HomeMy WebLinkAboutTC Res 38-2024
RESOLUTION NO. 38-2024
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF TIBURON COMMENDING JERRY RIESSEN AND TIBURON OPEN SPACE UPON ITS TRIUMPHANT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ACQUISITION OF THE MARTHA PROPERTY AND EXPANSION OF THE TIBURON RIDGE
WHEREAS, the Last Chance Committee to Save Old St. Hilary’s Open Space was formed in
1988 in response to an influx of major development applications in Tiburon; and
WHEREAS, in 1992, the Last Chance Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Jerry Riessen, presented the South Tiburon Ridge Open Space Study to the Town Council, and thus began their story in open space advocacy and land preservation on the Tiburon Peninsula; and
WHEREAS, in the following years, Tiburon voters approved Measure L and Measure E,
purchasing the Jay and Harroman properties, which eventually became the Old Saint Hilary’s Open Space Preserve; and
WHEREAS, the years that followed saw a flurry of Martha Company efforts to develop a 110-acre parcel at the tip of the Tiburon Peninsula into dozens of single-family homes, including
sensational applications for development, hearings, and lawsuits, prompting the Ark to publish
the historic headline “Move over Harroman, here comes Martha”, a hint of the storm to come; and
WHEREAS, looking back now, the Town of Tiburon politely remarks a better headline may have perhaps been: “Move over Martha, here comes Jerry”; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the Last Chance Committee became Tiburon Open Space, and in 2013, the Trust for Public Land announced its interest in assisting Tiburon Open Space in acquiring the Martha Company land and donating it to Marin County; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Riessen, now the President of Tiburon Open Space, spent the next decade assembling committee members and advocating for the acquisition of the Martha Company land
for the enjoyment of the public; and
WHEREAS, with leadership and critical support from the Trust for Public Land, Tiburon Open Space, and the taxpayers who supported Measure M, the Marin County Open Space District closed escrow on August 29, 2024, on the $42.1 million purchase, nearly doubling the Old Saint Hilary’s Open Space Preserve, a once unimaginable feat; and
WHEREAS, this extraordinary land will now sit quietly atop our peninsula, echoes of past controversy now quieted, a symbol of how a group of local citizens with common purpose and passion can make a difference in their community.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Tiburon hereby applauds the community and the expertise organized with the leadership of Jerry Riessen,
for saving this little corner of the earth as an ecological system of protected species, as a
recreational and educational amenity, and as a place that defines the Tiburon community as stewards of this earth.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Town Council of the Town of Tiburon hereby finds that Jerry Riessen has truly left his mark on the Tiburon Ridge landscape and skyline, and
expresses its sincere appreciation to Jerry, on behalf of the current and future generations of
humans, birds, not-quite-endangered-but-still-special juvenile spiders, Tiburon jewelflowers, and other cherished flora and fauna, big and small, of the Tiburon peninsula that will enjoy the land for decades to come.
PASSED AND ADOPTED on this 20th day of November, 2024.
ALICE FREDERICKS, MAYOR TOWN OF TIBURON
ATTEST:
LEA DILENA, TOWN CLERK
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