POST suggests town pony up additional cash for Bear Creek
By Nathan R. Huff
Unimpressed with Los Gatos' $12,000 offer, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) representatives urged the Town Council to increase its donation for the purchase of Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Arguing that Monte Sereno had contributed more than $3 per person, POST asked the council to commit $50,000 toward the purchase of the 805 acres of woodland above Lexington Reservoir. Of the three council members present, Joe Pirzynski and Steve Blanton supported the increase. Councilman Jan Hutchins did not. The issue will return to the full council in July.
POST has been trying to raise the money to pay off the $10 million loan it took out to purchase the property from Oregon-based Arlie Land and Cattle Co. POST will eventually turn the land over to Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), which purchased another 211 acres of the same property for $15 million.
So far, POST has raised close to $9 million, mostly from grants, individual donations and the Gabilan Foundation. The Monte Sereno City Council gave the first municipal donation after several discussions over whether the land offered a public benefit to residents.
The public benefit was obvious to speakers at the Los Gatos Town Council meeting. "As a community much larger than Monte Sereno," Los Gatan Joanne Rodgers said, "I think we should be giving more money; it's right in our back yard."
No one in the small audience spoke against giving POST more money, and council members Pirzynski and Blanton both noted that the town has a reserve of close to $500,000, part of which is intended for open space.
"We have the funds available, we've earmarked them for that purpose and our citizens will be the primary beneficiaries," Blanton said before making the motion to approve the $50,000 contribution.
While Pirzynski joined Blanton, Hutchins said he could not support the funding request when the town had refused requests for an additional motorcycle police officer just weeks before. "Good intentions and even a good cause is not enough to get me to reach into other people's pockets," he said.
Town attorney Orry Korb, unsure of the legalities of approving an order for payment with a two-council-member majority, recommended the council continue the matter to another meeting.
Once POST finishes its fundraising and hands the land over to MROSD, the district will open the preserve for public uses, most likely for hiking and picnicking. The mountainous terrain is blanketed with redwoods and fir trees and boasts views of the Santa Clara Valley.
The land's recent history is turbulent, and the sale of the lower acreage to MROSD is still enveloped in litigation. Los Gatos Country Club investors--who once held an option on the land--are suing MROSD and Arlie over allegedly breaking the purchase option and negotiating a sale despite already existing litigation. Former Los Gatos High School football coach and golf course investor Pete Denevi had unsuccessfully asked the council in May not to donate money while litigation was still pending.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
