVE THAT SAND IN A SISYPHEAN WAY EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
SO THERE ARE LOTS OF, LOTS OF BIG QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE, AND I THINK AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROJECT, WE MAY COME BACK TO YOU.
UM, AND THERE ARE SOME CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING AT THE STATE LEVEL AS WELL WHEN, UH, THERE ARE OTHER PROPERTIES, AS YOU ALL KNOW, ONE VERY LARGE PROPERTY THERE THAT, UM, IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE OPERATING AFTER THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, IF THE STATE GETS INVOLVED IN THAT AND WANTS US TO PERHAPS OPERATE THAT, THEN THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE SOME, SOME, UH, VERY DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS AROUND, UH, HOW ARE ARRANGEMENT.
SO I WOULD SAY MORE TO COME, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY ON THIS PROJECT, I, SCOTT'S RIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING THROUGH IT, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MINIMIZE IT, AND IF SOMETHING COMES FORWARD, WE'LL, WE WILL, UH, BE PROBABLY BACK IN FRONT OF YOU.
AND, AND I THE COUNTER, I THINK YOU BRING UP AN EXCELLENT POINT OR AN EXAMPLE.
SO THAT RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH ALAMEDA, THAT'S A STATE PARK THAT WE RUN, BUT THE CITY OF ALAMEDA DECIDES THAT IT'S OBVIOUSLY THEIR INTEREST TO HAVE SAND ON THAT BEACH EVERY YEAR.
SO THEY SPLIT IT 50 50, DON'T THEY? THE COST OF THE SAND THEY DO ON THE ANNUAL, BUT NOT ON THE BIG FIXES.
SO WHEN WE, EVERY, AND I'M LOOKING AT, UH, LISA GORGEN OVER THERE, I THINK IT WAS MAYBE ROUGHLY EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO THAT WE WERE HOPING THAT WE WOULD HAVE, UH, BE DOING THE BIG REPLACEMENT ON THE SAND.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE EROSION ISSUES AND ALL SORTS OF WEATHER EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING, THAT'S, UM, ACTUALLY GONNA BE MUCH MORE FREQUENT.
AND WE'VE BEEN EATING, I BELIEVE, ALL OF THOSE COSTS.
AND THOSE ARE, THAT'S A VERY LARGE TICKET ITEM.
THAT'S NOT JUST THE ANN, THE ANNUAL REPLACEMENT.
I WAS THINKING OF WHAT A GREAT RELATIONSHIP TO ASK OUR FELLOW, UH, COLLABORATORS AT THE CITY OF BERKELEY.
MAYBE THEY COULD HELP OUT AND BECAUSE IT'S TO THEIR BENEFIT.
UM, AND ALSO WHAT FINALLY RUDDER ROLL, DID I PRONOUNCE THAT RIGHT? WHAT THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS AN INVASIVE SPECIES, ESSENTIALLY, RIGHT? OR SOMETHING THAT WASN'T THERE SOMETHING THAT REPLACED WHAT WAS THERE AND I'M, WHAT IS THAT? IS IT, IS IT SOMETHING NOXIOUS OR AWFUL OR IS IT COYOTE BRUSH THAT USUALLY INVADES? YEAH, IT'S, IT'S PRIMARILY JUST WEEDY, WEEDY MATERIAL.
UM, COLIN, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? I JUST WONDERED WHAT OUR ROLE IS.
UM, BEFORE I GO BACK TO OLIVIA, DIRECTOR CORBETT, DID YOU HAVE ANY, UH, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? I JUST WANTED TO SAY, BEING SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN THE BAY AREA, THIS IS A, A GREAT PROGRESSION OF A, OF A PROJECT.
IT'S LOOKING REALLY GOOD NOW, THOUGH.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE.
TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE LANDFILL CAPS, IT MADE ME THINK OF SOMETHING I, I KNOW WHEN I READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND THE SHORELINE AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THE 1970S, AND, AND PLEASE AGAIN, FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME ON THIS, THIS IS JUST WHAT I'VE READ, THAT THERE WAS THE SAVE THE BAY MOVEMENT THAT HAD HAPPENED IN THE 1970S BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OVER, YOU KNOW, LANDFILLS DOTTING THE SHORELINE.
AND, UM, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT AND OTHER PROJECTS WHERE WE HAVE THIS SITUATION, MAYBE THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING TO GO BACK TO,
[00:40:01]
UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE GOT THE FUNDING FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT FROM MEASURE AA AND THE, UM, THE RE RESTORE, THE SAN FRANCISCO RESTORATION AUTHORITY.YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY ALSO MAY HAVE SOME INSIGHT IN REGARDS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH LANDFILLS AND WHERE THERE'S LANDFILL CAPS.
'CAUSE I, I HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT THERE'S OTHER PROJECTS AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY THAT MIGHT BE, UH, ENCOUNTERING SOMETHING SIMILAR.
SORRY, ATE DESIGNING TRUCK CHIEF OF DESIGNING CONSTRUCTION.
I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THIS SITE IS ACTUALLY NOT SPECIFICALLY A LANDFILL LANDFILLS D GARBAGE DUMP THAT HAS BEEN CAPPED AND IS REGULATED BY THE STATE.
THE SITE IS JUST, HAS BEEN FILLED BY DEBRIS.
AND SO IT IS FILL THAT'S BEEN PLACED THERE, BUT IT IS NOT A LANDFILL THAT HAS BEEN DECOMMISSIONED AND THEN HAS A CAP THAT IS THEN IS REGULATED.
SO IT'S, IT'S A BIT DIFFERENT POINT.
IT'S ACTUALLY, IT'S A DISPOSAL SITE THAT HAS A CAP.
SO IT'S, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR LANDFILL.
SO OYSTER BAY IS DEFINITELY A LANDFILL AND IT HAS CAP REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO THIS SITE IS NOT THAT IT'S BEEN, IT HAS BEEN PLACED BECAUSE IT IS FILL IN THE BAY, BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARILY A LANDFILL THAT HAS BEEN CLOSED AND THEN HAS TO HAVE A CLOSURE ORDER THROUGH THE WATER BOARD AND OTHER ENTITIES.
AND SO IT, IT IS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT, AND THIS SITE DOESN'T HAVE THAT.
BUT I THINK YOUR, YOUR COMMENT IS NOTED.
I JUST WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE BOARD THAT THIS SITE, WE'VE USED LANDFILL A LOT AND WE USE LAND AND FILL.
IT'S, IT'S CONFUSING, BUT THIS ISN'T A LANDFILL SITE PER THE STATE AND REQUIRING THE CLOSURE THAT OTHER OFFICIAL LANDFILLS NEED, IF THAT'S HELPFUL.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SCOTT, FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND REN AS WELL FOR ALL THE IN INFORMATION.
UM, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BEING TURNED INTO, UH, PARKLAND.
AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A LOT OF BROADER CHALLENGES WITH THE STATE, AND I KNOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT AND WORKING ON THAT AND APPRECIATE THE, THE THOUGHT THAT'S GOING INTO THAT AS WELL.
AND, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S IT FOR ME.
AND NOW WE'RE ON TO THE UPDATE ON THE TILDEN.
WE HAVE, UM, I WAS THINKING IT WAS INFORMATIONAL.
WE DID NOT INFORMATIONAL AT ALL.
SO WERE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
AND I'M WONDERING, SINCE WE HAVE SOMEONE REMOTE, DO WE HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL? VOTE YES.
IF YOU'RE TAKING A VOTE AND THERE'S A REMOTE PARTICIPANT, YOU HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL.
WELL, I WILL, I WILL MOVE TO, UM, TO AUTHORIZE THE AWARD OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT FOR 600 630,000 WITH WRT.
UH, I GUESS WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL VOTE.
WE'VE BEEN ADVISED WE SHOULD DO ROLL CALL WITH ONE PERSON ONLINE.
I WAS SO EAGER TO GET TO THE EEC
UH, I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF AGAIN.
I GUESS FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS REN, CHIEF OF DESIGN CONSTRUCTION.
UM, EXCITED TO BRING THIS BACK TO THE BOARD.
UH, THIS IS AN UPDATE ON THE EEC PROJECT.
UH, EEC STANDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER AT TILDEN IN THE TILDEN NATURE AREA.
UM, SINCE THE LAST TIME WE WERE AT THE BOARD WITH A PRESENTATION, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO PUBLIC OUTREACH MEETINGS THAT, UM, STAFF HAS, UH, PRO CONDUCTED WITH THE HELP OF OUR CONSULTANTS.
UM, AND IT TOOK MANY FOLKS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, BUT JIM DEVLIN, OUR DISTRICT ARCHITECT AND MIKE MORAN ARE HERE TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THOSE MEETINGS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT, AND AS WELL AS OFFER THE SHOW THE THREE OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO THE PUBLIC, AND THEN RECOMMEND MAKE A STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS.
SO WITH THAT INTRODUCTION, I'LL INTRODUCE JIM DEVLIN TO COME UP AND GIVE A PRESENTATION.
[00:45:03]
GOOD AFTERNOON BOARD MEMBERS.I'M JIM DEVLIN, ARCHITECT FROM THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT HERE AT THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
AND IT, I'M EXCITED TO PRESENT TO YOU, UM, THE LATEST UPDATE ON THE TILDEN EEC REPLACEMENT PROJECT ADVANCE.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANT TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE GOALS FOR THE PROJECT.
THE PROJECT IS TO REPLACE THE EXISTING TILDEN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER FACILITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED EXHIBITS WITH A NEW FACILITY.
AND THE GOALS ARE A, TO PROVIDE A BUILDING COMPLEX THAT'S FULLY INTEGRATED WITH THE SURROUNDING NATURAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE.
IT'S ALSO TO CREATE A STATE-OF-THE-ART EDUCATION AND EXHIBIT EXPERIENCE THAT IS INVITING AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL THE PUBLIC AND A FACILITY THAT REFLECTS THE DISTRICT'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT DESIGN PRACTICES.
THIS SLIDE HERE IS JUST SORT OF TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REPLACING.
UM, THE PICTURE IN THE CENTER IS THE EEC.
UM, THE PICTURE UP IN THE RIGHT HAND, UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER IS AN AERIAL VIEW, AND THE IDEA IS TO REPLACE THE EEC AND THE ASSOCIATED SECURITY OF RESIDENCE THAT'S ADJACENT TO IT.
BUT I DO WANNA BE CLEAR THAT THE TILDEN LITTLE FARM IS NOT A PORTION OF THIS PROJECT.
IT WILL NOT BE IMPACTED, UM, DIRECTLY BY THIS PROJECT.
THE PROJECT'S LOCATED IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY.
IT'S SORT OF ON THE WESTERN BORDER WITH ALAMEDA COUNTY.
UM, IT'S LOCATED IN THE TILDEN NATURE AREA, WHICH IS SOUTH OF WILDCAT CREEK AND NORTH OF THE TILDEN, UM, REGIONAL PARK.
IT'S, UM, AND IT'S ADJACENT TO THE COMMUNITIES OF KENSINGTON IN BERKELEY, BUT TO REMEMBER, IT'S IN UNINCORPORATED, UM, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY.
SO HERE, I'M GONNA JUST GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROGRESS.
UM, FIRST I'M GONNA START OFF WITH THINGS THAT WE'VE COMPLETED TO DATE.
THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE FEASIBILITY STUDY THAT WAS DONE BACK IN 2017.
MORE RECENTLY, WE CONTRACTED OUR DESIGN CONSULTANTS, ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE ENGINEERS, AND, UM, EXHIBIT DESIGNERS.
WE'VE COMPLETED THE PRE-DESIGN PHASE FOR THE BUILDING AND SITE AND THE PRE-DESIGN PHASE FOR THE EXHIBIT DESIGN.
AND THEN ON WE, IN JANUARY, WE HAD A COMMUNITY MEETING, UM, WHERE WE PRESENTED, UM, THE PRE-DESIGN PHASE.
AND WE ALSO HAD AN EXHIBIT UP AT THE TILDEN, EEC UM, ROTUNDA LOBBY.
AND THERE'S ALSO BEEN A WEBSITE WITH PLENTY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT.
CURRENTLY IN PROCESS IS THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE WHERE WE'RE DEVELOPING THREE BUILDING SITE PLAN OPTIONS AND DEVELOPING THE EXHIBIT DESIGNS.
WE'RE ALSO HAVING COMMU, WE'VE HAD COMMUNITY MEETING NUMBER TWO, WHICH WAS ON FEBRUARY 28TH, I BELIEVE.
AND THAT, UM, IS WHERE WE PRESENTED THE THREE DESIGN OPTIONS TO THE PUBLIC.
AND AN ONSITE EXHIBIT IS GOING UP, I BELIEVE SOMETIME THIS WEEK, UM, AT THE SITE.
AND, UM, SO THEN THE NEXT STEPS, UM, IN THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE IS TO SELECT A PREFERRED DESIGN OPTION TO DEVELOP THAT PREFERRED DESIGN OPTION AND THEN TO ALSO CONTINUE TO EXCEL, DEVELOP THE EXHIBIT DESIGNS.
WITH THAT, I'M GONNA BRING UP, HAVE MIKE MORAN COME UP HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE, UM, THE EXHIBITS AND THE INTERPRETATION INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT.
PRESIDENT ECOL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M ONE OF THE INTERPRETIVE RECREATION SERVICES REGIONAL MANAGERS, FREE BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
I'M IN THE NORTHWEST REGION, WHICH IS WHERE THE TILDEN EEC RESIDES.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO INTRODUCE SARAH FEDERALLY SUPERVISING NATURALIST OVER AT, UH, TILDEN NATURE AREA, WHO WILL BE HERE TO ASSIST WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY, UH, CLARIFICATIONS.
UH, I AM TASKED WITH PRESENTING WHAT OUR WORK IS UP TO DATE WITH, UH, OUR CONSULTANTS, ALDRIDGE, PEARS AND ASSOCIATES.
UH, AND IT HAS BEEN QUITE THE PROCESS FOR THEM.
THEY'RE INCREDIBLY INNOVATIVE CREATIVE GROUP THAT HAVE STEERED US IN THE INTERPRETIVE, UH, DEPARTMENT TO, UH, REALLY GATHER AND DISTILL OUR IDEAS.
PUT TOGETHER THE STORY OF THE EEC THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO WITH THAT GOING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT 50 AND BEYOND? AND, UM, SO WE'VE BROKEN THIS
[00:50:01]
DOWN.UH, A PA HAS BROKEN IT DOWN INTO THREE DIFFERENT STEPS.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING, ALL THIS IS REALLY PERTAINING TO THE VISITOR JOURNEY.
HOW IS THAT EXPERIENCE GOING TO BE FELT WHEN THE VISITOR EITHER ANTICIPATES COMING TO THE EEC OR GETS THERE AND GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND THEN PROCEEDS INTO THE TILDA NATURE AREA? UH, FIRST OF ALL, WE START WITH OUR THEMES, AS WE DO IN ALL OF OUR INTERPRETIVE PROJECTS.
WHAT IS THE STORY WE'RE TRYING TO TELL? AND ALL WE DO IS GUIDED BY THAT THEME, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME SUB THEMES THAT SUPPORT THAT THEME.
WE'LL ALSO MOVE ON TO SOME CONTENT RELATIONSHIPS, HOW SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT MAKES TILDEN, UH, NATURE AREA AND WILDCAT CREEK WATERSHED SO UNIQUE, SUCH A COMPELLING PLACE.
AND, UH, THE STORY OF ADJACENCIES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING IN THIS VISITOR CENTER, THESE EXPERIENCES THAT ARE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER, AND HOW DO THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER INTO THIS GRANDER PICTURE.
SO THIS IS NOT AN EXHIBIT DESIGN PRESENTATION AT ALL.
THIS IS A PHILOSOPHICAL, UH, APPROACH TO HOW WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THESE EXHIBITS.
SO, FIRST OF ALL, WE'LL START WITH THE THEME AND THE, THE PRINTING'S KINDA SMALL THERE, SO GO AHEAD AND READ IT.
BUT OUR OVERALL STORY IS ALWAYS TO DO WITH WILDCAT CREEK WATERSHED.
