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Minutes 7 San Leandro,City Council Meeting - September 20, 1993 Page - 6 - 9. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS A. Council Member Myers said there have been a number of articles in the newspapers lately about closing the Marina. He reminded the press that the policy of the City is set by the citizens, through the City Council , and it is not set by City staff or by the press. He said, a few years ago, a prior City Council formed a Marina Advisory Board, of which he was a member. He said the Board studied future development of the Marina and ways to make it a profitable venture. He said discussion was held regarding bringing in office buildings, restaurants, hotels, convention centers, etc. , but there was no credible interest. Last March a charrette of highly skilled individuals was formed to spend one day to brainstorm and throw out ideas regarding the Marina. He said the charrette was composed of experienced businessmen in the area of marinas, development, real estate, etc. He said no formal plans were submitted. The charrette came up with some of the ideas listed in the newspaper, such as closing the Marina, building homes, diking in the lagoon, and putting in houseboats, etc. He said, at that time, the City was pursuing funds for dredging; those funds have since been received, and dredging will soon start, providing another 5-7 years of operation. He said it is not the intention of the City Council to close the Marina. It is their intention to keep it open. He said the Marina is a vital part of San Leandro; it has been called the "jewel of the City" ; and the City Council wants to continue to develop it. He said the City has just signed a pre-lease agreement with the Marriott Inn, which will bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the Marina. He said it is not the City Council 's policy to close the Marina. He asked for City Council consensus that their policy is to maintain the Marina as it is currently used by the community. The City Council concurred that this was their policy. Council Member Corbett said this has been a matter of much discussion in the community in the last few weeks. She said the charrette was a brainstorming session, and there was not a specific plan to be put in place but rather the ideas of people involved in marinas and development. She said the charrette is and was a brainstorming session, and she is worried that members of the community think the Marina will be closed down in the future. She said the City Council has not asked to do any of that. Council Member Perry said there are unfortunate situations with the press assuming a lot of things that have not even gone to City Council for consideration. She said the charrette was to give options. She said she was concerned about having houseboats. She said she sits on the BCDC and is concerned about such matters as public access, etc. She said the charrette was meant to be a sharing of ideas and has not come to the Council . She said, just because someone puts stories in