October 3, 2000



Mr. Matt Dobberteen
Planning and Development Department
County of Santa Barbara
123 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101


Dear Matt:

Re: UCSB Meeting with Caltrans

On Friday, September 29, Scott Cooper, Harry Nelson, Ray Aronson, Allan Abshez and I met with Mr. Gregg Albright, District Division Chief and Ms. Patricia Mickelson, Associate Transportation Planner, both with Caltrans, District 5. The purpose of our meeting was to find out more about the relinquishment process and to convey to Gregg and Patricia the University's concerns about the County's proposed changes to Highway 217. We also expressed our concern that the County has chosen to proceed with an implementation EIR on proposed changes to Highway 217 even though we have expressly requested that the County not do so until we have worked collaboratively to find a solution that all parties might be able to support, and even though the California Transportation Commission has yet to conduct its own initial review (including initial environmental review) regarding whether Highway 217 should be relinquished.

At the conclusion of our meeting Mr. Albright said that Caltrans would contact Phil Demery and convene a meeting with all concerned parties, including representatives of the Page Hotel, to gain a better understanding of the issues involved. Mr. Albright would prefer that the parties make every effort to negotiate and resolve issues that can be settled before the California Transportation Commission undertakes its consideration of the relinquishment question.

I called you on Friday afternoon to convey this information to you but your voice-mail message indicated you would be out of your office until Monday. I was able to reach Gerald Comati and conveyed this information to him. I look forward to speaking with you by telephone in the near future.

Sincerely,


Robert W. Kuntz
Assistant Chancellor

cc: Chancellor Henry T. Yang
Allan J. Abshez, Esq.
R. Gregg Albright
Mark Chaconas
Professor Scott Cooper
Patricia Mickelson
Professor Harry Nelson
Highway 217 Review Committee Members