In short, every one of the Parks and Recreation Commissioners present briefly expressed support for the Staff recommendation to (a) adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, (b) Adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan, (c) Amend the Pogonip Master Plan to include the East Multi-Use Trail and (d) Approve the East Multi-Use Trail Plan and direct staff to begin construction of the trail. Not a single Commissioner addressed any of the points of concern that were expressed either at the hearing or in emails to the Commissioners. In fact no mention of any emails (pro or con) was made at the hearing.
In detail, here is what happened:
The Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Commission met at City Hall on the afternoon of March 5, 2012. The Council chamber was perhaps 3/4 full, with both trail supporters and trail opponents present. Commissioner Samuelson called the meeting to order, and soon thereafter, was elected as the new Chair of the Commission, with Maria Gaura as the Vice-chair. Other Commissioners present were Richard Andrews, Lars Shallberg, Brian Smith and Randy Widera. Commissioner Connie Bertuca was absent.
Following a presentation of the City's Climate Action Plan by Ross Clark, the issue of the proposed mountain biking trail through the Pogonip (dubbed the “East Multi-Use Trail” by staff) was considered.
Superintendent of Parks Mauro Garcia presented the Staff Report and showed slides, many of which were photos of illegal campsites, but also included photos taken along the proposed trail route. He told the Commissioners he was “100 percent” behind the construction of the proposed trail, saying it is “the right thing to do”. He also said that “unfortunately there are not a lot of recreational activities” on the Pogonip, and that the new trail will “make a place for people to go” and that it will “open up a natural area to equestrians and joggers in addition to mountain bikers”. He alleged that users will decrease the number of illegal campers, saying, “We hope it will have an impact!”
Next up to speak was Heather Reiter, the recently hired Chief Ranger for Santa Cruz Parks. She provided mainly some statistics regarding illegal camping on the Pogonip, noting that between January 1, 2012 and March 3, 2012 there had been 82 contacts for illegal camping during that period, with 72 in the “closed area” of the Pogonip. Six cleanups had been undertaken, most recently on February 17. She also noted the expense of dealing with such illegal camping, amounting to $1400 so far this year, and that the new trail would facilitate access for law enforcement (using ATVs), and for “emergency services”.
Garcia then called on a representative of the Police Department (Bernie Escalante), who acknowledged that there had been a “slight decrease” in drug activity, but also asserted there had been an increase in camping. He cited the transformations of Depot Park and the Salz Tannery as examples of how development and the presence of users can work to clean up an area. He also stated that “our Parks Unit has bikes”, which makes it more accessible for patrols. At one point, Commissioner Widera asked whether ejecting campers and drug users might not simply “move the problem” elsewhere, and that issue was acknowledged.
Garcia next called on a representative of the Fire Department (Grant Parker), who echoed the previous remarks, and noted that all the reported fires in the Pogonip originated in campsites. He also expressed the hope that increased use by the public would help.
The floor was then opened for public comment.
First up was Mark Davidson, the current President of Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz. He indicated that there are approximately 400 on the MBoSC mailing list, and presented a petition containing some 1700 signatures (937 from Santa Cruz County), stating simply “I support the MUT”. He also mentioned that some $50,000 had been raised by MBoSC, and that a grant proposal for help in trail construction was in the works, with support from the City and bicycle-related businesses. He also noted that there were an “increasing number of riders on too few trails”. (Mr. Garcia inserted the remark that “there are not a lot of trails out there for bikes”.)
Next was Celia Scott, representing Friends of the Pogonip. She described the group, which was formed twenty-two years ago. Friends of the Pogonip is devoted to the stewardship of this 640-acre public common, which was acquired by the City in 1989 from the Cowell Foundation, using funds made available through the passage of the Statewide California Parks and Wildlife (CALPAW) initiative in 1988. Stating that the Pogonip is the recognized “Crown Jewel” of our Santa Cruz Greenbelt, Celia noted that we had so far collected over 400 signatures on petitions by those opposed to the project, petitions that are planned to be presented to the City Council when they consider the proposal.
The full text of her presentation is available here.
She was followed by Peter Scott, who showed a few slides that illustrate three of the many issues of concern to the group:
The recent increase in the number of bikers traveling on trails where they are not permitted, illustrating lack of enforcement.
The existence of existing ample opportunities for mountain biking, both within and close to the city limits.
The false notion that the proposed trail will provide a new convenient bike commute route to UCSC that will therefore reduce automobile commutes and consequent emissions of greenhouse gases.
Peter's slideshow was followed by a number of speakers, of whom approximately eight spoke in favor of the project, and approximately twelve spoke in opposition. Each of those speaking was strictly limited to two minutes.
Among those in opposition was Patricia Doler—a 54 year old retired fire fighter, an active runner and hiker, an equestrian, and a mountain biker. She noted that as a former long-time neighbor of the Pogonip, she presently runs and hikes at the Pogonip 3 to 4 days per week. She strongly urged that the Pogonip be kept as a safe sanctuary for pedestrians—“the only place left…that is truly safe for pedestrians, without fearing for their safety”. Here is the full text of her presentation, which she also submitted as a letter to both the Parks Commission and the City Council.
Others who spoke in opposition included Leonie Sherman (another mountain biker), Cathy Puccinelli (speaking on behalf of her Golf Club Drive neighbors), Debbie Bulger, Betsy Herbert, Jacquy Griffith, Katharine Herndon, Kay Archer Bowden, Joe Jordan, Don Nielsen, Sherry Conable and another “avid mountain biker” whose name we did not catch. All addressed points not covered by previous speakers.
Following the speakers, each of the six Commissioners present spoke briefly, all expressing support for the staff's recommendation for approval. None addressed any of the issues we had brought up. Only Commissioner Widera expressed any reservation, saying “I would feel more comfortable with an EIR” (instead of the Mitigated Negative Declaration). “But I have to respect the work the staff has done.” All in all, it was 6 to 0 for approval, accomplished in a total period of approximately 15 minutes.
The next day, we wondered whether any of the letters sent by others (of which we knew of a few) to Superintendent Mauro Garcia for transmission to the Commissioners had in fact been so transmitted prior to the hearing, since no such letters were mentioned at the hearing. We therefore wrote to Ali MacBird (staff to the Commission) to ask that question. Superintendent Garcia wrote back, saying that some of the letters “were received over the weekend (March 4) or on Monday, March 5 and were unable to be opened and processed until later this week”, and that “Unfortunately in the excitement of the presentation, I forgot to mention it to the Commissioners and audience.”
We will post the missing letters soon on this website.