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Home My WebLink About04-03-2012 B1 HallGoodwin, Heather Subject: AGENDA RESPOND FW: April Highland Drive Trailhead Update From: Carol Hall [carol @slohall.com] Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 8:43 PM To: Marx, Jan Subject: Fwd: April Highland Drive Trailhead Update APR 0 3 2012 hard Copy:etn�il: o COUNCIL o CDDDIR o CITY MGR o FIT DIR a ASSTCM a FIRE CHIEF a- ATTORNHY G -PW DIR a CLERK/OR1G o POLICE CHIEF • PIB o PARKS & REC DIR • TRIBUNE a UTILDIR • NEW TIMES o HR DIR • SLO CITY NEWS a COUNCIL o CITY MOR a CLERK Hi Ms Marx, thank you for your return call. Here is a copy in writing of some of our issues and correspondence re: Highland Dr. I have sent emails to all encouraging them to send you and your other council members emails before your April 3rd meeting as you suggested. The oninion of most involved is that the ON has significantly contributed to this problem at upper Highland Drive, Oakridge, and Fel Mar, and /or directly caused it. 1. by not planning for safe access 2. by not providing trash and safety services 3. Highly advertising this "open s ace" as a ma-"or tourist attraction. 4. Creating this access in a very high fire hazard zone with limited access. 5. By not enforcing their own posted rules but in fact advertisin_g with a video on slocity.org that you should be on the top of bishop peak to see the sunset, which requires the hikers to hike back down in the dark. 6. Disrespecting the owner occupied homes (many over 30 years of ownership) on-the street and in the neighborhood. Which is in direct conflict with the "General Plan" which states "that public access to open space resources, with interpretive information, should be provided when doing so is consistent with protection of the resources, and with the security and privacy of the affected landowners and occupants 7. By not policing or protecting the natural habitat /resources as stated in the " General Plan" regarding "open space„ ---- - - - - -- Forwarded message ---- - - - - -- From: Mandeville, Peggy <pmandevillegslocity.org> Date: Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 2:57 PM Subject: April Highland Drive Trailhead Update To: Robert Duncan <iambobdCa]sbcglobal.net>, Felicia Cashin <feliciauslnhotmail.com >, Carol Hall <carolgslohall.com >, Highland Dr <biudsonAsbcglobal.net>, Highland Dr <rcwspine(a,aol.com >, Bob & Mary Neal <theslonealsghotmail.com >, Ralph & Martha Kettelkamp <rkettelkamgcharter.net> The following is an update on the Highland Drive trailhead issues. City staff first met in December to discuss Highland Drive trailhead issues raised by the neighborhood as part of a request for a residential parking permit district. In late February, a neighborhood meeting was held at Bishop's Peak School to discuss the residential parking district request and at that meeting more residents raised concerns about the trailhead. In late March, City staff met again to discuss the trailhead issues and potential solutions. Since the neighborhood meeting, out of compliance vegetation has been trimmed into compliance and red curb limits on Highland Drive have been reviewed and confirmed as appropriate. Efforts currently underway include: 1. Install new signage at trailhead to emphasize trail hours, trash responsibilities, and respect for neighboring residents. 2. Reach out to Cal Poly WOW Week representatives to request that the Highland Drive trailhead not be used for WOW Week or advertised as the Bishop's Peak Trail head. Additionally City will ask Cal Poly to reinforce trail hours. 3. Update City website to deemphasize the Highland Drive trailhead, emphasize trail hours and note limited parking on Highland Drive. 4. Attempt to correct other websites such as Yelp as to trail hours, parking, etc. 5. During the week, Park Rangers will include Highland Drive in their patrol to issue tickets, pick up trash, and document observations. 6. On the weekend, Neighborhood Services Specialists will include Highland Drive in their patrol to issue tickets and document observations. 7. During the evenings, Student Neighborhood Assistance Program employees will include Highland Drive in their patrol to issue tickets and document observations. City staff will meet again in two months to review our progress on these efforts and I will email you another update after that meeting. In the meantime, please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Peggy Mandeville Principal Transportation Planner City of San Luis Obispo 919 Palm Street 805 - 781 -7590 From: Robert Duncan [mailto:iambobd @sbcglobal.net] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 3:23 PM To: Felicia Cashin; Carol Hall; Highland Dr; Highland Dr; Bob & Mary Neal; Ralph & Martha Kettelkamp; Mandeville, Peggy Subject: Re: Highland Dr - Neighborhood Watch Hi Felicia, will put some time into this as it is certainly important. My thinking is that Highland and Oakridge would be separate - as folks on each street probably don't drive the other very often and thus wouldn't contribute much in the way of watching homes on the other street. Just my thinking - when we look into it further we might find a reason to make them a single group... While I am sending this to everyone - I have 3 thoughts about the trail head problem. First - seems like the best thing to happen is to completely close the trailhead altogether. Second - assuming the first is not going to happen - perhaps the Highland trailhead could be re- designated as simply the Feldmans Loop trailhead, and the Patricia trailhead designated as the Bishop Peak trailhead. Some rearrangement of the trails up by the lake where the 2 trails cross, including signs and fences, could steer hikers from each trailhead in the appropriate direction. My thinking is that Felsmans Loop is used more for local joggers, while Bishops Peak trail is preferred by those who would want to party. This change could reduce the nuisance factor at the end of Highland. A third thought is what if the city could somehow modify the trailhead such that it is about 100 yards down the hill from where it currently is. That would move it away from Bob Niel's home, to a more remote location. The parking problem would remain, but foot traffic coming up the hill would no longer converge on Bob Niel's house, giving him some relief. Thanks, -Robert From: Felicia Cashin <feliciausl @hotmail.com> To: Carol Hall <carol@slohall.com >; iambobd @sbcglobal.net; bjudson@sbcglobal.net; rcwspine @aol.com; thesloneals @hotmail.com; Ralph & Martha Kettelkamp <rkettelkam@charter.net >; pmandeville @slocity.org Sent: Tue, March 27, 2012 8:29:37 AM Subject: RE: Highland Dr Carol: I have been out of town or busy over the past few weeks and apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Have you received any further correspondence regarding Highland Dr since the March 9th email? I . I note that last week we had another hiker fall and required the response of rescue workers from as far away as Ventura. I don't know what time he fell, but it was getting dark when I noticed the response team. Had two injuries in less than a month happened at the Dunes it would have created outrage and statements of the cost to the county. 