THE DYNAMIC WILDCAT CREEK WATERSHED EMBODIES DRAMATIC CHANGES THAT DEFINE THE LANDSCAPES, THE VALUES, AND THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM OF THE EAST BAY.
SO ALL THAT WE'RE DOING IS GONNA BE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THAT PARTICULAR THEME.
AND OUR SUB-THEMES BREAK OFF AND, AND SUPPORT THAT OVERARCHING THEME, ALLOWING US TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE WATERSHED.
UH, FIRST ONE WE HAVE THROUGH TIME.
THE WATERSHED HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF SUSTENANCE, COMMERCIAL WATER SUPPLY, GRAZING LAND, EUCALYPTUS PLANTATION, A FLOOD HAZARD, AND A PLACE OF REFUGE AND RECREATION.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS REVEAL THEIR ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN OUR CHANGING ECOSYSTEM.
THE WILDCAT CREEK CARVES AND SHAPES THE LAND AND PROVIDES RICH AND VARIED HABITAT FOR MANY PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES.
AND PEOPLE HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE HEALTH OF THIS ECOSYSTEM FROM PERSONAL TO POLICY LEVELS.
AND THESE ARE ALL THINGS IN THE PRESENT TENSE, BUT I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THE GRANDER HISTORY, THE HUMAN HISTORY THAT'S BEEN GOING ON HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, UM, IN SUCH A VARIED AND REMARKABLE WAY AND GOING FORWARD.
SO THIS IS A, A, OUR STATEMENT OF THEMES THAT WILL CAPTURE ALL OF THOSE STORIES.
ALRIGHT, IS THERE A TRICK TO THIS? HERE I'M GONNA HIT, THERE WE GO.
SO THIS SIDE IS A, IT'S KIND OF A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF HOW ALL OUR THINKING HAS GONE, UH, IN A, IN A MORE OF A LANDSCAPE FASHION FOR TILLEN NATURE AREA.
THESE ARE THE CONTENT RELATIONSHIPS, AND THESE CONCENTRIC OVALS REALLY HELP US TO, UM, CLARIFY HOW THE DIFFERENT STORIES RELATE TO EACH OTHER.
UM, WE HAVE THIS EDDIE, THIS WATER BODY THAT YOU SEE RIGHT IN THE CENTER AND THE HEART OF TILDA NATURE AREA REALLY IS WATER.
YOU HAVE THE, THE W GROUP WATERSHED, YOU HAVE JEWEL LAKE, YOU HAVE THE PONDS THERE.
IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT THAT WATERSHED.
SO THIS VISUAL, VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF HOW ALL THESE STORIES, UM, UH, ARE CARRIED BY THESE, THESE THEMES AND CONNECT TO THESE THEMES IS REALLY CENTERING AROUND THAT WATER THAT EDDY.
BUT THEN, UM, WHEN YOU HAVE THE UP CLOSE FEELING OF THE WATER PLANTS, ANIMALS, YOU'RE STUDYING THIS AND YOU'RE EXPERIENCING THE WATER, YOU TAKE ONE STEP BACK AND YOU'VE GOT TILDA NATURE AREA WRIT LARGE.
HOW DO WE GO ABOUT INTERPRETING THAT? THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS THROUGH TIME, UM, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY IMMERSED IN THE ENTIRE TILDA NATURE AREA, UH, EXPERIENCE.
AND THEN WE'LL MOVE OUT ONE MORE STEP TO THE WATERSHED.
AND THIS IS THE, THE HEADWATERS UP AT THE PEAKS OF THE EAST BAY HILLS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BAY THAT THIS WATERSHED SYSTEM SUPPORTS WILDLIFE, PLANTS, MIGRATIONS, UH, STORIES ALL THE WAY FROM THE HEADWATERS DOWN TO THE BAY.
AND THE, THE WATERSHED PROVIDES US WITH A REALLY GREAT VIEW.
ANOTHER WORD FOR A WATERSHED IS A CATCHMENT.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE USE VERY MUCH IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT I REALLY LIKE USING THAT WORD BECAUSE IT DOES CATCH AND CAPTURE AND HOLD AND SHARE MANY OF THE STORIES THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING AT THE VISITOR CENTER AND THE TILDA NATURE AREA.
AND IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES HOW PROCESSES AND HAPPENINGS THROUGHOUT THE WATERSHED IMPACT AND SUPPORT ALL AN ARRAY OF COMMUNITIES, THE HUMAN COMMUNITIES THAT USE THE AREA, THE NATURAL COMMUNITIES, THE PHYSICAL PROCESSES THAT GO ON HERE.
AND THEN WE MOVE OUT TO THE PARK DISTRICT, WHICH IS REALLY KIND OF OUR GRAND, UH, PART OF THE CATCHMENT WHERE WE REALLY EXPLORE HOW WE AS HUMANS HAVE CHOSEN TO INTERACT WITH PARK LANDS IN GENERAL AND TILL THE NATURE AREA AND THIS WILD CAT, UH, CREEK WATERSHED IN PARTICULAR.
[00:55:01]
SO WHAT ARE THE MEANINGS AND THE IMPACTS OF THOSE CHOICES THAT WE, THE DISTRICT HAVE MADE OVER TIME AND, UH, WILL AGAIN IN THE FUTURE AS WE ENDEAVOR TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO THEIR PARKS.AND YOU ALSO SEE THESE, THESE RED THREADS THROUGH HERE.
SO THIS, IF YOU WERE JUST TO LOOK AT THE CONCENTRIC SPHERES, YOU MIGHT THINK OF SEPARATION, BUT WE REALLY WANT FOLKS TO LOOK AT ALL THESE, UH, DIFFERENT ASPECTS, UH, THROUGH DIFFERENT LENSES OR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
WHAT IS THE PERSPECTIVE THAT WE COULD SHARE THROUGH AN OHLONE SENSIBILITY HISTORICALLY, PRESENTLY, AND INTO THE FUTURE? UM, HOW WOULD FOLKS LOOK AT THIS PLACE AND, UH, TILDA NATURE AREA AND THE WATERSHED WRIT LARGE AS A NATURALIST OR AS A CONSERVATIONIST, OR WHAT IF YOU WERE THE ANIMAL ITSELF USING THAT WATERSHED? WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT CONNECTS YOU AS AN ANIMAL, AS THAT SPECIES TO THIS PLACE? AND WHAT IS IT THAT WE HAVE HUMAN, AS HUMANS HAVE DONE TO IMPACT IN GOOD WAYS, BAD WAYS, IN DIFFERENT WAYS? UM, ALL THE ABOVE, THAT PARTICULAR SPECIES, AND WAS IT THAT ONE? THERE WE GO.
BUT ALL THROUGH ALL THIS, YOUR INTERPRETATION AS YOU SEE IN THE MIDDLE OF, UH, THIS GRAPH THAT'S OUR BIGGEST TENET AND THE ADJACENCIES, THIS IS A REALLY INTERESTING CONCEPT THAT A PA SHARED WITH US.
UH, WORKING WITH SARAH'S TEAM, UH, REALLY GATHERING UP SO MUCH INFORMATION IN THE HISTORY AND THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT HER TEAM HAS TO REALLY DECIDE WHAT IT IS THAT HAS HAPPENED TO TILDEN.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO HAVE HAPPEN? AND FOR ALL PARK EXPERIENCES, THERE'S, IF YOU START ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'VE GOT THE ARRIVAL, YOU'VE JUST PULLED INTO THAT PARKING LOT OR YOU'VE JUST CRESTED THAT HILL AND YOU'RE COMING DOWN AND THERE'S THAT ARRIVAL SENSE.
WE ARE HERE, WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON OUR ADVENTURE, BUT BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY GET OUTTA THE CAR, YOU'RE STARTING A DECOMPRESSION.
WHEN YOU'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GET INTO THE, UH, TILLEN NATURE AREA, REALLY REAP THOSE GRACES THERE.
SO YOU'RE DECOMPRESSING, YOU'RE MAKING SURE YOU GOT YOUR CAR KEYS, YOUR KIDS ARE OUTTA THE BACKSEAT, YOU'VE GOT ALL YOUR STUFF THERE.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND THEN YOU GET UP TO THE RECEPTION WHERE YOU ARE ORIENTED, YOU'RE IN THE VISITOR CENTER NOW, OR YOU'RE IN, YOU'VE JUST CROSSED THE BRIDGE OVER TO WHERE THE LITTLE FARM AND THE VISITOR CENTER MIGHT BE, AND YOU BEING RECEIVED BY THIS PARK.
HOW IS THAT EXPERIENCE GOING TO BE MAXIMIZED BY THE DESIGN OF THE VISITOR CENTER AND THE, UM, EXHIBITS AND THE LANDSCAPING TOO? SO THAT'S YOUR ORIENTATION.
I'M HERE, WHAT AM I GONNA DO NEXT? YOU GO INSIDE THE BUILDING AND IT'S INTERPRETATION, INTERPRETATION, INTERPRETATION.
UM, THAT'S OUR CENTRAL TENANT.
AND THAT REALLY PROVIDES FOLKS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE AND CONNECT TO THE PARK THROUGH THESE GREEN LITTLE SPOTS.
UH, THE SECTIONS OF THE CIRCLES THERE THROUGH ORIENTATION, GETTING AN IDEA WHERE YOU ARE THROUGH PLAY, THROUGH REFLECTION, THROUGH EXPLORATION AND TOUCH AND CONNECTION.
THESE ARE ALL AVENUES THAT WE CAN USE THROUGH INTERPRETATION TO REALLY MAXIMIZE, UH, THAT POSITIVE INTERACTION, THAT CONNECTION PEOPLE HAVE WITH THEIR PARKS, UH, ONCE YOU'RE INSIDE THE BUILDING.
UM, AND THAT INTERPRETATION IS ALL INTEGRATED WITH THE SITE.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING OUT THROUGH, UM, THE, THE PERIMETER OF THE BLUE CIRCLE, YOU'LL SEE THE YELLOW CIRCLES THERE, AGAIN WITH THE ARROWS ATTACHED TO 'EM.
AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO GET OUT INTO THE PARK.
SO YOU'RE HAVING PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS, VISUAL CONNECTIONS, SENSORIAL, SENSORY CONNECTIONS TO THESE PLACES, UM, TO GET OUT, ENJOY THE WATERSHED, GO OUT AND LOOK AT THE TRAILS, CHECK OUT THE LITTLE FARM.
AND EVEN THOUGH AS JIM, UH, AND R MENTIONED, THIS IS NOT PART OF THE PROJECT, THE LITTLE FARM, WE WANT TO CONNECT THE VISITOR CENTER TO THE LITTLE FARM.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND UP TO NOW IS THAT THEY ARE, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER, YOU COULDN'T GET MUCH MORE SEPARATE, UH, FROM THE EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, UM, UH, AMENITIES.
SO WE REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO GET OUT AND EXPLORE ABOUT.
SO ALL THESE, THE THEMES, THE RELATIONSHIPS, THESE ADJACENCIES ARE ALL DEVELOPED IN CONCERT WITH THE ARCHITECTS AND THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS.
THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY REFRESHING VIEW THAT DISTRICT HAS TAKEN IS THAT INSTEAD OF HAVING A BUILDING AND THEN DEVELOPING EXHIBITS AND INTERPRETER PROGRAMS TO GO INSIDE THAT BUILDING, WE'VE WORKED WITH E-H-D-D-A-P-A AND CMG, OUR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS TO PUT ALL THOSE IDEAS TOGETHER AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND THAT REALLY MAKES FOR A MUCH MORE SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE.
IT'S A LOT MORE WORK, IT'S EXCITING WORK, BUT IT'S MUCH MORE SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE AND IT MAKES A WHOLE LOT MORE SENSE, UH, IN DEVELOPING THE MAXIMUM RETURN ON THIS KIND OF A PROJECT.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A HOLISTIC PROJECT, IT'S A HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE.
AND ALTHOUGH THIS DOESN'T TELL US WHAT THOSE EXHIBITS ARE GONNA BE, IT DOESN'T TELL US IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE SCREENS, IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PANELS, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE TOUCH THINGS,
[01:00:01]
ALL THOSE THINGS ARE COMING.BUT THIS IS REALLY, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE'RE DEVELOPING THAT PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF WHERE WE GO NEXT.
AND THAT'S BEEN A, A GREAT PART OF THIS PROJECT WORKING WITH THE A-P-A-E-H-D-D AND CMG AND THE DISTRICT TEAM'S BEEN A REAL PLEASURE.
IT'S BEEN A REAL GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR INNOVATION.
OKAY, I'M GONNA NOW TAKE YOU BACK TO, UM, LOOKING AT THE BUILDING PER SE AND THE SITE.
WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL START OFF, UM, DISCUSSING THE THREE BUILDING OPTIONS AND THEN I'LL DISCUSS SORT OF THREE, UM, SITE OPTIONS.
UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS A, A SLIDE THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER BY THE, THE DESIGN TEAM, JUST SORT OF EXPLAINING HOW THEY TRY TRIED TO MEET OUR GOALS FOR THE PROJECT, WHICH I STATED EARLIER IN THE PROJECT OF BEING MORE INTEGRATED WITH THE CULTURAL NATURAL RESOURCES THERE.
CREATING A NEW ENTRY EXPERIENCE FOR TILDA NATURE AREA AND WELCOMING ALL TILDA NATURE VISITORS AND PROVIDING A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO LITTLE FARM IN NEARBY PARK, UM, RESOURCES.
AND THEN CONSOLIDATING THE SURFACE ACCESS.
AND I'LL EXPLAIN THESE AS WE GO THROUGH THE, THE SLIDES.
UM, INVITING AND ACCESSIBLE, PROVIDING A MORE DAYLIGHT AND VISUAL CONNECTION ACROSS THE SITE.
THAT'S KEY TO US BECAUSE THE EXISTING FACILITY IS SORT OF ENCLOSED AND YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T REALLY SEE THE SITE WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE OF IT, BUT WE WANNA BE ABLE TO SEE FROM INSIDE OUT AND ALSO FOR PEOPLE VISITING THE PARK TO SEE INSIDE AND JUST ENHANCING THE VISITOR SERVICES AND ACCESS THROUGHOUT.
AND THEN FROM A SUSTAINABLE, WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPROVING THE BUILDING PERFORMANCE IN SITE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE NEXT 50 PLUS YEARS.
SO BEFORE I GET INTO THE NEW PLANS, I WANTED TO GO OVER THE EXISTING CONDITIONS.
THIS IS A SLIDE THAT SHOWS THE EXISTING FACILITY AND ALL THE PLANS I SHOW WILL YOU WILL BE THE SAME SCALE AND IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THIS SLIDE.
UM, UP HERE IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER IS THE LITTLE FARM THAT'S RECTANGLE IS THE COW BARN, JUST TO KINDA GIVE YOU, LOCATE YOURSELF AND ALSO GET A SCALE OF THE, AND JUST TO THE BELOW THAT THIS IS SORT OF THE, I CALL IT THE PLAZA AREA OF LITTLE FARM.
IT'S THAT GRAVEL AREA WHERE EVERYONE SORT OF MIXES, UM, BEFORE OR MOVING DEEPER INTO THE FARM.
THIS, THIS, UM, IS THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER.
AND THEN DOWN HERE IS THE SECURE, THE EXISTING SECU SECURITY RESIDENCE.
DOWN HERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SHEET, JUST OUTSIDE THE SHEET WOULD BE THE WATER.
UM, THE WILDCAT CREEK TO THE NORTH.
UP HERE ARE THE, UM, TRAILS THAT LEAD THROUGH THE FOREST UP TO WILDCAT PEAK.
DOWN HERE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE LOCATED.
THIS IS THE, UM, ARRIVAL FROM THE PARKING LOT.
SO CURRENTLY PEOPLE WHO ARRIVE COME, THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE GO STRAIGHT UP THIS ROAD INTO LITTLE FARM AND MANY OF THEM ON THEIR WAY OUT ARE GREETED BY A BLANK WALL OF SHINGLES IF YOU KNOW THE AREA AND HEAD ON OUT, JUST ASSUMING THAT THIS IS SOME SORT OF DISTRICT OFFICE SPACE OR, UM, RESEARCH CENTER OR SOMETHING THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PUBLIC.
