able to get projects out the door after having to sit on our hands for three years. the recent work in golden gate park and the plans we have going forward. one of the reasons that this foundation is pushing for this is because they found that these protected bike lanes can be a game changer in terms of getting more people onto bicycles. the board of supervisors adopted resolution setting a goal of 20% by 2020. we have 50 -- 50% over the next six years. we need a significant increase in bicycling. it is the most cost-effective

for us to increase. we're very proud to be -- to have been chosen as one of these six and we will report back as appropriate on progress under that initiative. bicycling magazine announced its top 50 by friendly american cities for 2012. san francisco was identified, at number 8 on the list. number 8 out of the top 50. we would like to be higher than eight, but it was pretty good. considering that we were enjoined from implementing a lot of good projects for those three long years. we were cited in the process post-conjunction -- post- injunction. traffic signals that give cyclists the right of way. all of which led to 71% increase

in cycling in the last five years. that is pretty phenomenal. on the revenue bonds that you had previously authorized, we subsequently got approval from the board of supervisors to issue those bonds. the good news is that we got our first of two ratings from credit rating agencies. we got our rating from moody's a week or so ago, and we were given a aa3 rating, which was very positive. a strong statement that the language in the document that issued the rating cited the agency's strong financial management. credit are great cfo for that as well as your leadership in adopting the great financial policies you have done to make sure this agency is well run.

we got that great team and a stable outlook, which will support a good interest-rate when we issue. which we expected due within a few weeks. our first round will be $68 million issuance of 30-year bonds. as a reminder, it will refund all of the outstanding -- refinance all the outstanding parking garage tdebt as well as provide that first round of funding for a little bit of parking garage work. good news. we are still waiting for the second reading, but the first one was good. -- rating, but the first one was good. we had our big nine-day shutdown. we had the the line completely shut down. we have been j shut down north

of market. gary significant work. the good news is -- a very significant work. the good news is everything got done on schedule. if you have not been by to see the improvements, it is a very significant investment. i want to thank the board for their support of that kind of important capital investment. there was a disruption, but by and large, the feedback is that it was reasonably well handled. it was phenomenal work by a lot of people from across the mta, the outreach folks, the construction management folks, certainly, the muni operations folks, the inspectors, the operators who were running the

show, a lot of people worked really hard around the clock to make that to go smoothly. a good success there. the next weekend work is after the july 4 weekend. we have two more before we get to a substantial completion. h/as we discussed, but i wantedo let you know that yesterday, we published on the sfmta web site, the collective bargaining agreements for which we had just completed negotiations. we are responsible for negotiating eight agreements in total, five of which are expiring in a couple of weeks at the end of this month. in conjunction with the city, we completed successor agreements for those five contracts.

there were local 1021, international association of machinists, local 1414, the electrical workers local 6, and a very small unit of twu that represents one category of maintenance workers. we did reach agreement with all five of those. they generally have 31% wage increases to about the term of the contract. the timing of those increases it varies slightly. the previously emplace 12 furlough days have been eliminated. there are some modest welfare cost savings benefits. there were some incentive pay is that we eliminated.

there were a number of language cleanup updates, such as eliminating committees and removing out dating or expiring language. those agreements were all reached over the past month. in accordance with the charter requirement, we did make those available to the public. as of yesterday, they are all up sfmta.com. we will bring them forward for your consideration along with the rebalancing. i guess i will just -- i do want to welcome our newest to the

board. you missed a good one. i want to close on that note. cing ommende incredible work by the taxi service folks, by the staff, for the volume of things that came before you -- not that they were without controversy, i think you saw they were very well thought out, very deliberate, and a lot of due diligence when and to bringing these forward. i think we are at a good point and we will be bringing some things back, we will be bringing medallion reform that, but really a tremendous effort. that is the end of my report. >> thank you. for those of us do our reason to the board, the taxi items are

very confusing. she has done a good job of bringing us all up to speed and making it less confusing. i saw your congratulatory e-mail to staff on the results of the shutdown. i love that you do that. nobody has to hear about how much i like cycling. all the improvements are making a difference. a lot more parents with kids on the back, a lot more women my age, a lot more youngsters. i look forward to all of that continuing. i think we are done. >> that concludes the business before you. >> thank you very much.

>> the question when i started 11 years ago when i started doing resolution work is can anything be presented on a really low resolution device where it is potentially a digital image? can anything be presented that way? or will it feel cold and electronic? >> the imagery will change. there will be four different sets. it is a two dimensional image. it is stretched out into three

dimensions. the device is part of the experience. you cannot experience the image without the device as being part of what you are seeing. whereas with the tv you end up ignoring it. i make gallery work more self and budget and public art work where i have to drop this of indulgence and think about how people will respond. and one of the things i was interested in the work and also a little fearful of, it is not until you get to the first and second floor were the work is recognizable as an image. it is an exploration and perception is what it is. what are you seeing when you look at this image?

one of the things that happens with really low resolution images like this one is you never get the details, so it is always kind of pulling you in kind of thing. you can keep watching it. i think this work is kind of experience in a more analytical way. in other words, we look at an image and there is an alice going on. -- and there is an analysis going on.

>> feel like it really is a community.

they are not the same thing, but it really does feel like there's that kind of a five. everybody is there to enjoy a literary reading. >> the best lit in san francisco. friendly, free, and you might get fed. ♪ [applause] >> this san francisco ryther created the radar reading series in 2003. she was inspired when she first moved to this city in the early 1990's and discover the wild west atmosphere of open mi it's ic in the mission. >> although there were these open mics every night of the week, they were super macho. people writing poems about being jerks. beatty their chest onstage.