2. Last week, on a nice day, I came home about 2:00 and noted the entire street was filled with park cars. 3. I plan on writing another letter to the city regarding 2 Highland. Those trees need to be cut back from the road all the way up. I can't get my RV by without going into the other lane. 4. 1 had some new neighbors come to my house on Sunday. They live off Highland, but their address is FenMar. In any case the first thing they said as they got of the car was about all the hikers and traffic on this narrow street. They proceeded to tell me how they can see the hiking trail from their house and how interesting it is to see lines of hikers going up the trail all day. They also noted that they see flashlights on the trail most every night. Can you give me more information on the robberies you made reference to? It might be time I started using my alarm system consistently. It also might be time that we started a neighborhood watch. Felicia M. Cashin Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:49:42 -0700 Subject: Fwd: Highland Dr From: carol nslohall.com To: IamBobDksbcglobal.net; bjudson ,sbcglobal.net; rcwspinegaol.com; Feliciauslghotmail.com; theslonealsghotmail.com ---- - - - - -- Forwarded message ---- - - - - -- From: Carol Hall <carol kslohall. com> Date: Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 8:07 PM Subject: Highland Dr To: "Mandeville, Peggy" <pmandevillegslocity.org> Peggy, I have been going around to the neighborhood to collect emails... and I have also gathered some information. Maybe you could direct us. The HUGE problem is the safety and how out of control this has gotten. A once calm neighborhood has huge traffic, by foot and car. We have also started to have robberies. Everyone, is concerned first, above all else for the safety of everyone. There is entirely too much foot traffic and people forget to stay on the side of the road, forcing cars to go around them on blind curves. Felicia at 1 Highland encountered swear words, someone hitting her car with their hand and flipping her off becuse she rolled down her window and nicely asked them to please move over so she could safely proceed down the road. Also we are concerned about what Robert said "if you do a parking restriction, history shows that the cars travel even faster with less vehicles on the road" and we already have a race way.. Everyone, believes it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed..pedestrian, driver or the poor homeowners who can not see to safely pull out of their own driveways because of parked cars, curves and speeding vehicles. I question the cities ability to control this problem with parking restrictions ... case in point, Robert told me that they cited the car parked by the school-but he does not know that the sign no longer exists. It was torn up one night and disappeared ..but because no one comes here to monitor no one has a clue ... this has been for at least 10 days now if not longer.. Unfortunately, it has become a joke to many. The Williams said that they no longer can sleep in their master bedroom, it is in the front of their house 6 feet from the road. The early (6 -7 am foot traffic) is loud and boisterous. They feel that the hikers should be allowed to hike, but they have no respect or regard for the homes on the street. In their 80's They no longer can sleep or use their master bedroom because the early morning noise is prohibitive. The traffic going up Highland races up and down and often races to Oakridge and then slows down to a complete stop trying to figure out whether they need to turn on Oakridge or not and often they simply back up in the middle of Highland with oblivious disregard for anyone coming or going up Highland. Wow! now that I am watching the amount of people who park up Oakridge it is amazing... and no one has a clue that they can not park encroaching into driveways.. Oh and the trash left in my Mother's and my yard and at our mailboxes is from foot traffic not car traffic I presume.. I do not think the homeowners should have to bear this or the restrictions of a no parking district because of poor planning of a city recreational area. The planning of this trail head did not follow the rules of every other project in this city or the requirements on the homeowners of the city, provide parking, trash, water, and safety. The Neal's at 1 A Highland said that they went to the city for seven years and the only "bone" that was ever offered them was the restricted parking... but again it most likely will only be a nuisance and band aid to a much bigger problem. Also worthy of note, as I sat at their lovely home talking to them it sounded like a never ending three ring circus out side of their door. We are organizing as a neighborhood who will have the potential to take legal action against the city ( not a threat but an assumption on my part) or whatever must be done to have the city follow the bylaws that were set forth with inception of the trail head as recited by Carla.. I am sure this neighborhood would prefer to have friendly city help and since most feel that the parking restriction will not solve the real problems... could you please tell us where or who to see beyond you? Most are afraid that if the parking restrictions, although worth exploring, go through it would be a way for the city to by pass or ignore our REAL problems. Thank you for your help, Carol Hall P.s. I realize that emails do not show emotion and I want to make sure you know that this is a friendly ask for help and it is not meant mean or in your face ... you and Robert were very kind and nice to our group.... Also, this is my interpretation after going around the neighborhood. Carol