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You may email recpark. Commission sfgov. Org. If you submit Public Comment via email it will be included in the legislative file as part of the matter. Written comments may also be sent via the u. S. Postal service to San Francisco recreation and Park Commission 501 sanyon street, San Francisco, california 94117. Please note that this meeting is recorded and will be available on sfgovtv. Org. Item 2, president s report. Thank you very much. This is somewhat a bittersweet moment, but i would like to say a few words about our departing commissioner, tom harrison, and then welcome other comments from commissioners and staff. After 16 years of Exemplary Service to the recreation and Park Commission and department, we are saying gooed bye to tom harrison. I will be brief. But i will tell you that first and foremost, tom harrison is a good man. He has enormous character and he cares deeply after a lifetime of service to the department as an employee, he cares deeply about the parts. Additionally, tom was always willing, whenever asked, to step in and help with the commission at events public and otherwise and i fully extend my gratitude to him for willing that on short notice and always doing a fine job. In addition, tom initiated many important projecteds in the system by suggesting and implementing improvements. He will be missed and i conclude by saying i consider him a good friend and honourable soul. Ashley . You brought the voice of the park users to keep the parks open for all of us to enjoy i personally think you brought a lot of class to the commission and its a tall order for our president to maintain that class. [laughter] and you are a good friend and i hope to see you walking along Marina Boulevard soon and please be come back and continue to be a friended of our parks and the commission. Thank you. Thank you. I think youre on maoutz, ashley. Commissioner anderson . Hi, tom. I cant sea you, but i think youre there with ashley. I second what commissioner lowe says about your class and all things outwardly and inwardly. I always looked forward to seeing what you were wearing in the events that we attended and know that you are the prince of the pocket square this is a really nice appointment and also gave me such a great sense of security and continuity and even love. The love that you offer to San Francisco residents is evident in everything this you did and i also consider you a brother in arms because you and i both have union backgrounds and we understand how important it has been particularly for young people with the apprenticeship programmes. It is amazing to see the great pride in the graduates that we have celebrated every year. Ill be missing you at those evens and i just want to thank you for your long service and volunteerism and just being, you know, a fellow liker and lover of San Francisco and were neighbours so lets keep in touch. Ok . Ok. Thank you. Once i was appointed, the very first phone call i made was to tom harrison. I wanted to get the benefit of his 16 years of experience. We met at masconi playground the second week of september and we chatted for over an hour. We talked about everything from his youth, growing up in the richmond and going to Washington High School to the state of City Politics today after a few moments, he just showed that it was like you were talking to someone you knew your whole life. And i think everyone on this commission has had that experience with tom. So, tom, thank you for the time. You are a true gentleman. One of the great people of this city and im going to be using you as a resource for many years to come. Thank you, tom. I wantinged to express my gratitude for your many years of service for this community that we love so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Commissioner mozzola. Tom, ive known you many years. I was lucky to get to work with you on this commission and i all you did for the commission and the city. In that capacity. But more importantly, you are a voice for the workers out there and always have been on this board and that is an important factor because those are the people on the ground doing all the work. And you handled that gracefully and took their took their their grievances or accoladess to the board and let us all know what they were feeling. You came from those ranks and worked out there for years in a bunch of different capacities including shaw steward and supervisor, but your your knowledge and commitment is second to none. So i praoernlts everything youve done for the Labour Movement and all the workers out in the maintenance yard at rec and park. So, thank you. Commissioner mcdonald. I was taught by an amazing woman some year ago about the word mens and you more than qualify, you embody. There are a few that i know that love perhaps even more than i the city of San Francisco. Side note, i forgive you for going to washington. Its ok. My wife went to washington, but hey. I guess you have to go somewhere. But in all seriousness, tom, thank you so much for being what what the chamber called leadership San Francisco and the point is to create what we Call Community trustees. Folks who hold the city dearly and are concerned and invested in its wellbeing for all citizens of our city. You have embodied that. Both in your time serving the city, in your time certainly here on the commission and so thank you. On behalf of all of us who call San Francisco home and love the city. Appreciate all that youve done. And certainly wish you all the best. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. President buell, would you like me to read [inaudible]. Yeah. Lets let mr. Ginsberg weigh in on all this. Ok. Sure. Thank you. So, tom, a little surprise. Im down the hall from you right now. One of the very few that stepped into my office the last six or seven months which has been remarkable in and of itself. But wanted to be here because youre here. Commissioners all do such wonderful things. I thought id share a little bit more actually for the public and for our new commissioners about your history. While 16 years a long time to be a commissioner and its not easy to work for, i think it was four different mayors. The 10year connection to this department goes well beyond that. If i have my math correct, this is your 56th year. With the recreation and Park Department in one role or another. And to highlight, you started your career in 1964 with the department, brief aside, i wasnt born until 66, tom. But i needed to say it. Youve stayed connected to this department longer than ive been alive. Thats pretty amazing. And whats also amazing is that your first job with the department was as an assistant gardener and well come back to that because that was a class that may have existed then and didnt for a long, long time. And, you know, in the final chapter of your career with this department, youve basically resuscitated that class and what i think is one of your greatest accomplishments and biggest legacies with the departments. After being assistant gardener for a few years, you actually then did your first tour of duty with local 261, if i am correct as a shop steward for about five years. And then you promoted from assistant gardener to gardener where you worked until 1984 and then you had the great job and great pleasure of being an insecticide Spray Operator from 84 to 88. During your time in the feel, in addition to whatever you did or didnt do to disruptive bugs and crediters, you were responsible for stewarding some of this departmentss most historical and contextually important assets. You were a big wreck. You worked at all five of our golf courses. You had a profound impact, this department has been around for the system has been around for 150 years and when you think about, you know, your tenure as both an employee and beyond, you walk among the greats in terms of history of this department. A. You finish your work in the field, you decided to return to the union where you were a business rep again and then you became assistant Business Manager where you worked up until 2002 and then in 2004, you became a commission kerr. I donten what kind of trouble you were causing in those years between 2002 and 2004, but im sure you were doing something. But 56 years. When i think about the last almost 12 that you and i have worked together and i think about some of the places and spaces where youve had your most impact as a commissioner, i return to your first role here as assistant gardener, which is your leadership in creating the first more Cultural Apprenticeship Programme in the state of california. That is a legacy, i many , my friend, that will be around for a long, long, long time and has done so much to add to the Workforce Development opportunity and to the con instruct of equity and construct of professional development and professional standards by creating this programme that offers new pathways and access to people interested in the field that dont have prior experience. It is really remarkable thing youve done. That is not all. One of the commissioners talked about how much you care about staff. I know commissioner mozzola commend about that. But that was the theme amongst all the comments. Your leadership where we were actually for a while recognizing gardeners and recognizing all park recreation and maintenance staff and has lead to doing something for our staff and celebrate their accomplishments and its, you know, a fun party. When we used to have those. And then i want to thank you for your leadership on some tough votes. You helped make sure you did your part for the legacy of Golden Gate Park by voting to support the reenvisioning of the recycling centre into Community Garden which still exists today. You took up you made a courageous vote to bring on a new more professional vendor at the boathouse and, you know, you stuck up for kids and supported the soccer field. Youve also been a champion of the open space fund of investing more in deferred maintenance in camp mather and in your attire, your professional dress, which is a place i feel i have not quite been able to live up to. But that is why we have denny. [laughter] i want to read a few things very quickly from some of my colleagues. Im not sure if theyre on the call or not. But im going to just read three quotes and if you are on this call and preparing to say it, my apologies, guys. We asked some staff have been around for a long time for some thoughts about you and so lisa ling who runs our Natural Resources division, she said its always been such a pleasure to have commissioner harrison on the commission because he has such an understanding of the inner workings of the departments. Hes been a stalwart supporter of the local men and women of 261 and fully respects how challenging their jobs r. I also appreciate how humbling and approachable he is. I was eight months pregnant when i presented the departments Resource Management plan to the commission. I remember commissioner harrison looking sympathetickly at me at the podium. Over the last 14 years, when our paths would cross, he never asked me an opportunity to