OMVNA Meeting Minutes

Attending:
Steering Committee Members
Treasurer (Aaron Grossman), Newsletter Editor (Anita Grossman), Secretary (Tim Johnson), At-Large (Philippe Habib), At-Large (Julie Lovins)
Others
Bruce Karney, Webmaster

Absent:
Chair (Garth Williams), Vice Chair (Jean McCloskey), Community Liaison (Chris Whitaker).

Approval of November Minutes
The November minutes were reviewed and approved.
The September minutes still have not been distributed by the Secretary, so they could not be voted on.
Action: Tim Johnson to circulate the September minutes to the Committee ASAP.

Overlay Zone Implementation Plan
The EPC's December 1 approval of amendments pertaining to Overlay Zones was discussed. Concern was expressed for the extent of the restrictions placed on Neighborhood Design Overlay Zone application process, which makes it nearly impossible to utilize such a provision. A strategy was outlined for addressing OMVNA's concerns and to win the support of City Council when the amendments are presented to them for adoption. Action: The level of neighborhood support for use of Neighborhood Design Overlay Zones to strengthen the Old Mountain View Preservation and Improvement Plan will be sampled in the coming weeks.

OMVNA Year 2000 Calendar
The following dates were established for the coming year:

Monthly Steering Committee Meetings:
The second Monday of each month, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Action: Tim to check on availability of Library Room at Trinity Methodist.

Newsletter Distribution:
January 14
March 3
April 21
June 2
July 14
September 29
October 27
December 1

General Meetings:
Saturday, March 18 (Theme: neighborhood emergency preparedness)
Saturday, July 22 (Themes: Ice Cream Social; Mercy Bush update)
Saturday, October 14 (Themes: Meet the Candidates for City Council;
OMVNA officer elections)

Anita -- Advertisers will be notified of the new ad rates. Anita reported that she spoke with Fire Chief J.R. Stafford about participating in OMVNA's March general meeting. Action: Tim will follow up with Chief Stafford on the details.

Julie -- Julie presented recommendations for changes to the Downtown Precise Plan put forward by the Environmental Planning Commission, Downtown Committee and Planning Department. By a vote of 5-0, the OMVNA steering committee officially supported these recommendations. Julie noted that a public hearing on the Downtown Precise Plan will take place on December 8 & 15.

Attending:
Steering Committee Members: Chair (Garth Williams), Treasurer (Aaron Grossman), Newsletter Editor (Anita Grossman), At-Large (Philippe Habib), At-Large (Julie Lovins)
Others: Bruce Karney
Absent: Vice Chair (Jean McCloskey), Secretary (Tim Johnson), Community Liaison (Chris Whitaker),

The meeting opened at approximately 7:40.

Please note change of date, starting time and location
December Monthly Meeting
Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999 from 8:00 to 9:30 pm at the Grossmans' house: 234 W. Dana St.

Approval of October Minutes
The October minutes were approved as corrected.
The September minutes still have not been distributed by the Secretary, so they could not be voted on.
Action: Tim Johnson to circulate the September minutes to the Committee ASAP.

General Meeting Planning
Tentative dates were set for three General Meetings in 2000:

March 11 (Saturday evening) -- Theme: Disaster Preparedness (Possible speaker: Red Cross) (Note: changed to March 18 at the December meeting)
July 22 -- Theme: Ice Cream Social in a Park
Oct. 14 (Saturday evening) -- Theme: Candidates Forum and Election of OMVNA Officers

Overlay Zone Implementation Plan
Garth has edited the 4-page summary of Chapter 5 of the Preservation Plan (the part relating to housing) down to 2 pages, but still needs to get it to 1 page. Action: Garth to produce a 1-page summary ASAP

The subcommittee meeting which was to have been held on Oct. 21 was not held because of lack of attendance. Philippe will invite all Steering Committee members to attend a rescheduled meeting (at his house) at a time of his choosing during November.

Jean McCloskey has been leading the Overlay Zone efforts, and was not in attendance at tonight's meeting. Action: Garth will call or e-mail her to see what she has done or is planning to do.

All Committee members and OMV residents are urged to attend the Dec. 7 Council meeting to discuss implementation of overlay zoning rules. The recommendations of the EPC in this regard are not viewed favorably by the Steering Committee. There is an action item for Julie to find out exactly what these recommendations were.

