1972-08-14 Special CC Minutes4h1
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE RECREATION COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA HELD JOINTLY ON MONDAY, -- AUGUST 14, 1972
The meeting convened at 4:00 o'clock p.m. with President La Croix presiding.
ROLL CALL:
The roll was called and Councilmen Levy, McCall and President La Croix, Jr., (3), were noted
present. Absent: Councilmen Fore and Longaker, (2). (Councilman Fore arrived at 4:30 o'clock p.m.)
On roll call by the Clerk, members of the Recreation Commission were noted present as follows:
Commissioners Blanchard, Heaney, O'Maley, Steele, Tebaldi, Towata and Chairman Kranelly, (7). Absent
None.
Also in attendance were Messrs. H. D. Weller, City Manager; F. M. Cunningham, City Attorney; D. Grant
Mainland, Director of Recreation and Parks; and Robert Dean Putman, Golf Course Architect.
Receipt of the Notice and Agenda of this Special Meeting had been acknowledged and was on file with the
Clerk. The purpose of the session was for discussion of the work proposed to be performed on the South
Golf Course.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1./ President La Croix stated Councilman McCall had, at the last regular meeting of the City Council,
raised certain questions with regard to the proposed reconstruction of the South Golf Course, for which
Mr. Robert Dean Putman had been employed to perform architectural services. He invited Councilman
McCall to speak.
Councilman McCall said his thought in suggesting this joint meeting was that there had been a great deal
of criticism of the Commission, its committee, and the Council on the manner in which information had been
disseminated to the general public on this subject. He said he felt that everything done had been out
and above board, there had been many offers for leasing the Courses and the point had been reached where
Mr. Putman had been hired as the Architect on the project. He suggested that, in order to clear the air,
Mr. Putman should be requested to give the Council and the Commission a resume of what he intended to do
so that all would have a full understanding of what would be done in the first increment, in which Mr.
Putman would make a study and analysis of the South Course at a charge of $7,500, and there would be no
question in anyone's mind as to the direction to be taken on the project. He said it was his understand-
ing that Mr. Putman had been given no absolute guidelines and he was going out on the Course as a profes-
sional in his field to analyze the area and come up with a regulation course and submit his recommendations
as to the best way to proceed.
President La Croix said he had talked with Councilman Longaker, who was on vacation, and he had said he
would hope the Golf Course Architect would have a completely free hand. He then asked Mr. Putman to
address the Council and the Commission.
Mr. Putman said he had been hired with the recommendation of the committee that his ability and knowledge
would be put to use to produce for the people of the City and the golfing public a regulation golf course
of which they could be proud. He said there had been many advances in the past ten or fifteen years in
designing golf courses, maintenance equipment, types of turf, irrigation systems, et cetera, to make for
better courses. He pointed out that he was a flat fee architect, that no percentage would be paid to him
and he felt his responsibility to his clients was to protect them at all times through design of the
course, its construction and maintenance.
Mr. Putman said the preliminary plans were always a controversial subject in any study, that his office
was proceeding with the first steps involved and by the time the preliminary plan was submitted to the
City it would be what he considered a master plan for the Golf Course. At that time he would meet with
the golf committee to wrestle with the aesthetic and strategy values of golf and this would give him the
answers for a master design. He said this would include many deatils which make a golf course work, and
would be of help to the City in operating the Course successfully. After this study had been worked out
the final plans and specifications could be submitted for approval, when overall detail work would be
specified and the cost would be known within 10 %, as well as the maintenance cost. He said he would not
take a project of this type without full control as this was what the City was paying him for and he would
guarantee to give the City the best golf course possible. He invited questions.
President La Croix submitted a question with respect to ultimate construction of the course, if this
point should be reached, as to whether it would be feasible to leave one nine -hole section open, recons-
truct the next nine -hole section, open it when completed and go back to reconstruct the first portion.
Mr. Putman said after he had completed the preliminary plan and could make certain determinations he would
be able to say whether this could be done. If he should feel it was not feasible, he would so inform
the City at that time. He said he would say, if asked, that it would be best to construct the complete
eighteen -hole course at one time if possible.
President La Croix called attention to Item 10 on page 4 of the contract stating the Architect would
consult with the City Manager or his designee and asked who this designee would be
City Manager Weller said he would not necessarily be working with the Architect at all. He said he felt
the point had been inserted in the contract simply to provide a focal point so that the Architect would
have some established routing to follow. He said it would depend on the matter at issue and in many
instances the Architect would undoubtedly consult with the golf committee of the Recreation Commission,
in others the City Engineer or the Recreation Director. He suggested as a matter of liaison it might be
necessary to set up someone in his office or the Recreation Department to oversee the operation but
he did not feel the implication was that his office would control the project or the design.
