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Atherton’s City Council has two special meetings this week: Tuesday morning (Feb. 27) to discuss how the town is willing to settle its dispute with Caltrain over the height of some of the poles to be installed as Caltrain transitions to electric locomotives, and Wednesday (Feb. 28) to tour a water capture facility in Southern California similar to one the town hopes to put in Holbrook-Palmer Park.
The council will meet at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, to review and approve what financial contribution or other concessions the town is willing to make in order to get Caltrain to change its plans. Lloyden Park residents want Caltrain to install 10 35-foot-tall poles with crossbeams spanning only one set of tracks, instead of the planned five 45-foot-tall poles that cantilever over two sets of tracks.
The meeting will be in the town’s council chambers, 94 Ashfield Road.
Caltrain had told the town in a Feb. 6 letter that it won’t change to the shorter poles unless the town pays $200,000, gets written consent of property owners whose trees will be affected by changed plans, and agrees not to support or be a part of any lawsuit filed against the electrification project.
The shorter poles would be on both sides of the tracks, while the taller poles would have all been on one side.
Council members balked at the terms and asked Mayor Cary Wiest and Councilman Rick DeGolia to negotiate with Caltrain.
On Wednesday, council members will meet in Lakewood in Southern California where they will tour several water capture facilities similar to one the town hopes to put in Holbrook-Palmer Park.
The town has a $13.6 million Caltrans-administered grant that will pay the total costs of designing and installing a facility to provide flood prevention and filter contaminants from runoff water before releasing it to flow to the Bay.
The town has begun to design the project, and has the ability to back out once design is far enough along to determine what the annual maintenance costs will be if the council decides those costs are too high.
The council’s official Wednesday meeting is at Lakewood City Hall, 5050 Clark Ave., Lakewood, at 8 a.m.
The agenda includes tours of water capture facilities in Lakewood, Bolivar Park, Mayfair Park and the Long Beach Airport.
Since the council members will be flying to and from Los Angeles, the agenda also includes the flights.
“Since the council members will be flying to and from Los Angeles, the agenda also includes the flights.”
And just exactly how is the public, as is required by law, going to be able to participate in these portions of the meeting?
“”Since the council members will be flying to and from Los Angeles, the agenda also includes the flights.””
From the Attorney General’s guidelines:
“A legislative body may not conduct any meeting or function in any facility where racial or other
discrimination is practiced, or which is inaccessible to disabled persons, or where members of the
public must pay to attend the meeting. (§ 54961.)”