ask me about his son and i never missed an tounls ask him about his stylish eye wear. From roeshts watkins. I was here when tom was a gardener. He was our union representive at the time. He was assigned to the crocker complex and on his first day there he had to work with one of those gardeners that no one wants to work with. He got to know about some of the gardeners that the union had to represent and gave him a new perspective on the unions role. Hoe has always been knowledgeable and able to answer the questions. He is a classy guy and ill miss him. And then lastly from steve. His tenure on the commission has been unparalleled. His intimate knowledge of critical maintenance practices required to sustain the projects and policies approved by the commission guided his decisions, saving the city countless tax dollars. His thoughtful probing and perspective helped ensure projects Meeting Commission approval were conscientious,able and most of all sustainable. His calm, no nonsense approach has been appreciated by literally thousands of r. P. D. Employees over the years. He start as advisor, counselor and sometimes con confidant during the challenging days. His legacy with r. P. D. And the commission will live on in the commitments and dedication employees today share for the realization of San Franciscos park system stream. Thank you for your service, dedication and friendship. And we didnt have time to read a thousand comments but i think that there are a thousand people in this organization that would say the same things about you, tom. Again, 56 years of service and an organization that is only 150 years old. You walk among giants in the creation of this park system and ill stop and then join you and ashley by concluding with the theme that mark and commissioner buell and commissioner mcdonald started which said you are a kind and decent guy and commissioner mcdonald took it one step further. Thank you, commissioner. And said you are a mench. You are one of biggest menches there is. Well miss you on the commission. But your legacy and contributions, the seeds you planted will be around for a long, long, long, long time. Do you want me to say the nice stuff at the end . Say a lot of nice stuff at tend because phil did cover whats in the resolution and give who the resolution is from and concluding remarks. Before i do, ill say thank you to commissioner harrison for welcoming me into a role that had been filled by the same person for 23 years. With open arms and also who, after i had a child recently, called me to see how i was doing. And that was really appreciated. Ok. So, toward the end of the resolution, which is from the commission and ill be bringing it to him. He is about 20 feet away from me in just a moment. Whereas with the additional time he will now have, the commission wishes him relaxing and joyful times with his children heather and matthew, along with their spouses car low and ruby his four grandchildren, julia, evan, charlie and maya and he will be deeply missed his by former commissioners and colleagues to whom he has remained a faithful Public Servant and cherished friend. Now be it resolved that the members of the recreation and Park Commission on behalf of the employees and citizens on the city of San Francisco do hereby greatfully recognize commissioner tom harrisons contributions to the city and do express to him great appreciation for his decades of dedication and hard work as a city employee, Union Representative and commissioner for the Road Commission riation and Park Commission. And president buell, additionally, ill be wacking over over and bringing you a proclamation from mayor breed which declares november 19, 2020 as tom harrison day in San Francisco. Whew good job. I got a day. [applause] im going to stand behind him. From the department, we have a few gifts as well. Of course, we talk about your role in shaping the park system. Today we call commissioner harrison the commissioner harrison department. This is for you. [applause] great. And then in honour of your tenure on the Capital Committee, and the good work you did that has enabled us to pass [inaudible], a tshirt all right. And then finally because this is so much about your legacy, this is christopher pollacks book published on the 150th anniversary of [inaudible] park and all the places that you stewarded. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. I will give you an elbow bump and then go back to my cave. And the Commission Resolution and the won from mayor breed. Thank you. President buell, ill be brief as you were. I prepared a few paints here. Good morning commissioner and general manager ginsberg. I want to thank you for this honour. For me there is only one word to express how i feel gratitude. Grats tuesdayed to mayor newsom for appointing me twice, to mayor lee for reapointing me twice. And for the city and to the city for hiring me in the first place. Gratitude for help and support and especially to Margaret Mcarthur who, from day one on the commission, kept me on track. And Phil Ginsberg for making rec and park the most favoured department in the city. It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve with you. Thank you for this honour. Anyway, it has been a great trip. Believe me. Eni enjoyed every minute of it from march, i think it was march 3, 1964. Theres been shaky moments. But i made it. Thank you all very much for this honour. Its really touching. Touching. And im now apt to go google mench. [laughter] menche with an e. I want to encourage you when this covid event is over and we once again m