New Business
It was proposed that the date for the Monthly Meeting of OMVNA be changed from the 2nd Wednesday to the 2nd Monday. This will avoid conflicts with Parks and Recreation Committee meetings, and will allow us to meet the day before the first monthly City Council meeting. This change was acceptable to the 5 Committee members in attendance. Garth will e-mail Tim, Chris, and Jean and see if this change works for them.

Reports from Officers
Garth -- reported that a contract for the design of Mercy-Bush park has been awarded, in the amount of $78,350 to John Northmore Roberts & Associates. Construction of the park is slated to begin in September, 2000.

Anita -- the next Newsletter will come out on Dec. 10. Anita will create the newsletter publication calendar for 2000. Garth read the list of newly appointed City Committee, Board and Commission members. David O. Greene, who lives in our neighborhood, has been appointed to the EPC, effective 1/1/00.

Julie -- noted that the current Downtown Precise Plan draft allows bars as a permitted use in Area E. This Area includes a half-block between Mercy and California that faces Castro Street. Julie stated that she opposed bars being across the alley from -- or continguous to -- areas zoned for housing.

On a vote of 4-0 (Anita had left the meeting), the Committee voted to send a letter to the City stating OMVNA's desire that "bars be no more than a conditional use, and not a permitted use, in any part of Area E that is adjoining or facing housing."

Note: a public hearing on the Downtown Precise Plan will take place on Dec. 8, which is why we needed to change the time of OMVNA's December Monthly Meeting.

Adjourned
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:30 pm

Respectfully Submitted,
Bruce Karney
acting Secretary in Tim Johnson's absence

Nov. 10, 1999

Attending:
Steering Committee Members
Chair (Garth Williams), Vice-Chair (Bruce Karney), Treasurer (Aaron Grossman), Newsletter Editor (Anita Grossman), Community Liaison (Chris Whitaker), At-Large (Jean McCloskey)
Others
Philippe Habib

Absent:
Secretary (Tim Johnson), At-Large (Greg Fowler)

The meeting opened at approximately 7:30.

Approval of September Minutes
The September minutes had not been distributed by the Secretary, so this item was tabled.
Action: Tim Johnson to circulate the September minutes in time for approval on Nov. 10.

General Meeting Planning
Our next General Meeting will be Oct. 23 at Landels School from 4-6 pm. The agenda was developed as follows:

3:30 Tim arrives to unlock the room
3:30 Bruce and Jean arrive to set up the room
4:00 Pre-meeting socializing
4:20 Tim Johnson, acting for Garth, reviews OMVNA accomplishments with emphasis on the $1,500 grant we received for Emergency Preparedness
4:30 Maarten Korringa, head of the nominating committee, holds the election of officers
4:40 New business -- items from the floor
4:50 Meeting adjourns and Bob Reay provides musical entertainment
6:00 Post-meeting socializing ends; clean-up begins
6:15 Room is locked up

It was noted that due to pressing engagements elsewhere, Garth and Julie would not be able to attend.
Jean suggested that all Steering Committee members should come dressed in costume.

Action: Chris Whitaker will publicize the meeting in The Voice, either through a press release or letter to the editor or both.
Action: All Steering Committee Members are to bring drinks and snacks to the meeting.
Action: Garth Williams will e-mail Tim Johnson to ask him to get the key to Landels to open the room
Action: Chris Whitaker will talk to Bob Reay to confirm he'll be at the meeting to provide music.

Overlay Zone Implementation Plan
In order to get the City to enforce the housing design guidelines that the City Council adopted in approximately 1992 when it voted for the Neighborhood Preservation Plan, the City staff feels it is necessary for 2/3 of the current property owners to sign a petition indicating their willingness to have the guidelines become part of the zoning ordinance. The City will also require a $1000 fee for this process.

There was considerable discussion of exactly why this was necessary and, if it was necessary, whether or not it would require review by the EPC or City Council or both.
Action: Jean McCloskey will contact Mike Percy or Lynnie Melena of the City's staff to learn exactly how the proposed process will work and learn if there are any steps we'll have to go through that we're currently unaware of.

The Committee has selected the portion of the neighborhood bounded by Church and Dana, Hope and Bush, as the first place to try to raise the necessary 2/3 support. Of the incoming Steering Committee members, Philippe Habib, Garth Williams and Julie Lovins live within this area.