AND ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO, TO CHANGE THAT EXPERIENCE.
SO NOW I'M GONNA, UM, ENTER INTO THE FIRST SCHEME.
SCHEME ONE ALSO NICKNAMED THE EDDIE SCHEME.
THIS IS A SCHEME WHERE YOU, WELL, MAYBE I'LL SITUATION ONCE AGAIN, THE COW BARN, THIS IS THE DIRECTION YOU'RE COMING FROM THE PARKING LOT CREEK DOWN THIS WAY.
AND LET'S JUST SAY THE, THE FOREST FOREST UP HERE, BACK HERE IS THE SERVICE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THE, UM, SERVICE YARD.
WHEN YOU ENTER FROM THE PARKING LOT, YOU'LL, YOU'LL COME UP THIS TRAIL, THIS AREA WILL BE, AND YOU COME TO COME TO A PLAZA AREA THAT WILL BE MORE DEVELOPED AT THAT YOU ENTER THE BUILDING.
AND THIS HAS A STRONG VISUAL CONNECTION.
WE'VE LOCATED ALL THE ENTRIES IN THIS GENERAL VICINITY.
SO IT HAS A STRONG VISUAL AND PHYSICAL CONNECTION TO THE LITTLE FARM HERE.
AS YOU ENTER THE BUILDING, WHAT'S THAT? AH, THANK YOU.
WHEN IT, UH, YEAH, SEE I CAN DO THIS.
[01:05:01]
MAYBE I'LL JUST DO IT VERBALLY.SO THE RED ARROWS WHERE YOU ENTER THE BUILDING TO YOUR RIGHT IS THE RESTROOMS WHICH HAVE, UM, ACCESS FROM THE BUILDING AND ALSO FROM OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.
THAT'S COMMON TO ALL THE THEMES TO YOUR LEFT IS THE CLASSROOM, AND THE LARGER RECTANGLE DOWN IS THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM.
YOU SORT OF ENTER INTO A, A LARGE PUBLIC SPACE THAT HAS SMALLER NICHE SPACES ADJACENT TO IT.
SO IF YOU SEE THOSE GREEN COLORS, THE GREEN, THE BLUE, AND THE BEIGE, THOSE THREE COLORS, THOSE REPRESENT THEMES FOR THE EXHIBITS.
SO THE BLUE DOWN AT THE, UM, LOWER THE BLUE RECTANGLE SHAPE REPRESENTS THE, THE WATERSHED OR THE CREEK EXHIBIT.
AND WHEN YOU CAN SEE THAT THE EXHIBIT AND ITS WINDOWS ARE FOCUSED TOWARDS THE REPAIRING CORRIDOR OF THE CREEK, THE GREEN IS, HAS TO DO WITH THE FOREST.
AND THE MEADOWS IS THE THEMES.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK OUT THE WINDOW FROM THERE, YOU'RE LOOKING OUT ONTO THE MEADOW AND THE FOREST.
AND THERE'S, BOTH OF THESE SPACES WOULD HAVE DOORS THAT LEAD OUT TO TRAILS THAT WOULD LEAD YOU OUT TO THERE.
SO AFTER YOU'VE EXPERIENCED THE EXHIBITS ABOUT THE FOREST AND MEADOW, YOU MAKE THE VISUAL CONNECTION AND YOU CAN ALSO BE DRAWN OUT THERE.
THEY ALSO WOULD HAVE OUTDOOR EXHIBITS THAT MIGHT DRAW PEOPLE OUT TO IT.
ALSO, THE, THE BEIGE IS THE REFLECTION AREA, AND THIS IS AN AREA WHERE, UM, THERE MIGHT BE READING MATERIAL.
THERE'S PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO, UM, QUIETER AREAS FOR PEOPLE TO, TO REFLECT.
IT'S ALSO A PLACE MANY PEOPLE ARE.
CHILDREN CAN BE, CERTAIN CHILDREN WITH CERTAIN DISABILITIES CAN BE OVERWHELMED BY, UM, THE, THE ACTIVITIES OF THE EXHIBIT.
AND THE PARENTS LIKE TO TAKE 'EM TO AN AREA THAT'S A LITTLE QUIETER, BUT WE'D ALSO LIKE THEM TO HAVE VIEWS.
UM, OUT TO THE NET TO THE NATURE AREA, THE, UH, INFORMATION DESK IS IN THE CENTER BETWEEN THE BLUE RECTANGLE AND THE BEIGE RECTANGLE.
AND THAT SQUARE RIGHT BEYOND, UM, TO YOUR LEFT BEGINS THE SERVICE.
THE BACK OF HOUSE, THAT'S WHERE STAFF AND ALL THE BACK OF HOUSE ROOMS FOR MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, UM, EQUIPMENT IS BACK IN THAT AREA.
YOU'LL SEE DOWN IN THE FAR LOWER LEFT CORNER IS THE SECURITY RESIDENCE.
IN THIS SCHEME, THE SECURITY RESIDENCE REMAINS, UN REMAINS AS IS.
UM, WE WOULD DO SOME RENOVATION WORK TO IT, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT DEMOLISHED AND REPLACED IT, IT WILL REMAIN.
AND THEN THE, THE SECURITY RESIDENCE AND THE, UM, TO THE LEFT OF THE ADMINISTRATION SPACE IS THE STAFF PARKING AREA AND DROP OFF AREA, WHICH IS THEN CONNECTED TO THE, AND ALEX, JOIN US FURTHER SITE SLIDES CONNECTED TO THE SERVICE ROAD.
GO TO THE GAME NUMBER, GAME NUMBER TWO.
THIS IS SCHEME NUMBER TWO CALLED THE BRANCH SCHEME.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE RED ARROW REPRESENTS THE ENTRY TO THE BUILDING.
WHEN ONE ENTERS THIS, THERE'S A SORT OF A CORRIDOR.
THIS IS SORT OF THE ORIENTATION AREA WHERE WE'RE OFTEN IN OUR VISITOR CENTERS.
WE EXPLAIN WHAT'S AVAILABLE AT THIS PARK AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE AT OTHER DISTRICT PARKS.
YOU WALK THROUGH THAT CORRIDOR INTO A, UM, A MIXING AREA THAT HAS THE INFORMATION DESK INTO YOUR LEFT IS THE BLUE, SORT OF A BLUE TRIANGLE THAT REPRESENTS THE WATERSHED EXHIBITS AND THE CREEK.
AND TO THE NORTH IS THE REFLECT AND THE FORESTS.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS SCHEME THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE? THE PREVIOUS ONE, YOU SORT OF WALKED INTO A ONE LARGE SPACE WITH LITTLE AREAS.
THIS ONE, YOU SORT OF DISCOVER NEW SPACES AS YOU, AS YOU WALK THROUGH IT, AND THEY'RE INTO MORE.
AND THE EXHIBIT SPACES ARE IN MORE DISCREET, UM, SPACES, A LITTLE BIT MORE SEPARATED AND NOT ALL SORT OF MIXED TOGETHER AS MUCH.
CONTINUING TO THE LEFT ONCE AGAIN IS THE ADMINISTRATION.
AND ONCE AGAIN, WITH THIS SCHEME, THE SECURITY RESIDENCE IS MAINTAINED.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE RENOVATED BUT NOT, NOT DEMOLISHED AND REPLACED.
THIS SCHEME ALSO HAS, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE WOULD BE THE WINDOWS FACING OUT TO THE, TO THE ACTUAL SPECIFIC, ONCE AGAIN, SPECIFIC INTERPRETIVE, UM, AREAS OUTSIDE THAT RELATE TO THE EXHIBITS INSIDE.
THIRD AND FINAL SCHEME IS THE CLUSTER SCHEME.
ONCE AGAIN, YOU ENTER AT THE RED ARROW, SIMILAR LOCATION IN THE PREVIOUS SCHEMES.
THE, TO YOUR RIGHT IS THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, AND
[01:10:01]
TO YOUR LEFT IS THE RESTROOMS. YOU COME INTO, UM, AN AREA YOU SORT, YOU KIND OF COME INTO THE, THE WATERSHED, OUR CREEK EXHIBIT AREA.AND IF YOU MOVED UP, UP TO THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THE GREEN AND THE BEIGE REPRESENTS THE FOREST AND THE, UM, REFLECTION AREAS, EXHIBIT AREAS WHICH OPEN OUT TO SORT OF A, UH, A DECK AREA THAT OPENS OUT TO THE, THE, THE MEADOW AND THE WOODED FOREST.
SIMILAR IN THE SCHEME, THE, THE ADMINISTRATION IS TO THE LEFT.
AND THEN IN THIS SCHEME, THE SECURITY RESIDENCE WOULD NEED TO BE DEMOLISHED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW STRUCTURE.
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU THIS NOW THAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE SCHEMES, UM, OVERLAID WITH THE LANDSCAPE PLANS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO COMMUNICATE TO ALL OF YOU IS THAT THE LANDSCAPE PLANS ARE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THE BUILDING PLANS.
SO I'M GONNA SHOW YOU A SCHEME A AND A SCHEME B AND A SCHEME C FOR THE LANDSCAPE.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY JUST BECAUSE THE SCHEME A IS SHOWN WITH, UM, SCHEME A OF THE BUILDING DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS TO GO WITHOUT ONE.
IT IS ANY OF THESE LANDSCAPE SCHEMES CAN GO WITH ANY OF THE BUILDING SCHEMES.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES YOU MAY RECALL WHEN I CAME HERE PREVIOUSLY FROM THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, AND THEN ALSO FROM THE PRE-DESIGN, WE REALIZE WE HAVE AN A DA ACCESSIBILITY ISSUE FROM THE PARKING LOT TO THIS FACILITY.
IF YOU LOOK ON THE SCHEME UP IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER, YOU'LL SEE A CIRCLE THAT IS THE ROUNDABOUT.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR NOW YOU COME TO THE PARKING LOT AT THE END OF THE PARKING LOT IS A, A ROUNDABOUT TURNAROUND THAT THE, THAT IT MAY NOT, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT IT, YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IT, BUT IT'S, IT'S SLOPED.
UM, AND SO THERE NEEDS GONNA NEED TO BE SOME GRADING WORK DONE IN THAT AREA TO ACTUALLY BRING IT TO A, UM, ACCEPTABLE A DA GRADE.
THIS SCHEME PRESENTS THE IDEA OF A NEW PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, A NEW ENTRY TO THE PARK.
AND THAT'S THAT, UH, BROWN, UM, LINE COMING OUT OF THE, THE CIRCLE HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE VISITOR CENTER.
THAT WOULD BE A, SOME SORT OF TRESTLE BRIDGE THAT WOULD SPAN OVER WHAT'S CURRENTLY THE SILTATION POND AREA.
THIS HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING THE LEASE DROP AND RISE FOR SOMEONE COMING TO THE PARK.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I'LL SHOW YOU OTHER SCHEMES.
YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN TO THE CREEK AND THEN COME BACK UP TO THE VISITOR CENTER.
THIS ONE WOULD ALMOST LAND YOU LEVEL WITH THE JUST A FEW FEET BELOW THE VISITOR CENTER LEVEL.
THIS SCHEME, THE CURRENT EXISTING PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE IS ELIMINATED AND THE IS REPLANTED WITH NATURAL PLANTING.
AND ONLY TO THE, TO THE FAR RIGHT OF THE CIRCLE.
THAT SERVICE ROAD, FIRE ROAD THAT LEADS INTO, UM, LEADS YOU TO DOWN TO WILDCAT CREEK AND IS SERVICE ENTRY FOR THE PARK.
THIS SCHEME ALSO FOCUSES AS MUCH OF THE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AS POSSIBLE TOWARDS THE VISITOR'S CENTER IN LITTLE FARM AND BRINGS YOU TO SORT OF A PLAZA AREA THAT WE COULD THEN ORIENT PEOPLE TO THE DIFFERENT AMENITIES IN THE PARK.
THE, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS YOU'LL SEE ON THIS SCHEME IS THERE'S A NUMBER OF SIX, UM, YELLOW CIRCLES WITH LINES HASHED THROUGH 'EM.
THOSE ARE, UM, GROUP AREAS AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS FACILITY HAS A HUGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT COME HERE.
BUS LOADS COME AND WHAT THE STAFF HAS TO DO IS BREAK THOSE STUDENTS UP INTO SMALLER GROUPS, UM, WITH NATURALISTS THAT THEN CAN ROTATE THROUGH THE VISITOR CENTER EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T POSSIBLY BRING THEM TOGETHER ALL AS ONE LARGE GROUP.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THESE, UM, DEVELOPING THESE NODES FOR THE, THE THE VARIOUS GROUPS.
ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS IS THE LAWN.
YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY THE, THE VISITOR CENTER SITS ON A LARGE, UM, TURF LAWN AREA, WHICH IS NOT THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE SOLUTION.
UM, SO, BUT WE ALSO, IT'S VERY POPULAR LAWN AREAS WITH THE TODDLERS THAT COME TO THE, UM, TO THE, TO THE LITTLE FARM.
SO THE IDEA IS TO, TO, TO RESTRICT THE, THE LAWN AREA TO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEM, BUT NOT TO HAVE THEM, UM, TAKING UP THE ENTIRE, ENTIRE, UM, GROUND PLANE.
[01:15:01]
EXAMPLE WHERE THE, THE, THE LAWN IS SPLIT.SOME IS IN THE BACK IN THE MEADOW AREA TO THE, BETWEEN THE MEADOW AND THE VISITOR CENTER, AND THEN ALSO BETWEEN THE VISITOR CENTER AND THE, UM, WILDCAT CREEK REPAIRING CORRIDOR.
WE HAVE, THERE'S THOSE TWO GREEN DARK GREEN OVALS.
THIS IS ONE OPTION WITH LOOP TRAILS THAT CONNECT THE VISITOR CENTER TO THE DIFFERENT, UM, TRAILS THAT LEAD OUT.
THIS ONE WAS A SCHEME THAT SUGGESTED THE IDEA OF WE WOULD ELIMINATE THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OR THE PEDESTRIAN PATH THAT IT CURRENTLY EXISTS AND FOCUS ALL THE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC ONTO TO THAT ROAD, THAT SERVICE ROAD.
THE IDEA OF CREATING A SERVICE ROAD AND ADJACENT TO A VERY DEFINED PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE.
THE REASON THE CONSULTANTS SUGGESTED THIS IDEA WAS THAT THEY WANTED, CURRENTLY WHEN SOMEONE'S NEW TO THE PARK COMES THERE, THERE'S, IT'S A BIT CONFUSING.
THERE'S MULTIPLE PATHS LEAVE LEAVING FROM THE ROTUNDA IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND IT CAN BE A BIT CONFUSING.
SO THEIR IDEA WAS IF YOU LOOK AT THE ROTUNDA, YOU WOULD ACT, ACTUALLY BUILD A GATEWAY THROUGH THE ROTUNDA, MAYBE A BOARDWALK THROUGH THE OAK TREES THAT ARE IN THE ROTUNDA, CREATING A GATEWAY THAT THEN FOCUSES ALL THE PEOPLE COMING DOWN FROM THE PARKING LOT TO ONE POINT.
UM, THEN DOWN THAT ONE POINT DOWN TO THE, UM, SORT OF CREEK LEVEL AND THEN BACK UP TO THE, UM, VISITOR CENTER.
ONCE AGAIN, THIS HAS A REQUIRE MORE, UM, GRADING FOR, UM, THE A DA PATH BECAUSE YOU'RE DROPPING DOWN LOWER, THIS SCHEME SHOWS THE LAWN AREA ALL TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING, SORT OF BETWEEN THE VISITOR CENTER AND, AND THE LITTLE FARM THERE.
THE IDEA BEING, IT REALLY BECOMES A, A, AN ATTRACTION FOCUSING ON ATTRACTING THE, THE SMALL TODDLERS AND VISITORS TO THE, UM, LITTLE FARM.
THIS, THE FINAL LANDSCAPE SCHEME.
SEA HAS HANDLES THE ROTUNDA SIMILAR TO THE, UM, SCHEME I JUST SHOWED, WHERE THEY WOULD BE CREATED A GATEWAY THROUGH THE OAK TREES.