Councilman Levy said there had been a great deal of debate in the City as to possible reduction in the
size of the Course and he would like to put the question to rest and alleviate the fears of the persons
concerned.
Mr. Weller said he felt it could not be said that the City was simply asking the Architect to design
the best possible golf course and the City would then accept that recommendation; one unfortunate
aspect was being overlooked and this was the cost and the amount of money available for the project.
He said he felt what the City wanted was the Architect's concept of what he would consider the best
use of the area in terms of an eighteen -hole course; then the matter would have to be considered in
terms of what would be left in the way of surplus land and some kind of price would have to be applied
to that surplus land. He said it had been his understanding that the decision of the Commission and
of the Council had been predicated on the assumption that the reconstruction project would be financed
from sale of surplus land and if he was mistaken in his understanding, this was the time to so state.
Councilman McCall said he would object to this proposal, that he wanted the Architect to come up with
the best possible plan, the finances to be considered after the proposal had been received. He said
he did not wish the Architect to work around the financial aspect as this would hamstring him from
the start.
Mr. Weller commented that there were two or three methods of financing a reconstructed golf course and
the obvious one was a bond issue; it had been his understanding that it was the view of the Council
and the Commission that this was not a viable answer, that they were not prepared to go into the City's
Capital Outlay Funds to finance the project and the only reasonable method was to sell off excess land.
He said he felt it would make no sense at all to engage an architect to come up with a plan which the
City could not finance, and this should be considered at the outset. He said he realized this was not
a popular statement and he disliked to be the one to make it but there was no real alternative, that
this did not presuppose the City would wind up with a short course or an inferior one, only that when
the ideal design was presented it would be viewed in the context of whether the City could finance it,
and if not, it would be necessary to try something else.
President La Croix said it had been his understanding that this was the position the Council had taken.
He said he would concur with the statements of the City Manager, that the Council had moved with the
assumption that once it had received the preliminary plan it would know what was proposed and at that
time it would be known which land could and should be disposed of and the Council would have to make a
decision as to whether or not the program would be financed on that basis. He said he could see no
other way in which to finance the proposed course.
Councilman McCall pointed out the City had recently received a grant for work in Lincoln Park and pre-
viously for Woodstock Park, that there were Federal funds for open space available. He expressed the
opinion that the City of Alameda had provided open space as no other community of similar size had
done and he felt these funds should be investigated. He said he had not received an answer to his
question, submitted some time ago, with regard to the legality of selling the six and one -half acre
parcel across from the Fire Tower, which former City Attorney Annibale had told him could not be
sold as it was for recreational purposes. He said he would not approve of selling any of the Golf
Course land until he could see what Mr. Putman would come up with in the way of a course; he wanted
him to have a free hand to do the best he could for the City and then he would start looking for the
money to do the job.
President La Croix said he had attended a ceremony the previous Saturday for signing of the open grant
fund rendering to the City $20,000 for Lincoln Park, the original application having been for $100,000.
He said another application would be submitted for additional funds and if it was possible to obtain
moneys in this way he felt all would agree this was the thing to do. However, he said he felt the
City was not in a posture of saying what land it would sell and how much or where it was located until
such time as Mr. Putman rendered the preliminary plan.
Councilman McCall said the answer he wanted was whether a restriction had been placed on Mr. Putman as
to how many acres he could use for a golf course. The answer was negative.
Councilman Levy inquired whether there were courses in the country which had received Federal aid and
whether the moneys had to be matched by the community involved. Mr. Putman said this was not neces-
sarily true but the population had a great deal to do with where the money came from and the amounts.
He said the successful cities involved in the grants were usually small areas.
Councilman Fore arrived at this time. He inquired of Mr. Putman if he was being told how the City
wanted its golf course. Mr. Putman answered negatively.
There was an exchange of questions and answers on various aspects of the project.
President La Croix said he felt convinced that, with the position recommended to the Council by the
Recreation Commission and its committee, the agreement had been signed with the Architect for the
retainer and Phase II, and the matter was ready to proceed on the Preliminary Plan, after which the
Council would have to make a determination as to whether land would have to be sold and whether the
Council would move in that direction.
Chairman Kranelly asked Mr. Putman if he felt that at any time during the discussions with the
committee and the Recreation Director he had been instructed that he would have to do a particular
thing or if he felt he had a free hand. Mr. Putman said he felt he had a free hand, absolutely,
and commended the City representatives on their pleasant negotiations.
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President La Croix suggested that Mr. Mainland look into the possibility of assistance fundwise through
grants and the Council would lend its support in this respect.
ADJOURNMENT:
2. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the City Council and the Recreation
Commission, meeting jointly, adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
City Clerk