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Vanessa Kawaihau, 871 Sycamore Road, indicated she was speaking for Janet Linfoot, 6300 Alisal Street, who wanted to thank Ms. Ayala and Ms. Hosterman for bringing this matter forward. Happy Valley is a quiet, rural pocket with a treasured view of Livermore. The City of Pleasanton has changed all that by its annexation. It changed the quiet roads and the construction has filled the air with dust and noise. The promise of a bypass road has not been fulfilled. The estimated cost of the golf course has more than doubled. She felt the change orders were the result of faulty engineering, poor planning, inferior workmanship and too much haste. She believed the driving range has been placed in the one position that will destroy the view of the valley. She felt the rush to complete the project was merely so it could be completed while Mayor Pico was in office. The driving range will be a constant reminder that no hillside is safe in Pleasanton. Jerry Pentin, 387 Lone Oak Court, indicated he has been a member of the Golf Course Committee for many years and is on the Park and Recreation Commission. He has seen the poles for the driving range. The Golf Course Committee addressed the driving range six years ago and there were two concerns about its placement: whether the right side would protect the parking lot and maintenance sheds. The other issue was whether to put in lights. The Committee firmly did not want lights. With the layout of the course, there was no other place to put the driving range. The subsequent changes of the course due to the preserve areas, etc. created the need for the current location of the driving range. There was discussion about the GE property and the consensus was that it would not be possible to place anything on the GE property. The Committee over the years has always been aware of the Happy Valley residents, the view shed, and the changes to the valley due to the golf course. There has always been a vision that when the course is completed, the open space that has been preserved will be a greater preservation to the Happy Valley than what could possibly have happened. These poles currently are set in a haphazard manner and are not permanently installed. If they were permanently set, there was green grass, and there were some houses built, they would not be as obtrusive as they seem today. The golf course must have the driving range. To modify the range or remove it would impact the operation of the course and it may not be able to pay for itself. More importantly, golfers need the range to warm up, it is necessary for lessons, and it is vital to the course. Ms. Ayala referred to the 45-degree shift in the course layout. Mr. Pentin said the course was designed to fit the property and changing it 45 degrees is not going to make that much difference to the residents who have never wanted the course there. He felt there was no way to build a driving range without the poles for safety reasons. In response to a question about the visual impact, he did not recall the Committee discussing whether the driving range would be visible from the freeway or being obtrusive. He did recall discussion about the right side and back being protective of the trail, the parking lot and the maintenance facility. Kurt Kummer, 4456 Clovewood Lane, member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, indicated he was not on the Golf Course Committee. He is speaking as a golfer. When he goes to play golf, he expects there to be a driving range for warming up. He has been to a couple of courses with no driving range and he has not gone back to them. He believed it would be a huge detriment to the income of the course if there is Pleasanton City Council 15 10/05/04 Minutes