BUT IN THIS SCHEME, WE WILL UPGRADE THE EXISTING PEDESTRIAN PATH TO BE A DA ACCESSIBLE.
UM, SO IT REQUIRES, UM, SOME WORK THROUGH SOME, SOME GRADING WORK AROUND THE, UM, AROUND THAT PATH.
WHEN YOU COME ACROSS THAT EXISTING PATH, IT BRINGS YOU TO, ONCE AGAIN DOWN TO THAT LOW AREA, AND THEN YOU'LL NEED TO WORK YOUR WAY BACK UP ON, UM, A DA PATH UP TO THE ENTRY AREA OF THE VISITOR CENTER.
AND THEN FROM THE ENTRY OF, OF ALL THESE SCHEMES, VISITOR CENTER, THERE WOULD BE AN A DA PATH THAT WOULD LEAD OVER TO THE, UM, TILDEN LITTLE FARM.
THIS SCHEME EXPLORES THE IDEA OF A GRANDER PLAZA BETWEEN THE MEADOW AND THE VISITOR CENTER.
SORT OF A SIMILAR TO WHAT THE SITUATION WE HAVE THERE NOW, WHERE THERE'S A DECK, UM, AND A AND A SMALL LAWN AREA, UM, ADJACENT, ADJACENT TO THAT DECK.
THIS IS THE THREE SCHEMES, UM, PUT TOGETHER ON ONE SHEET.
THE, WELL, NO, I'M SORRY, THIS IS SCHEME A LANDSCAPE SHOWN WITH ALL, UM, THREE OF THE BUILDINGS JUST MAKING THE CASE THAT BE CLEAR THAT ANY OF THESE SCHEMES, LANDSCAPE SCHEMES WILL WORK WITH ANY OF THESE BUILDINGS.
UM, SO WHICH, SO THE CURRENT PATH, A ROAD DOWN TO JEWEL LAKE IS THE GRAY ONE.
DO YOU WANT ME TO GO, LEMME GO BACK TO A LARGER MH AND MAYBE I'LL TRY THIS.
Y YOU CORRECT IS THAT DIRT ROAD THAT LEADS DOWN TO, UM, JEWEL LAKE AND ONTO WILDCAT PARK.
SO IN YOUR, GO BACK TO THE ONE WHERE YOU HAVE A NEW ENTRANCE TO THE, A FULLY NEW ENTRANCE.
I GUESS IT'S A, IN A, UM, IT'S ALRIGHT.
SO I WAS JUST WONDERING FOR, FOR PEOPLE WHO, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW I I I, I KNOW FROM, FROM, UH, SARAH AND MIKE THAT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE E EITHER GOING TO JEWEL LAKE OR GOING TO THE NATURE AREA.
SO ON THIS ONE, WELL, I GUESS ON THIS ONE, IF THEY KNEW WHERE THEY WERE GOING, THEY COULD
[01:20:01]
STILL FOLLOW THAT ROAD DOWN TO JEWEL LAKE.THAT WAS THE THOUGHT THAT OBVIOUSLY THE LOCALS ARE GONNA DO WHAT THEY, WHAT TAKE THE SHORTEST ROUTE.
AND SO, BUT WHAT WE'RE MAINLY CONCERNED WITH THIS WAS THE, THE NEW PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN HERE BEFORE AND COME TO THAT ROUNDABOUT AND NOT, NOT SURE WHICH OF THOSE PATHWAYS THEY SHOULD TAKE.
THIS HERE IS JUST REPRESENTS THE PLANTING INTENTIONS.
UM, REALLY THE IDEA IS JUST TO, TO BUILD UPON WHAT'S THERE.
UM, WHEN YOU COME FROM THE ROTUNDA, YOU'LL CROSS THE RIPARIAN CREEK AND ALL THE LANDSCAPING.
THERE WILL BE NATIVE PLANTS ASSOCIATED WITH A RIPARIAN CORRIDOR.
YOU COME UP 'CAUSE YOU GET CLOSER TO THE BUILDING, YOU'LL SEE IN SORT OF A, UM, IN A TAN COLOR IS THE POLLINATOR.
THAT WOULD BE, UM, PLANTS, SOME EDUCATIONAL PLANTINGS.
UM, ALL NATIVE, BUT MORE SPECIFIC TO THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE, THE, I GUESS WE'D CALL IT THE REDDISH COLOR THAT'S BETWEEN THE BUILDING AND THE WILDCAT CREEK ROAD, UM, WOULD BE A REDWOOD ECOLOGY, SIMILAR TO IF YOU, AS YOU WALK DOWN IT NOW, THERE'S REDWOODS AND WE WOULD JUST SORT OF EXPAND UPON THAT TO THE, TO THE, TO THE NORTH OR TO THE, BETWEEN THE FORESTED OAKS AND THE, UM, VISITOR CENTER.
THE IDEA THERE IS TO CREATE A MEADOW ADJACENT TO THE VISITOR CENTER.
UM, BUT IT ALL BE TIED IN WITH THAT SORT OF OAK OAKLAND, UM, LANDSCAPE.
JUST WANNA UPDATE PEOPLE ON THE, THE NEXT STEPS ON THIS PROJECT IS, UM, TO SELECT A PREFERRED DESIGN OPTION IN THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN AND DEVELOP, UM, AND DEVELOP THAT PREFERRED DESIGN OPTION.
WE'LL ALSO BE CONTINUING WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE, UM, EXHIBITS.
WE ALSO HAVE AN UPCOMING COMMUNITY MEETING NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 10TH.
AND THE TOPIC OF THAT DESIGN WILL, THAT WILL BE THE DESIGN PROGRESS AND THE PROJECT TIMELINE.
SO AT THIS POINT, UM, I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE STAFF FOR THIS ON THESE PRO THESE OPTIONS.
I'LL START WITH THE LANDSCAPE.
AS FAR AS THE ENTRY TO THE FACILITY, OUR, OUR PREFERRED OPTION IS THIS CHE A THE NEW TRESTLE BRIDGE.
BUT WE DO UNDERSTAND THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME MORE RESEARCH DONE ON THE FEASIBILITY OF IT.
THERE'S THE ISSUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS, UM, AND THE ISSUE OF THE, UM, HOW, HOW IT WOULD WORK WITH THE SILTATION POND.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, OUR SECOND PREFERRED SCHEME IS SCHEME C, AND THAT'S, UM, REALLY DEVELOPING WHAT'S EXISTING THERE AND IMPROVING THE EXISTING SITUATION.
WE ALL SORT OF CAME TO THE AGREEMENT THAT OPTION B FUNNELING EVERYONE TO THE, UM, SERVICE ROAD JUST WE DID NOT THINK WAS AN IDEAL, UM, SOLUTION.
EVEN THOUGH IT, IT SOLVED SOME PROBLEMS, IT JUST, WE BELIEVE CREATED NEW ONES WITH THE CONFLICT OF PEDESTRIANS WITH THE VEHICLES AS FAR AS THE LOCATIONS OF THE LAWN AND, UM, THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THE PLAZA AREA.
WE, THAT REMAINS TO BE DEVELOPED ONCE WE SET SET, UM, GET MORE SET ON THE BUILDING PLAN.
ONCE WE HAVE A A PREFERRED BUILDING PLAN, THEN THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT CAN REALLY FOCUS AND START TO DEVELOP THOSE PLA OUTDOOR PLAZA AREAS IN PATHWAYS.
UM, AND WE CAN DETERMINE THE BEST SOLU THAT MIGHT START TO INFORM US WITH THE BEST SOLUTION FOR LOCATING THE TURF AND OTHER AMENITIES MOVING TO THE BUILDING.
THE PREFERRED SCHEME THAT'S RECOMMENDED BY STAFF IS THE BRANCH SCHEME, SCHEME NUMBER TWO.
AND I THINK I'LL GO THROUGH AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES WE FELT FOR THIS SCHEME.
FIRST, WHEN YOU'RE ARRIVING, SEE IF I CAN DO THIS WITHOUT, AS YOU'RE ARRIVING TO THE FACILITY FROM THE PARKING LOT AREA, THIS BUILDING REALLY OPENS UP IN, I THINK IN A MORE INVITING THAN THE OTHER SCHEMES.
AND I CAN SHOW YOU, GO BACK TO OTHER SCHEMES IF YOU'D LIKE IT.
IT REALLY, UM, I THINK DRAWS PEOPLE, DRAW PEOPLE IN.
IT ACHIEVES BOTH OUR GOALS OF IT, MAKING A STRONG CONNECTION WITH TILDEN LITTLE FARM, THE ENTRY.
[01:25:01]
HAS A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE PEOPLE ARRIVING FROM THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER, UM, OF THE SHEET, WHICH IS THE, FROM THE PARKING LOT.ANOTHER NICE THING ABOUT THIS BUILDING IS YOU MAY NOTICE IT COMPARED TO THE OTHER ONES.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A COLLECTION OF SMALLER MASSES, A SMALLER FOOTPRINT.
INSTEAD OF BEING ONE LARGE BUILDING SITTING IN THE, IN THE MEADOW, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S ALMOST A CLUSTER OF SMALLER ONES.
AND IT'S WHAT THAT DOES A A NUMBER OF THINGS FOR US.
ONE OF IT, IT, IT BRINGS THE SCALE DOWN OF THE BUILDING, WHICH IS MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE, UM, I THINK THE LITTLE FARM, SOME OF OUR EXISTING, UM, CULTURAL RESOURCES.
AND IF YOU LOOK, JUST EVEN LOOKING AT THE COW BARN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE SCALE OF THAT COW BARN IS A, IS SIMILAR TO THE SCALE OF THESE WINGS OF THE, OF THE BUILDING.
WHEREAS THE OTHER BUILDINGS WERE JUST LARGE BLOCKS, WHICH WOULD, UM, HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT FEEL THAN THE, UM, THE SCALE OF THE BUILDINGS AT A LITTLE FARM.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF THIS IS THAT WHEN YOU COME INTO THE BUILDING, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR THE STAFF, REALLY MANAGING THESE BUS LOADS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT COME HERE, UM, DAILY DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, IS IT'S CRITICAL THAT THEY HAVE A WAY TO BREAK UP THE, THE GROUPS INTO SMALLER GROUPS IN ORDER TO MANAGE IT.
OTHERWISE IT CAN BE GET A BIT CHAOTIC.
SO THIS SCHEME STAFF FELT DID THE BEST JOB OF THAT, OF BREAKING THE EXHIBIT AREA INTO SMALLER DISCRETE AREAS WHERE THEY COULD SEND SMALLER GROUPS OF STUDENTS TO AND THEN CIRCULATE THEM THROUGH, THROUGH THE BUILDING.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF THIS BUILDING IS WE FEEL THERE'S A, A MORE OF A SENSE OF DISCOVERY.
THE OTHER BUILDINGS, YOU WALK INTO THEM AND YOU SEE A BIG SPACE, AND THAT'S THE END OF THE DISCOVERY WITH THIS PROJECT.
AS YOU WALK INTO THE SPACE, MAYBE I CAN TRY AND WALK YOU THROUGH IT WITHOUT MOVING THE SLIDE, BUT AS YOU WALK THROUGH IT, YOU COME AND THE FIRST THING YOU'LL SEE, YOU START TO GET IT VIEWS THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND, AND OF THE EXHIBITS.
AND AS YOU CONTINUE TO WALK, YOU'LL SEE, YOU'LL SEE VIEWS THIS WAY.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WALK HERE, YOU SEE VIEWS THIS WAY, AND AS YOU SORT OF MOVE HERE, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU DISCOVER A NEW VIEW THIS WAY.
SO THERE'S MORE OF A SENSE OF DISCOVERY.
AND WE THINK THAT THE MORE, THE MORE EVERY TIME YOU COME BACK TO THE, THE FACILITY OVER MULTIPLE TIMES, YOU'LL KIND OF DISCOVER TO LOOK AT IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS VERSUS JUST THE LARGE, UM, SPACE.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE IS BY HAVING THE SMALLER SCALE, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO, WE BELIEVE, SO DOOR STRUCTURE ENGINEER WILL BE ABLE TO USE MORE OF THE LUMBER FROM THE EXISTING EEC TO, TO BUILD, TO REUSE THAT LUMBER AND BUILD THIS SCHEME BECAUSE IT HAS THE SHORTER SPANS THAN THE LARGER VOLUMES, UM, PROJECTS WE LOOKED AT.
AND SO IF YOU CAN ALMOST IMAGINE THE IDEA IS THIS, THESE, UM, WINGS WOULD HAVE THESE MAYBE GABLED ROOFS THAT, UM, OPEN CEILINGS.
AND PART OF THE STORY WOULD BE THAT THOSE, THAT THOSE CEILING RAFTERS WOULD BE BUILT WITH, UM, STRUCTURE THAT WE, UM, REPURPOSED FROM THE, THE EXISTING TILDEN, EEC.
WITH THAT, UM, I, I, I GUESS I KINDA WANNA OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO, UH, START
SO I'M GOING TO ASK MY QUESTIONS AND THEN TURN THE CHAIR OVER TO DIRECTOR MECURIO BECAUSE, UM, SINCE OUR VICE PRESIDENT IS ONLINE, I THINK IT'S BEST IF HE TAKES OVER.
UM, SO, UM, WHAT, WHAT I WAS WONDERING, AND YOU SORT OF COVERED IT IN THIS LAST BIT, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN I SAT THROUGH THE THE WORKSHOP, I WAS REALLY WONDERING, SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT CRITERIA WILL YOU USE TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW ALL OF THESE DESIGNS FITS TOGETHER? DOES THAT JUST, DOES THAT JUST GO BACK TO THOSE ORIGINAL THEMES THAT YOU LAID OUT IN THE BEGINNING IN TERMS OF ACCESS AND ACCESSIBILITY AND, AND ALL OF THAT, OR YES, THOSE, WELL, THOSE ARE OUR THREE GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
BUT THE OTHER FACTORS THAT COME INVOLVED IS, I THINK I BROUGHT UP IS HOW THE STAFF OPERATES THE BUILDING.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S A UNIQUE BUILDING.
I I DON'T KNOW MANY BUILDINGS THAT REALLY IN THE AREA THAT HAVE THE AMOUNT OF, UM, SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT COME THROUGH.
AND THAT'S JUST ON THE WEEKDAYS AND ON THE WEEKENDS, THE, THERE'S DIFFERENT PROGRAMS GOING ON.
SO IT WAS A COMBINATION OF THOSE GOALS, STAFF NEEDS.
AND THEN, UM, SORT OF SOME PROFESSIONAL ADVICE FROM OUR EXHIBIT.
WE HIRED AN EXHIBIT DESIGN CULT CONSULTANT THAT'S DONE NUMEROUS VISITOR CENTERS.
AND THEY ALSO HAD RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, THAT
[01:30:01]
THEY MADE, UM, TO GUIDE US IN OUR CHOICE OUR CHOICES.AND THEN THE OTHER THING, AND THIS DID COME UP IN THE WORKSHOP, BUT I ALSO STRONGLY FEEL THAT WE SHOULD REALLY HIGHLIGHT AND CENTER THE NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY AND MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, FIND A WAY TO DO THAT AS WELL AS, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE WORKSHOP ALSO THE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY AND WAYS TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THE EXHIBITS ARE AVAILABLE TO FOLKS OF WHO, WHO DON'T HAVE ENGLISH AS THE FIRST LANGUAGE.
BOTH THE NATIVE AMERICAN AND THE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY.
AND I THINK NATIVE PLANTS WERE THE THREE KEY THINGS THAT CAME UP IN THE, THE PUBLIC WORKSHOP.
WELL, I, I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA DO THE NATIVE PLANTS, SO I'M NOT EVEN RAISING THAT ONE
SO, SO AS FAR AS THE LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, WE SPEAK A LOT OF LANGUAGES IN THE BAY AREA, SO THE IDEA OF, OF EVERY PANEL TRYING TO COVER EVERY LANGUAGE WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.
