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though she is not a Baptist herself, she has been touched by people's generosity and <br /> hopes consideration will be given to the children. <br /> Amanda Rutland said she lives behind the school and is a first grade school teacher. She <br /> acknowledged probably having one of the noisiest classes with seven students. She said <br /> it is hard to balance being quiet while being outside. She has asked her neighbor and her <br /> mother to see if they hear noise while school is in session. One said she could not hear <br /> anything and the other said she could only hear children having fun at a distance. <br /> Rick Dalton, with additional time ceded to him by Alice West, said he is a fourteen-year <br /> member of the church and he asked Council to consider the students, and their parents, <br /> who have been attending the school for years and how disruptive it could be if they had to <br /> close. He said their objective has been to be good neighbors and noted that it has been a <br /> financial hardship for the church to subsidize the school. He said they need a certain <br /> number of students enrolled to remain financially viable, and even though they may not <br /> attain it, he respectfully asked City Council to set the enrollment level at 80. <br /> Mayor Foust commented that there are rules and regulations cities must follow to protect <br /> constituents and residents, and while it may be a financial hardship, it is the cost of doing <br /> business, and it is challenging when the application process has been less than complete. <br /> Janet West thanked City Council for the stop sign that was recently installed off of 280. <br /> She said she has been attending Redwood City Baptist Church for about twenty years and <br /> asked for support in providing alternatives to public schools, such as this one. <br /> K.C. Kinch said she has been a member of the church since 1975 and said the school is <br /> an important part of the church. She opined that it has never been their policy to go <br /> around the laws of the City or the County. She said generations of children have used the <br /> property on a regular basis when church has not been in session and she said that the <br /> property is well used by the community, including people walking their dogs and <br /> neighborhood children playing there. <br /> Susan Amirsehhi said she has lived on Hastings Avenue since October 1968, served on <br /> the Sequoia Preschool Board for five years and was a substitute teacher there too. She <br /> said that there had always been at least thirty children there and she has never heard any <br /> noise from the school. She also noted that she is sharing her home with Amanda Rutland <br /> who had spoken earlier. She said Pastor Azzarelo had visited her a few times as she <br /> thought he was making rounds in the neighborhood to understand the concerns. <br /> M/S Ira/Aguirre to close the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. <br /> Mayor Foust asked for copies of the fliers sent by Pastor Azzarello. Staff said it had not <br /> received any copies. Council discussed the various issues around uses and Mr. Lyon <br /> provided information. <br /> Various Council Members shared their opinions and their level of approval on the number <br /> of students. The issue of trusting the applicant was brought up since the relationships with <br /> the neighbors need to be repaired. Certain conditions listed on the staff report were <br /> JOINT CITY COUNCILREDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD JULY 13, 2009 <br /> MEETING MINUTES PAGE 11 <br /> MINUTE BOOK NO. 62 <br /> Page No. 413 <br />