🚀 go-pugleaf

MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release July 27, 1994 
Contact:        Malcolm Smith
Public Affairs Manager (415) 691-1200

Open Space District Awarded State Grant

	Los Altos, CA -- The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
	has been awarded a $340,000 Transportation Enhancement
	Activities grant from the California Transportation Commission.
	The grant will be used for the District's Sierra Azul Staging
	Area Project.

	This project includes acquisition of 132 acres and development
	of a trailhead staging area adjacent to the planned Highway
	17/Lexington Interchange Project near Los Gatos. It will
	complement and enhance the Route 17 project, and will increase
	access to recreational opportunities in the Lexington area
	served by the planned interchange. In addition to development
	of a trailhead staging area, the project includes construction
	of associated pedestrian and bicycle trails. The new trails
	will also contribute to the Bay Area Ridge Trail, giving the
	project a truly regional quality.

	"This project is important in that it provides public access to
	a large area of open space land that, to date, has been
	inaccessible," said Pete Siemens, who represents the area on
	the District's Board of Directors. "With the State grant and
	about $450,000 of our own funds, we can now move forward in
	acquiring and preserving the property, and providing for
	low-intensity recreational access to this area."

	The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, extending from
	the Town of Los Gatos to the City of San Carlos, is a public
	agency which owns and manages over 36,000 acres of diverse open
	space in 23 open space preserves.

	Funding is provided by a small share of the annual total
	property tax revenues collected within District boundaries. The
	District permanently protects wildlife habitat, watershed, and
	a variety of ecosystems, restores damaged natural resources,
	and provides trail improvements for passive recreational use by
	the public. The District's goal is to acquire a continuous
	greenbelt of protected open space lands for public use and
	enjoyment, and to preserve open space for future generations to
	enjoy. There are approximately 20,000 - 30,000 acres of land
	still at risk of being lost to development within the
	District's planning area.

	The District is divided into seven geographic wards, each
	represented for a four year term by an elected Board member.
	The Board holds public meetings on the second and fourth
	Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the District
	offices.



(End)



-- 
                                             mrosd@netcom.com