Report & Updates: Oakland City Stables – Tuesday, November 13, 2007- 6:00 p.m.
Oakland City Stables: ‘Citizen Outcry Protects Beloved Public Stables from Redevelopment into $17.5 million Passive Park: City Stables Rises to a City-Wide Project’
Annual 100 Mile 6-Day Ride Earns $20,600 for the Ridge Trail and East Bay Trails
East Bay Regional Park district to ask voters for bond funds: … will use poll to gauge reaction, approval..


Report & Updates: Oakland City Stables – Tuesday, November 13, 2007- 6:00 p.m.
From Kip Walsh, Assistant to the Director City of Oakland – Office of Parks and Recreation 510-238-6495
“We will be returning to City Council with a report and some recommendations regarding City Stables later this month. The report will be heard by the Life Enrichment Committee on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. in Hearing Room 1 at Oakland City Hall. The report will then be discussed by City Council the following Tuesday.” (11/20/07)
MEETING AGENDA


Oakland City Stables: ‘Citizen Outcry Protects Beloved Public Stables from Redevelopment into $17.5 million Passive Park: City Stables Rises to a City-Wide Project’
’OAKLAND, Calif. (July 11, 2007)—City Hall was packed Tuesday night with citizens asking for the complete reopening of Oakland's only public stable, standing united against a proposal for a $17.5 million general use park and plans to deviate the site from a full service stables and equestrian center. Not one member of the public spoke in favor of the plan as described in the Park Prioritization List.

 "The public is being jerked around.  Promises are made to the public and continuously broken.  This Committee (LEC) said that there would be children's programs offered at the stables in this spring and summer.  No programs came into existence and summer programs have been canceled.”— Lila Warhoftig, City Stables neighbor, who served on the City Stables Advisory Committee during its entire tenure.

Council member Kernighan said she wanted the stable transferred to the City-wide prioritization list as it is a “one of a kind City asset”. She did not think it should be listed as a district asset alone.

"The City of Oakland purchased the ranch to make a place where children in the community could learn about horses, ranching and farming. The inner city kids with all their personal issues benefited greatly learning about caring from and for a horse. That was a wonderful use of Public Funds, Taxpayer dollars. . .If Oakland is to continue to offer as many diverse qualities of life as its own population, then the ranch much be saved for equestrian use. . . Just because the City of Oakland is in such financial difficulties, please don't squeeze out the last little bit of its old country hills charm. My grandmother remembered fondly trail rides from Rancho San Antonio all the way to Lafayette where they would stop to water the horses at all the natural springs everywhere. Let us all remember this property with respect for it's history."—Laura Sciacqua Guluzzy, writer and second generation Oakland native

In response to Kernighan’s motion, the onslaught of the public’s emails and phone calls as well as the speakers protesting the redevelopment of City Stables on “The Parks Project Prioritization List” (PPPL), Council voted 3 to 1 to name City Stables as a city-wide project. Council also acted again to uphold the existing Master Plan for the stables honoring the public’s mandate for a full service equestrian center with boarding, training, teaching, expanded outreach programs for the public, including programs for inner city youth, families, groups, day and summer camps.

"We have a practical plan. For $2 million, which we are willing to raise privately, MEPS will deliver a fully renovated stable, that when properly managed and run, will be financially self sustainable, offering wonderful outreach programs. Our plan is consistent with the City's Master Plan and there is massive public support for this Plan. If the City had chosen MEPS, as a concessionaire, we would have opened for business last month. It's time for Oakland to keep its promises and return this facility to full use”— Speaker Anne Woodell, MEPS treasurer Anne Novak (415) 531.8454; annenovak@yahoo.com; Lise Stampfli (415) 457.1940; lstampfli@earthlink.net


Annual 100 Mile 6-Day Ride Earns $20,600 for the Ridge Trail and East Bay Trails
Tilden-Wildcat Horsemen's Association and Metropolitan Horsemen’s Association 6th annual ride in the East Bay hills - Aug. 29- Sept. 3, 2007 attracted 56 riders and 80+ volunteers! Bay Area Barns and Trails donated $5,000 to the ‘bank’. This ride has now earned $85,000 for the Bay Area Ridge Trail and for equestrian improvements on East Bay trails.
For more information, contact Morris Older at 925-254-8943, ebhillsride@comcast.net,
or Martha Mikesell at 925-833-9279, martha.mikesell@sbcglobal.net
For the rest of this inspiring story, visit www.twha.org


East Bay Regional Park district to ask voters for bond funds: … will use poll to gauge reaction, approval..
‘The East Bay Regional Park District is planning to ask voters to approve a parks bond measure worth $400 million to $500 million after a poll found the measure has broad public support.

Some 76.5 percent those surveyed in Contra Costa and Alameda counties would likely support the measure, an extension of a 1988 property tax to buy and improve parks, according to the district-commissioned poll, The park system now has some 97,000 acres in 65 parks, including Tilden in Berkeley, the Hayward Regional Shoreline, Pleasanton Ridge and Ardenwood Historic Farm.

-The bond measure — to provide money for city and local parks as well as regional ones — would need two-thirds voter approval to pass.

Park officials are eyeing it for the November 2008 ballot.
"It looks very positive" said Ted Radke, a regional park board member from Martinez. "This poll shows support for what we've done with our 1988 bond measure (Measure AA), and they want us to continue."

District officials say they took the poll to decide whether to drop the ballot idea for lack of interest, or move ahead to draft a proposal to present to the public, city councils and community groups in the East Bay.

"The short answer is yes. The poll told us it's worth it to structure something," said Dave Collins, a park district assistant general manager. "We will be talking to many cities and groups to come up with a plan."

The park board has until mid-June 2008 to vote on placing issues on the ballot that November.
…."It's not an increase in the tax rate, but a continuation, an extension," Collins said.

-The board has pledged it will not seek to raise the property tax rate above a current limit of $10 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a $500,000 home would pay $50 per year, at most, for the park tax. Property owners in the two counties currently pay $8.50 per $100,000 assessed valuation for the 1988 bonds. Board members also said they want to devote 25 percent of the bond money to city and local parks, as with the 1988 bond measure for $225 million. The other 75 percent of the money would go toward expanding parks and trails. Without a new bond measure, park officials say, the money from the 1988 bond measure would run out in a year or two, crippling efforts to buy natural lands for recreation, scenery and wildlife protection…

-The poll of 500 likely voters was taken in December and January by Strategic Research Institute in Southern California. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 to 4.5 percent. The pollsters found that 97 percent of those surveyed knew of the regional park district, and 96 percent agreed that regional parks and trails improved the quality of life in the East Bay. Half of those surveyed put a higher priority on spending park money to open access to existing park land, rather than buying new land. Thirty-seven percent placed more importance on buying new parkland, and 7 percent gave equal weight to buying parkland and providing access to it. Some 71 percent said they prefer that the park district spend money on renovating existing park facilities, rather than building brand-new facilities. The park district used the proceeds from its 1988 bond measure to acquire some 34,000 acres and add 200 miles of trails. Any new park bond measure would be decided by voters in the two counties, except for the greater Livermore area because it was annexed to the regional park district after the 1988 bond election and does not pay the assessment.
-OAKLAND TRIBUNE - Denis Cuff, MEDIANEWS STAFF
March 23, 2007