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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-01-21 City Council Summary MinutesCITY COUIICI MINUT€s Regular Meeting January 21,' 1985 CITY OF PALO ALTO ITEM PAGE Report Re Success of Super Bowl Oral Communications Minutes of November 19, 1984 Item #1, Election of Mayor for 1985, Election of Vice Mayor for 1985 Consent Calendar Referral Item #2, Request of Director of Finance for Position of Manager of Accounting Action Item #4, Sign Ordinance Amendment (2nd Reading) Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions Item #5, Proposed Changes to Santa Clara County Transit District Bus Routes 84 and 88 5 4 3 2 5 4 3 2 5 4 3 2 5 4 3 3 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 Item #6, Finance and Public Works Committee 5 4 3 8 Recommendation Re Undergrounding^ of Palo Alto Electric System Recess Item #9-A (Old Item #3), Restricted Parking Zones Item #7, Finance and' Public Works Committee Recommendation Re Seismic Hazard Study Consultant Contract Item #8, Policy and Procedures Committee Recimmendation Re Functional Classification System, Urban Limit, and Federal Aid Urban System Item #9, Acquisition of Palo Alto Board of 5 4 4 7 Realtors' Building Adjournment: 10:05 p.m. 5 4 4 9 5 4 4 6 5 4 4 6 5 4 4 6 5 4 4 6 5._4 3 1 1/21/85 Regular Meeting January 21, 1985 The City Council of the ,City of Palo Al to met on this date in the Council Chambers, 250 Haamil ton Avenue, at 7:35 p.m. PRESENT: Bechtel , Cobb, Fl etcher, Klein, Levy, Renzel , Sutorius, Witherspoon (arrived at 7:36 p.m.) , Woolley REPORT RE SUCCESS OF SUPER BOWL Mayor Klein said the Super Bowl held at Stanford University the previous day brought an unprecedented number of visitors to the community and focused much attention on Palo Alto. The major story was that nothing happened. Staff deserved a great deal of credit for a superb job in handling the traffic and the crowds. There were no major incidents, no major traffic snarls, and only five arrests for pickpocketing, etc. Lost items were handled properly and quickly, and the crowd was happy. The organization worked well , and the City received many compliments from other agencies, the National Football League, and all connected with the game. He publicly acknowledged the staff for their superb job, and the great number of volunteers whose help had made the event such a success. Some staff members served above and beyond the call of duty and deserved special commendation, and he hoped he had not omitted anyone who deserved special attention. He cited 4elter1 ey Willett, volunteer coordinator; the many volunteers who directed traffic and greeted people at the trains; Tom Flynn, the longtime reserve police officer/supervisor; Traffic Manager Pol ice Lt. Tom Mersotr, whose' traffic plan worked so well; Capt. Bruce Cumming, coordinating the police field services; Sgt. Art de Werk; Assistant Police Chief Chris Durkin, who put in many hours and deserved much credit; and Pol ice Chief Jim Zurcher,' fro con- ceived the idea of giving the pol ice flowers to hand out to visitors, to send the message that Palo Alto was a friendly place and, al though the pol ice would be firm, it was a party. Assistant City Manager June Fleming worked for almost two years on the proj- ect and put in many hours in the final weeks. The neighboring cities of Mountain View, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Atherton, and Los Gatos sent pol ice to help out in handling the crowd, The City could be proud of the effort and the fine job the staff did. Ms. Fleming said it was a genuine pleasure to serve the City and work with the staff. Staff was happy about the way the Super Bowl turned out —both the , results of the game and the opportunity to serve the residents rf Palo Alto. They tried to think of every detail, and spent over 18 months planning, which paid off well. The staff was heartened by the support received from outside agencies such as the California Highway Patrol, Cal Trans, Cal - Train, and others too numerous to mention. So many people were probably never transported to a game via public transit, which in large part contributed to the City's ability to control crowds. X12 departments in the City contributed to the results., Staff was pl eased and happy to do the work, and hoped everyone enjoyed the game. Councilmesbee Bechtel,. •thanked the residents along the congested roads for their patience and understanding, ,end the residents of Embarcadero and Willow Road for not using their driveways. Every- .. one joined in the party and festivities, making. it .at cooperative event for all concerned. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 19 1984 /MEW : Ceencli aie.ber helots, treed seconder by Satorlos, t• approve the sleet** of November 19, L9&S as sehoi tted. 5 4 3 2 1/21/85 MOTION PASSED unanimously. Cobb "abstaining*. ITEM #1 ELECTION OF MAYOR FOR 1985, ELECTION OF VICE MAYOR FOR 1985 (COV 1) Mayor Klein said that during 1984 and for the first three weeks of 1985, it was his privilege to be Mayor of Palo Alto. It was an eventful year for the City, and the Council considered many major items. In the area of land use, it moved forward to handle the. increasing economic pressure on the community for development through the new zoning regulations in the California Avenue area; the Downtown Study Committee for University Avenue area would hopefully produce a plan to give a better handle on growth there; action was taken on thorny land use problems such as the Willow Road extension and the Stanford Hospital Modernization project and moved through them. The problem of the Flood Control Basin was solved in a way he hoped was satisfactory to most members of the community. The Council reached the threshhold of moving forward on a Cable TV system. The newly created position of City Auditor was filled, 'and a definition of that position was being made in a way that would well serve the community. The community could be proud of some external events, in which he was pleased to parti- cipate —the Olympics and the Super Bowl held at Stanford. He was happy to have had the honor of serving as Mayor, and thanked everyone for the. opportunity. He thanked the many who helped him during the year. Only when serving as Mayor could one appreciate the loyal and dedicated staff support, in particular that of the City Clerk, Ann Tanner, the Assistant City Clerk and their staff, who were always so supportive. He thanked his colleagues on the Council, they worked well together during the year. They did not always agree, but it would be a disservice to the public to always do so. Disagreements were handled in a democratic, forthright and fair manner. He was proud to have participated, and looked for- ward to serving under a new Mayor in 1985. Serving Palo Alto was a particular treat, because the citizens were extraordinary and it was . a pleasure to interact with them. He hoped his successor would be as happy to be Mayor as it was a glorious experience to work for Palo Alto. FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR MAYOR: VOTING FOR LEVY: Sutorius, Cobb, Klein., Bechtel, Levy, Woolley, Renzel , Fletcher VOTING FOR COBB: Witherspoon City Clerk Ann Tanner announced that `,Leland Levy received eight votes and was elected Mayor for 1985. Mayor Levy thanked his colleagues and Counc ilmember Klein for the past year. He hoped to show the same dedication Councilmembers Klein and Bechtel had shown as Mayor. He expressed public appre- ciation to his wife, Arlene, and his youngest son, Jonathan, who were present and made many sacrifices during the past five years while he served on the City Council. He was grateful to them and to their other son, Joshua, at present in College in the East, for their support. FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR VICE MAYOR VOTING FOR COBB: Sutor i us, Cobb, Bechtel, Klein, Levy, Woolley VOTING FOR RENZEL: Witherspoon Renzel, Fletcher Ms. Tanner announced that. Counc 1l member Cobb received six votes and was elected. Vice Mayor for 1985. . 