THERE IS DISCUSSION ABOUT MAYBE BEING BILINGUAL, BUT THE OTHER IDEA IS USING AUDIO EQUIPMENT THAT CAN BE BORROWED, THAT ONE COULD PUT A HEADSET ON, THEN THAT OPENS UP THE DOOR TO, TO ANY LANGUAGES.
OR MAYBE SOME COMBINATION OF BOTH, BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY HAVE ENOUGH SPANISH SPEAKERS THAT I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE AT LEAST THOSE TWO LANGUAGES.
UM, MAYBE ONE OTHER, BUT, BUT, BUT YEAH.
BUT THEN YOU COULD ACCOMMODATE VIRTUALLY EVERYONE, AS YOU SAID, IF YOU HAVE THE HEADPHONES THAT ARE MULTILINGUAL.
SO I THINK BOTH, BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WOULD BE GOOD.
WELL, I'M GONNA, I THINK I'LL GO AHEAD AND JUST, UH, GONNA TURN IT OVER TO JOHN.
UM, SO, UM, WE'RE GOING, WE'RE IN THE QUESTION PHASE, SO SURE.
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO GO START OFF BEFORE YOU GO? YES.
AGAIN, MIKE MORAN, UH, INTERPRETER AND RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER.
UM, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.
WE'VE HISTORICALLY THOUGHT OF AS A DA ACCESSIBILITY, AND NOW THE, THE STATE OF THE ART IS THAT WE'RE MUCH BROADER IN OUR APPROACH, INCLUDING LANGUAGES AND THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH A STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE IN WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS AND SUCH THAT WE CAN ADDRESS LANGUAGES THROUGH A LOT MORE THAN TWO LANGUAGE BROCHURES THROUGH LENDING OUT HEADSETS.
WE HAVE THINGS AS, AS BASIC AND SIMPLE NOW AS QR CODES FOLKS WHO CAN DO THINGS ON THEIR OWN PHONES CONNECTIONS.
THERE'S THE STUFF THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T EVEN DISCOVERED YET, UH, THAT FOLKS THAT A PA AND SUCH AND THE WORLD THAT'S DOING THIS HAVE GOT A GREAT HANDLE ON.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING SOME REALLY INNOVATIVE WAYS OF BRANCHING OUT INTO A LOT OF DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
WELL THAT, THAT IS REALLY EXCITING.
AND, UM, I DO ALSO WANNA SAY, I JUMPED RIGHT INTO MY QUESTIONS, BUT I I ALSO WANNA SAY JUST, UM, HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND, AND THIS, IT, MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS LISTENING FOR THE SECOND TIME, OR MAYBE IT WAS JUST THE WAY YOU PRESENTED, BUT IT REALLY CAME ALIVE FOR ME TODAY.
AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE WAY THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS AND, UM, REALLY HOW THIS ALL CAN FIT TOGETHER TO CREATE THIS REALLY INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.
AND I WILL LISTEN TO THE REST OF THE MEETING ONLINE, SO
JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON DIRECTOR, UM, ECHO'S COMMENTS ABOUT, I HOPE WE'RE ALSO CON CONSIDERING AS FAR AS AD AS, UM, THE, UH, SITE CHALLENGED.
UM, 'CAUSE THAT'S A, THAT'S ANOTHER HUGE COMMUNITY AS WELL, AS WELL AS SENIORS AS I'M ONE TOO,
BUT, UH, UH, JUST TO COMMENT ON BRIDGES, UH, THEY'RE NICE BUT THEY'RE EXPENSIVE AND THEY ALWAYS NEED MAINTENANCE AT SOME POINT IN TIME.
BUT, UM, THAT'S, BUT I, I REALLY LIKED THE, THE CONCEPTS, THE, THE OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
I REALLY LOVE THE, THE CONCEPT OF HOW YOU GUYS LOOKED AT THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF THE, THE ACTUAL WATERSHED AND INCORPORATING THAT IN, INTO THE PLANS.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK AT ALL OF OUR PARKS THAT THAT SAME WAY, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE A BIG HUGE, OVER A BIG OVERARCHING STORY, WHAT THAT PARK IS AND, AND WHERE IT'S AT.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS.
UM, WHO'S NEXT? ANY OTHERS? THANK YOU.
I ATTENDED THE TWO COMMUNITY FORUMS AND, UH, I HAD A FEW RECURRING
[01:35:01]
QUESTIONS THAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND.WE'RE TRAINED JUST TO BE OBSERVERS AT, AT THOSE SESSIONS.
SO I'M GLAD THIS OPPORTUNITY IS PRESENT TODAY.
I DID NOT MANY OR, OR COMPLICATED.
AND THAT IS THE HISTORIC DISCONNECT WITH THE LITTLE FARM BETWEEN THE EEC PHYSICALLY AS A FACILITY AND THE LITTLE FARM PHYSICALLY AND AS, AS A FACILITY.
AND AS I LISTENED TO THE DISCUSSIONS DURING THE COMMUNITY FORUMS THAT THE, THE NEED TO BRING LITTLE FARM AND THE EC CLOSER TOGETHER, BOTH, UH, CONCEPTUALLY AND, AND PHYSICALLY KEPT COMING UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
UH, SO I I, I HAVE NOTICED IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE THAT, UM,
THEY'RE AN AWFUL LOT OF YOUNG, UH, COUPLES WITH YOUNG KIDS THAT COME TO LITTLE FARM, EXPLORE LITTLE FARM, AND THEN TURN AROUND AND JUST, YOU KNOW, HEAD DOWN TOWARD JEWEL LAKE.
AND, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT FACADE OF THAT BUILDING DOESN'T NECESSARILY ATTRACT, UH, THE PARENTS WHO HAVE SPECIFICALLY COME THERE TO VISIT THE LITTLE FARM.
'CAUSE THAT'S A, THE BIG DEAL WITH THE KIDS AND WHAT THEY HEAR FROM THEIR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
SO I AM VERY PLEASED THAT YOU'VE LANDED ON, UH, A PHYSICAL SCHEME OF, IN TERMS OF THE PATH THAT TAKES PEOPLE FROM OR TOO LITTLE, FROM RIGHT SMACK DAB IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE EC, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
YOU'RE GONNA INCREASE VOLUME, YOU'RE GONNA TRACK THESE, THESE, THESE FOLKS WITH KIDS TO ESPECIALLY, UM, IF THERE'S SOMETHING INVITING SPECIFICALLY TO THEM.
AND SO HERE'S MY QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU CONNECT THE LITTLE FARM EXPERIENCE WITH THE EEC AND VICE VERSA? AND THE REASON I ASK IS 'CAUSE THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, A NATURAL, A NATURAL, UH, BASIS FOR WHY THERE'S A DISCONNECT BETWEEN LITTLE FARM AND THE EC HISTORICALLY, I PRESUME SARAH IS THE NATURALIST HERE AND MIKE, BUT I JUST PRESUME THAT TALKING ABOUT COWS, PIGS, GOATS AND CHICKENS REALLY DON'T MESH WITH A FACILITY THAT IS THEMED TOWARD THE WILDCAT WATERSHED, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S JUST DON'T MESH.
SO HAS THERE BEEN ANY THOUGHT GIVEN TO THE EXHIBIT SCHEME, THE PROGRAMMATIC SCHEMES OR OTHERWISE THE, NOT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING IT PHYSICALLY IN BRINGING THEM CLOSER TOGETHER.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY THOUGHT TO PROGRAM PROGRAM BEING, BRINGING PROGRAMS IN, UH, EXHIBITS OR SOMETHING TO CONNECT THE EC WITH LITTLE FARM AND FARMS AND FARM ANIMALS, UH, TO KINDA MAKE THAT CONNECTION SO THE PARENTS WILL WANT TO GO INSIDE THE EC? WELL, I'LL LET EITHER MIKE OR SARAH TOUCH THAT ONE.
AND JUST A MONTH OR TWO AGO, I BROUGHT MY GRANDBABY UP THERE, UM, WITH, AND MELISSA MANAGED TO DO A, A READING SESSION FOR LITTLE KIDS IN THE EC AND SHE WAS OVER AT THE LITTLE FARM AND, UH, TOOK, TOOK MY GRANDBABY AROUND.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONNECT THEM AND I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT KIND OF THOUGHT YOU'VE GIVEN.
AND, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON DIRECTORS.
I'M SARAH FEDERALLY, THE SUPERVISING NATURALIST AT TILDEN NATURE AREA.
AND, UM, UH, ONE OF THE IDEAS IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE LAND USE OF THE WATERSHED AND TRADITIONAL USES IN THAT LAND INCLUDED DAIRY FARMING AND SOME OTHER RANCHING ENDEAVORS IN THAT AREA.
AND SO AS PART OF OUR EXHIBITS, I CAN SEE INCLUDING SOME OF THAT IN AN EXHIBIT.
AND THEN, UM, BEING ABLE TO EXIT RIGHT OUT ONE OF THOSE WINGS OF THE VISITOR CENTER DIRECTLY OUT TOWARD, YOU KNOW, TOWARD THE FARM.
AND SO USING OUR SPACES TO PHYSICALLY CONNECT TO THE FARM, TO A PATHWAY THAT LEADS THERE, UM, AND HAVING THAT AS AN EXTENSION TO THE FARM.
SO ONE OF, UM, THE GREAT, UM, IDEAS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED THROUGH ALDRICH PEARS AND THROUGH OUR NATURALISTS IS, UM, DEVELOPING THE OUTDOOR INTERPRETIVE SPACES.
SO YOU CAN START WITH LIKE INDOOR EXHIBITS THAT THEN EXTEND OUT.
SO WE COULD DO THAT WITH WATERSHED
[01:40:01]
AND MAYBE HAVING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, UH, MANIPULATIVE THINGS AND EXHIBITS INSIDE THE BUILDING.AND THEN YOU WALK OUT INTO A PLAZA WHERE YOU CAN PLAY WITH WATER, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, SAME WITH THE FARM, WHERE WE MIGHT MOVE FROM TALKING ABOUT THE RANCHING HISTORY IN THE, IN THE VALLEY.
UM, AND THEN MOVING OUT TOWARD THE FARM WITH SOME PHYSICAL, UH, MODELS OF ANIMALS OR PATHWAYS LEADING DIRECTLY TO THE FARM.
SO THERE IS SOME INTERPRETATION OF, OF, OF FARM ANIMALS ARE FARMING HISTORICALLY.
SO THEY CAN DO A, A, A BIT OF A HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION IN THE EEC AND MAYBE THERE'S SOME SIGNAGE IN LITTLE FARMING, LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF FARMING IN, IN THE, IN THE TILDEN HILLS OR THE OAKLAND HILLS OR SOMETHING IN THE EEC TO TRY TO GET THOSE PARENTS TO, UM, STOP BY.
SO THAT, THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M EXACTLY, THIS IS MY MARKETING
SO THE OTHER COUPLE OF QUESTIONS I HAVE ARE MORE ARCHITECTURAL.
ONE IS WE HAVE ARCHITECTS WHO DID, UH, TUNNEL TOP AND THAT NATURE CENTER THERE.
IS THAT CORRECT? AS MY MEMORY? THAT IS CORRECT.
WHEN YOU WALK INTO THAT NATURE CENTER, IT, IT'S, I REMEMBER TWO THINGS BEING, BEING STRUCK WITH THE, THE VOLUME IN THE ROOM AS YOU WALK IN INTO THE FACILITY AND HOW BUSY IT IS AT THE SAME TIME.
AND ONE OF THE ISSUES WITH OUR EXISTING EEC IS YOU WALK IN AND YOU'RE IN KIND OF A SMALL, ENCLOSED, UM, ROOM BEFORE YOU WALK UP INTO THE LARGER ROOM WITH A, WITH ALL THAT VOLUME.
IS THERE THOUGHT TO HA I'M WONDERING WHAT, WHAT WILL BE THE VOLUME OF THE FACILITY? AND, UH, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BETTER EXPRESS THAT.
YOU KNOW, THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF SOMETHING GRAND AS YOU WALK IN, AND YET WE HAVE A RATHER SMALL FOOTPRINT.
SO WHERE, WHERE DOES THAT END UP? WELL, ONCE, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE EARLY IN THE STAGES OF ACTUALLY LOOKING AT, I, I USE THIS TERM MASSING.
I KNOW THAT MIGHT BE JUST A CONFUSING WORD, BUT, BUT IF YOU WILL, YOU WOULD WALK IN THAT CORRIDOR AND THERE WOULD BE, IT'S NOT, I, THE IDEA IS NOT TO WALK INTO A FLAT SORT OF CEILING.
AND THEN, THEN COME, AND THEN, OH, BUT IT ACTUALLY STARTS WITH THE IDEAS MAYBE THAT, THAT, LEMME SEE IF I CAN DO IT.
THIS WHOLE BUILDING HERE HAS THIS CABLED ROOF OVER IT.
AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK IN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING UP AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
AND IT'S, WE WOULD PROBABLY, MAYBE THAT'S GREAT.
WE'LL PLAY WITH THE PLATE HEIGHT AND WHAT THE PLATE HEIGHT IS.
IT'S JUST WHERE YOU HAVE A, A WALL AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ANGLED RAFTERS.
AND SO A TYPICAL HOUSE THAT'S, THAT'S AT EIGHT FEET, BUT YOU CAN PUSH THAT UP TO 10, 12, 14 FEET AND THAT GIVES YOU A WHOLE DIFFERENT FEELING OF, UM, SPACIOUSNESS.
WELL, OKAY, THAT ANSWERS THAT.
AND LASTLY, UM, ALL, ALL THE OP, ALL THE VERSIONS, THE THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS HAD SIGNIFICANT SPACE SET ASIDE FOR REFLECTION.
WHAT, WITHIN THE FACILITY, WHAT PHYSICALLY OR EXHIBIT WISE, WHAT IS, UH, ENCOMPASSES REFLECTION? I, I UNDERSTAND THE TERM, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT TRANSLATES.
I PROBABLY EXPERIENCED IT, BUT DON'T ACTUALLY OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD KNOW HOW TO TRANSLATE THAT INTO THE INTERIOR OF A FACILITY.
I THINK MIKE CAN DO A MUCH BETTER JOB THAN I CAN.
AND MIKE MORAN INTERPRETER RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER.
COFFEE, UH, REFLECTION IS, UH, THE IDEA THERE IS THAT YOU HAVE A QUIETER SPOT OR A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF INTERPRETATION.
ANYTHING, IF YOU MAY REMEMBER OVER BIG BREAK, THERE WAS A SEATING AREA THAT'S A REALLY SMALL IDEA, A PLACE WHERE FOLKS CAN SIT, WHERE YOU HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE, HAVE DIFFERENT NEURO DIVERGENCES CAN STILL ENJOY AND, UH, GAIN INTERPRETATION FROM THERE.
YOU CAN HAVE QUIETER PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN DO STORY READING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO INSTEAD OF A REALLY ACTIVE APPROACH TO THE EXHIBITS AND THE INTERPRETIVE BEHAVIOR OF STAFF, IT'S A MUCH QUIETER, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S JUST A PLACE YOU GO.
IT'S NOT LIKE THE, A CHAPEL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE QUIET.
THIS IS A PLACE WHERE INTERPRETATION IS STILL OCCURRING, BUT IT'S AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL TO DIFFERENT TYPE.
I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
HAVE I DODGED ALL AROUND IT AND MISSED IT?
YOU, SO THERE IS SOME FORM OF EXHIBITS THAT GO ALONG WITH ESTABLISHING REFLECTION SPACE.
[01:45:01]
MIND I CONSIDER REFLECTION SPACES USUALLY BEING OUTSIDE.YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
AND HAVE YOU NOTICED ON, UH, THE GRAPHIC THAT WE HAD EARLIER ON THAT HAD THE, THE CIRCLES AND HAD, UH, INTERPRETATION IN THE CENTER, THAT THERE WERE PHYSICAL VISUAL SPACES CONNECTING THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE.
SO THE MORE CONTEMPLATED AREA MIGHT LOOK OUT TOWARDS THE, AN UNDEVELOPED OUTDOOR AREA THAT IS LOOKING LIKE TILDEN NATURE AREA.
SO YOU'RE STILL DOING INTERPRETATION, YOU CAN STILL DO ACTIVITIES THERE, BUT IT'S A PLACE FOR A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ACTIVITY THROUGH INTERPRETATION.