Garth had prepared a 4-page summary of Chapter 5 of the Preservation Plan (the part relating to housing). The committee felt this was too long.
Action: Garth to produce a 1-page summary by Nov. 9

It was also decided that in presenting this petition to residents we would need a brief cover letter.
Action: Bruce to draft the petition's cover letter by Oct. 20

A subcommittee will meet to carry this process further. They will meet at 7:30 on Oct. 21 at the home of Philippe Habib at 526 View St. Garth, Philippe, and Jean will all attend, and they will report back at the next Monthly Meeting.

Reports from Officers
· Chair (Garth) -- Nothing to report

· Vice-Chair (Bruce)
Asked the Committee's advice about an offer he had received from a service that will host a neighborhood bulletin board on the web that can be used for classified ads and the like. He wanted to know if we should make this service available and link it to our existing web site. The Committee voted to go ahead with the idea.
Action: Bruce Karney to contact the service and set everything up by Nov. 10.

Bruce also reported a conversation he had with Nick Perry, a 16 year old local resident who had asked him how OMVNA would feel about a teen center or club opening in the Castro Street area. Such a club was the #1 desire of those at a recent Mtn. View Youth Summit, according to Nick. The Committee would like Nick to attend a future Steering Committee meeting to talk about the center and what he needs from the neighborhood.
Action: Bruce Karney to invite Nick to talk to the Nov. 10 Steering Committee

· Treasurer (Aaron)
Reported a balance in our checking account of $1,189 (but noted that Nancy Stuhr has already paid for her ads in the next 2 issues and Chuck and Tori are pre-paid for the next 3 issues). Each Newsletter costs about $275 to produce.

· Newsletter (Anita)
Anita requested that we increase our advertising rates, effective with then first issue of 2000. The committee voted to raise rates 25%, rounded up to the nearest $5. The new rates are shown in the table below.
Action item: Anita Grossman to contact current advertisers to let them know about the increase.

		# of Insertions
Ad Size		1-2	3-4	5+
1/8 page	2.3" x 3.5"	$60	$50	$45
1/4 page	4.6" x 3.5"	$100	$95	$90
1/4 page	2.3" x 7.0"	$100	$95	$90
1/2 page	4.6" x 7.0"	$185	$175	$170

· Community Liaison (Chris) -- Reported that the "S-curve" at Bush and Evelyn is being installed.

New Business
Anita asked if, when we didn't sell the whole back page of the Newsletter to advertisers, we could use some space to say "Thank You" to Alphagraphics, who give us a very good discount on printing our newsletter. There was general agreement that this was a good idea.

Garth reported that the City had asked his opinion about allowing Castro to be closed all the way to El Camino during major festivals instead of just to Fairmont. He reported that he told the City that he saw no major problem doing that. There was general agreement that he was correct, and some felt that it might even reduce traffic in the residential area during big festivals.

Garth also reported that the contract to design Mercy-Bush Park was out to bid. Once a winning bidder is identified, he expects that the neighborhood will be called upon to provide input to the planning process.

There are three major planning processes underway in the city now:

· The Downtown Precise Plan Review. Julie Lovins will be our major point of contact; she is a member of the Downtown Committee.

· The Citywide R1 Zoning Review, which is examining such things as set-backs, floor area ratios, and perhaps even design guidelines. Jean McCloskey volunteered to attend these meetings to represent OMVNA and keep us all informed.

· The Parking Planning process. Bruce Karney said he is interested in this issue, and will try to attend as many meetings as possible on behalf of OMVNA.

Adjourned
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:10 pm

Next Monthly Meeting
November 10, 1999 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm

Respectfully Submitted,
Bruce Karney
Vice Chair, acting Secretary in Tim Johnson's absence.
Oct. 13, 1999

Anita Grossman, Newsletter Editor
Chris Whitaker, Community Liaison
Garth Williams, Vice Chair
Jean McCloskey, At Large
Tim Johnson, Secretary

MINUTES (pending approval):

* Garth Williams was appointed by the steering committee to serve the balance of Maarten's term as OMVNA Chair. Maarten resigned his position on April 27.

* The Treasurer submitted a written report, stating that OMVNA has $1,262 cash on hand, a sufficient amount to print newsletters for the remainder of the year. Currently it costs $270 per issue.