5 4 3 3 1/21/85 CONSENT CALENDAR Councilmenbee Bechtel removed Item 3, Restricted .Parking Zones, from the Consent Calendar at the request of a citizen. MOTION: Coseci1■ember Bechtel moved, seconded by Klein, to approve Consent Calendar Items 2 and 4. Referral ITEM #2F REQUEST OF DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FOR POSITION OF MANAGER Or ACCOUNT-igt - Refer. to Finance an u c or a eomm ttee CMh.: T TT) Action ITEM #4, SIGN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT (2nd Reading (LEG 5-6) ORDINANCE 3595 entitled *ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF TOT CIT1 0 PALO ALTO AMENDING C$APTER 16.20 (SIGN ORDINANCE) TO READOPT PENALTY AND ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS* (1st Reading 1/7/85, PASSED 9•-0) MOTION PASSED ananimowsly. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS Assistant City Manager June Fl emiog announced that Item 3, Restricted Parking Zones, would become Item 9-A. ITEM #5, PROPOSED CHANGES TO SANTA CLARA COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT BITS ROUTES 84 AND 88 (PC ' -1; (CRR-:IT2:,5i) (-Continued TF1i 1 /14/85 ) Associate Transportation Planner Gayle Likens said with regard to the schedule of review at the County level after the Council's recommendation, the staff report indicated that the Operations Committee of the Transportation Commission would discuss the item on January 23, 1985. Because it conflicted with a meeting on Transportation 2000, the Operations Committee meeting was deferred to February 13, 1985 prior to the full Transportation Commission and would deliver its recommendations and a verbal report to the Commission. There would be no delay in getting the approval pro- cess through the County. After the Transportation Commission made its recommendations, the item would be agendized for the Board of Supervisors within one or two weeks, so that the approved changes would be implemented in April. Secondly, the staff report dis- cussed relocation of the Transfer Center currently at Mayfield Mall, to Showers Drive near the San Antonio Shopping Center. The report indicated the change would occur in April. The City of Mountain Vier approved the changes, but because many things needed to be done in preparation for the Transfer Center, including striping and signing on City streets, it recommended that the change be deferred to July.. She mentioned that Mike Arrow from the Transportation Agency was present to answer any questions. Two changes were proposed in the Midtown area in response to con- cerns raised by the neighborhoods along Colorado and Cowper Streets. Route 84 from downtown Palo Alto to Mayfield Mall ran mostly along : Waverl ey Street via the Oregon Expressway, Middlefield, Colorado, and Cowper. Tee Transportation Agency pro- posed that the route bypass Colorado and Cowper, going from Middlefield to-ilaveri ey via Loma Verde. It would continue to serve the Midtown area. The second proposal was also an attempt to alleviate the number of buses running along Colorado and Cowper. Route 88 was the crosstown roue* running clockwise and coun ;Gerci ockwi se through . the residential areas to the Industrial Park.. Presently the route ran up Oregon to Cowper, then south- bound on Colorado to Greer and vice versa. 11W proposal would reroute the bus in the counterclockwise direction by cutting through the Midtown area to Page Mill Road. Because; of an 5 .4°3 4 1/21/85 operational di fficul ty at the intersection of Colorado and Middlefield, it was recommended that the current route be left for the clockwise direction on Cowper and Colorado. Other alterna- tives were explored but not recommended. The third change recom- mended by County staff was to bypa ns the Greenmeadow area because of ,the difflcul ty in maneuvering around the flower pots in the streets. The route currently ran southbound along Charl eston, Middlefield, and San Antonio to Mayfield Mali , making a one-way loop back through the Greenmeadow neighborhood, It was suggested the bus follow an identical route north and southbound. Counc 11 member Fletcher was concerned about having buses go in a different configuration when it went in one direction and not the other. She asked about the basis for the recommendation on route 84. 4s. Likens understood the buses needed to make a left turn onto Oregon at a signalized intersection to go up to Middlefield on route 84. It was done at the .intersection of Cowper and Oregon, but in the northbound direction on Oregon, they could easily make a right turn onto Waverley. Councilmember Fletcher believed it was confusing to have loops i f it could be avoided. Mr. Arrow pointed out that they tried to avoid the impact on Cowper Street by only operating in one direction. There were no stops on that section of Cowper or California, Counc11member Fletcher asked if there were other similar routes in the County and whether it confused the passengers, Mr. Arrow said it only presented confusion if there were stops 1 ocated on both sections of the route. He was unaware of any stops on Cal ifornia or Cowper. He believed the stops were on Waverl ey. Counc ilmember Fl etcher agreed it made a difference. She believed the staff report indicated there were no stops on the Loma Verde end of route 84. Ms. Li kene said there were no bus stops presently on Loma Yerde. There was one at the corner of Middlefield and Loma Yerde on Middlefield, and there was a stop on Waverley just south of Loma Yerde. She understood the Transit Di strict was not presently pro- posing any new stops on Loma Verde between Iii ddl efi el d and Waverley, but to use the existing stops. Councilarember Fletcher said there was a parochial school on Cowper right off Loma Yerde, and it would be a handy place for a stop, i f feasible. Ms. Likens was certain the Transit Di strict could look into a stop at that location. Carol Huntzinger, 370 Christopher Court, was a member of the Palo Alto School Oil fed District Transportation Committee who was pre- sently working on transportation problems with the merging of the two new junior high schools. The Committee believed it was important to look into the safety factors, but because the two schools were merging and many children wr't1 d go a long way, they had to look into. the process of using public transportation. The Transportation Committee supported the City of Palo Alto's staff recommenndation that County Transit line . 84.. be rerouted via Oregon Expressway to Middlefield Road to Loma Yerde Avenue to Waverley. While there were few middle school students using that route to attend middle school, with next.: year e s merger to the current Wilbur site, many students might use that route to attend the school They also supported the staff recommendations that route 88 be . rerouted via Middlefield Road to Oregon Expressway in the 5..4 3 5 1/21/85 1 counterclockwise direction and retain existing routing via Col o, ado Avenue, Cowper Street in the clockwise direction. Cur- rently, there were many Gunn High School students who used that route to go to and from school. County Transit provided two buses per run on that route, morning and afternoon, to accommodate the number of students using that route. Many of those high school students lived in the Greer Road/Colorado Avenue area. There were also some Ohl one Elementary students who used that route to attend school. If the recommendations regarding routes 84 and 88 were approved, three -fourths of the buses currently on Colorado/Cowper Streets would be removed and service to residents and students would be maintained. County Transit was an important resource in the community and it was more