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to restroorn facilities and utilizing the space around Firehouse Arts Center to expand the connectivity of the center with the rest of the park. She said she appreciated Mr. Larson's comments about creating a welcoming focal point along Neal Street but wondered if the focal area could be narrowed a bit to expand the usable area of the rest of the park. She said she would like the Neal Street plaza extended up to Railroad Avenue. She asked that staff investigate the financial and environmental impacts of undergrounding the swale on the Delucchi side. She also stated support for incorporating the existing granite blocks somewhere into the design, perhaps as part of the gateway feature. She said she liked the plan overall and thought it addressed many of the goals stated by the community. Councilmember Brown also shared her support for Option A. She stressed that she would like to see all healthy heritage trees retained on the site. She also noted that with the early sunset over the ridge and the shadow from existing trees, the great lawn area is actually bathed in shade fairly early in the evening. She said she supported the concept of an adventure play area but, which she normally loved visual water features, she did not feel comfortable with young kids playing somewhat unattended near water while their parents attended the concert. She suggested shifting the play area slightly to minimize noise spillage into the Firehouse Arts Center plaza as well as rotating the bandstand slightly to allow for a larger great lawn. She said she would prefer to see the bathroom area, which is currently a wonderful play area, remain grassy. She expressed some concern over the proposed bollards location and said she could support something that ran more in line with the existing pavement and bus stops. She acknowledged this may not be the appropriate location, but reminded the Council and staff that residents continue to express their desire for a dog park. She concurred with Councilmember Narum that the gateway monuments should use land more conservatively and stated support for Mr. Hosterman's comments about sharing the Firehouse Arts Center restrooms with park users. Councilmember Pentin shared his support for Option A. He said he approved of the proposed bollards and their location, liked the proposed water feature, and agreed with Commissioner Streng that the design should focus on year round daily use rather than just concerts in the park. Mayor Thorne said he would support undergrounding both swales, as he considers them to be very real safety concern in the current condition. He agreed that the great lawn area should be made as large as possible, but said he would defer to project planners on whether or how to incorporate shading in that particular feature. He stated support for repurposing of the granite blocks as well as moving the adventure play area back over to Delucchi Park and away from the bandstand area. He stressed the difficulty of realigning bus routes and asked that staff coordinate with other agencies at the earliest possible time if this a realignment is determined to be necessary. The Council's discussion paused momentarily to sort out technical difficulties related to the Vice- Mayor's call. Councilmember Brown asked whether these kind of technical issues, where perhaps a Councilmember attending the meeting remotely is not able to hear some of the audience feedback, presents any legal concern. Mr. Lowell explained that there was a recent case where decision makers who were not engaged or paying attention to the process were found to have violated the due process of applicants that went before the body. He did not, however, think that technical difficulties with a phone call approaching anything of that nature. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio said she agreed with much of what she had heard. She said she supported the idea of a water feature, provided it was done in a safe manner, supported the idea of maximizing the bandstand viewing area and liked the idea of having the ability to expand the farmers market. She said she would like more information on the environmental impacts of addressing the swales and the logistics of rerouting buses during special events. She referred to Councilmember Brown's comments regarding heritage trees, noting that the eucalyptus tree is Pleasanton's largest tree but also that it is City Council Minutes Page 12 of 13 July 16, 2013