THAT'S MY, MY THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS.
AND IF I JUST MADE FOR EVERYBODY, JUST A MATTER OF VERNACULAR, UM, PROGRAMS, WE USED THE TERM HERE AND I LEARNED THROUGH THIS PROJECT THAT AN, AN ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAM IS, IS THE, IS THE BUILDING ITSELF AN INTERPRETER PROGRAM, IS THE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH.
AND ALSO WE'RE USING THE TERM THEMES AND THAT'S THE OVERARCHING IDEA.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXHIBITS IN THESE DIFFERENT AREAS, ALL THE THEMES CAN WELL BE ADDRESSED IN EACH OF THOSE AREAS IN THE WATERSHED AREA, IN THE FOREST AND MEADOW AREA AND IN THE REFLECTIVE AREA.
YEAH, I WAS REFERRING TO PROGRAMMING AS INTERPRETATION.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, DESCRIPTION.
UM, SO I HAVE A QUESTION IN REGARDS TO THE NEXT STEPS.
UM, SO YOU MENTIONED THE SELECTION OF A PREFERRED DESIGN OPTION, UM, AND YOU ALSO SHARED WHAT THE STAFF, I THINK THAT'S EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK STAFF PREFERRED OPTIONS ARE, IS THERE GONNA BE A POINT WHERE THE BOARD WEIGHS IN? IS THAT GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, AT THE NEXT MEETING THAT WE HAVE ON THIS PROJECT? OR IS THAT TODAY YOU WANNA TAKE THAT? SURE.
UM, BRENT, CHIEF OF DESIGN CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR SAN WONG.
I THINK TODAY IS THE, THE DAY TO CHIME IN.
THAT'S WHY WE PROVIDED THIS WITH YOU ALL AT THE HOPE FROM STAFF LEVEL IS THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATION AND HEAR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE TO OFFER IN TERMS OF, UM, COMMENTS ON THAT.
AND SO THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND THEN HOPEFULLY TO JIM'S POINT AND TO DIRECTOR COFFEE'S QUESTION ABOUT MASSING, HAVE A A, A MOCKUP FROM THE OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE VERTICALLY AND SOME RENDERINGS FROM INSIDE TWO, THAT YOU WOULD GET A SENSE MORE OF THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE SPACE.
UM, AND TO THAT END, WE, IT'S, IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT, WE CAN'T, IT'S BETTER TO DO THAT ON ONE OPTION THAN TO DO IT ON ALL THREE BECAUSE OF JUST THE RESOURCES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO SORT OF DEVELOP SOME OF THOSE OUT.
AND SO THE THOUGHT WAS TODAY, TO SHARE WITH YOU, AT THE PREVIOUS TIME, WE SHARED THE PRE-DESIGN THAT WAS SHARED WITH THE, THE, THE PUBLIC.
WE WENT TO THE PUBLIC AGAIN AND SHARED THESE THREE OPTIONS TO HEAR WHAT THEIR COMMENTS WERE AND WEIGH THOSE INTO THE STAFF'S DECISION AND THEN BRING IT TO YOU ALL TO CHIME, CHIME IN, GIVE US YOUR INPUT, MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, AND THEN WHEN WE COME BACK, VET THAT FINAL PREFERRED OPTION WITH THE BOARD AND THEN GO BACK TO THE PUBLIC AND SHARE THAT WITH THEM AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH.
AND AT THAT POINT THEN WE WOULD HAVING A FIRM CONCEPT, AND THAT'S BEEN VETTED THROUGH EVERYONE, TURN THE, UM, OUR CONSULTANTS LOOSE TO MAKE A FULL FINAL RENDERING THAT WOULD THEN BE USED TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE PROJECT WITH PERHAPS FUNDRAISING AND JUST GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND EXCITEMENT FOR THE PROJECT FROM THE PUBLIC SO WE COULD BOLSTER SUPPORT THAT WAY.
THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT.
SO THEN I, I HAVE A QUESTION, UM, I GUESS ON THE SLIDE WITH THE, UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS, SO THE CURRENT SPACE, THIS ONE? YES.
SO I DIDN'T SEE, UM, THE SERVICE YARD MENTIONED ON THIS, AND I THINK, OKAY, SO, OH, WHEN YOU SAY THE, WHEN I SAY THE SERVICE YARD WOULD BE UP THIS ROAD, I'M SORRY, I WASN'T CLEAR.
THERE'S A, UH, A SERVICE RAW YARD JUST OFF OF THAT, UM, LOOP ROAD DEPENDING ON, I DUNNO HOW FAMILIAR, THERE'S A ROAD THAT LOOPS GOES FROM WILD, THAT WILDCAT CREEK ROAD, THERE'S, YOU CAN TURN RIGHT RIGHT ABOUT HERE AND GO UP AND IT LOOPS AROUND TO, I FORGOT THE NAME OF THAT, THE PARK.
WHERE DOES LOOP ROAD END IN TILDEN? UM, LOOP ROAD.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.
UM, IT TERMINATES IN LONE OAK.
UM, AND SO THEN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO, SO, SO I GUESS TWO QUESTIONS.
WHAT, WHEN I LOOK AT THE SCHEMES ONE, TWO, AND THREE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE SERVICE YARD MOVES DOWN A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
THE, THE SERVICE YARD WILL REMAIN WHERE IT IS.
[01:50:01]
YOU'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS FROM AN EXISTING PERSPECTIVE IS THIS IS THE STAFF PARKING AND THEN INSIDE THIS BUILDING HERE, THERE IS A SHOP SPACE.IT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF A TWO CAR GARAGE, 400 SQUARE FEET.
AND WHEN YOU GO TO THE OTHER SCHEMES, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THIS AREA OUT HERE.
THIS IS THE RESIDENCE AND THEN THIS, IT SAYS SERVICE YARD, MAYBE NOT THE, THE BEST, UM, NOMENCLATURE.
IT'S REALLY STAFF PARKING IN, IN WHAT'S SORT OF THE BACK CURRENTLY IN THAT SPACE? IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S SOME SORT OF, UM, PLANTS.
I THINK WHEN I LOOK AT THAT EXISTING CONDITION SLIDE, THERE'S A YEAH, IT WOULD BE SORT OF IN PROX, WELL, RIGHT HERE APPROXIMATELY IN THIS AREA HERE.
YOU SAID
AND THEN THAT WOULD ALLOW US WHERE THE CURRENT PARKING LOT AND SHOP SPACES THAT, THAT ALLOWS A LITTLE BIT MORE OPTIONS FOR THE THREE SCHEMES THAT WERE PRESENTED.
ONE OF THE IDEAS IS TO MOVE THAT UP ONTO THE SERVICE ROAD, SO WHEN YOU'RE WALKING DOWN THE ROAD TO, TO WILDCAT CANYON PARK, THAT, THAT, THAT SERVICE ROAD A LOT OF PEOPLE USE AS A PATHWAY.
RIGHT NOW, AS YOU WALK BY THE VISITOR CENTER, YOU KIND OF SEE THE PARKING LOT.
AND THE IDEA IS WE WOULD, THAT PARKING LOT WOULD SORT OF GO AWAY, BE TUCKED AWAY BEHIND THE CORNER.
SO ON THAT MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, WE WOULD CONTINUE LIKE REDWOOD TREES AND KIND OF TRY AND MAINTAIN THAT.
SORT OF LIKE DISNEYLAND STYLE, RIGHT? CORRECT.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS ONE OF THE SCHEMES YOU HAD MENTIONED WHERE WE DIDN'T REALLY LIKE IT AS MUCH, OR STAFF DIDN'T REALLY LIKE IT AS MUCH BECAUSE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, ANYONE WAS GOING, ANY OF THE PEDESTRIANS, ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING ON ONE OF THE WALKING TRAILS WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PARKING LOT AREA.
THAT'S THE SCHEME HERE, SCHEME A.
SO, SO I, I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
I MEAN, I THINK PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IS SO IMPORTANT.
SO, UM, AS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE FROM US HERE, I, I LIKE THE OPTION THAT KEEPS THAT SEPARATE WHERE IT IS MORE OF THAT DISNEYLAND STYLE BEHIND THE SCENES.
YOU KNOW, CAST MEMBERS ONLY STAFF PARKING.
I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD DESIGN IN TERMS OF SAFETY AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, GIVES, GIVES OUR STAFF THE SPACE THAT THEY NEED TO, TO DO THE BEHIND THE SCENES WORK THAT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR PARKS.
UM, AND THEN I GUESS IF YOU WANT SOME OTHER FEEDBACK, THE, UM, I, I LIKED A LOT OF YOUR COMMENTS THAT YOU SHARED, UH, IN REGARDS TO SCHEME TWO WITH THE BRANCH SCHEME WHERE IT DOES BRING DOWN THE SCALE OF THE BUILDING, UM, AND IT'S, IT IT CLUSTERS THE SMALLER MASSES.
I THINK THAT THAT, UH, I THINK THAT WORKS WELL WITH WHAT THIS SPACE IS AND THE INTENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER.
SO I, I, I SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, WHAT STAFF HAS, UM, RECOMMENDED IN REGARDS TO THAT SCHEMING.
SO THAT, THAT'S MY FEEDBACK ON THAT.
UM, AND MY NEXT QUESTION IS, I I I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE HAVING THE THREE COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
UM, I'M CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE CAPTURING THAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND, AND DOCUMENTING IT? AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, BECAUSE I I THINK LATER AS WE GO OUT FOR FUNDING OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT, THAT COULD BE REALLY USEFUL.
UM, MAYBE FOR GRANTS OR, YOU KNOW, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, OUR FOUNDATION, UM, WHEN THIS PROJECT WAS DECIDED UPON WAS ALSO GOING TO POTENTIALLY DO A BIG FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR THIS.
AND I THINK THAT THIS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE GATHERING RIGHT NOW THROUGH THIS, THESE MEETINGS AND THIS PROCESS COULD BE VERY VALUABLE WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT.
WELL, ONE OF THE FORTUNATE THINGS OF, UM, THE TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE NOW, UM, I'M SORT OF A LUDDITE, I USUALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, BUT ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE TECHNOLOGY OF THESE ZOOM MEETINGS IS THAT ALL OF THAT IS RECORDED.
AND SO I'M GIVEN A SPREADSHEET, UM, AND I, WE, THAT'S ACTUALLY OF ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED AND THEN HOW THEY WERE ANSWERED.
SO, UM, AND THEN COMBINED WITH, WE, WE GET A, WE CAPTURE A VIDEO OF THE ENTIRE MEETING.
SO TWO YEARS FROM NOW, WE WANNA GO BACK AND LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED AT THAT MEETING? WE COULD JUST PLAY THAT VIDEO.
AND I, AND I HOPE THAT WE INTERNALLY, UM, WITHIN EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK STAFF, WHOEVER IS THE POINT PERSON FOR STARTING TO COMPILE THOSE INSIGHTS WILL, YOU KNOW, RECEIVE THOSE RECORDINGS, RECEIVE ANY NOTES THAT YOU HAVE FROM THIS PROCESS, JUST SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND REINVENT THE WHEEL IN TERMS OF GATHERING COMMUNITY INSIGHTS.
BECAUSE I, I THINK THERE'S A LOT THAT CAME OUT IN THESE MEETINGS
[01:55:01]
AND WE WILL COME OUT.I GUESS WE HAVE ONE MORE AT LEAST SCHEDULED.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE TO EMPHASIZE THAT.
AND THEN THE OTHER POINT THAT I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I I I DO MY OWN ANECDOTAL SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENING AND, AND I CAN SHARE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'VE SEEN, UM, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TILDEN, IT REALLY IS LOVED ACROSS THE ENTIRE EAST BAY, IF NOT THE ENTIRE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.
AND I THINK THAT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CAPTURE THAT INSIGHT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS REALLY IS A TOP DESTINATION WHEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CONNECT WITH NATURE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND THE SAN FRANCISCO EAST BAY.
I, I KNOW IT'S OUT THERE IN REGARDS TO SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATIONS AND, UM, CONTENT.
AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM, YOU KNOW, US HAVING COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND US DOING PRIMARY MARKET RESEARCH, BUT IT'S STILL JUST AN IMPORTANT DATA POINT IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
AND I THINK CAN ALSO HELP US AS WE GO OUT FOR, YOU KNOW, GRANT FUNDING AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR THIS PROJECT.
UM, UH, DIRECTOR CORBETT, YOU'RE ON, BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR MIC ON TOO.
IS IT WORKING NOW? THERE, THAT'S GOOD.
I SO APPRECIATE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO HEAR ABOUT THIS FACILITY.
ONE THAT I'VE GONE TO SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID
SO, UM, AMAZING TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO IMPROVE, UH, THE ABILITY FOR MORE AND MORE STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM THIS AREA.
I COULD AGREE WITH THE THINGS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY SAID.
UM, AND THIS MIGHT NOT BE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I, UM, HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARE WE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE, UM, ABILITY TO GET TO THIS BEAUTIFUL FACILITY FROM THROUGHOUT OUR AREA? UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE FOLKS THAT GET IN THEIR CARS OR GO WITH THEIR BUS TRIPS, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH, UH, OUR PARENTS, UH, BUS FOLKS IS, IS I THINK, AN IMPORTANT THING.
WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WAYS WE CAN CONTINUE, WE MIGHT, THIS MIGHT NOT BE ALL PART OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION, BUT I ALWAYS WANNA KNOW HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE FULL ACCESS THROUGHOUT OUR AREA TO SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING? IS THERE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE ACCESS? ALL THAT I KNOW IS THAT THERE WAS, AC TRANSIT DID HAVE A STOP, UM, AT THIS LOCATION PRE COVID, UM, I BELIEVE DURING COVID THAT THAT STOP HAS BEEN TERMINATED.
UM, YEAH, KIND OF OUTSIDE THE AREA OF THIS PROJECT TO LOBBY, BUT I GUESS THERE MAY BE A NECESSITY FOR SOME SORT OF LOBBYING WITH A CT TO TRY AND, UM, REINSTATE THAT.
YEAH, I THINK THAT THAT'S, IT'S NOT ALL PART OF THE WORK YOU'RE DOING, BUT WE AS A, A BOARD SHOULD, UH, CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE FIGURING OUT WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S FULL ACCESS TO THIS PARK AREA FROM
AND IT'S, UH, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
IS THAT PART OF THE DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD AT ALL TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, OUR TRANSPORTATION, WE DO HAVE TRANSPORTATION ABILITIES FOR PEOPLE TO GET TO THESE PARKS, BUT ARE WE WORKING ON WAYS TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE FOR EVERYBODY? ANY ANYTHING ELSE? I, I'M WAITING, I'M WAITING FOR AN ANSWER.
UH, DIRECTOR CORBERT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, WE HAVE NOT BEEN LOOKING AT, UH, REGIONAL ACCESS AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO THE SITE.
IT'S MORE OF A SITE DEVELOPMENT AND PROJECT.
SO AS YOU STATED, I THINK THAT'S MORE OF A BOARD POLICY MISSION, UH, ISSUE TO TAKE ON IN TERMS OF HOW THE REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CAN REACH THE PARKS.
UH, AT THIS POINT, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IS NOT LOOKING INTO THAT AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROJECT.
BUT IT SHOULD ALSO BE IMPORTANT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S
[02:00:01]
NOTTHIS IS MIKE MARIA, INTERPRETER RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER FOR THE REGION.
UM, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S STILL AWARE OF THAT.
WE'RE PROVIDING A LOT OF BUS TRANSPORTATION THROUGH OUR PARKS EXPRESS PROGRAM.
IT'S FUNDED THROUGH THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION AND, UH, OTHER AREAS.
SO WE HAVE TRULY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EACH YEAR TO PROVIDE BUS TRANSPORTATION AND THAT'S HANDLED THROUGH OUR PARK TRANSPORTATION, UM, WORK GROUP.
AND SO THAT, IT'S NOT NEW, THAT'S NOT PARTICULARLY PART OF THIS PROJECT, BUT IN PLANNING FOR INCREASED USE AT THE EEC AND AT, UM, OTHER PARKS AS WE GO FORWARD, THAT IS ALWAYS PART OF OUR CONSIDERATION IS TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY, THE AMOUNT OF BUSES THAT WE CAN USE TO BRING MOST.
