>> if i could make a couple of announcements. turn off your cellphone sort of electronic devices that could sound off. close your ipad, the kindle, nook, or whatever. we have an overflow room. because it is crowded it is difficult in the secondary discussion goes on while we are in session. if you feel the need to engage in conversation with your neighbor or someone, please go across the room -- outside and

do that. it is extremely disruptive to the process. with that, i am going to call the roll because we had a long recess. we will know we had a full commission. commissioner moore, sugaya, olague, borden. the item before you at this time is item 15. this is not a public hearing on the project itself. we will hear from staff briefly. i did commit lasject came up tow everyone three minutes. there are so many people here, i wanted to ask you please limit

your comments to the environmental impact report. also if you feel like you can say what you need to say, i am less than three minutes, that is always appreciated. always know that you do have the ability to hand in your written comments. another thing is we're going to have a reasonable accommodation. somehow the cards may have gotten confused. the elderly and people with other types of disabilities would be allowed to go first. and we will hear from people with children so they can get home because we might be here kind of late. everyone else after that. i wanted to -- we have received those requests and it is reasonable to accommodate folks in that way. we will hear from our departments and we will open up

for public comment. >> before our department starts , there was a request from at salomon who stated he had a balance problem. i have a chair at the front and a lower microphone for that use. for anyone else who might have a problem and would need to use a lower microphone. thank you. >> good evening. i am don lewis, planning department staff. joining me is our senior environmental planner. rec park staff is also here. the idea -- i would like to summarize the findings. the draft eir found the project will result in unavoidable impact on historic resources. the draft yard from the impacts

materials. the draft er impact's the land use esthetics, transportation, recreation, hydrology, and water quality, hazards and air quality efforts with result in less than significant levels. the draft er provide alternatives that would reduce the project significantly and an unavoidable impact. commission held a public hearing to prepare comments on the draft eir. they agreed the impact would be significant and favored alternatives. the letter us -- summarizing comments will be submitted. the draft er was published on october 26 and the public review closes december 12. if you're interested on commenting in writing, you may submit your comments at 1615 mission street, suite 400, san francisco by 5:00 p.m. december

12. for members of the public or at this hearing, please see your name for the record and address comments. comments will be transcribed and responded to in writing which will respond to all bourbon -- verbal and written comments and make revisions to the draft the are as appropriate. when the document is complete the planning department will provide copies to those who made comments. we will return to the commission in summer 2012 to request this commission served by it the are. if it certifies the reparation and park commission might -- may consider approval. i would like to turn this over to sarah jones. >> good afternoon. surgeons from the planning department. i wanted to state briefly -- sarah jones from the planning department. the ero has required -- consider

these requests. he does not feel that this eir is unusually complicated or there are other unusual circumstances surrounding this project. the ceqa guidelines the comment period, it is considered adequate for projects that are circulated to state agencies. under no circumstances should a comment period exceed 60 days unless there are unusual issues at stake. i wanted to convey that information. thank you. president olague: i would like to open it up for public comment. i was handed a special pile so i will read you this. if you do not fall under the category of those requiring

special accommodations, if you can wait to speak, jim chapel. >> thank you. i will be over before you here today. i am not a neighbor of this project. i am a neighbor of the mission park. they are doing a wonderful job of building much-needed soccer fields. i will be here -- i walked by twice a day and feel good about the project. i have some concerns and that is as a planner, we have one document that we can look at and that is the master plan and the master plan of golden gate park is a result of thousands of

hours, tens of thousands of hours and thousands of people over many years. the draft er dismisses the master plan saying consistency of the project with the park master plan will be determined when the project is considered for approval. this also needs to be thought about by the planning commission. just a couple of quotes from the master plan. the master plan is intended to provide a framework and guidelines to ensure responsible and in light of its direction. the goal is to manage the current and future part -- park. the plan is a preservationist plan and proposed changes should respect the historic context of the park. william hall envisioned the park

in two different regions. it includes a variety of intensively cultivated areas and developed facilities. while the park land is pastoral and woodland landscape with open meadow defined by stands of trees and enhanced by lakes. facilities have been added to the western part, the soccer field is in question but the character of the landscape has remained as less refined park land. this should be maintained by different treatments for the eastern and western portions of the park. i believe there is a compromise here, that golden gate park cannot continue to be as it was initially planned as the master plan calls for and that a different soccer field configuration on that land as possible. thank you. president olague: thank you. i will ask denise to come up and if those in the front row can

follow her. >> thank you. i have not read the eir. i do not think that rights and artificial turf a park make. the idea of the park is to bring nature into the city. this does not do it. thank you. president olague: thank you. >> thank you. my name is gene thompson. i described a specific concern. i do not see the concerns

addressed in this draft so i will repeat it. the er must document how much crime robert migrates to areas surrounding artificial turf fields in use and estimate the amount that will migrate into areas surrounding this project. using this figure, the er must calculate how much crude rubber will accumulate in park soil over time and how that accumulation will affect flora and fauna. will animals directly consumed the rubber? what are the potential effects as these compounds that are included in the rubber are broken down and absorbed into the ecosystem? the draft does discuss the presence of carcinogens in chrome rubber. that problem is different.