important to students as schools were closed and distances increased. She urged that Council sup- port the City staff recommendations. Stanley Youngblood, 617 Colorado Avenue, urged Council support of the Commission's recommendations. Michael Rairden, 3340 Cowper Street, used all modes of transporta- tion in Palo Alto. He said that with over 30 years of continuous operations along Colorado and Cowper Streets, it seemed there was a move to reroute the system. There were problems with traffic, but the buses provided an alternative to driving. There were many middle school and high school students who used the system, as well as a small number of elderly people in the area who were without other options. There were al so new areas of residential development going up in the area which might increase ridership. He believed that to take the service away from Colorado and Waverley and move it all the way up to Loma Verde would leave a large area of Palo Alto with no service. There were 92 buses per day during the week on Colorado and Cowper and approximately 2,500 total vehicles. Buses represented a small portion of the total traffic, and if traffic was an issue, buses seemed to be rela- tively small, and it might not substantially increase safety by removing them. He urged to continue service as it was presently and to support the change only in the Green Meadow area on route 84, and to recommend additional bus stops onto San Antonio Road. Councilmember Fletcher asked what objections Mr, Rairden had to the proposed changes. Mr. Rairden said route 88, and Alternative One would be the small- est change, which he preferred. The only stops lost with that change would be the stops from Oregon and Cowper as far as the Midtown area across from where the Co-op. Store was. They would still lose the stops at Cowper and Oregon, as well as Colorado and Cowper. There was an almost 100 percent residential area between Colorado, Cowper, and Alma Street and up to Loma Verde and beyond which would be removed further from available bus service. Alter- native Two would take the buses completely off Cowper and Alterna- tive Three was unacceptable because there was no way to have a bus stop on Oregon, Regarding line 84, Alternative One would elimi- nate the Midtown Shopping Center, which was a key destination. Alternative Two would retain Mi dtiwn , but would eliminate the large area of residential of Cowper and Waverley all the way to Alma Street and move the distance of the nearest bus stop to one- half mile or more. The County's interest was to have bus stops within a quarter agile of every residential area of the County. Barbara Madsen, 4244 Los Palos Place, was the safety chairman of the Gunn High , School Parent Teachers' Association (PTA). The objective of the PTA was to promote the welfare of children and youth, and Palo Alto supported those objectives. The primary concern was that the students be able to get to school on time safely. Many Gunn High School students depended on the line 88 bus because there was no other bus route on Greer or Colorado between Middlefield and Greer. She supported the County proposal, which substantially decreased the bus traffic on Cowper and on 5 4 3 6 1/21/85 Colorado between Cowper and Middlefield. At the route still served the needs of the students. 4 %I OH .i vii i.. time, the John Wanl ess, 2682 Cowper Street, was a resident of the neighbor- hood and supported the County's recommended changes. He was con- cerned about the traffic on Colorado, but believed removing the buses and putting them on the main feeder streets to pick up people from alternate lines was a good move. Lynn Chiapell a, 631 Colorado, asked about the possibility of put- ting a bus en Middlefield Road ,rithin the next six months. Middlefield was 46 .feet wide, which was below the State standards, but it left room to expand the left turn lane to ten feet. It would also unify the route so it had the same route in both direc- tions. She believed Middlefield would serve the Co-op and Safeway area, and the main drawback was because the left turn lanes them- selves were substandard. Safeway brought their semi -trucks down there daily, and all - deliveries were made on Middlefield. Those trucks were much larger than the buses themselves, and opera- tionally it was not safe for any truck to make deliveries on Middlefield. She asked that Middlefield be examined and that the left turn lane be made safer for all of the trucks and the semis used it. Councilmember Fletcher asked whether there could be more stops if the Council adopted the County recommended alternatives. She urged that the County to examine the possibility of a stop at Cowper and Loma Verde on the 84 route. MOTION: Councilmember Fletcher moved„ seconded by Witherspoon, to adept the staff recoamuadati oas to endorse the following pro- posed changes and direct staff to convey= this endorsement to the Chairperson of Operations Committee of the Traayportetion Com- missiest l. Reroute line 84 via Oregon Expressway to Middlefield Road to Loma Verde Avenue to Wmverley Street; 2. Remote line 88 via Middlefield Road and Oregon Expressway in the counterclockwise direction, and retain existing routing of a Colorado Avenue/Cowper Street in clockwise direction; 3. Reroute line 84 (Greenmeadow neighborhood) via San Antonio sad Middlefield Roads; and 4. Relocation of transfer center-. from Mayfield Mall to Skewers Orlv$. Councilmember Fletcher said originally a group of residents approached County Transit, there were negotiations at the County level and the recommended changes were put on the agenda of one of the Transportation Committees which dealt with route changes. 10 one in the City knew about the proposed changes or that the item was agendixed at the County level. She recommended that for future proposed route changes, neighborhood associations along the affected routes .be notified and the School District be notified. She believed those notifications should be a routine matter as soon as anyone in the City becaee aware of. the proposals. She requested that County staff always notify City staff of proposed changes. Councilmember Renxel asked about the likelihood of route 88, Alternative Two, being given serious consideration because she was contacted by many residents in the Greer Road area who were con- cerned about that alternative. Mr. Arrow said Alternative Two was presented because the County Operations Committee requested that many different alternatives be reviewed to take the bus off the minor streets and on to the more major streets. County Transit staff endorsed Alternative One, and i f; it was also endorsed by the City Council, he saw no problem. 5 4 3 i 1/21/85 Councilmember Fletcher commended staff for the good diagrams. Mayor Levy seconded the commendation. NOTION PASSED unanimously. ITEM 06 FINANCE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION UNDER'ORObNDla RE Vice Mayor Cobb thanked his colleagues for his election to the office of Vice Mayor, He looked forward . to serving the City. He thanked Councilmember Klein for the incredible job he did as Mayor. During the latter part of 1984, the Finance and Public Works (F&PW) Committee held two meetings at which it discussed the idea of accelerating the undergrounding of the City's electric system. The Committee unanimously recommended that an accelerated undergrounding program would take place. NOTION: Councilmember Cobb for the Finance and Public Works Committee moved re O•dergrouning •f Palo Alto Electric System an accelerated undergrounding program to be staffed by City people as outlined In the staff report. Vice Mayor Cobb said undergrounding was popular, but it was not an insignificant undertaking. It involved significant impacts on the Utilities Department and its staff. Assistant City Manager June Fleming said there would be severe impacts both