Um today is Thursday, October 23rd, 2025.

It is approximately 6 33 p.m.

Uh this is a meeting of the operations committee of board representatives.

We have let's see.

So this evening, uh Chair Dela Cruz is excused.

Uh Representative Lai is excused, Representative Sherwood is excused.

So I am here.

Uh Vice Chair Tomas.

I see Representative Graham, Representative Mays, Representative Watkins from the committee, and also Representative Goldberg.

I do not um see Representative Boger or Representative Stella.

Um we have two items on the agenda this evening.

Uh item number one is 031.069.

It's a review status and update of the South End Community Center Repairs.

Uh I did not see our invite who was uh Scott Butch on the call.

Um so I'm gonna I guess I'll I'll turn the floor over to Representative uh Graham to see if she wants to say anything, and then we'll we'll see what we want to do with this item.

Representative Graham, you have the floor.

Thank you, Chair Thomas.

Um, this was an item that Representative uh Adams had requested to be um recommitted for an update, as far as I know.

Um it's scheduled to open prior to election day, which is Tuesday, November the 4th, and that's all I have at the moment.

So um I I assume that we're gonna recommit it uh to steering.

I mean, recommitted to the uh to the next meeting.

I'm sorry.

I had a root canal done today, so I'm not really feeling feeling well.

I apologize.

Oh boy, okay.

Um so it are you making that motion?

Yes, I'd like to make a motion to recommit the item.

Okay.

Um there's a motion on the floor.

Is there any is there a second?

I'll second it.

So this do we have a uh yeah, I I just saw that.

Um Christine, I'm just trying to see if we have a quorum.

I don't think we do.

Uh one, two, three, four.

Uh representative stall is joined now, you will.

Oh, okay.

Hold on.

So one, two, three, four.

So we do have a quorum.

Okay.

Um yes, uh Representative Watkins.

Chair, I um I could be wrong on this, but I don't believe there is a steering to recommit it to.

It's my it was my understanding that uh this is the last of the committee meetings.

Um, and that uh no business can be carried forward into the 30 second board.

I could be wrong on that, but that was my understanding.

Yeah, we had this, we had the same question come up last even uh yesterday evening at the land use, and actually uh you can uh recommit to staring.

Uh there's been numerous items in the past uh uh from board uh 30th to the 31st to the uh uh and so forth that has been recommitted, one of them being the next item on the agenda, which is the uh West Main Bridge.

That's been on the agenda for a couple of terms now.

Okay, thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I could I could I um chair, can I speak?

I can't raise my hand right now.

Uh okay.

Um my understanding, like I I've done that myself.

Um I don't think you can recommit.

I've taken up items from the 30th board, and the reason why it states the 30th board and the actual um item number is just to have a record and have it continue.

So there's a serious, there's a continued flow, uh continuity.

So when people try to look for for the item in the past boards, they actually know the number as a reference, but I don't really truly believe that you could um continue the same item.

My understanding is different from from like I said, we I just chaired the land use uh uh committee meeting last night, and this question came up, and we did recommit to staring a number of items from that committee.

So I'm assuming that we're doing the same here.

Okay, I'll follow you, Lisa.

Thank you.

Um so we had a motion on on the floor to uh uh recommit this to steering.

Um I'm did I have a second?

I'm I'm trying to remember.

Is there a second to recommit this to steering?

use uh uh committee meeting last night and this question came up and we did recommit to staring a number of items from that committee so i'm assuming that we're doing the same here okay i'll follow you sir thank you um so we had a motion on on the floor to uh uh recommit this to staring um i'm did i have a second i'm i'm trying to remember is there a second to recommit this to steering yes uh second i seconded okay thank you multiple seconds uh let's just take this by voice vote please uh everyone uh who who uh would like to to uh recommit to steering please say aye aye anyone opposed any abstentions okay this item will be recommitted to steering uh item number two on our agenda this evening is 031.083 it's a review administration's current plans for west main street bridge in comparison to board of representatives resolution number four three six seven uh I know that this evening we had requested a number of individuals from the uh mayor's office to attend um and uh unfortunately we um were advised that no one was able to attend um but in uh uh I guess chief engineer castle uh did tell us that uh if we needed him he would be available but uh since uh there was no other information other than uh what he presented before he wasn't sure if he needed to attend and I I basically told him that it was no reason for him to attend this meeting uh no new information was going to be shared so um in that case I will um I guess if any uh representatives had anything to say on this item I can open the floor to to uh any conversations we we'd like to have representative Stella you have the floor well thank you um I'm just disappointed because this is an item that some of us that I served from the 30th board have been pushed you know like one way or another we've been discussing this for about a little over six years and after years of you know I I feel like of neglect for whatever you reason may be and and some of a heavy discussion that we've had I feel like personally I I feel like it is disappointing for me and that nobody's here I is disappointing that we started off as a possibility of this bridge becoming a pedestrian we we started we embarked the possibility of trying to come up and have some sort of um compromise and have a pedestrian slash vehicular and after years of seeing of of money that we had from one way or another from different grants and I just think that we had opportunities to actually um fix this bridge to find out at the end which all we're doing is this dismantling the bridge and there is no plans right now to actually you know repair this bridge and it I feel like this is going to be like the Pulaski bridge that's out at Cape Park right now dismantled and that's what's gonna and that's what's gonna happen here.

