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Resources are limited, but he felt the City needed to do what it takes to improve the trails, even if it includes mitigations for some residents. David Luim, 1384 Anza Way, Livermore, said he is a former Pleasanton resident and was involved in earlier trail plans. He used to ride his bike from Danbury Park along the Arroyo Del Valle before there was a Centennial Trail. He also used to ride along the Arroyo Mocho Trail. He works in Pleasanton and runs along those trails about three times a week, including along the Arroyo Del Valle, where there are many homes that back up to the trails. He said many of the homes on the Arroyo Mocho already have fences and landscaping. Some people have taken the wooden slats out of the fence, because they wanted it open. He did not feel there was a need for every residence to have a city-paid for fence. It is the homeowner's decision. He would like Council to move forward on this plan and open the trails. Steve Fiala, P. O. Box 5381, Oakland, Regional Trails Manager for East Bay Regional Park District, indicated he has been assisting Pleasanton since 1987 to realize its dream of a trail circulation system. Pleasanton has a unique situation with the number of arroyos, the Iron Horse Trail, the opportunity to have a trail to the Livermore area and for trails to job centers, schools, residential areas, and sports parks. He encouraged Council to realize the dream and felt the time is right to do it. When he started working on trails, the Iron Horse Trail was one mile of gravel. It is now 24 miles long connecting five communities. The De Anza Trail was a dream and now connects three communities in East Contra Costa County. He worked on portions of the Lafayette/Moraga Trail. Many of these trails are similar to the Pleasanton opportunities. In Lafayette/Moraga many fence lines are close to the trail and many people do not have tall, solid fences, because they like the opportunity to see onto the green space area. In 1991, the National Park Service did a study entitled "Impacts of Rail Trails". In that study it was determined that the average trail user was on the area 100 days a year. It becomes part of the people's quality of life. Other statistics indicate that 97% of the people living next to the trail felt their property values were higher or at least the same as any other home in the area. In addition, 76% of real estate agents felt that having property next to a trail made it more valuable. He related many other studies nationwide that indicate trails are a benefit to the community, both in property values and in quality of life. Regarding concerns about crime, it was concluded that trails are one the safest facilities to have in a community. He compared them to a moving neighborhood watch. There are people on the trail all the time. He encouraged Council to move forward to expand and develop the trail system. Alameda County Measure B has allocated a substantial amount of money to non-motorized transportation facilities. Over $110 million is available in Alameda County. Of that, 75% goes to local communities and 25% goes to regional projects. There are also funding opportunities associated with the new State Parks Bond Measure, Congestion Management opportunities, and if the City is willing to match some funds, there is an opportunity to get the trail system in operation and become a community resource that benefits its citizens in circulating through the community without having to get into cars. Greg Evans, 5610 Paseo Navarro, said his property is next to a park and he does not mind having people on the other side of his fence walking around. He acknowledged the trail is close to the homes on the south side of the Arroyo Mocho. He felt the people who would use that trail for jogging and walking would be considerate of the homeowners and would respect their property rights. He would like to see the trails open. They are a wonderful asset for the City and Pleasanton City Council 19 04/16/02 Minutes