in the budget and the operations if the recommenda- tion was approved. She deferred to the Utilities Department for specifics. In previous budgets to the Council, the Utilities Department made recommendations regarding the undergrounding it believed to be feasible and responded to a staff assignment to forward information on an accelerated undergrounding program, which was done. Staff was cognizant of the fact that it had an entire utilities system with which to deal --it was not exclusively the electric utility. Staff was also aware that Council was 'con- cerned about infrastructure in the utility. There were other needs in the utility in addition to those before the Council per- taining to undergrounding and taking care of some of those other needs would be impacted by the undergrounding brought forward that evening. Director of Utilities Richard Young did not want to see the favor- able move toward undergrounding submerge any of the other con- cerns. There was concern about the status of maintenance within other systems of the utility even within the electric system. Those programs must continue to go forward and the resources necessary to accomplish the tasks currently before the utility must be supplied. There were concerns over the status of system protection. A transformer was recently lost at a substation, and while it was believed that there was a spare, it was found that the spare was no good. Staff needed to more closely look into its system. P1 ending was being done for supply and resources neces- sary to bring energy into the system, but that energy must still be distributedtwlthin the system, and therefore, the system itself must be solidified. He emphasized that staff was looking at those situations and did not want to lose track of them " in favor ' of doing a major program such as that one before the Council. Mayor Levy asked whether staff favored the accelerated program. Mr. Young said it was a :.hard question to answer. Much time was spent discussing the matter with the F&PW Committee, and studying the figures and programs already underway. Staff wanted to see the undergrounding done=, and there were financial and organiza- tional benefits, but that desire must not prohibit the utility from having a;functional syste0 that worked as well or better than it did presently. 5 4 3 8 3/21/85 Ms. Fleming said the information presented was an effort to ensure Council had all the facts as it made its decision. It was a poi icy decision which rested with the Council , and staff responded to requests for information. The City could accimmodate the accelerated undergrounding, but staff wanted to ensure that Courc11 was aware that there was an entire utility with which to deal and there were other needs within the other utilities that needed to be addressed. Councilmember Klein believed staff was suggesting that to acceler- ate the project would require the City to hire an additional 17-1/2 empl oyee se He asked where those people would be put. Mr. Young said that was a concern and one of the reasons for the staged introduction of the program. The engineering people could be handled as proposed in the sehedul ed, and most of the rest of the people would be located at the Municipal Services Center (MSC) Councilmember Klein did riot see T where staging helped anything because it assumed there would be additional City space somewhere. He asked if the City had places for those people. Mr. Young said between the MSC and the Civic Center, there should be enough space. They were talking about field crews, people who would principally do their work in the field. Councilmember Klein said ever,ytime a person was added at the Civic Center or the MSC, i t prevented someone else for some other proj- ect from being hired. In making the statement of sufficient room, he asked whether staff considered other. projects which might require additional people, such as, cable or an accounting man- ager. Ms. Fleming said adding any staff to the Civic Center greatly reduced the flexibility to expand staff for other services. When staff presented the design for the Civic Center, there were a few spaces that could be accommodated on what was now the third fl oor. Councilmember Klein heard a lack of enthusiasm at best by Mr. Young. Mr. Young said that was correct. It was like "being between a rock and a hard place." Staff wanted to see the system improved in terms of the undergrounding, but recogni zed the strong impacts in moving up. He believed the F&PW Committee looked at those impacts and tried to look at Vee long -terra future they represented and make its decision in regard to that long -,term future. He emphasized that he did not went to 1 ose control of the present situation in order to try and gain that particul ar future. Councilmember Klein clarified that by doing the accelerated under - grounding, staff would not be able to do some other things. Fir. Young was concerned about adding staff which might prohibit adding other staff. They were inn an. era where they were moving toward electronic -control of the system, and people needed to be added to handl a that type of equipment. Further specialization in that area was also needed together with people who were -capable of dealing with solid state devices and relay protection for .the system. There were -many inputs of that nature he sail .coming up. Councilmember° Witherspoon said- the 'FIPW Committee bel idled e the accelerated undergrounding was -desirable for many reasons. It was a question of putting ,-the Covncfl s priorities where it wanted. them. She agreed with staff that by,. adding staff in a - building for one project,- there. might not_be r_oore for another staff :member for another project. She believed the project was- worthwhile enough to get started on a slightly better than 99 -year track. 5 4 3 9 1/21/85 She believed it was reduced to 47 years by accelerating erating the pro- gra:5�, a„d it had many benefits d )ran the road. She believed it was better to start now, and once the system was undergrounded, it would have alleviated a lot of the maintenance and repair problems now being- experienced. Although she could not point to any sav- ings in staff down the road logic told her there would be savings some day. A report from M,r. Zaner regarding the infrastructure pointed out that of all the City's infrastructures, Utilities was now in the best shape because the City always had the financing to maintain it. It was a long-term commitment, but if the City did not start now, it never would. Counc11 ember Fletcher .clarefled that before undergrounding was undertaken, each neighborhood had to vote to approve the project. Mr. Young said a series of circumstances were met under Rule 18, that set up the requirements of who paid for what. Basically, they were talking about a general improvement where the City picked up the bulk of the expense, and the only expense falling on the property owner .was the hook up of their individual service. They would have to go to tho'se property owners, before getting into a project, to get their concurrence on picking up those expenses for their individual services. How the City got around the situation where the property owner said no, he was unfamil- iar. Councilrnember Fletcher said it occurred to her maybe those resi- dents who were enthused about undergrounding were willing to put up the money to pay for the connection to their individual proper- ties. She was somewhat confused by the material which stated that it would not be economical for the City crews to do the connecting to the individual homes, but it would be more economical for the City crews to do the roadway and public right-of-way work. If it was not economical on one, she asked why it was on the other. Manager of Engineering, Ed Mrizek said that question was asked during the F&PW Committee meetings. From