thank you. president olague: thank you. >> good evening. i am a member of the harvey milk lesbian, gay, bisexual, transbay genschetrench center c. we are opposed. parks first of all are for people and other living things. so now astroturf and i share the previous testimony regarding the kromchrome rubber. there is a danger to children and animals. with the astroturf, we will not

sit on upkeep. it will commit the city two years of repair and replacement costs and the press itself will be much lower upkeep in terms of preservation. why switch grass for astroturf? the stadium lighting. this will only increase the level of lead pollution on the coast which is something of great concern. generally in urban areas. our part should be a resource for all. as the last two speakers have said, it was created to have a balance between the urban environment and nature. this was true of william hammond hall and john mclaren's vision. also the desire to make san francisco a distinctive place by

providing both for its residents and for the nation in place, a distinctive and beautiful place to recreant within the city. the city as part of our infrastructure and it does help make as you need. aside from central park, how many city parks do you know of that are commonly referred to by many americans? the golden gate park is one of the top city parks in the country. we're a city that is hungry for green space and not fake green. we want a natural look by working with nature. we want something that is free to the public. it is our park. when i was unemployed, the park was my refuge. when i was ill with cancer, it was a restored of space. i am close to being an elder and the park will be my delight as long as i am welcome. i want it to be a delight and not a blight.

for all. keep out the astroturf and keep the stadium lights out please. thank you. president olague: sir? those in the second row? these are the people that requested and i am trying to pull the cards. >> good evening. i think one thing is interesting and we should make note of. it was the implementation of scotch of brass that enable the creation of golden gate park. prior to that there was a problem with keeping the sand out of the park. it would be ironic if -- for us to take something and replace it with a synthetic alternatives. john mclaren cared as much about ecosystems as he did about usable space.

i want to say that i am in agreement with every speaker prius to me. we need to think about what the field that is when we're not there. it is habitat and the presence of birds and other wildlife indicates this is more than just a usable space for us. also, i have been blind for six years. 35 years ago, i played soccer and we played on a grass lawn. it was great. i would not trade it for anything in the world. now that i am blind, i enjoy the park differently than other people. i do not look at the grass and say it looks green today. i will be walking with my friends and say, do you spell that? do you smell the fresh cut lawn and my cited friends will say, you're right. that is one of the best smells in the world. you'll never get that with astroturf. i have smelled and fallen on astroturf, it is not pleasant.

as a sportsman or anyone else. there are memories i have of golden gate park, and hazlet -- bin my backyard. it is a restored space. i hear the birds and the wind in the trees and smell the cut grass. there is one memory i have. i was walking through the park and it had rained and the sun had come out and it was twilight, in the gloaming. the grass was lessened. i was on the phone with my sister and she was depressed and i said you will not believe it. there are 200 robins on the grass. you will never have that possibility with astroturf. you cannot yield habitat to expedience. we have to think about what the park is, not just for us, but for the other forms of life that enjoy it. john mclaren and the founders continued -- intended it to be a refuge for all wild life.

the fact we have parents and coyotes living in the park is proof that it is commodious for other forms of life. thank you for your time. president olague: thank you. next speaker? >> my name is terrance faulkner. my father worked most of his life with golden gate park and the rec and park department from world war ii straight to 1974. our next door neighbor hood was -- neighbor was the general manager. we wrote -- the road some of the bond issues for rec and park that eventually went on the ballot and got passed. they felt strongly about maintaining their role character of the park. what is being proposed here is

something different. many years ago before went to law school i was the recreation director and i saw what they did out there with a klieg lights and astroturf. what is being proposed for golden park is stolid 17 meets golden gate park. it turns the philosophy of what the park was intended to be on its head. maintaining a rural character, especially the central and western portions. it was intended to be a natural reserve. it was modeled after central park. the same concepts were involved. the only difference is, central park was founded in 1850, golden gate was 20 years later. the same philosophy was involved in creating an urban and armand koepp as rural as

possible. this is not in line with that. it is going a different direction. i think the city park should be capped a park and it should not be made into a fun thing to be gifted with one thing after another. john mclaren's for everything was putting hedges around monuments because he wanted to maintain their rural character. my father's attitude was that way. all the old line rec and park people have the same idea. one of the earlier speakers talked about the birds. we are part of pacific flyway. lots of birds come through and the also [unintelligible] you want to maintain an environment where they survive and do not fly away. >president olague: if looks

could limit their comments to the draft eir, we would appreciate it. >> if there is anyone else in the second row who wants to speak at this time. we can go to the cards. there is a gentleman in the third row. that is fine. >> the evening. -- good evening. i love soccer, adult soccer,

youth soccer. however, i do not believe that the soccer field should be synthetic or feature nighttime light spread the field should remain natural with no lights. the west sunset fields should be considered an alternative. the planning department needs to take a comprehensive look at what is happening at the western edge. they are having a wastewater treatment sewage plant beside the soccer field. you have to think of what this will mean to the entire project. i believe also the soccer field has not been fully renovated since 1998. rpd is not giving the film to thrive and is jumping to this new alternative. there would be better servnd