This is an historical bridge from 1888 this is a this is to me the biggest blight that the city of Stanford has had especially the west side of of Stanford we had it you know they had an endure looking at a bridge in disrepair and nothing's done and you know I remember again we had two million dollars when we started here which I forfeited in the very beginning saying that that was never going to be enough we lost another grant that was a one point I think it was 1.6 and then it went down to 8500 we lost part of it to the point at 20 uh 2022 we lost it all and the complaint was that it was the board of reps fault we actually on this board we did something that I don't think any other board was able to do for all these years all these decades we actually came and we voted on this bridge and we we thought we were heading towards a direction and and I just feel like at the end of the day this was all a lie because and the operations when we discussed about even the bridge and when they did the temporary bridge that was supposed to be temporary bridge that bridge is not temporary and I remember when we were even asking at the time they were building the temporary so-called temporary bridge and we asked what's going on with the West Main Street Bridge they didn't have plans then even for even then so again I just there's nothing that's gonna make me feel different at this point that this was something that was never going to happen the city really had no intentions the idea that other bridges in the city of Stanford had grant money from 50% being paid to other bridges received 80% that it was being paid by grant money and the city was going to pay the difference the West Main Street bridge was never put in for that type of grant whatsoever not once so regardless we were always going to fall short and it makes me feel like it wasn't important enough because it it is now and

The idea that other bridges in the city of Stanford had grant money from 50% being paid to other bridges received 80% that it was being paid by grant money, and the city was gonna put pay the difference.

The West Main Street Bridge was never put in for that type of grant, whatsoever, not once.

So regardless, we were always gonna fall short, and it makes me feel like it wasn't important enough because it it is now.

And it but it's I'm gonna say the past tense was in the past, it was in the west side.

I won't take any more time, but I just feel I'm just like totally disgusted by by the what took transpired that I've been on this board.

It's gonna be eight years.

I'm leaving next month.

It's gonna be eight years I've been serving on this board, and nothing could be done for this bridge to save it.

And we have a historical preservation.

We have a master plan that says we're supposed to preserve our past.

We're supposed to what's historical, and we've done we what we've done to this bridge for the people in the west side.

Well, this bridge will be dismantled, and part of Stanford will fall with it.

Chair, thank you for the time, guys.

Thank you.

But that's where I'm at with what what everything that's I'm just disgusted.

Thank you, Representative.

Uh Representative Stella.

Um, I see no other hands.

Um at this point, um, it was shared to me with by uh Chair Dela Cruz that he would like this item recommitted to staring.

Um, I'm not sure if someone would be willing to make that motion.

I'll move it.

Okay, so we have a motion to uh and we have a second to recommit to staring.

Uh let's take this by voice vote.

Uh everyone in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

Any abstentions.

Okay, that item passed, can be recommitted to staring.

Um that concludes our business this evening.

Um, on behalf of myself and uh Chair Dela Cruz.

Excuse me, excuse me.

Oh, I might just for the record ask you to please make known that I'm on the call, and I'm here we had the meeting just for the record to show.

Thank you.

I'm sorry to interrupt you.

No, that's okay, uh, Representative Summer.

Thank you.

Thank you for uh letting me know that you're uh on the meeting.

Thank you, Sherry.

Have a good night.

Okay, so as I was saying, on behalf of myself and uh Chair Dela Cruz, uh, this is our last uh board uh uh I guess uh operations committee meeting for this 31st board.

Um we would like to thank all our members for the hard work that we all did these past four years.

Um some of our meetings were very uh technical and late lengthy uh as always.

Um, and we appreciate uh everyone uh coming and sharing their thoughts and uh um hopefully uh we made Stanford a little bit better uh these past four years in terms of uh the operations committee.

So I just wanted to thank you guys and um have a great night.

I uh ending the meeting.

Thank you, Carlin.

All right, thank you, uh Don.

I appreciate it.

Have a good night.

Emil, take care, okay?

Have a good night.

Thank you.

Bye.

Bye bye.

And an honorable guys, too.

Bye.

All right, thanks.