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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 not a native species. She said there has been some discussion among botanists about the environmental damage non native species can inflict and wondered whether those impacts are taken into consideration when determining what to do with certain trees. Landscape Architect Mike Fulford explained that the focus is always on preserving as many large healthy trees as possible, regardless of species or native status. He acknowledged that eucalyptus trees in particular can become a problem when planted in mass, but said that one larger tree like this planted in the middle of the park should not be a concern. He assured the Council that every effort will be made to save as many of the parks' trees as possible. He also noted that the trees represented along the First Street planting strip are existing trees that will be preserved. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio asked what criteria staff uses when determining what types of tree to plant in a particular environment. Mr. Fulforcl said they consider the desired function of the tree as well as the maintenance required by that particular species. City Council Minutes Page 12 of 13 July 16, 2013