past experience, staff bel ieved there were adequate small contractors in the area to pro- vide the service at a fairly low cost that City forces would have difficulty competing. with. As pointed out in the staff report, Orme Street was presently being undergrounded. The project was one block in l ength and a small contractor did the work for far less than the City forces could have done it. Councilmember Fletcher said, basically, in the public right-of- way, it was major construction. She asked ,_if there was a more moderate accelerated rate of implementing the undergrounding that would not impact the City quite as much. Mr. Mrixek said the level selected was based on a level where the City would hire City staff and keep that staff busy. An under- ground construction crew of eight people would do the substruc- ture. If it was done at a pace of less than two projects per year, the crew would not be kept busy. If they did slightly more than two projects, the crew would be overburdened. It worked out that two underground projects, so many miles a year, fell right into place which left some time for that crew to do other small jobs like streetl fighting or things like that. Counc it member Bechtel said there were pros and cons to under - grounding and Palo Alto came a long way in that regard. She also realized there were some long -ter savings by undergrounding such as maintenance costs, tree trimfaing, and protecting against out- ages. In listening to the staff comments, which were stronger than she pl,cked up by reading the Committee minutes, she believed the downside of doubling the rate of undergrounding outweighed the benefits. She opposed the motion. The downside was strictly in the number of employees being talked about, in addition to the fact that the City just got an infrastructure report from the .City Manager which described some of the City's other serious problems, parts ol arty in streets and sidewalks The City 'must think of the 5 4 4 U 1/21./85 cost to the citizens. Staff spent much time dealing with citizens who were concerned about how much it cost to connect to the City's undergrounding, and the figures in some neighborhoods averaged $2,000. It depended on landscaping and driveways and could run as high as $8,000 to $10,000, as were the cases for sorne of the resi- dents in the Crescent Park area. It was a burden to the residents of the area. She opposed the motion. Councilmember Renzel said if the Council authorized proceeding with the undergrounding proposal Aerie within the electric utility, and it was found that there were other system needs that required nramediate attention, she asked how many of those posi- tions were transferrable to the other kinds of projects that might need staff. Mr. Young said the engineering people could be used to backstop any kind of a problem that might arise within the electrical field. The different types of crews were construction oriented and were basically a "heavy construction crew" that would be cap- able of digging trenches and hauling safety devices such as trenching, shoring, and installing conduit pipe. There .was some potential for transfer of those type of people even across the utility lines. In terms of moving into those highly technical areas of solid state relaying, there would not be a transfer. Councilmember Renzel clarified that about half the proposed staff would be transferrable. She asked about the current turnover in that type of position. Mr. Young was unaware of a heavy t!1rnover. s Councilmember Renzel asked how long ,there would be positions on board that would not be used if it was determined that staff had to be directed to other projects after embarking on an accelerated undergrounding program. Mr. Young said he would have to review the existing people. He referred to the Sewer Rehabilitation Program, and said the budget contained a proposal to add the people necessary. A tlmeframe was identified where the present people wool d be phased out due to retirements and that would have to be balanced. Councilmember Sutorius said generally infrastructure improvements were long range in nature and resulted in concerns about the com- mitment involved. It was the assessment of that risk that often- times lead to the deferral decision or the fallback decision, and over a period of time, a result was that the real benefits were not secured and the ultimate costs of the service improvements, the infrastructure rehabilitation, were not realized at the most economical cost. In the case of the undergrounding, he emphasized they were talking about a program that would not make an overnight wholesale conversion of the electric utility to an underground distribution, but, rather, they were looking at a process that would reduce an otherwise 94 -year program to something in the range of a 47 -year program. Accelerated undergrounding would result in improved aesthetics which was recognizable, but equally important were the service improvements in terms of reduced service outages, number of customers affected, and the lost reve- nue involved due to out of service conditions. Staff data in Palo Alto would confirm . the frequency of service outages was greatly reduced in underground plant as opposed to aerial. plant. More- over, there was a reduced safety hazard for City employees in general maintenance and in service restoration clueing . outage periods because service outages were generally storm induced -- falling limbs, water damage, . and oftentimes it meant employeec were doing restoration_ work in hazardous conditions. Some savings came from reduced tree trimming expenses, and the F&P%t. Committee recognized that the impetus for tree trimming would not \be exclu- sively the trimming associated with cleating power lines, but that tree trimming could be motivated by the proper care and mainL- 5 4 4 1/21/85 enancc of the trees in Palo Alto and eliminate the situation where on one side of the street they would be trimming trees as fre- quently as two and three times in a ten-year period, and on the other side of the street not at all in that ten-year period. The cost for the City and citizens would not be less in the future, and the service improvements to the residents and users of the City would also apply to telephone and cable television services. If those services remained overhead and were only converted in conjunction with City -initiated undergrounding . programs, the increased frequency of trouble and extended durations of out -of - service conditions would apply <to all three of the utility services being del ivered on an aerial basis as opposed to an underground basis. He believed the F&PW Committee was sound in its recommendation to the Council and the result of favorable Council action that evening would convey a sense to staff that Council wanted to accelerate_ the undergrounding of the electric utility; that it looked forward to receipt during the budget process of a plan for it; and it would be one more opportunity for refinement and digestion. He believed if staff had confidence that Council understood it was talking about a long-range program and was willing to make a long-range commitment, the enthusiasm would return. Staff needed to see a Council commitment and an understanding that it was long-range. He supported the motion. Counc ilmember Woolley concurred with Counc ilsnember Sutori us in terms of the savings to the City from such an acceleration and the improvement in service for the residents. During her campaign, she was asked by some citizens when undergrounding would occur, and some citizens believed it would happen within the next 10 to 20 years. When the budget was received by the F&PW Committee in May, 1984, all four Counc it members independently calculated that it would take about 94 years to complete the undergrounding if the City continued its present rate. In