* Newsletter distribution dates for the year were revised. This was done to provide an additional month for establishing a slate of officers for the coming year.

* Garth reported on having communicated with David Muela about Mercy Bush. David indicated that only the design of Mercy Bush is currently being considered. However, he also said that OMVNA could ask the City Council to include the development. After discussion, it was decided that steering committee members would speak with individual City Council members in order to determine whether or not there is support for combining design and development of the park into one project.

* Tim reported that he has received instructions from the City on how to obtain funds from the Neighborhood Grant Program for neighborhood emergency preparedness supplies. He and Aaron will work on the details.

* Planning for the general meeting was discussed and responsibilities were assigned. An agenda for the business portion of the meeting was established.

* Doug Hayden, Director, California Farmers' Markets Association, expressed an interest in finding a setting for a mid-week location for a farmer's market in the downtown area. Mr. Hayden requested OMVNA's support for locating the farmer's market between Bryant and Franklin on West Evelyn. He said that this location offers nearby parking. It is expected that the matter will be considered by the City Council in late May. Based on the information presented at the meeting, OMNVA voted to support the planned location for the event. An article will appear in the next newsletter.

* Bob Ravetto, Owner, Bob's Custom Auto, expressed concern regarding the new high-density offices on Evelyn. Before the development of the new offices, parking in the area was already problematic. The new offices are bring an additional 100 people into the vicinity, making parking nearly impossible. The lack of parking is impacting nearby businesses, including La Fiesta and Bob's Custom Auto. Councilmember Lieber mentioned that density considerations in that planning area are at the discretion of the Planning Department. It was reported that the Zoning Administrator is considering issuing a conditional use permit. OMVNA agreed to monitor the use of property in the area.

* Sally Lieber, City of Mountain View Councilmember, alerted OMVNA that members of the City Council are under the impression that the neighborhood is pushing for development of Mercy Bush Park without a design phase. OMVNA officers expressed surprise at this perception and reaffirmed their support for a proper park design, with input from the neighborhood. There was discussion about what actions should be taken by OMVNA. OMVNA will seek Parks and Recreation's advice on how best to proceed.

* Treasurer's Report. Aaron Grossman reported that additional advertising revenue received in the past month was sufficient to cover the cost of the March newsletter. Looking at comparable advertising costs, he reported that a 1/2 page ad in the Mountain Voice costs about $582. Copy deadline for the next newsletter is April 30.

* Downtown Committee Report. Julie Lovins reported that City Council will allow Art and Wine Festival organizers to extend street booths all the way to El Camino again this year. There was a proposal to end the booths at Yosemite, however there was concern that this could create traffic problems in the adjoining neighborhood. Julie agreed to approach the Wine and Arts Planning Committee about including OMVNA representation in the future committee meetings.

- It was decided that bingo will be the entertainment at the spring general meeting.

- Prizes will be solicited from local businesses, valued at $5-20. Jean will approach businesses on Castro between El Camino and California. Garth will approach businesses on the west side of Castro between Villa and Dana. Maarten will approach businesses on the east side of Castro between Villa and Dana. Julie will approach businesses on Castro between Evelyn and Villa. Tim will approach businesses on Castro between Dana and California.

- Tim will check on rules for running a bingo game and secure a venue. He will also reserve appropriate bingo equipment.

- Maarten will chair the meeting, providing an update on neighborhood activities (i.e. development of Mercy Bush Park and traffic management program)

* Neighborhood Grant Program. Tim reported that OMVNA has received a grant from the Council Neighborhood Committee for the purpose of supporting emergency preparedness in the neighborhood. He will also write a related article in the next newsletter.

Officers in attendance:
Maarten Korringa, Chair
Aaron Grossman, Treasurer
Chris Whitaker, Community Liaison
Tim Johnson, Secretary
Jean McCloskey, At Large

Visitors:
Philippe Habib
Monica Smith, Church Street.
Gregory Palermo, Front Lane

It was observed that the scheduled date for spring general meeting is May 15. The following themes and planning ideas were discussed:

1. Inviting City officials and other neighborhood representatives to come and speak on neighborhood preservation.

2. Hosting a town hall, with an open forum on all topics of interest to the neighborhood. Inviting representatives from the City and other neighborhoods to speak. Presenting results from the neighborhood survey.

