Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Peggy Jensen, Interim Parks Director
Subject: Land Acquisition and Management Assessment
RECOMMENDATION:
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Accept the Parks Department Land Acquisition and Management Assessment Process.
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Parks Department ("Department") manages 23 parks and recreation areas which include over 16,000 acres of parkland and almost 200 miles of trails. Over three million visitors enjoyed County Parks last fiscal year. The Department's 75 full time staff employees welcome and educate visitors, maintain park facilities, and restore and preserve natural resources.
Responsible land management and provision of quality visitor experiences requires funding for maintenance and capital repairs and adequate staffing. Increasing County park acreage - either through purchase of new properties or taking on management of property owned by other organizations - increases Department responsibilities. To promote informed decisions, the Department has developed a land acquisition and management assessment process. The Department process is based on a California State Parks process that considers opportunities, costs, and obligations associated with expanding State Park responsibilities.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed Land Acquisition and Management Assessment Process ("Assessment"), assures that the Board of Supervisors ("Board") is aware of the impacts and costs of adding new lands, either owned or managed, to the County Park system prior to making a final decision on such an action. A copy of the Assessment Process, including a process flow diagram, is attached to this memo and described below.
STEP 1: Initial Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis
When asked to evaluate expansion of the parks system, Department staff will prepare the following two documents for review by the Board and the County Manager's Office.
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