terms of the cost to the residents, she believed whether it was paid within 47 years or 94 years, it was probably not a significant factor. The longer the City waited, the more money it would cost. The City should go ahead with the acceleration process. As suggested by .Council - member Renzel, it was not impossible to make changes down the line if a crisis elsewhere in the utility program arose. Mayor Levy was vnclear as to what represented the initial capital cost. If a program of accelerated undergrounding construction began, he assumed that first, there would be some costs involved of capital equipment. He asked what the costs would be. Mr. Mrizek said with the accelerated program using City staff, the initial costs of additional staff represented $654,270. Those people would be hired over a two-year period . Two people would be hired -in the 1985-86 budget year, and the ,balance in the 1986-87 budget year. The 18 vehicles and equipment would represent a start-up cost of $719,000, and would be incurred in the 1986-87 budget year. The engineering staff would be hired in 1985-86, and by the end of 1985-86, they would have one year to design two underground projects, which jobs woui'. .be on the shelf so when the crews were hired at the end of 1986-87, they would be ready to be put to work. Mayor Levy asked whether bath expenses would be eliminated if the City used contractors or whether the additional staff would still be required. Mr. Mrizek said i f the program were accelerated and the City used contractors, the additional . staff would cost $269,000, which represented engineering staff and four electrical operators. The City would still hire the electricians to install the underground circuitry.. The contractors would only put in the substructure. Mayor Levy clarified when the City committed to a long- term enlargement of staff, the entry 'costs would be $1,200,000. 5 4 4 2 1/21/85 Mr. Mrizek said that was correct. Mayor Levy assumed that much of the savings from the accelerated program would come from lower maintenance down the road. Mr. Mrizek said once the main system was in place, there would be substantial savings in tree trimming Whether the City had an underground or overhead system, there was maintenance. The major savings would be in tree trimming. Mayor Levy asked if tree trimming was in the Utilities budget. Mr. Mriek said yes, in the pole line area. Presently the City spent 000,000 per year in tree trimming. Mayor Levy clarified that tree trimming was done by the Parks Department. Mr. Mrizek said tree trimming was under the direction of the Parks Department, and the Utilities Department provided funds for con- tract labor to do tree trimming. The Utilities Department desig- nated what pole line areas needed tree trimming, Mayor Levy said it sounded like not all the expenses for enlarging the staff were taken into account and the City might need to spend more money finding space for the personnel . He asked if all the costs were included. Mr. Mrizek said for the underground program, he believed all costs were considered. Staff looked at once the building was completed, the space allocated for the engineer staff for utilities, and at additional engineering staff for other infrastructure work down- stream. In terms of the personnel at the MSC, there were plans to construct an additional operations center which would move a few people out of Building C of the MSC, and some rework of that area would provide additional maintenance areas. Staff also planned to construct a building at one of the substations for storage, and move some of the equipment out of the MSC giving more room for people. Mayor Levy clarified that with a 94 -year program and the 40 -year life of a pole, during the course of the accelerated program, the City would have to replace many of the existing overhead systems prior to undergrounding. He asked if there would be a substantial savings if the City did not have to replace the overhead system. Mr. Mrizek said at the present rate, staff replaced approximately 120 poles per year with existing staff. The present pole replace- ment cycle was about 68 to 70 years and there were some poles that were 50 years old and the City was not keeping up. 0n the accel- erated undergrounding, the City would have to do about 20 years into the program before it was able to cut back on the 120 poles per yeer. Staff /ould continue replacing and maintaining the overhead system for quite some time. Ms Fleming said tree trimming in the City organization was admin- istered through the Parks Department who maintained trees on City streets in addition to those designated by Utilities. The Util- ities Department paid for those tree trims around the lines. The program could be done at the accelerated rate and staff considered the need to house the utiliites staff, but could not calculate where program expansions might be needed in tens or staffing. Regarding the impacts on other departments or divisions within the City, flexibility to accommodate additional staff in other places would be reduced, but presently, the City could accommodate the eetlmated staff. In response to Councilmewber Renzel's question, so+ a of the post tioes could be used for other things, but staff would be faced with rethinking and reprioriti zing where the City was wi th Utilities and what, moves would have to be made. 5 4 4 3 1/21/85 Coua ilmeiReef i eiir Sdi4.1 the iiivi.ivi, W. y HUL. a s riSte HIV 1Un, it WdS a direct command to the staff to start on the program. A key policy decision was being made. Council could cut back when it was time to set up the budget, but if Council was going forward with the basic pol icy decision at that tine, it knew the facts and should act accordingly and not send the staff on a wild goose chase. He saw many good things about undergrounding, but not to the extent stated by Councilmember Sutorius. The City operated with reliable overhead systems for a long time and continuing to do so would not be the end of the world. !indergrounding was nice, but not essential. He was concerned about the sentiment that the money involved with the program was not an issue. The City would add roughly 50 cents to the average monthly utility bill and that concerned him because the City received substantial increases on its utility rates from the Western Area Power Administration and would continue to do so for the next several years. Further, Congress was seriously debating ending the various preferences that municipalities had with regard to rates on federally fur- nished power. He was concerned that one of the possibii sties for raising the coney the City needed to ._finance the purchase of surplus school sites, particuarly Jordan, might well be a utility user tax, which would add to the rates people paid on their elec- tric bill. He was concerned any time the City added a small increment to the City's electrical bill. It was not free money. He was concerned that it was a mammoth program with no mandate from the people. People liked undergrounding until they found out it cost them money. The undergrounding program started in the late 1960's with a lot of enthusiasms and was cut back in the 1970's when the City experienced financial shortcomings. He saw that happening again in the future, and did not like the answers to Counc i l member Renzel ' s questions about what would be done with the people if the City had to cut back the program. He was com- forted somewhat that half the people might not be transferrable, but believed the City would incur substantial costs in stopping or significantly cutting back the program. He was concerned that there were hidden costs in the staff's estimates. The next pro- gram before the Council would have an additional cost because of the accelerated undergrounding, i.e., that in order for it to be implemented, the City would