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New Hakone president spells out vision for historic garden
By Steve Enders
Saratogans have known for years that Hakone Gardens, that magical little place up Highway 9, is something special right in our own backyard.
Now, the surrounding area is coming to know Hakone more than ever before. Last week, the Hakone Foundation elected a new president, Dan Pulcrano, who will help shape the gardens for their existence into the next century. He's got a plan, which may mean a few changes for the gardens.
Pulcrano is executive editor of the Saratoga News and CEO of its parent company, Metro Newspapers. Also last week, Pulcrano explained to the Saratoga News how he'll continue to see that Hakone's tradition as a local treasure isn't disturbed.
Saratoga News: When did you first see Hakone Gardens, and what draws you to it?
Dan Pulcrano: My relationship with Hakone has unfolded over time. I was immediately taken by Hakone when I first visited it in the early 1980s at an art event for SF MoMA sponsored by the Verbatim Corporation, and I stopped back from time to time over the years; it was a place for me to escape the valley rat race for a few moments. When visitors came to the area, I would take them by to experience Hakone, and they were always transported by its beauty and grace. A friend, Henry Yamate of Saratoga, invited me to attend the opening of the Cultural Education Center, which was a chance to see it come alive with a ceremony that included a performance by the fabulous San Jose Taiko Company and cracking open a wooden keg of sake. Hakone always had a certain magic about it. Then, a few years ago I built a small Japanese garden in back of my home with small pond and a waterfall. On Sundays, Jack Tomlinson [Hakone's head gardener] stops by sometimes, and we drink ale and watch the koi while he educates me in the fine art of 16th-century Japanese gardens.
SN: How and why did you become involved with Hakone, and how long have you been on the board?
DP: A few years ago, I helped organize the Saratoga News' benefit concert for Hakone with conductor Kent Nagano, and the foundation made me an honorary member. Our company, Metro Newspapers, started using Hakone for retreats and events--it's the perfect setting for that. So I was very familiar with Hakone by the time that I was asked to join the board. I had chaired a few boards of community organizations and had started and built several nonprofits from scratch, so I felt that I could apply some of the lessons of those experiences to help Hakone develop the organizational infrastructure and financial stability that a nonprofit organization in transition needs to take it to the next level of its development.
Hakone is an internationally significant regional resource whose potential as a visitor attraction, as a symbol of cross-cultural cooperation, as an economic contributor to Saratoga and as a stunning example of historical and ecological preservation has only been partly realized.
SN: What are some of your visions for the gardens, both immediate and long term?
DP: The ultimate goal is to preserve the authenticity of the gardens and allow them to be self-sustaining. When the city turned Hakone's operations over to the foundation, it allowed it to manage the garden and provided a minimal level of support, like tree removal and maintenance of the parking lot and access road. But the foundation has started with very close to zero, and so it has been at a barely subsistence level since then. Office staff turnover has been high, in part because of the low salaries. One gardener for much of the time has done the work of two or three. And the financial situation remains precarious until revenue increases and a base of donors can be cultivated. One goal is to build an endowment corpus to fund it in perpetuity.
Right now, the gardens depend heavily on wedding rentals, which is a labor-intensive activity and results in wear and tear on the garden. Hakone should be less dependent on that.
We are at the early stages of formulating a long-range plan. That will likely concentrate both on building credibility with the philanthropic community, as well as developing the revenue potential of the gardens through rentals for business meetings, retreats and conferences.
A second underdeveloped resource is the gift shop. It needs to be moved to the entrance as part of a well-integrated center that welcomes visitors to the gardens and provides materials about the history and operations of the gardens. There can be a small area with nodate parasols and tables to serve traditional Japanese tea and refreshments in a tea-garden environment. These improvements will require some capital spending, which the strategic plan will address.
Another goal will be to publicize the gardens through our new hakone.com website and other public-relations activities. We want to reach out to the community, hold more cultural and educational events and acquaint more people with the serenity and beauty of the gardens.
SN: How will you work with Executive Director Lon Saavedra to achieve some of those goals?
DP: We have a talented executive director, a committed, knowledgeable head gardener, and a hard-working line staff. I'm looking forward to working with all of them to improve operations, raise money and implement a long-range plan. My activities will be at the board level and in community outreach. I do not intend to get into operations or staff management, as past presidents have. Now that the foundation has hired an executive director, he serves as CEO of the nonprofit corporation, and the staff reports to him.
SN: If the park's use increases, how will you see that its beauty isn't disturbed?
DP: This is a public resource, owned by the people of the city, so it should be enjoyed by the public. It plays an educational role as well, and draws visitors to Saratoga, who help local businesses and create sales tax revenues for the city when they spend money in the village.
Cultural tourism and business retreats are appropriate, low-impact industries for Saratoga, and I think Saratogans both want to see Hakone preserved and self-supporting. Right now the garden is nowhere near achieving its potential. Staff members and volunteer docents will keep an eye on the gardens to protect them from being damaged. Right now the greater danger is from deferred maintenance due to the gardens' financially challenged status than from being trampled by throngs of Huns.
Hakone may at some point consider an admission charge that will help pay maintenance costs and keep attendance numbers reasonable. Many local parks and museums charge an admission fee. Currently, there is only a parking charge.
SN: How long is your term, and what's involved in the nomination/selection process? Any other board activity we should know about? What's Hakone's budget?
DP: Traditionally the president serves two years. The president is nominated by a committee of trustees, and approved by the full board. Joe Clevenger is the vice president, and Chuck Thompson has joined us as treasurer. The annual budget is around $300,000.
SN: What exactly is the board's duty with Hakone, and what's your, and the board's, relationship with the city of Saratoga like?
DP: Currently it is a city-appointed board that doubles as a city commission, which means that we are part of the political culture and infrastructure of the city. While that may have made sense at the beginning, I believe that it is now time for the Foundation to become independent and deal with the city as a full partner through an arm's-length business relationship. In order for donors to give money credibly and for the board to recruit professionals to volunteer as board members, we cannot function under the threat of being dissolved by the city if we make a decision that is in the best interests of the garden. It is time for the city to recognize this, give the Foundation its independence and sign an agreement for the Foundation to lease and manage the property. A hybrid, quasi-independent status makes no sense anymore. There needs to be clarity and accountability. Either the city should pay for it and manage it, or the foundation should. You can't have one party taking financial responsibility and the other calling the shots.
SN: Finally, what's the status of the caretaker's cottage?
DP: The city has moved a tenant in, and we are in discussions with them regarding the long-term use of the property. The opportunity to establish a visitors' center has to be considered and evaluated in terms of its compatibility with the housing.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
