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Rich Cimino, a Pleasanton resident and an original participant to the Citizens Task Force <br /> for the Alviso Adobe Community Park, said he originally believed it was a good idea to have the <br /> Adobe and the Milking Barn constructed on the flat land with two separate programs. After <br /> visiting other adobe historical parks, he believed the Park would be underutilized if it only <br /> contained the Adobe structure without any additional amenities. He believed Pleasanton had an <br /> opportunity to educate all ages depicting three different historical time periods. If the City was <br /> going to invest the money for this project, he believed it should be invested wisely. He asked <br /> Council to move forward as soon as possible with construction of the project. <br /> Vice Mayor Sullivan closed the public comments. <br /> Mr. Brozosky said the Alviso Adobe Community Park was not only unique to the City but <br /> the entire Tri- Valley region. He did not believe a phased approach would work for this project <br /> unless it included all of three distinct periods of history. He did not want to compromise any <br /> portion of the design for this project, which included a significant amount of public input. He <br /> believed a phased approach would be disruptive, and delaying the project another six months to <br /> a year would ultimately increase the overall cost of the project. He pointed out the significance <br /> of various fundraisers that were held to help offset the cost of this project. The proceeds from <br /> the fundraisers are not covering the cost overruns and the money raised could be lost due to <br /> inflation costs. He supported the Parks and Recreation Commission's recommendation in <br /> directing staff to proceed with the construction of this project. He was not in support of using In- <br /> Lieu Park Dedication fees to bridge the funding shortfall. He was in favor of Council using the <br /> $543,000 in funding currently allocated to other capital projects. <br /> Mr. Thorne said he has been involved with this project since 1995. He was opposed to <br /> using a phased approach for this project. He understood the Laguna Oaks neighbors' concerns <br /> and wanted to remain sensitive to the concerns. He was more concerned about getting the <br /> message out about the cultural changes that occurred, and the project's design provides <br /> opportunities for interpretation of the three distinct periods of history. He supported the Parks <br /> and Recreation Commission's recommendation in directing staff to proceed with the <br /> construction of this project as soon as possible. He believed the funding necessary to bridge <br /> the shortfall could be found by using $543,000 in funding currently allocated to capital projects <br /> and by using In -Lieu Park Dedication fees. <br /> Ms. McGovern concurred with Mr. Brozosky and Mr. Thorne's comments. As a former <br /> School Boardmember, she supported the project which will benefit the teachers and children in <br /> this community. She was uncomfortable with using In -Lieu Park Dedication fees to bridge the <br /> funding shortfall and would prefer to borrow and return the funds currently allocated to other <br /> capital projects. While she recognized staff's recommendation to wait six months to proceed <br /> with the construction of this project, she believed construction of the project could begin now <br /> with staff working to review the possibility of using funding currently allocated to other capital <br /> projects. <br /> Mr. Sullivan supported this project and believed the Alviso Adobe Community Park was <br /> an added amenity for Pleasanton. He recognized the concerns expressed by some of the <br /> Laguna Oaks neighbors and was hopeful that staff would work to mute the color of the Milking <br /> BarnNisitor's Center and include additional trees to screen the offsite view. He noted the <br /> importance of restoring the Dairy because it was an important part of Pleasanton's history. <br /> While he supported directing staff to proceed with the construction of this project now, he <br /> expressed concern about other capital projects, including the restoration of Kottinger Creek and <br /> Pleasanton City Council 14 02/21/06 <br /> Minutes <br />