have to buy additional space some- where. He believed those concerns failed to be properly con- sidered. When he compared the need for the accel erated under - grounding with other things, he believed it was not an appropriate use of City resources to expand the City's staff by 18 people. He would not support the motion. Vice Mayor Cobb said the impressions he, received from staff com- ments that evening were not the same as\ those he received at the F&PW Committee. If he believed they were neutral in Committee, he now got a sense of negative attitude. In terms of space, he was not sure the issue was dealt with as well as possible. He believed the possibility of getting space from a surplus school site was a simple way of dealing with the problem, but he did not get a sense that all the options were understood. All of the new technology staff positions that might be displaced by the program, he hoped some day would begin to show a savings with a net reduc- tion in total staff because the City was using new technology rather than just a continuing net gain. He found himself such closer to the middle than he wars before because he was concerned about some of the questions raised and about what he sensed was a much more negative approach to the problem than he-. believed existed. Rather than sake a final decision that. evening, he sug- gested Council might attempt to better understand how to deal with the staffing problem and what it reallymeant downtown or the real and total costs. He was uncomfortable with going ahead based on what he saw because he was concerned that the ripple effects were not pinned down-. The •program was detlrabl e, but he wanted to know much more about what Council _ was buying into. He also wanted to know more about how the public felt and whether there was a strong desire to move ahead. The decision was a big one and not one to be entered into lightly. Council should be enthusiastic about its decision. 5 4 4 4 1121/85 Councilmember Fletcher said her concerns were exnrecsed by Coen - c i lmember Klein and Vice Mayor Cobb. With all the increases, she envisioned a full page ad in the Palo Alto Weekly about what the City Council mandated. She believed there were undeniable bene- fits to undergrounding, ' the tree trimming advantages were not that apparent because 1. the trees were trimmed and the costs allocated to the Utilities Department, to have tree trimming done in a like schedule would require it being funded through the General Fund which could be done without the program. Before Council approved such a large project, there needed to be more public awareness and feedback because otherwise there would be a negative reaction. Vice Mayor Cobb arrived that evening prepared to support the posi- tion he seconded in the F&PW Committee, but after listening to everyone, .his level of concern was such that he believed the mat- ter should be dealt with more carefully. He did not want to see the Council support a project of such magnitude on a split vote. SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO REFER: Vice Mayor Cobb veered, seconded by Woolley, that the accelerated sfdergroendfng program be referred back to the FBPW Committee for fevthe*r stedy and evaluation of, but not limited to, the ripple effects on ether City programs, the financial impact City-wide, and further information re public suppert/awareness. Councilmember Witherspoon asked if Vice Mayor Cobb envisioned staff doing any more work on the project. Vice Mayor Cobb believed the Committee needed to decide what could reasonably be asked of staff. Councilmember Witherspoon clarified that it should be a regular agendized item at the Committee level. Vice Mayor Cobb said yes. Councilmember Renzel supported the substitute motion. She con- curred with Councilmember Sutori us' remarks with respect to the benefits of the syste : and some of the benefits which might not have been tallied, i.e. with respect to telephones and cable television. She believed the City was facing increased numbers of wires on its lines for a variety of reasons, including squirrel guards that detracted from the neighborhoods. It would be bene- ficial to be able to accelerate the undergrounding. It was phew nominal to think that even at the accelerated program, the young- est Councilmember would be about 100 years old when the program w`3s completed. Sy the same token, she wanted -to be. assured .that the City was not unduly restricting its flexibility in the future by making such a large commitment. She was not persuaded to that effect presently, but believed: enough questions were raised that Council needed better- information in order to make a decision. Councilmember Bechtel understood the value of r=eferring something to Committee to get additional information, but believed the kind of information being Vaught was from the residents of the commun- ity and those affected. During the Crescent Park undergrounding more than two years ago, Council heard many objections. People were bothered by the extent and cost, even 1f they could pay for it over a period of time, It would be paid at the going interest rate so they paid the increased costs if they paid it off on their utility bill. To refer the matter back to Committee simply to ask staff to find out more information would be a great burden. Staff did a good job with the type of information they gave. Some ques- tions were the unknowns of where else would the City's demands be for added staff; what other programs would be high priority. If the F4PW Committee was thinking of holding public hearings to get more feedback about whether the project was a priority, she per- sonally had not heard anyone in her time on the Council exten- sively lobby for undergrounding. 5 4 4 5 1/21/85 Mayor Levy supported the referral, which he believed properly reflected the feelings of the Council. The policy of under - grounding was proper. Overhead poles were ugly and the system was outmoded. The concept of taking 90 years to do it made him uncom- fortable. According to staff, the finances long-term favored undergrounding , whether it was done by staff or by outside con- tractors. Clearly, there were a lot of question areas which should be examined, and a referral back to the FhPW Committee was a way to do so. 3 3STITUTE NOTION TO REFER BACK TO FUN COMMITTEE passed unani- mously. COUNCIL RECESSED FROM 9:40 p.m. T4 9:5d 2.m. BRING FORWARD ITEM 9-A (OLD ITEM 3) RESTRICTtD PARKING ZONES NOTION: Cou cllaeaber Bechtel moved, seconded by Cobb, to bring forwardItem 9-A (Old Item 3), restricted parking zones. NOTION PASSED unanimously. ITEM #9-A (OLD ITEM 3), REST€EICTED PARKING ZONES (SAF 3-6) Will Beckett, 4189 Baker Avenue, thanked staff for helping them out during the past several years. He represented the Barron Park Traffic Committee and the ' City staff was good working with them. Their formal study was scheduled to begin in February. The park- ing restrictions on Matadero, Los Robles, and Kendall proved to be beneficial. NOTION: Coaucilnomber Bechtel 'aomod, seconded by Klein, approval of the ressl ation establishing new parking zones. RESOLUTION 6342 e -,titled °RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF 'fnE C Tf or PASO ALTO APPROVING AND ASOPTINS CHANGES IN THE CITY OF PALO ALTO'S RESTRICTED PARKING ZONES" NOTION PASSED unanimously. ITEM #7, FINANCE AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION RE SEISMIC kiAIAR'D STUI? A 0 -5 MO: 587:4) NOTION: Vice Mayor Cobb for the Finance and filublic Yorks Committee regarding Seismic liaaard Study Conseil -tent Contract apprssal of a contract Mot to .exceed ,$20,OOO wit% +lames E. Ressel l „ P.E., for his continued management of the Seismic Naiard Redaction Program. - AGREEMENT James E. Wessell, P.E. NOTION PASSED sex*iepmsly. ITEM`#8 POLICY AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION RE s E r It AL lti I o Counc ilmeaber Bechtel for the Policy and Procedures Committee said there was considerable discussion as to the value of the Federal Aid Urban (FAU) system and of adding additional streets. In an emergency such as an earthquake, streets designated under the FAU system would be more eligible for emergency federal funds if they were to be - available. If federal funds were later to be increased for localities, . it might also be an advantage to be under the FAU system. The majordisadvantage was at least for the next two years, anything designated under the, FAU system would have a much more cumbersome way of dealing with radar enforcement was desired. After 1987 it would not matter. The Committee 5 4 4 6 1/21/85 believed that only tour segments should be added to the FAU =sys- tem, because they were those. most in need of improvements after a major emergency. Staff originally recommended about 11 additions to the FAU system, they were done based on any street that was a collector street in the City's Comprehensive Plan. Three were routes that were on the way to Stanford Medical Center and the fourth was in an industrial area development, None of the resi- dential streets of Barron Park; were added. NOTION: Cssncilmember Bechtel for the Policy and Procedures Committee moved re Feactisnal Classification System, Oben Limit,, and Federal Aid grbam System, that segments •f Sosth and North Pasteur, Eest Meadow Circle, and Quarry Road be added to the Federal Urban Aid System. RESOLUTION 6343 entitled *RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF ii! CITY .OF PALS ALTO DETERMINING URBAN LIMITS, FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF STREETS AND DESIGNATING CERTAIN STREETS TO BE IN THE !FEDERAL AID URBAN SYSTEM APPROVAL* NOTION PASSES usanim•rsly. ITEM #9, ACQUISITION OF PALO ALTO BOARD OF REALTORS' BUILDING (PWK 6-2) Real Property Administrator Jean Diaz said the Palo Alto Board of Realtors might be selling its building located between Parking Lots S and L as the result of a pending merger with the Menlo Park Board of Realtors. Staff believed that it may be an opportune time to acquire the piece of property that could provide future flexibility for providing expanded public parking. He recommended that Council authorize staff to proceed with negotiations with the Board of Realtors for the acqui ei tion of the site. Cauncilmember Witherspoon asked if the appraisal inc uded the improvements on the property. Mr. Diaz said it was with the improvements. Counc!lmeniber Witherspoon clarified that the improvements would not be used as a parking garage. Mr. Diaz said that was correct. r Cpuncilmember Witherspoon asked whether the parking dittriet had Vie right of condemnation. Mr. Diaz said there was no entity called the parking district --it was the City, and the City had the right of eminent domain. Vice Mayor Cobb referred to the suggestions for combining a gro- cery store, panting lot and housing on the site, and when talking about the costs and financing program, he . asked if the City would_ get some feedback as to how the proposal might present the finan- cing picture differently from its absence. Mr. Diaz said the issue was complicated because there was, no know- ing what mixed uses the. Council might entertain once the Downtown Study was completed and there was a sense of the desired uses, especially on City -owned pikes of property. Staff wanted to look at the piece of property for its added flexibility for public parking. It might turn out that the site could prow Ide, other public uses such at:a .grocery. store, He was. 'concerned about a residential Or cossercial',detelOpMent on the _p'Operty as a wayto get .a grocery store. There Might. be' a= -;gay. to get a .grocery store as part of a parking strUcture. and that'aight be a More important public use, dependent on the ,outco a of -the Downtown ;Study,.. 5 4 4 7 1/21/85 Vice Mayor Cobb clarified that staff would d return to Council with information wholly independent of those types of proposals. Mr. Diaz said that was correct. Councilmember Fletcher asked if the funding for the site would be from the General Fund or whether it would be allocated to the Parking Assessment District. Mr. Diaz said if Council provided the go ahead, staff would pre- pare a financing ;.1 an. While negotiating with the Board of Realtors, Staff would look at the available financing alterna- tives, and when returning with an -agreement, staff would present a financing plan indicating the sources of financing and how it would fit into the acquisition. Councilmember Renzel found it awkward for Council to discuss the issue. She asked if Council could have a closed session to dis- cuss the issue. City Attorney Diane Lee said that under a new provision of the Brown Act, it was possible for Council to have a Closed Session with its negotiator prior to a purchase, sale, or exchange of real property and to give instructions to the negotiator during that meeting about the terms of payment for such purchase. Prior to having such a Closed Session, Council had to hold an open and public session where the property was identified and the person with whom the negotiator was to negotiate. The new section became effective on January 1, 1985. Helen Low, 1230 Emerson Street, President of the Palo Alto Board of Realtors, said the Board of Realtors agreed to merae Menlo Park Board of Realtors pending certain conditions. If the Palo Al to Board of Realtors decided to :;ell its building, it would be con- tingent upon merging with Menlo Park. The Palo Alto Board re- ceived unsolicited offers and decided to open the offers up to the public and listen to offers to sel l , lease, or exchange, but no commitments to sell were made. Befot'e doing anything, the Build- ing Committee would open all offers on February 8. It was a lot of money, but location brought up the price. On February 8, the other offers would be opened and before the building was sold, the membership would vote on the sale. The Palo Alto Board of Realtors would not sell the building if it did not merge, but if it did, it expected to get the best price possible. Regarding condemnation, if it came up, 360 citizens would fight the Council. Elsie Begie, 1390 Bryant, Vice President, Palo Alto Board of Realtors, said that in the Board's preliminary discussions about what it would do with the building, it was concerned as to what would t`e the optimum solution in terms of the City's needs. She believed that parking alone was not the optimum use of the site. The Board was particularly attracted to one of the offers that provided for a grocery store and housing. It believed it had an obligation to have its property do the best possible for the City, and they wanted the City to look at them with the same optimum use. Councilmember Witherspoon believed the parcel was key for the City. She raised the idea of condemnation not to cheat anyone out of a single penny, but that the City would not lose it to another bidder. NOTIM Counc$lareabar Witherspoon moved, seconded bar Woolley, that staff be directed to weseti eta, ,i th the Palo Alto beard of Realtors (PAM for the acquisition of the PAIR site and return to Council With as acquisition plan, 'Welding on£in1oiti.n puree.: meet and Financing Plan, northers that prior to buginning signal negotiations, C.ewe l l gent in Closed Session with its nego- tiator. 5 4 4 8 1/21/85 Counciimember Klein concurred with _Councilmember Witherspoon. Councilmember Renzel believed it would be wise for the Council to hold a Closed Session with its negotiator before negotiations commenced. Coanci l members Witherspoon and Woolley incorporated language re Closed Session with negotiator into ■ain motion. MOTION PASSED unanimously. ADJOURNMENT Council adjourned at 10:05 p.m. ATTEST: 7I ty 1, 1 e APPROVED: ayor 5.4 4 9 1/21/85