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cost changes and the struggle to keep this school proposal going since 1998. There have been changes in the completion date every year since then and now the target date is 2004 or 2005. Much time and money have been spent by the District and the City in visiting and revisiting this issue. That time could have been much better spent saving money in other areas such as copier contracts, cell phone usage, or combining auto pools, or something to bring benefit and savings to the community so we can use that money on things like schools. He has gone through numerous reports and agreements and acknowledged this is a complex issue. One thing that keeps coming up for him is the value of mitigation. One option may be to have Signature Properties pay in cash the $1.12 million in free interest, which is the value that free interest that was calculated by the City in one of the staff reports and also the $4 million that was a savings for building the school by Signature. Maybe the amended fee agreement should be put aside and the value of mitigations agreed to should be paid in cash and used to build the school. He believed Signature wants to build the school and it is unfortunate there is a misunderstanding He believed when a contract is negotiated it should be followed through. There are many interpretations of "best efforts" and he felt the key was to stay on top of it. Perhaps if the prior School Board had stayed on top of it, we would not be in this situation because there would have been answers to the questions. Eighteen months have gone by since the contract was signed and it is being revisited. No wonder there are misunderstandings. He is proud of the fact that so many have spoken out in favor of building this school. He applauded the developers for paying higher fees so Pleasanton can be a standout community. People do not understand how unique that is. Julie Testa, 3494 Torlano Court, said it is hard to imagine why this is so difficult and has taken so much discussion. More homes are built and millions of dollars are collected. The children are there and a school should be built. She appreciated the efforts of Council and staff for removing the obstacles that keep popping up. She is optimistic that the City and District can get the obstacles out of the way. She has concerns about the credibility of the timelines. Too many deadlines have been missed and a generation of kids have missed attending Neal School. Getting that school built is the right thing for Pleasanton. The City has been more than generous in doing what it can to make it happen, even offering to mitigate potential shortfalls of operating costs. She is also pleased to hear the potential for the Cdft Agreement funds to be used for operating costs. It is amazing there is more money from more homes to make this happen. She thanked Council for its efforts and for making them feel part of Pleasanton. Meribeth Detweiler, 553 Santel Court, said ten years ago, before all the homes on Vineyard Avenue were approved, the City Council took care that the needed infrastructure was in place, including roadway improvamants, water and sewer, a fire station, and an elementary school was proposed. All that was seen as necessary when more than a thousand homes were planned to be added off a single road. Residents of the Vineyard Corridor are not asking for something new, as some in Pleasanton seem to think. She appreciated the City's efforts to see that vision through and to get this much needed facility completed. There being no further speakers, Mayor Pico closed the public hearing. Ms. Ayala felt a major question in the public's mind is who is financing all the facilities? The District asked the City to assist in accomplishing its objectives. When the City Pleasanton City Council 17 12/03/02 Minutes