Los Altos Town Crier » Ranger Keith to continue developing city nature programs at LA’s Redwood Grove

By Linda Taaffe

$Image from article Ranger Keith to continue developing city nature programs at LA\'s Redwood Grove$

Another generation of Los Altos children will have the opportunity to learn about local nature from Ranger Keith. The Los Altos City Council managed to cut through the red tape that has kept the fate of beloved, longtime naturalist Keith Gutierrez in limbo over recent months as the city grappled to reorganize the administration of its nature programs to avoid possible tax and liability issues.

Gutierrez will continue to be the sole developer and program administrator. Staff is negotiating a three-year contract with Gutierrez, not to exceed $240,000 annually, that includes health and retirement benefits and rent-free housing at the preserve. The annual payment includes all camp-related costs.

The city had been working to make Gutierrez’s contract position part of the city’s full-time staff since last October after a departmental review revealed that the city could be open to huge liability and tax issues under the current set up.

If the city had added his position to staff, Gutierrez would have had to reapply for his position, with no guarantee of being hired back, and he would have had to change the way his programs were administered.

The city found itself in a catch-22 and on the receiving end of residents angry at the prospect of losing Gutierrez. Gutierrez has lived at and maintained the city-owned 5.7-acre redwood forest and nature center as an independent contractor since 1993. Under his direction, the preserve’s programs have expanded to include more than 5,000 students annually.

A council subcommittee and city staff created a cost comparison between the two positions, which resulted in last week’s surprise solution.

The contract position is economically comparable to having the city operate the programs, said Councilman Francis La Poll, who worked on the subcommittee.

The contract position will cost the city about $239,500 to operate, including about $61,300 in salary costs. If the city had added a full-time staff member to administer the programs, it would have cost as much as $220,374.

The change will mean an increase in program fees. The Explorer fees will increase from $80 per camper to about $150. The Survivor costs will increase from $110 to $206.