AND THOSE ARE FOR STUDENTS, SO TO BRING STUDENTS IN AND OTHER POPULATIONS.
AND I CERTAINLY, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT.
AND LET ME JUST SAY TOO, THIS IS AN AMAZING PROJECT.
BEING SOMEONE WHO'S GONE TO THESE PARKS SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID AND THEN TAKING MY LITTLE KID.
IT'S JUST, WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED, UH, TO SEE THIS CONTINUED APPROVAL, APPROVAL OF THIS PROJECT.
UH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU'VE GIVEN TO US, UM, TO SEE HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO USE THIS GREAT FACILITY.
SO, UM, BUT ARE THERE OTHER, UM, WILL WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT, UH, NEED, MIGHT NOT HAVE AS MUCH OF AN ACCESS TO GET TO THE PARTICIPANT, HOW WE CAN IMPROVE ON THIS? I, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE LIKE, LIKE IT WAS SAID, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SOMEWHAT UP OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS IMMEDIATE PROJECT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
BUT I, I MEAN, I, I SHARE YOUR CONCERN AND I WOULD CERTAINLY ADVOCATE FOR US CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THIS AND DEFINITELY NOT LET IT JUST, YOU KNOW, LET IT GO BY SOMEHOW.
UH, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN CONJUNCTION WITH WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WE ALREADY DO.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND PROVIDE JUST PHENOMENAL ACCESS TO THIS, TO THIS, UH, BUILDING WHEN IT'S DONE.
YEAH, I THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
LET ME JUST SAY FURTHER THAT, UH, THIS IS A FABULOUS PROJECT THAT'S BEEN WORKED ON AND BEEN WORKING ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND IT REALLY IS, UM, GREAT FOR THE EVOLVING AND WE'RE ALMOST THERE
UH, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR REPRESENTATION.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
CRIK DON'T GET UP, BUT CAN YOU TELL ME HOW MANY PEOPLE COME TO THE EEC IN THE LITTLE FARM PER YEAR? UM, ABOUT 78,000.
UM, AND THEN, UH, SO WE'VE HAD TWO MEETINGS SO FAR, COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
HOW MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATED? LIKE SHOWED UP, COMMENTED? UH, WE HAD UP 30 FOR, UM, MEETING NUMBER TWO, AND I THINK IT WAS, UM, AROUND 24 FOR THE FIRST MEETING.
AND, UH, GEE, I I, I GOT A MILLION THINGS TO SAY.
UH, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR SAVING THE, THE, UH, RESIDENTS.
WE PROBABLY SAVED A MILLION BUCKS OR MORE.
I THINK IT'S AN INCREDIBLE INTERPRETIVE OPPORTUNITY.
I MEAN THAT CRAZY BUILDING THAT SOMEBODY HAD DECIDED TO BUILD THE OLD ONE, UH, ARCHITECTURALLY, I THINK IT'S SIGNIFICANT.
UH, WHICHEVER ONE OF YOU NUTS DECIDED TO PUT A SEVEN FOOT KOMODO DRAGON IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THAT ENTIRE BUILDING FOR 30 YEARS.
I KNOW YOU'D, NONE OF YOU WERE HERE.
NO ONE, NO ONE HAS, THERE'S NOBODY HERE EXCEPT DE AND I.
UH, IT WAS, IT WAS INCREDIBLE.
AND TO INTERPRET THAT I THINK WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
UH, MAYBE AN INTERPRETIVE PANEL ON THE RESIDENCE OR ADJACENT TO THE RESIDENCE I THINK WOULD BE FUN.
I KNOW THERE'S A BIG COMPOST BIN THERE, A BIG UGLY COMPOST BIN THAT THEY TAKE THE UM, UH, MANURE AND SHAVINGS FROM THE, THE, UH, LITTLE FARM AND USE THEM THERE.
I THINK IT'S AN INCREDIBLE INTERPRETIVE TOOL.
I KNOW IT DOESN'T FIT ANYWHERE, BUT IT SURE IS.
PEOPLE COME UP THERE FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS.
SO I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE, I THINK IT'S A GREAT INTERPRETIVE TOOL.
I HOPE IT'S LEFT THERE AND I HOPE IT'S INTERPRETED WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
UM, GEE, WHAT? OH, UH, COLIN, I, I, I AGREE WITH YOU.
WE SHOULD HAVE A CATCH LINE TO GET PEOPLE UP THERE WITH
[02:05:01]
FARMING.MAYBE FARMS IN BERKELEY,
UM, I, I, I, UH, AS FAR AS THE, UM, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, I LOVE THE IDEA OF A BRANCH.
I, THE IDEA OF WALKING INTO THAT BEAUTIFUL, INCREDIBLE PIECE OF NATURE UP THERE AND WITH ALL OF THE MOVING PARTS AND GOING TO A RECTANGULAR BUILDING WOULD KILL ME.
I THINK, UH, UM, AS I SIT IN THIS ROOM, I LOOK, I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A NICE SLIDE PRESENTATION.
YOU COULD SHOW LOTS OF NATURE IN A SLIDESHOW.
THERE'S NICE FLAGS AND A NICE LOGO AND THERE'S A NICE BUNCH OF MAPS OVER THERE.
BUT MY EYES ARE DRAWN OUTSIDE.
I HOPE THERE'S NOTHING BUT WINDOWS EVERYWHERE.
UH, I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE AN INTERPRETIVE CENTER, BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NATURE NEARBY AND EVERYWHERE, WE ALL, WHAT IS IT? ALL KIDS OUTSIDE OR GET KIDS OUTDOORS OR WHATEVER THE SLOGANS ARE, THE, UH, THE ABILITY TO LOOK OUTSIDE I THINK IS, IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT, OH, WHEN THE PLANTINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T LIKE LAWNS NORMALLY.
UH, I DON'T EVEN LIKE IRRIGATED MEADOWS A WHOLE BUNCH, BUT I, I, WHEN, WHEN I LIVED THERE, IT WAS AMAZING, UH, TO WATCH CREATIVE KIDS AND CREATIVE NATURALISTS.
IE TIM GORDON HAVING I, I'D LOOK OUT MY WINDOW IN MY BACKYARD.
I'D SEE KIDS ROLLING DOWN THOSE HILLS.
THEY HAD SPACES, HE WOULD GET KIDS CRAWLING IN MUD OUT THERE.
HE WOULD HAVE THEM BUILDING THE WEIRDEST LOOKING GEODESIC DOMES, UH, AND, AND TEEPEES AND SKYSCRAPERS OUT OF, OF NATURAL MATERIAL.
SO I THINK A BIG AREA, YOU CAN'T DO CONCRETE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO DO TAN BARK.
I THINK IT'D BE A REAL, REAL, IT'S AN ASSET TO THAT AREA.
UH, AND IT MIGHT DRAW PEOPLE INSIDE IF THEY HAVE A WINDOW OUT, LIKE IN THAT SLIDE, DON'T, DON'T GO TO IT.
BUT, UH, ONE OF THE AREAS LOOKS OUT RIGHT ONTO THE LAWN AND I, I WOULD BE DRAWN TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY IF I, IF I SAW OTHER PEOPLE DOING THAT.
AND I, I KNOW THAT NATURALISTS DO THAT TYPE OF WORK.
UM, OH YEAH, I HOPE THERE'S LOTS OF SKYLIGHTS.
UH, 'CAUSE THAT AREA IS SO, UM, WELL THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF LIGHT THERE, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF TO LOOK AT STRAIGHT UP.
'CAUSE THERE ARE CANYONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, YOU MENTIONED WITH THE PLANNINGS, UH, EXPANDING A REDWOOD FOREST.
UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT THAT COULD BE AN INTERPRETIVE TOOL ALSO OF, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW UP, JUST UP THE HILL, THERE'S THIS EUCALYPTUS PLANTATION WITH EVERY SINGLE SIZE AND EVERY EUCALYPTUS IN THE WORLD.
WE COULD, WITH JUNIOR RANGERS OR VOLUNTEERS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, JUST DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE AND START TAKING OUT THE S OVER HERE, PLANT SOME REDWOODS AND HAVE TWO DIFFERENT FORESTS TO INTERPRET AND LOOK AT.
UH, AND, UM, I JUST THINK IT'D BE A GOOD IDEA.
UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING THIS AND I, I WISH, I KNOW IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
THE, THE, UH, A DA ACCESSIBLE PARKING.
I KNOW IT'S A STRETCH TO GET PEOPLE IN THERE, BUT I AGREE WITH DIRECTOR ROSARIO THAT BOARDWALKS OR BRIDGES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND THEN MAINTENANCE WISE ARE TOUGH.
I, BUT THERE IS NO WAY YOU COULD GET A DA ACCESSIBLE PARKING AND ALLOW FOLKS THAT NEED THAT INTO WHERE THE SERVICE YARD IS, RIGHT? THAT THEY, THEY, THEY WOULD BE GOING THROUGH THE TRAIL, RIGHT? YES.
AND IT ALSO LEADS TO OTHER, THEN YOU'RE BRINGING THEM TO THE BACK OF THE BUILDING, THEN YOU HAVE TO GET THEM TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING.
SO I'M, I'M SO IMPRESSED WITH THE, UH, AMOUNT OF CREATIVITY THAT'S BEEN GOING INTO THIS ALREADY, AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THE BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE, UM, AS, AS THE IDEAS WERE KICKED AROUND AND, AND KIND OF HONED IN ON, ON WHAT WE SEE THERE NOW.
I, I, I LIKE THE, THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE, THE DIFFERENT DISCREET ROOMS OUT THERE AND, AND THE, YOUR, YOUR CONCEPT OF WALKING AND DISCOVERING DIFFERENT THINGS, I THINK IT'S, IT'S VERY VALID.
BUT, UH, AND I THINK ANOTHER BENEFIT OF THAT, HAVING THOSE DIFFERENT ROOMS IS I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN A PARENT AND I'VE BEEN A CHAPERONE ON THESE SORTS OF TRIPS THAT GO TO PLACES LIKE THIS, AND I CAN'T HELP BUT REMEMBER HOW NOISY IT WAS WHEN THERE'S 40 YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE, THEY'RE EXCITED AND WE WANT 'EM TO BE EXCITED, RIGHT? WE EXPECT THEM TO BE EXCITED, SO WE SHOULD EXPECT THEM TO, TO BE SEMI CONTROLLED, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE, WE DON'T WANT 'EM TOTALLY CONTROLLED, BUT THEY'RE GONNA BE, THERE'S GONNA BE QUITE A BIT OF NOISE.
SO I'M JUST HOPING THAT THERE'S
[02:10:01]
YOU, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T WANT TO SILENCE IT, BUT IF THERE'S SOME WAY TO KIND OF, KIND OF ADDRESS THAT ISSUE AND KEEP IT, UH, YOU KNOW, LOWER SO THE REST OF USSO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE A, A HIGH CEILING, THAT KIND OF MAKES, IT, MAKES IT TOUGH.
BUT, UM, ANYWAY, JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, UM, THE, THE IMPACT OF A LOT OF EXCITEMENT IN, IN, IN THE ROOM.
UM, AND THEN, UH, COLIN ASKED, COLIN ASKED MY QUESTION.
I WAS, I WAS GOING TO ASK ABOUT THE REFLECTION REF REFLECT REFLECTION SPACE AND, AND WHAT GOES IN THERE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT NOW IT'S, IT'S, UH, A LOT OF, UM, SOME OF THE NEWER LIBRARIES HAVE THAT SORT OF A APPROACH WHERE THERE'S CUSHY CHAIRS AND, AND SUCH, AND A PLACE TO BE QUIET AND CONTEMPLATE AND REFLECT.
I, I THINK WE NEED, WE NEED MORE.
WE NEED MORE OF THAT IN OUR WORLD.
UM, THERE WAS A MENTION OF QR CODES, AND SO I, I WENT TO A, UM, A NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION, UH, CONFERENCE LAST YEAR, AND THERE'S AN EXHIBIT HALL THE SIZE OF LEVI STADIUM
IT WAS HUGE AND, UH, NOT QUITE, BUT, UM, THERE WAS A, A, A, UM, PRODUCT THERE, AND I TALKED TO THE GENTLEMAN, AND IT WAS QR CODES THAT ARE APPLIED TO, UM, LIKE A PARK HORSE KIND OF EXERCISE SITUATION.
AND, AND THEIR, THEIR, THEIR THING WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO THOSE, UH, IF YOU, IF IT'S IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU GO TO A EVERY DAY OR EVERY OTHER DAY, IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME EXERCISE.
WELL, THEIR, THEIR THING IS YOU USE YOUR, YOU, YOU SCAN IT, AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH ONE YOU'RE, WHICH EXERCISE YOU'RE GONNA GET AT THAT MOMENT.
SO THERE'S A TIME ELEMENT TO IT.
SO THERE MIGHT BE EIGHT DIFFERENT EXERCISES YOU CAN DO AT THAT STATION, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE YOU'RE GONNA GET.
SO I, I WOULD, I WOULD, UM, KIND OF INVITE YOU TO LOOK INTO THAT ASPECT OF, OF, FIRST OF ALL, THE QR CODES ARE THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY GREAT.
UM, IT'S ALSO, UM, ATTRACTIVE COST, YOU KNOW, FROM A COST STANDPOINT, I THINK, BUT TO SOMEHOW WORK IN, YOU KNOW, WHERE, UH, AT DIFFERENT TIMES THE MESSAGES, THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GET WOULD CHANGE, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, AND THEN I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA PROBABLY SLIDE A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THIS, BUT I CAN'T HELP MYSELF
I I'VE ALWAYS BEEN REALLY FASCINATED WITH, UM, THE PERIOD IN, IN TIME WHEN THE, THE FIRST, UH, INHABITANTS CAME INTO THE AREA, IT HAD TO BE DURING THE, THE TAIL END OF THE ICE AGE, UH, BECAUSE THE ICE AGE RECEDED 10, WHAT, 10,000 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING.
AND THEY WERE HERE BEFORE THAT.
SO I'D BE REALLY INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW THEY COPED WITH, WITH BASICALLY NEW ENGLAND TEMPERATURES HERE.
UH, AND THEN EVOL, YOU KNOW, AND THEN WENT WITH THE CLIMATE AS IT CHANGED TO A WARMER, UM, REGIME THAT WE HAVE NOW.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S OBVIOUS PARALLELS TO WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH NOW, TOO.
BUT ANYWAY, I, I, I JUST, AND THEN JUST A WHOLE GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT WAS THE, WHAT WAS THE BAY AREA LIKE 10,000 YEARS AGO? WELL, THE BAY WAS A VALLEY, YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS, IT WAS A LOT DIFFERENT.
SO, UM, GOSH, I, I REALLY LIKE TO SEE SOME STUFF ABOUT THAT, UM, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS, YOU KNOW? UM, SO ANYWAY, UM, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT AHEAD OF YOU, BUT YOU'VE DONE A LOT.
AND, AND THANKS FOR, FOR PUTTING THAT OUT THERE.
SOME SOMETHING THAT WE CAN KIND OF GET OUR BRAINS AROUND.
AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE, NEXT MEETING.
SO WE DON'T HAVE A VOTE ON THIS ONE.
SO, UM, ARE THERE ANY, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS? NO PUBLIC COMMENT.
OH, OH, YOU'RE NOT RAISING YOUR HAND.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS IS NEXT
AND, UM, WE HAVE NO, WE HAD, WE HAD NO CLOSED SESSION, SO NO ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THERE.
[BOARD COMMENTS]
WE'RE GOING TO BOARD COMMENTS, UM, WANNA START, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, YOUR, UM, ANY, ANY COMMENTS YOU WANT TO MAKE? DO YOU WANT ME YEAH, GO AHEAD.BOARD COMMENTS? YEAH, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR, WHAT YOU DID CLOSING THE MEETING.
[02:15:03]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.FEBRUARY 21ST, I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND THE OPS COMMITTEE AS A ALTERNATE FOR DIRECTOR ROSARIO, WHICH WAS, UH, REALLY GOOD FOR ME TO DO.