3. Making it fun and simple, holding it in the afternoon (4-6 p.m.), serving refreshments. Organizing bingo for white elephant gifts.

Tim reported that a grant application was submitted for the purpose of acquiring neighborhood emergency supplies for the Old Mountain View neighborhood. Also, in March The Fire Department conducted an emergency and disaster preparedness and safety training workshop. Much of the information that was presented at the workshop is available online from FEMA (http://www.fema.gov/pte) and the American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/index.html). It was suggested that a regular article be included in the newsletter on emergency preparedness. Maarten will include a link to the appropriate websites from the OMVNA web page.

Maarten reported on the parameters of the City’s Adopt-A-Program. Activities covered under the program includes everything from financial contributions to voluntary assistance in the maintenance of a neighborhood park. It was suggested that once Mercy Bush becomes a park, this is something OMVNA may wish to do. On a related topic, Aaron mentioned that Friends of Stevens Creek Trail makes it possible for individuals to sponsor trees and plants along Stevens Creek Trail. There is a website which describes the program. Maarten will place a link on the OMVNA home page.

The City has not yet set its goal-setting session for the coming year. Chris reported that he spoke with Councilmember Faravelli, who indicated that the Council is favorable inclined to getting Mercy Bush built in the coming year.

The intention is to have the survey completed by the April newsletter. Maarten asked for suggestions for items to include in the survey, e.g. concerns over traffic, neighborhood blight, area events, underground utilities, etc.

Regarding neighborhood preservation, Jean and her team have spoken with a number of other neighborhoods and cities, including San Jose’s Rose Garden area. The team has found that some of the keys to success include having a good neighborhood preservation plan and a proactive approach in working with city government. Some cities have become quite responsive to neighborhood preservation concerns, established city priorities and committed city funds to carrying out preservation plans. It was observed that the City of Mountain View seems to be behind the times on neighborhood preservation. Since the Old Mountain View neighborhood already had a good preservation plan, Jean recommends that OMVNA continue to cement its relationship with key City officials and push for a greater commitment on the pat of the city towards neighborhood preservation in Old Mountain View. The team has scheduled a meeting with Mike Percy, who heads the City of Mountain View Planning Department. With a strong local economy, it seems a good time to ask for a higher commitment from the City for neighborhood preservation. It was observed that Mountain View has a high percentage of apartments, which may explain why neighborhood preservation isn’t a high priority for the City of Mountain View. It was observed that in some cities such as Santa Clara, neighborhood associations have taken some initiative on their own to address neighborhood problems, such as neighborhood blight, with voluntary painting or cleanup. One recent positive action by the City of Mountain View is the holding of the line on floor area ratios in new developments.

Treasurer’s Report: OMVNA has a current balance of $1,722.43. All expenses are current. It was reported that it costs about $325 to publish an issue of the newsletter. Aaron is still attempting to determine the average income per issue from advertisers. General agreement was expressed at the meeting that current advertising rates are a good value for the advertisers. However, there was also concern expressed that ad revenue may not be sufficient to cover the cost of producing the newsletter and covering other annual OMVNA operating costs. Aaron agreed to do an analysis of the current ad rates and revenue. Maarten suggested that ad income should be between 1.25 and 1.5 of the actual cost of producing the newsletter, thereby providing sufficient additional funds to cover other OMVNA operating costs throughout the year.

There was some discussion on the Traffic Management Program (TMP) process. Some of the residents on Dana Street reported that speed humps have made a dramatic improvement in the speed of traffic on Dana, without any apparent diverting of traffic to other neighborhood streets. It was reported that although the TMP was initially intended for local streets, it can now also be applied to traffic problems on collector streets.

Chris reported that he called Matt Gunnison, who oversees code enforcement for the City of Mountain View, but Chris didn’t receive a returned call. Chris plans to visit the City to get what information he can about City of Mountain View code enforcement procedures.

Maarten also reported that he has spoken with a couple of the owners of Mintons about the storage problems on their property, who acknowledged the problem and seem to be genuinely trying to be good neighbors. Some of what is being stored at the Mountain View store will be relocated to other stores.

Update on late-night Saturday activities at Portuguese Hall: Tim reported that he has contacted one of the SFV lodge officers, but has not yet received a returned call.

