Board committee advances Sharp Park study to weigh golf, restoration and transfer options

Chair Ross Mercurini said he put the proposal before the committee to break years of study and gridlock and to force a decision framework around finances, habitat and legal liability. “I am the person responsible for bringing this matter before us,” Mercurini said as he opened a meeting that drew a large public turnout.

Rec and Park staff described a three‑option approach they will analyze. “Basically, the 3 plans going forward would be the status quo, namely 18 hole golf course, a scenario where there's no golf whatsoever, and then a scenario where there's modified golf,” Jared Blumenfeld, Interim Director of Recreation and Park, told the committee. Blumenfeld and staff said the evaluation will be driven by two criteria: protection of the listed species in consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Game, and the capital and ongoing maintenance costs of each option.

Natural‑areas staff outlined the ecological problem. Lisa Wayne, Natural Areas Program director, said Laguna Salata, Horse Stable Pond and connecting wetlands are critical breeding habitat for the California red‑legged frog and are used seasonally by the San Francisco garter snake, but that upland basking and refuge areas are currently limited and sedimentation and flooding are reducing open water. “The red‑legged frog breeds in the wintertime, where it…