I APPRECIATE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN THE OPS COMMITTEE ON THE 21ST.
ON THE 22ND, I HAD MY ONE ONE-ON-ONE, UH, DISCUSSION WITH OUR GENERAL MANAGER ON THE 23RD, UM, ATTENDED, SARAH JUST LEFT, ATTENDED A, UH, CARINA STRAIGHT PART OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY, UH, OUTDOOR ADVENTURE.
UH, PAULA, THE NATURALIST AT, UH, TILDEN, UH, LED A, UH, PUBLIC OUTING ON THE GEORGE MILLER TRAIL ALONG THE CARINA STRAIT, UH, PART ONE AND PART TWO WAS A WALK LED BY OUR BIOLOGIST ROSE SAMUELSON, WHO TOOK US BACK TO THE BULL VALLEY STAGING AREA.
AND WE WALKED INLAND ALONG THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE CARINA STATE RE, UH, STRAIGHT REGIONAL SHORELINE TO SEE THE REFORESTATION PROJECT UNDERWAY.
THIS IS WHERE HUNDREDS OF DEAD EUCALYPTUS TREES WERE REMOVED WITH ALL OUR INNOVATIVE MACHINERY.
AND, UH, BIOLOGISTS, LIKE ROSE TOLD THE STORY OF HOW SHE WOULD WALK THE GEORGE MILLER TRAIL COLLECTING ACORNS, AND THEN TAKE THOSE ACORNS AND GO OVER TO THE REFORESTATION AREA AND PLANT THEM.
AND TODAY, THERE ARE LITTLE FLAGS IDENTIFYING BUCKEYE OR, UM, UH, COAST LIVE OAK OR BLUE OAK PLANTINGS SURROUNDED BY GOPHER CAGES AND, UH, DEER, DEER CAGES ALL OVER THE HILLSIDE.
SO IT WAS FASCINATING TO SEE HERE, I BIOLOGISTS EXPLAIN THE SCIENCE OF IT, THE ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE OF IT, AND IT WAS A, A, A WONDERFUL OUTING ALONG WITH, UH, UH, FOLKS WHO WERE JUST ALONG FOR THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OUTING THAT IT ENCOMPASSED.
SO THAT WAS A, A GREAT, A, UH, MORNING, ACTUALLY, UH, THE, UH, 25TH WITH DIRECTOR MCCRERY.
WE ATTENDED OUR SECOND BLACK HISTORY MONTH OUTING AT THURGOOD MARSHALL, UH, WITH, UH, A PROGRAM BY THE BLACK DIAMOND NATURALIST THEMED ON, UH, THE PORT CHICAGO TRAGEDY.
AND THE SUBSEQUENT, UH, SO-CALLED MUTINY TRIAL OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
UH, AND THIS ONE WAS ATTENDED BY CONGRESSMAN DE SONY, WHO WAS NOT THERE IN SOME PRE-PLANNED
UH, HE, HE JUST WANTED TO SHOW UP AND PARTICIPATE IN IT.
AND MY TAKEAWAY FROM ATTENDING TWO OF THOSE SESSIONS IS THAT PARK IS DEFINITELY GONNA NEED JOHN A, A REFLECTION, UM, FACET TO IT.
BECAUSE AFTER THESE VERY EMOTIONAL, UH, UH, PROGRAMS, UH, AND, AND THE ONE-ON-ONE PERSON, WE ALL TOOK PART IN TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORIES OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
UH, YOU REALLY NEED TO SET, HAVE A SET ASIDE AND, AND DO A LOT OF REFLECTION THAT THAT VISITOR CENTER'S GONNA NEED IT AS, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER TODAY.
UH, THE, UH, 28TH, I ATTENDED THE JOHN MUIR LAND TRUST, UH, KICKOFF FOR ITS, UH, MEMBERS INTO ITS, UH, UH, GOALS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE COMING YEAR, WHICH WERE AMBITIOUS.
I ATTENDED THE SECOND, UH, EEC TILDEN, UH, PUBLIC FORUM THAT WE WERE JUST SPEAKING OF ON THE 29TH.
I ATTENDED THE HERCULES DEMOCRATIC CLUB, MY HOMETOWN CLUB ON THE FIRST I ATTENDED, UH, WITH ALL OF YOU, THE TRAILS WORKSHOP.
UH, AND, UH, THAT COVERS MY, MY OUTINGS FOR, UH, THE, UH, END OF FEBRUARY, BEGINNING OF MARCH.
UM, SO SINCE THE LAST BOARD MEETING, FEBRUARY 21ST, WE HAD OUR OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING ON THE 23RD, I MET WITH A MEMBER FROM DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO TALK ABOUT THE DUBLIN BOULEVARD EXTENSION THROUGH DOLAND CANYON, AS WELL AS THE NEW IRON HORSE TRAIL BRIDGE OVER DUBLIN BOULEVARD.
FEBRUARY 28TH, WE HAD OUR FINANCE COMMITTEE.
29TH, I HAD MY ONE-TO-ONE WITH OUR GENERAL MANAGER, AND WE ALSO WENT TO DELVAL TO MEET WITH THE RANCHERS WHO ARE LOCATED NEXT TO DELVAL.
AND THEN MARCH 1ST WAS OUR TRAILS STUDY SESSION.
WASPY, ARE YOU READY OR SHOULD WE, I WAS HOPING YOU DIDN'T SEE ME.
I, I, UM, DIDN'T BRING MY NOTES AND I APOLOGIZE.
UM, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE YOU EXTRA TIME NEXT TIME.
[02:20:03]
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, GO AHEAD.UM, I'M GONNA ADD MY, UM, MY NOTES IN A LATER TIME TOO, BUT, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO, UM, AFTER THE 19TH LAST BOARD MEETING, UH, I ATTENDED THE, UH, INDIGENOUS COAST STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC LANDS CONFERENCE.
AND I REALLY, UM, AND RONAN PARK, AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK ANNA ALVAREZ AND FOR, UH, INVITING ME AND ALSO BEING ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS WITH JOHN JARVIS AND THE, AND THE, UH, RENTERIA, UH, TRIBE.
THERE A FANTASTIC CONFERENCE THAT PULLED IN NATIVE PEOPLES FROM, UH, UH, FROM ALASKA, CANADA, UTAH, MEXICO, IN THE YUCATAN, UH, IN LOCAL AGENCIES IN CALIFORNIA.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT, UH, TRIBES WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENCIES TO, UH, WORK THE LAND.
AND, UM, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE HAD A LOT OF STAFF THERE FROM INR, WHICH IS GREAT.
'CAUSE WE HAD A DISCUSSION OF WHY, HOW CAN, HOW CAN WE, UH, DO MORE FROM, UH, WE, WE'VE DONE SOME OF THE, SOME OF THAT WORK ALREADY, BUT HOW CAN WE DO, DO EVEN MORE AND BETTER? AND, UH, IT TURNS OUT WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY.
AND SO, UM, THEY, THEY, OUR STAFF NEEDS POLICY TO, UH, TO GUIDE THEM SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY DO POSSIBLY MORE WITH CO-MANAGEMENT WITH, UH, NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLES IN OUR, IN OUR AREAS.
SO, UH, I HOPE WE CAN, UH, LET HAVE STAFF, LET US KNOW WHAT THEY NEED AND WE CAN CRAFT LANGUAGE AND, UH, HOPEFULLY VERY SOON, UH, COME UP WITH SOME KIND OF LANGUAGE THAT WOULD ALLOW OUR STAFF TO, UH, DEVELOP CO-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WITH OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, ON 2024, I ATTENDED THE JOB FAIR AT LAKE TEMESCAL.
AND, UH, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT OUR, OUR, OUR FOLKS THAT, UH, STAFF THE TABLES THERE.
THEY'RE ALL VERY ENTHUSIASTIC, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, UH, AND, UH, SO IT WAS JUST WELL DONE.
IT SEEMS LIKE ONE'S NOT ENOUGH.
UH, AND THEN ALSO, UH, ON THE 27TH, HAD MY ONE-ON-ONE WITH SABRINA.
TOOK HER TO PIEDMONT STABLES TO KIND OF SEE THE STATE OF THE ART OF, OR STATE OF, UH, STATE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.
UH, I TOOK SABRINA THERE, I THINK WAS ONE OF OUR FIRST ONE-ON-ONES.
AND, UH, IT'S JUST GOTTEN WORSE.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET SOME OF THAT TAKEN CARE OF.
AND THEN I ATTENDED THE SUB COMMITTEE MEETING ON FINANCE ON, UH, ON THE 28TH.
AND, UH, IN BETWEEN, I, UH, WAS IN ARIZONA FOR, UH, THE, UH, FUNERAL OF MY BROTHER-IN-LAW.
UH, MICHAEL KRIEGER, UH, ROBIN'S OLDER BROTHER.
AND HE WAS, UH, VERY BITTERSWEET.
HE WAS A, AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE, UH, INCREDIBLE MAN, UH, AND HUMAN BEING, UH, WEST POINT GRADUATE, UH, RETIRED COLONEL OUT OF THE, OUT FROM THE ARMY RANGERS AND, UH, AND UPON.
AND THEN HE ALSO, DURING HIS SERVICE, HE ALSO TAUGHT PHYSICS AT WEST POINT.
THERE WAS A COUPLE OF GENERALISTS, ATTENDED HIS FUNERAL, AND, UM, UH, HE HAD A GREAT, UH, HE HAD A GREAT MIND.
IN FACT, WHEN HE RETIRED, HE WAS THE HIGHEST CIVILIAN IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AND HE WAS TASKED WITH, UH, UH, INTERNET SECURITY FOR THE MILITARY.
AND THEN HE FORMED HIS OWN COMPANY AND HE WORKED ON, UH, HE'S ONE OF THE COMPANIES THAT WORKED ON, UH, STABILIZING ALL THE PHONE NUMBERS THAT WE ALL ENJOY RIGHT NOW.
BUT HE WAS VERY WELL RESPECTED.
HE HAD A, UM, HE USED SUCCUMBED TO A, UM, A LONG-TERM BATTLE, 10 YEARS WITH PANCREATIC CANCER IS A SMALL, A RARE, SLOW, SLOW, UH, UH, MANIFESTATION OF THAT DISEASE.
BUT HE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE HIS TWO SONS.
UH, ONE, UH, HIS OLDEST SON, JOSHUA, UH, HOW DID HE, HE WASHED OUT OF, UH, HE DROPPED OUT OF THE ANNAPOLIS CA ACADEMY, BUT MADE UP FOR IT LATER BY BECOME A DOCTOR FOR THE, UH, HE'S AN EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
AND THEN HIS YOUNGEST SON GRADUATED FROM WEST POINT
[02:25:01]
AND, UH, IS NOW, UH, WORKING FOR BANKSBUT HE GOT TO SEE FOUR, HIS FOUR GRAND GRANDCHILDREN, UH, TO BE BORN.
AND, UH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS SOMETHING HE WANTED TO SEE, AND IT WAS GLAD THAT HE GOT TO DO IT.
AND, UH, I JUST, UM, PRIVILEGED TO KNOW, TO KNOW THE MAN AND HIS FAMILY.
AND OF COURSE, I BONDED WITH HIS, WITH GRANDKIDS.
WE JUST ROLLED AROUND IN THE DIRT ALL DAY.
BUT, UM, WITH THAT, UH, AND I, I APOLOGIZE, I COULDN'T SEE, UH, COULDN'T ATTEND, UH, A BEVERLY LANE SON'S, UH, FUNERAL TO HOPEFULLY, UH, EVERYONE GOTTA GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THAT, SO THANK YOU.
WELL, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT WITH US.
THAT THAT'S, THAT THAT MEANS A LOT.
SO, UM, ON, UM, THE, THE FEBRUARY 20TH, I WENT TO THE BOARD MEETING HERE, 28TH, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
AND ON THE 29TH, UM, COLIN AND I WERE IN OAKLEY AT DUTCH SLOUGH.
I WAS COUNTING ON YOU TO GIVE ALL THE DETAILS
BUT IT WAS A GOOD TOUR OF A THOUSAND ACRE RESTORATION, UM, UH, WETLAND AND UPLAND RESTORATION, TIDAL SLEWS, UH, REVEGETATION REROUTING OF MARSH CREEK, THE ACTUAL MARSH CREEK, UM, TO DISCHARGE IT INTO THIS WETLAND RATHER THAN JUST SHOOT IT OUT TO THE, TO THE DELTA IN A, IN A CANAL, BASICALLY.
UM, AND WE HAD A VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, UH, JOHN KANE WAS THE, UM, TOUR GUIDE GAVE US A VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE TOUR.
IT'S A PROJECT THAT WAS DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES.
UM, AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND THE MARSH CREEK TRAIL OUT INTO THE EXPLICITLY TO THE END OF MARSH CREEK TO MAKE IT TRULY TO THE DELTA, YEAH.
TO THE DELTA, UH, TRAIL THAT FOLLOWS THE ENTIRE, WELL, A HUGE PART OF THE COURSE OF MARSH CREEK.
SO I APPRECIATE GETTING INVITED TO THAT.
AND, UH, IT WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL AND A VERY INTERESTING PART OF THE WORLD.
UM, JUST DIRECTLY NORTH OF OAKLEY, YOU DRIVE THROUGH THE SUBDIVISIONS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT ENDS.
AND THEN THERE YOU ARE IN THIS, THIS PRISTINE AREA, AND YOU CAN'T TELL THAT IT WAS ENGINEERED EITHER.
IT'S IT'S HIGHLY ENGINEERED, BUT IT LOOKS VERY NATURAL AFTER ONLY FOUR YEARS.
UM, I TOO WENT TO THE, THE EVENT WITH, UM, CONGRESSMAN DISONIA AT THURGOOD MARSHALL, WHERE WE LEARNED WHERE THE FOLKS THERE WE ALREADY KNEW, BUT THE FOLKS THAT ATTENDED THERE LEARNED WHY WE CALL IT HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
UM, VERY GOOD TURNOUT WAS A DIFFERENT, I KNOW I ALREADY ATTENDED AN EARLIER ONE, BUT IT WAS A 80 PERSON ONE, OR IT WAS A 90TH ANNIVERSARY VERSION.
THIS WAS JUST A NORMAL GARDEN VARIETY MM-HMM.
AND IT WAS, UH, A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, BUT A LOT OF THE SAME, IT KIND OF EVOKED THE SAME FEELINGS YOU GOT, YOU KNOW, UH, OF, OF WHAT HAPPENED THERE AND, AND WHAT THE IMPACT ON, ON THE SAILORS.
UM, AND THEN ON, UM, THE FIRST, I WAS AT THE, HERE, AT THE BOARD TRAIL STUDY SESSION, SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS UP TO.
UM, IF THERE'S NO OTHER COMMENTS, BUT THERE ARE, IF, IF I MAY, AND IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD, I WOULD PROPOSE THAT WE WOULD, UM, CLOSE THE MEETING.
DOUGLAS LANE, BEVERLY'S SON, WHO, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT A LOT OF BEHIND THE SCENES PEOPLE.
DOUG WAS A GREAT HELP TO HIS MOM, AS WE FOUND OUT AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE, AND SUPPORTED HER AND ALL THE GREAT WORK SHE DID.
THERE WAS ALWAYS SUPPORT PEOPLE.
AND I, I, I PERSONALLY, I REMEMBER DOUG PICKING US UP FROM A WASHINGTON TRIP AND PICKING US UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND TAKING US HOME.
AND HE DID MUCH, MUCH MORE FOR HIS MOM.
BUT I, I THINK HE, HE WAS A SUPPORTER OF PARK DISTRICT AND A SUPPORT OF HIS MOM.
I WAS AT THAT SERVICE AS WELL AS WAS DIRECTOR COFFEE.
AND IT WAS, UH, A ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO LEARN ABOUT BEVERLY'S SON AND ALL THAT HE ACCOMPLISHED IN HIS LIFE AND ALL THE FUN THAT HE HAD.
IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND,
SO, YES, I, UM, WE SHALL ADJOURN THIS MEETING NOW IN HONOR OF DOUGLAS LANG.