$1,577.43 current balance. Each newsletter issue costs about $325. At this point, expenses are exceeding revenue by about 20%. Aaron projects that there is only enough money to print and distribute 5 more newsletters. In the past, Ronit had taken responsibility for obtaining advertising, setting rates and keeping the OMVNA funds solvent. Aaron will discuss this matter with Anita when she returns. He asked for volunteers to help obtain more advertising. Julie and Chris expressed an interest in helping.

Julie distributed her written report prior to the meeting. There were no questions or comments. Julie added that she is looking into the possibility of bringing the OMVNA newsletter to future Downtown Committee meetings.

Neighborhood Grant Program: Tim outlined plans for submitting a grant application to fund an emergency supply depot for the neighborhood. $1,500 could provide emergency supply kits for about 50 households. American Red Cross fliers could be included. Building on the theme of neighborhood emergency preparedness, it was suggested that an article be written for the newsletter on the topic.

Adopt a Park Guidelines: Pending. Garth volunteered to get information for the next meeting.

City Goal Setting Session: Chris will keep the committee updated on the date of the meeting

Knight's Pharmacy: Julie reported that she has communicated with City staff about the debris outside Knight's Pharmacy. She said that the City is aware of code violations and has received numerous complaints. It appears that the problem is being addressed and that no action is required by OMVNA at this time. Chris reported that he has spoken with the tenant, who communicated that they will be cleaning everything up shortly.

Minton's Update: Chris reported that he has spoken with Herb Eaton, owner of Minton's, who said he is in the process of salvaging as much of the refuse from the fire as possible. He said that everything stored along the railroad tracks will be gone in the next couple of months. Regarding the storage between the buildings, Mr. Eaton doesn't intend to remove it. It was suggested that Chris speak with Matt Gunderson (sp?) at the City regarding possible code violations.

Tim reported that his team is still working on the neighborhood online questionnaire. He asked OMVNA officers for suggested questions. The team's goal is to announce the questionnaire in the March newsletter. Therefore, questionnaire information needs to be distributed to OMVNA officers prior to the publication of the March newsletter.

Jean reported that her team is moving forward on neighborhood overlay zoning, having met with Jim Lynch and Lynnie Melena regarding City related activities. Jim shared the City's work plan and invited OMVNA input. The team recommended neighborhood workshops on zoning and offered to pilot a workshop in the OMV neighborhood. With this information, the team will meet and determine what actions OMVNA can take to help ensure neighborhood preservation.

Jean suggested including information in the monthly newsletter covering the activities of the steering committee. She said that she doesn't think OMV residents realizes how much work OMVNA officers do on behalf of the neighborhood.

Regarding the Stevens Creek Trail, Julie reported that City Council has approved funding to study segment 2 of reach 4 of the trail, the section between Yuba Drive to Mountain View High School. Segment 1 of reach 4, the proposed routing of which has been controversial, is currently under review by the Parks and Recreation Committee. Segment 1 covers the creek section between Landels School to Yuba Drive. It was also reported that apparently steelhead have recently appeared in the creek. There is concern that their spawning not be disturbed by work on the trail.

Officers in attendance:
Maarten Korringa, Chair
Garth Williams, Vice Chair
Aaron Grossman, Treasurer
Chris Whitaker, Community Liaison
Greg Fowler, At Large
Jean McCloskey, At Large
Julie Lovins, Newsletter Distribution Coordinator and member of Downtown Committee
Tim Johnson, Secretary

LATE-NIGHT PARTIES AT THE PORTUGUESE HALL. Joanna Siden expressed concern that there has been late-night, loud music from the Portuguese Hall on nearly every Saturday night since she and her roommate moved into the Glenwood Garden Apartments last November. She said that the parties often go until midnight or later. She and her roommate have asked for police assistance a couple times, which it hasn't had any long-term impact. After some discussion, Tim agreed to speak with Manuel Bettencourt about the situation. It was also suggested the Joanna ask the police about the procedure for addressing this problem. Julie mentioned that code enforcement responsibilities recently were moved from the Police Department to the City Attorney's office.

MINUTES. With the addition of the inclusion of a statement of OMVNA's annual goals, the December minutes were approved.

