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water park. The project will create jobs and leadership opportunities for Pleasanton <br />youth. The operator has agreed to offer summer camps and water education programs for <br />youth including water safety, first aid, and CPR. Mr. Kierstead has also indicated that he <br />will look at g/ving job preference to kids once they reach the age of sixteen. The <br />Committee encourages Council to work with the operator to discount the rates for <br />admission and to encourage summer passes. The Committee asked that the City, <br />applicant and neighbors work together to successfully solve the traffic and noise <br />mitigation issues. The Commission believes that these issues are resolved and this <br />project will provide families with a casual, substance free environment not currently <br />offered by mainstream recreation programs, schools and/or organized sports. Speaking <br />as a citizen of the community, she believed the City of Pleasanton has a chance to guide <br />the upgrading of the water park to provide a modem better-managed, safer, state-of-the- <br />m, facility for Pleasanton families and youth to enjoy three months during the year. The <br />area of the water slide park is an entrance into Pleasanton. She believed it currently looks <br />like a quan'y, but it could be aesthetically more pleasing. She believed Council could set <br />parameters for approval, evaluation and phasing by working with the applicant and the <br />community in trying to make this project work. She believed the community needed to <br />work together. She pointed out that traffic, pollution, crime, and noise will be concerns <br />of the Bemal property because it is located between two major freeway exits. First <br />Street, Valley Avenue and Bemal Avenue intersections experience high levels of <br />commuter traffic with the Fairgrounds located across the street bom the Bemal property. <br />An ACE train station is also located near the Bemal property. The City is now <br />considering putting eight, lighted sports fields on the Bemal property. Discussions have <br />also been held with regard to a community center, a teen center, and an art complex, all <br />of which she believed are amenities that round this community out, which this <br />community is missing. She believed the community could still work together. She also <br />believed that there are amenities the community needs as it approaches build out. If <br />Council did not resolve the issues related to traffic and noise, she believed these issue <br />would transfer over to the Bemal property. <br /> <br /> Anne Fox, 2866 Garden Creek Circle, encouraged Council to support the <br />Planning Commission's recommendation to reject California Splash's proposal. Given <br />the price point, the density and number of rides, she believed it was not a water park <br />expansion but a full-fledged commercial destination theme park. She pointed out that the <br />water park that is scheduled to open at Great America is 2.7 acres. As an Open Space and <br />Park District, she did not believe that the California Public Resources Code gives <br />permission to EBRPD to actually build and develop commercial theme parks on this <br />scale. Secondly, the EBRPD owns 90,000 acres in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. <br />Setting a precedent of this could mean that EBRPD could come up with an expansion <br />plan for any other regional park located in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and <br />develop it in this manner. She believed the state and county voters have not had a chance <br />to weigh in as to whether they want EBRPD to have this within its mission as well as in <br />its stated vision. She mentioned that EBRPD is required to get voter approval when it <br />leases property for 25 years or more and believed this has been bypassed in this process. <br />The 1989 Shadow Cliffs Land Use Plan does not indicate that commercial destination <br />amusement parks are part of the Plan. The 2002 amendment to the Plan indicates that the <br /> <br />Pleasanton City Council 37 03/16/04 <br />Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />