Transcripts For SFGTV Recreation And Park Commission 91715 20150925

Can turn off any sound devices. We are going as briefly as possible today. We have a 10 00 joint meaning meeting with the Planning Commission at 11 00 a. M. We have plenty of time. Yes. So we are going to make one switch in the calendar at the beginning of the meeting. We are going to put the general managers report at the end. We may have to move another thing depends on how far along we are. We are going to move to Public Comment to 2 minutes a piece. In order to allow for all neither staff nor the commission will respond to Public Comment until Public Comment is done and at that point the commission may ask staff to respond afterwards. With that, commissioner buehler. Do you have a president s report. We have an. Item 5 is the consent calendar. Any Public Comment on the consent calendar. Seeing none. Public comment is closed. We need a motion. All in favor say, aye. Aye. So moved. Item 6, San Francisco zoo. Good morning, commissioners. General managers report. Yesterday was an interesting day at the zoo. It was a nice day to see the rain first of all. We had about 400 disabled veterans come to the zoo. I know you are all wondering how is it going. Of course this is the young cub that was born august 30th. So that just puts it under a 3 weeks. Our 13yearold liones and cub continue to do well. Its starting to take real steps and walk and not just scoot around. We still dont know the sex. They are opening up and he, she is is vocal in wanting something from mom. Staff continues to monitor them remotely in the cameras as well placed outside of adjacent room. Its still building up the trust with keepers when they are in the rooms neeshl. She stays with the kubs anytime protecting the newborn. We continue to secure its Comfort Level with them during this delicate early days. We are very excited. A knuble next slide. Grandparents day. She was born in 1971. Shes a black rhino. She has 14 children. 15 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. It was a fabulous day. Fun was had by all. That leads right into a world rhino day. It was really an important day because it highlighted the illegal trade of wild life products. You are all familiar with ab 96 that the state Senate Passed which is going to limit the trade of ivory. A lot of information is not out there about this animal and the crisis this animal is facing with the legal trade. The horn is harvested for all kinds of reasons. This animal is in big trouble as the elephant. Its important to highlight how important this species is to the world. The San Francisco zoo is really important because we have two of the five species on this planet. We have the very large asian rhino which is absolutely a gorgeous animal if you havent seen it in a while and of course the black rhino. Again, we have representative, contribution representative including wild aid making presentations to highlight the illegal trade of ivory. Next, we are so fortunate. Let me start off by saying august 27th, a collaboration of efforts by the sequoia King National the two sierra yellow frogs out of the canyon and basin and safely deliver them to the san diego zoo. This salvage operation was deemed the highest priority by the u. S. Fish and Wild Life Services by the action. The native species of frogs were under going a severe disease event. They went in there and rescued these guys that were heavy infected with fungus and we treated them with the protocols and they are recovering. No adult frogs remain of the salvage population and the second population was likely not going to have any surviving adults at the end of the summer. It was the only way to secure the offspring of this population. The 190 tad poles and frogs were delivered to the zoo. We were honored by the ab Conservation Fund to support the Mountain Lake turtle project and we also received a National Science Foundation Plant in Santa Barbara in a biome study. We received two conservation grants. The yellow frog project is one of the keystone projects that help safe that population of animals in the sierra. Im delighted to say we were approached by Yosemite National park to partner with them on the mountain yellow legged frog and the pacific pond turtle project to help populate their animals. They are working hard to slowdown the river and to create the areas for these animals to thrive. If you are tracking this, we are working with kings canyon, sequoia National Park and Yosemite National parks on conservation actions. Those are the three seeds care conservation. Its really a very important moment for the San Francisco zoo and for the citizens of the bay area. Its really important working with these partners. Neural turtle fest. We worked with the presidio trust, the San Francisco gardens and sonoma state and we released them into Mountain Lake. One of the grants we receive are going to work on the population at Mountain Lake. Here is the partnership establishing some neighboring cities at Mountain Lake. Next slide. This is coelacanth. This is one of the large new sculptures in the plaza. There are about 100 sculptures in this plaza. This animal chosen well never have it as a living representative at the zoo. Its about 140 millionyearold fish. They found it off madagascar. What makes it an interesting animal is that its that big, 6 feet weighing 200 pounds. Evolutionary biologist believe its close to becoming a land animal. Has primitive bones to be able to walk on the bottom of the ocean. Again, the coelacanth. Scientist come together to creatine expiration. Its a really interesting exhibit. You should come on up. We have another slide. This is a local artist who has been inspired by the learning plaza and you can see a bunch of other images or statutes or sculptures in the garden. Come oun out. Thank you very much. That ends my report. Is there any Public Comment on this item . Good morning. Its great to see the zoo is actually getting something done and the parks. Whats nice about it is the they got it in madagascar. On the other part. I guess im going to have to refer to the other time. I want to try to look at the zoo, the water issue and what they are going to be doing and the recycled water from the sewers. I wanted to even bring up that i had spoken on this itch and im not that in favor on the zoo ground. We were hoping that they can move it to where they had planned before. The two high school length and washington. They can just flow rates 16degree with piping. It has to have great elevation. All right. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to make Public Comment on this item . Being none. Public comment is closed. We have been told that one of the presenters for item 7 is not here yet. So we will be moving to item 8. The open space Fund Undesignated contingency reserve Golden Gate Park west and sense replacement and land improvement project. Thank you. Good morning, commissioners. Dan cowell. The item i have before you today i went to the committee a few weeks back and obviously because we are look to open space for reserve funds. I will give a brief presentation. I will read the discussion item. What we are looking for today is discussion of possible action to approve use of open space contingency reserve funds for the Golden Gate Park west and landscape improvement project. In a nutshell what we are looking to do is at the far west of the Golden Gate Park on the highway there is an only wood link chain fence and fall into disrepair and in addition to that sand blown from the beach has caused a lot of land blown and damage to the equipment and disease over time. Because this is face of the park and the master plan thiefs identifies this as an improvement need, they want to move forward with the project and do so the chain link fence with a little bit lower in height and doing some additional plant to give a little bit more to the edge of the park. So with that, we are trying to move this project forward aggressively and trying to complete this work with the completion of the projects so we can open that end of the park up as one complete project. Thats our task at hand and hopefully you can open these funds for that effort. Thank you. Cmon up, richard. Public speaker this project i was looking at. The first thing that came to my mind is rainfall. The problem with the drainage. When i first walked out there and started to go to the meeting. What happened is there is different patch areas the slopes dont leave too big a puddle. It works on with the trail way so you dont get the water to try to get around. We look at the consideration to get to this lotion in San Francisco. It is a very touchy area. Its required that the plants that are put in there are native plants. Thats only one part. Another part is when they put in these chains. I always thought if we put a nice decoration there and if you have a nice aquatic park and character that we are a sea bearing city and countywide and possibly put in such type of an ornamentation to the chains. These chains i dont know what they are going to do with them but classically they are not the black color but navy whites. I dont know if they have the extra letter or not. Is there anyone else who would like to make Public Comment on no. 8. Is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Move it forward. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . Are we ready to go back to item 7. Okay. Garage renovation conceptual plan approval and commissioner low needs to reduce recuse himself. I need to recuse myself. Move and second to recuse commissioner low. Before we get started he meets the to be physically out of the room. Good morning. Im here to discuss the renovation of the portsmouth garage. Its approved by the San Francisco administrative code chapter 31. Its located in chinatown above the garage by the plaza Parking Corporation. The corporation is designing a large area of the garage that includes health and safety upgrades with improvements. Most of the improvements are occurring within the garage there are handful of items that require modifications to the park. I want to orientate us to the project. Its on the south on the west to kearney street on the east. Well be talking about the levels and kearney street to the bottom of the east side off the vehicular entrance to the garage and you have the mezzanine parking on the top level. The main entry parking level along kearney street and two basements below. I also want to introduce beth morris from beth morris architecture. She is going to be speak bg the design of the projects and members from the Renovation Committee from the Parking Corporation good morning. My name is beth morris with bma, the architect on this project. The design team focused on various categories of work. Areas of water intrusion, security and emergency preparedness, interior improvement and systems upgrades and building repairs and general refurbishment. Its the areas to address the problems. There is little or no protection from rain water that enters into the building. The east wall of the mezzanine level is enclosed by open slates. The plan drawing shows we will be replacing them. This shows the existing planets and louvers. There are open mechanical shafts. We propose to cover these openings. The memo mechanicals to one side. At these areas of construction well replant areas disturbed and at some areas we have new planting as recommended by recreation and parks to prevent erosion. At the upper park plaza level there are three elevators to serve ada access from the garage. This does not protect the elevator doors and water gets into the shaft and sometimes with trapped people inside. Thats not a good idea. This would not extend beyond the existing roof line. Another project goal to responsible in the event of an emergency. At the interior we will add card readers and security cameras and have an emergency power camera at the garage and replant to enclosed the open stairwell and at the interior we would like to open up an exit stair that is currently enclosed. We will propose to provide security gates at the kearney street main entry. There are three emergency exits. They are subject to inappropriate graffiti and unsafe. We are proposing to enclosed these stair wells and minimize intrusion to the stairwell. Gates will allow exiting from the inside. The metal lattice material shown here maximizes daylight and visibility into the stairwell is durable and not as surface subject to vandalism. Inside the garage all three exit stairs are enclosed by solid walls. Without visibility they are subject to the same visibility to the stair wall. We propose to the garage at the main level. The same lattice material at the en closure to the stairwell. Therefore reducing maintenance and improving security. The main kearney entry is fully open and there is no way to close off the garage. In the event of an emergency, from the couple days a year the garage is closed, port smith need to be able to secure the facility. In this project we plan to add roll out shuters at the lanes and gates at the pedestrian path. This slide shows the gate closed and the more typical open position. Weve included interior improvements to a few areas to support staff functions and increase parking. We located Administrative Offices in staff break room. We planned to convert an existing office area into a Conference Room and info and open bay for increased parking. On this slide, the yellow areas are showing increased parking. And the purple shows the new staff break area. Relocated from the main level. On the main level it shows you an area of increased parking where the staff area has been moved and the Program Areas for the staff. Throughout the enter interior well make improvement for safety. Ada upgrades and fire alarm. And well replace damage and deteriorated items including concrete structure, fire exit stairs, exterior stucco wall and Plumbing Drains upgrades to mechanical structures. This will replace the existing fixtures at the exterior of the garage. The project will meet requirements of title 24 and San Franciscos Green Building ordinance. Carol will discuss the project schedule and milestones. Thanks. I want to show you a current update. We have received a categorical exception and from the Arts Commission design review. Our next for the rest of this fall is to complete a Detailed Design and the plan is to go to out to bid at the end of the year. Before doing that later this fall well be returning to you to present the financing package for the project. Then we are hoping construction will begin in 2016 and expect it to last a little over a year to be completed in the summer of 2017. I want to make sure everyone understand to contain the operational instruction and stageing the work so improvements can be done with the less impact as possible. We are back sharing the different stair cases that will be getting the enclosure roof. One 1 case will be used at a time and only limits to that one area for construction security. If you have any questions on the schedule and project, please let us know. Thank you. We have Public Comment. Sam, cmon up. Good morning. Members of the parks and recreation commission. My name is sam quan and board member of the parks and recreation commission. On behalf of the garage im here to urge your support to take this first major improvement since the 60s. Back then we had a central freeway connecting the city with chinatown and neighborhoods with sunset and richmond did not exist. Chinatown had three movie theatres and lots of nightlife and plenty of parking. But things have changed and in order for the garage to continue to meet the needs of the community and operate officially and be Energy Efficient its time to renovate the garage and replace the items that have worked tirelessly over 50 years. Our engineer consultants has completed the renovation design and we are working hard to a arrange for financing moving forward. Throughout the process we appreciate the hard work and cooperation we had with the preservation and Commission Staff and looking forward to geting the project moving. Let us not forget that you still want to continue a good revenue stream so that you can maintain and improve the park for everybody to enjoy. Renovated garage and community, a new city college campus. A new Chinese Hospital and completion of the central freeway. We look forward to seeing chinatown to become a magnet at it was over 50 years ago. Hopefully well have more visitors and the merchants will finally get their economic stimulus they have been waiting for. Thank you very much. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would like to maam Public Comment on this. Richard . Public speaker the China Restaurant was closed and the infrastructure was laid out when i was a kid. That building is quite heavy concrete and steel. When i look at it as this project of this shield technical requirements and ceqa. I think we should approach it a little bit more cautiously. It doesnt have a strong steal or extra concrete reinforced back in the wave between buildings. It doesnt have that stabilization. When you look at the picture, there is a big building and there is a slope. You have 20 degrees and you have all kinds of problems. Or topple. So when i look at that, you have to be more cautious from the engineering aspect. Thats why i want to be geotechnical aspect to look at the engineering. Thats an old building thats been there. That area is also known for landslides and the type of groundwork. Another point i want to see if there was a faster way that you cannot take up all that floor space in front of the elevators. So there is a railway in the doorway and you have a frame around the map that will keep the water out and you can also keep your feet clean and the operator can operate regularly. To say the rain is causing it, its not true, there is a lot of other things. Thank you. Would anyone else like to make a comment on item no. 7 . Is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . So moved. I will be right back. I need to get commissioner low. We are on item 9. Open contingency reserve San Francisco Botanical Garden. Powerpoint, please. Good morning. General manager. Im here to present discussion and possible action to allocate up to 75,000 on undesignated contingency reserve to support the San Francisco garden at San Francisco Botanical Garden. The exhibition garden is a 2acre site located in a very high profile area adjacent to the main entrance outside the Botanical Garden. It opened in 1965 and celebrated its 50th anniversary. As part of the Botanical Garden the original master plan was a place for the public to learn about landscape styles, plants and materials to utilize in their home garden landscapes. With initial design and structure by garden magazine by notal architects. The garden is distinctly comprised with demonstration and workers and landscape areas that contain fine examples of garden design and treatments and woodwork. Despite its high profile location a variety of improvements are needed in order for it to fill its potential. Painting, and Irrigation Systems are all a major need of repair. This 75,000 allocation would provide funding for hard scape, Water Conservation improvement and planting areas greatly in need of upgrade. The specific project would include 45,000 for paving and restoration, irrigation upgrades for approximately 20,000 and landscape planting for 10,000. A couple images. The garden is a diamond in the rough and there is spaces in need of improvement. As far as the Botanical Garden, allen low requested that funds in the open space undesignated continue to utilize to fund the afterorementioned improvements. This would provide Great Potential and unique gathering for the public and the garden. The proposed improvements would bring in greater diverse set of visitors to the Botanical Gardens to one of the San Franciscos greatest public assets. So thats it. Thank you. Do we have Public Comment on this item . Cmon up. Thank you. Good morning. My name is sue an shift. Im executive director of San Francisco Botanical Garden society. Im here with our board chair don bill daukey. I want to thank you so much for considering this allocation and especially want to thank commissioner low for recommending this. Its been an amazing 75th anniversary year for the Botanical Garden. This is even better. It will give us a head start of revitalizing this park. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning and thank you. I too am here to say thank you. This part of the garden t exhibition garden has enormous potential forren enhancing Visitor Experience and the programs. We are very grateful and thrilled that the commission is considering this allocation. Thank you. Is there anyone else . Richard . Good morning. Im in favor of this project and spoke to the commission a while before. I would like to include the Capital Improvement fundings which you call slush funds or the mayors funds. When i liked it as a little boy, we would do it on a sunday when we would get around there. That might be Capital Improvement funding and we get that kind of funding or stuff like that to get it working again as a Capital Improvement project. The grounds seems to be getting to be more hollow from that type of work they had there a long time ago. Even though its a drought year but the layout work to it might be the right timing when it starts to have rain power pouring in the city of San Francisco. Is there anyone else who would like to comment. Is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. I would like to say thank you to the Botanical Garden society for pointing out someone who does not have a green thumb and pointed this area out for an area which i never knew existed and thank you for pointing out that this area could use a little bit more tls and if we can do more to inspire interest. This has a tremendous potential. The landscaping is just absolutely fabulous. So with that, i would move for approval of this item. Second . Its been moved and seconded. Let me add my congratulations to both sue an and don for this second anniversary. Its one of the citys greatest gems and you are making it even better. With that, i will call for a vote. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . We are now on item 10. Closed session. Is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. We need a motion and a second to go into closed session . So moved. Moved and seconded. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . So moved. Before we go in we need to ask all staff and members of the public to step outside and we will okay. We have returned into open session. So item 10 e, there is not a report on actions taken. And on 10 f, commissioners, we need a motion as to whether or not to disclose any or all discussions in closed session. I move not to discuss. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . Item moved. We are now onto item 11. General Public Comment. Anyone wish to make general Public Comment . Not yet. Item 12. Commissioners matters . Any commissioners matters. Any Public Comment. Being none this item is closed. Item 13. New business agenda setting. Any Public Comment . This item is closed. Now to communication . Public comment Public Comment is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. Now well go to the general managers report. Im going to give her the opportunity to give her report. Good morning. We have in your packet two resolutions the reason we are bringing you the resolution of a joint parks and recreation and Planning Department t reasoning we are bringing thank you resolution is with all the Development Going on is there is an agency missing a table and thats parks and recreation and we think there is a position to be at that table during the conversation at the early stages to help the developing organization or the nonprofit to properly design or creatively design space. Not necessarily that the recreation and parks would manage it by creating an Oversight Committee to deal with the different agencies creating spaces and alleys that are not under the jurisdiction of recreation and parks. With your permission i would like to read this. The recreation and parks open park committees request the recreation and Parks Commission to work in consultation with the Planning Department work on and devise and complete a Strategic Plan for open space in district 6 and 10 and create a working group to in fact a Strategic Plan. It was passed by our community and in our neighborhood there is an Advisory Committee but there job was to identify properties and hopefully get them before they are sold somewhere else. This is different. This is a Strategic Plan that should bring agencies together on a more or less regular basis to talk about how the big scene is to be. Its good open space . Is it workable open space. Is it space that will really serve the community. So, that is our first resolution. The second resolution is the recommendation of the recreation and Parks Commission to propose the following project. Thats also in your packet for the next joint meeting. Where as the San Francisco recreation and parks open space Advisory Committee has not had a formal presentation of the open Space Component of this major project and whereas district 6 has been identified as the most open space deficient in the city and to identify suitable open space parks is on going. Whereas the shadowing impacts on the newly park which requires impacts are not significant and whereas the parks are currently scheduled to join the planning on september 17th to join in the project and to approve the raising of the cumulative shadow for planning code section 295. Be it hereby resolve that the commission postpone their vote and the ground level and open space is poorly cited and not visible from any streets. The location at the highest level wind and shadows identified in the eir and will be primarily heart escaped in the eir and to the plaza is tucked at valley ways that is nonfunctional and currently a haven of the antisocial behavior and detriment to its behavior and neighborhood. In fact request removal of the open space. Its a rooftop. Put forth by toby level district 6 and jane wild and passed unanimously of district 6. We do appreciate your time and hope you will give consideration to a join Strategic Committee to work on overall planning and open space issues. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, phil. That concludes the general managers report. We have two cards for Public Comment public speaker hello commissioners. Its nice to see all in person. My name is jane wild, i live on 11 street in district 6. Im here to present to you two letters that have come to you recently. I want to reiterate it. The first is from the park and asking to you deny the exceedence of the shadow to the park under prop k. They discussed this at thur meeting and unanimously wrote this letter at the meeting of september 9th for the shadowing of the park. The citys shadowing of the park has been rewritten. Neighbors have expressed concern that making exception for the project shadowing the park will set precedence for other parks in this city. This shadowing is not insignificant. It will cover the Community Garden part of the park several months a year. This park as you all know was fought for hard in the neighborhood and a great deal of money has gone into making it a beautiful park. So it would be a pity to compromise it in anyway. The second letter is from the sierra club. Also the Sierra Club Urges the Planning Commission not to certify the eir on the project and encourages the park to not the level. Is that the San Francisco chapterer of the sierra club . Yes it is. Thank you. There was no noticing at the park about this potential shadowing increase to give the neighbors any say at all about whether this was important to them. They only found out about it in the papers and so on. We recommend the recreation and parks have a separate hearing. You are out of time. Thank you, i appreciate your listening. Linda . Public speaker yes, good morning. Hardworking commissioners. I wrote out a bunch of comments and then i listened to linda and basically what i have to say is what she said. [ laughter ] convenient. I would like to just add briefly the reasons why i voted for both of the resolutions that you just heard read into the record. My name is Linda Schaffer and i have the honor of being one of the two representative in district 10 on prozac and im very aware of the public parks and open space that are included in the Development Projects and therefore planned presumably operated by and maintained by the developers. As linda said, there is no role right now for rpd to be included in any of those stages of the process and the fact that rpd has managed to get themselves included anyway is a testament to their intensity . Yes. Initiative. That was the word i was trying to get. And the fact that there are some responsible developers in the city. The other thing i wanted to bring to the attention is that there seems to be no requirement when ceqa, when eirs are done under ceqa that parks and open space that are located within the project, we subject to the same analysis as is done in connection with the effects that the project itself would have open space on it and thats a gaping hole in some process and since you are the folks, we hope you can suggest an approach to dealing with this. I dont know if we need to change the planning code or what. Anyway, thank you. Is there any additional Public Comment . Seeing none, Public Comment is closed. We are on item 15, adjournment. Move to adjourn. Second. All in favor say, aye. Aye. Any opposed . So moved. Thanks for waiting all that time. [ meeting is adjourned ]. Good afternoon id like to call the order of regular meeting of United States constitution today is tuesday, september 8, 2015, roll call please. Commissioner president caen pr commissioner moran commissioner kwon and