TREASURER'S REPORT. Aaron reported that the starting balance of OMVNA's bank account was $1137.84, and that he currently shows a balance of $1776. It was suggested that the treasurer try to project costs and revenue during the year in his monthly reports.

DOWNTOWN COMMITTEE REPORT. Julie has learned that her current term on the downtown committee will expire at the end of the calendar year. She reported that the Downtown Committee will develop a revised vision statement for the downtown area, which could result in changes to the downtown precise plan, zoning, and Mountain View General Plan for the downtown area. The Downtown Committee recommendations will be forwarded to the Environmental Planning Committee and eventually to the City Council for review and possible adoption. The last revision of the downtown precise plan was made in 1988. Both residential and transitional portions of the downtown area are under consideration.

Julie asked for OMVNA support for her recommending to the Downtown Committee that they organize a "mass walking tour, lead by a knowledgeable guide" for its members. Previously, the committee members were advised to take a self-tour of the downtown, which isn't very informative. Julie also asked for OMVNA support for her recommending to the Downtown Committee that they hold neighborhood workshop for the purpose of seeking input from the neighborhood, particularly from those residents living west of Castro. There was general OMVNA support for these recommendations.

There was some general discussion on the composition of the committee. This topic will be considered at the next OMVNA monthly meeting. Julie asked for specific ideas for inclusion in the vision for downtown.

OMVNA ANNUAL CALENDAR. An annual calendar of OMVNA meetings and newsletters distribution dates was discussed and adopted.

NEIGHBORHOOD GRANTS PROGRAM. Tim reported that Jim Lynch said the application deadline had been extended to February 15. It was proposed that the funds be used for emergency response supplies and equipment which would be available to the entire neighborhood. There was general support for this proposal. Tim agreed to attempt to submit an application. Aaron volunteered to assist with the application as well as to provide temporary storage for the supplies and equipment on his property.

MERCY BUSH PARK. Maarten proposed that OMVNA support an adopt-a-park program at Mercy Bush. Discussion of the proposal will be continued until the February monthly meeting. Maarten will attempt to get additional information on the guidelines for the adopt-a-park program. Tim recommended the OMVNA participate in the upcoming City Council goal-setting session, which serves as the starting point of the annual budget. He said that this is the next critical step in getting Mercy Bush developed in the coming year. Chris said he would try to determine when this goal-setting session will take place.

NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT. There was concern expressed by Julie about the mounting pile of trash outside the old Knight's Pharmacy. Chris volunteered to speak to the people. Regarding the trash at Mintons, Maarten will attempt to talk with the owners of Mintons.

Neighborhood Input Team: Overall goal: gathering input from residents to identify and address their concerns, and becoming more proactive in responding to city planning matters impacting the neighborhood. The team outlined their recommendations for tasks, responsibilities and timelines for each of the team's five sub goals. For starters, it was proposed that a survey be developed for inclusion on the OMVNA web page, to be promoted in the March OMVNA newsletter. Results from the survey are to be presented at the April OMVNA monthly meeting. The results would be used for planning of the first general meeting.

As part of the overall strategy, there was also some discussion on possible themes and formats for the first general meeting. It was decided that the format be that of a townhall meeting in which input is solicited and presentations made on issues of concern to the neighborhood. There was some discussion about traffic as a possible theme for the meeting, butit was finally decided to keep the them for the meeting open until results from the survey are known.

There were suggestions that an electronic mailing list may not be a sufficient way to provide late-breaking news alerts to the entire neighborhood. Some version of a phone tree to complement an electronic mailing list was recommended. Also, there was concern expressed that the only way to access the survey was through the OMVNA web page. There was also a recommendation that care be taken in designing the survey to avoid having biases in the questions.

Overlay Team: Overall goal: Review the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Preservation Plan, determine how the guidelines contained in the plan are being implemented, and work with City staff and officials to get any needed improvements made. The team reported that there are zoning-related activities at the City which won't necessarily effect the team's overlay efforts, but are good news to the neighborhood. Team members will meet with City Planner Mike Percy and ask for his assistance and support in adopting an overlay zone for Old Mountain View. The team will also visit the Planning Departments at the cities of Sunnyvale and Palo Alto.

Both goal-setting team proposals were adopted by the OMVNA steering committee, with revisions. Jean asked the teams to revise their plans to reflect the feedback from the steering committee and to resubmit to her.