>> she was energized by the scene and proved up with other girls who wanted their voices to be heard. touring the country and sharing gen-x 7 as a. her mainstream reputation grew with her novel. theses san francisco public library took notice and asked her if she would begin carrying a monthly reading series based on her community. >> a lot of the raiders that i work with our like underground writers. they're just coming at publishing and at being a writer from this underground way. coming in to the library is awesome. very good for the library to show this writing community that they are welcome. at first, people were like, you want me to read at the library,

really? things like that. >> as a documentary, there are interviews -- [inaudible] >> radar readings are focused on clear culture. strayed all others might write about gay authors. gay authors might write about universal experiences. the host creates a welcoming environment for everybody. there is no cultural barrier to entry. >> the demographic of people who come will match the demographic of the reader. it is very simple. if we want more people of color, you book more people of color. you want more women, your book more women. kind of like that. it gets mixed up a little bit. in general, we kind of have a core group of people who come

every month. their ages and very. we definitely have some folks who are straight. >> the loyal audience has allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup. established authors bring in an older audience. younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. >> raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. it ranges from fiction to academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. >> and there are so many different literary circles in san francisco. i have been programming this reading series for nine years. and i still have a huge list on

my computer of people i need to carry into this. >> the supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club. a deep explorationer of a single work. after the talk, she bounces on stage to jump-start the q&a. less charlie rose and more carson daly. >> san francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. multiple reading events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big names like city arts and lectures. radar was voted the winner of these san francisco contest. after two decades of working for free, michelle is able to make

radar her full-time job. >> i am a right to myself, but i feel like my work in this world is eagerly to bring writers together and to produce literary events. if i was only doing my own work, i would not be happy. it is, like throwing a party or a dinner party. i can match that person with that person. it is really fun for me. it is nerve wracking during the actual readings. i hope everyone is good. i hope the audience likes them. i hope everybody shows up. but everything works out. at the end of the reading, everyone is happy. ♪ >> just a few steps away from union square is a quiet corner stone of san francisco's our community to the meridian

gallery has a 20-year history of supporting visual arts. experimental music concert, and also readings. >> give us this day our daily bread at least three times a day. and lead us not into temptation to often on weekdays. [laughter] >> meridians' stands apart from the commercial galleries around union square, and it is because of their core mission, to increase social, philosophical, and spiritual change my isolated individuals and communities. >> it gives a statement, the idea that a significant art of any kind, in any discipline, creates change. >> it is philosophy that attracted david linger to mount a show at meridian. >> you want to feel like your work this summer that it can do some good. i felt like at meridian, it

could do some good. we did not even talk about price until the day before the show. of course, meridian needs to support itself and support the community. but that was not the first consideration, so that made me very happy. >> his work is printed porcelain. he transfers images onto and spoils the surface a fragile shes of clay. each one, only one-tenth of an inch thick. >> it took about two years to get it down. i would say i lose 30% of the pieces that i made. something happens to them. they cracked, the break during the process. it is very complex. they fall apart. but it is worth it to me. there are photographs i took 1 hours 99 the former soviet union. these are blown up to a gigantic images. they lose resolution. i do not mind that, because my images are about the images, but they're also about the idea, which is why there is text all

over the entire surface. >> marie in moved into the mansion on powell street just five years ago. its galleries are housed in one of the very rare single family residences around union square. for the 100th anniversary of the mansion, meridian hosted a series of special events, including a world premiere reading by lawrence ferlinghetti. >> the birth of an american corporate fascism, the next to last free states radio, the next-to-last independent newspaper raising hell, the next-to-last independent bookstore with a mind of its own, the next to last leftie looking for obama nirvana. [laughter] the first day of the wall street occupation set forth upon this continent a new revolutionary

nation. [applause] >> in addition to its own programming as -- of artist talks, meridian has been a downtown host for san francisco states well-known port trees center. recent luminaries have included david meltzer, steve dixon, and jack hirsch man. >> you can black as out of the press, blog and arrest us, tear gas, mace, and shoot us, as we know very well, you will, but this time we're not turning back. we know you are finished. desperate, near the end. hysterical in your flabbergastlyness. amen. >> after the readings, the crowd headed to a reception upstairs by wandering through

the other gallery rooms in the historic home. the third floor is not usually reserved for just parties, however. it is the stage for live performances. ♪ under the guidance of musical curators, these three, meridian has maintained a strong commitment to new music, compositions that are innovative, experimental, and sometimes challenging. sound art is an artistic and event that usually receives short shrift from most galleries because san francisco is musicians have responded by showing strong support for the programming. ♪

looking into meridian's future, she says she wants to keep doing the same thing that she has been doing since 1989. to enlighten and disturbed. >> i really believe that all the arts have a serious function and that it helps us find out who we are in a much wider sense than we were before we experienced that work of art. ♪

>> there are kids and families ever were. it is really an extraordinary playground. it has got a little something for everyone. it is aesthetically billion. it is completely accessible. you can see how excited people are for this playground. it is very special.

>> on opening day in the brand- new helen diller playground at north park, children can be seen swinging, gliding, swinging, exploring, digging, hanging, jumping, and even making drumming sounds. this major renovation was possible with the generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the mercer fund in honor of san francisco bay area philanthropist helen diller. together with the clean and safe neighborhood parks fund and the city's general fund. >> 4. 3. 2. 1. [applause] >> the playground is broken into three general areas. one for the preschool set, another for older children, and a sand area designed for kids of all ages. unlike the old playground, the new one is accessible to people with disabilities. this brand-new playground has

several unique and exciting features. two slides, including one 45- foot super slide with an elevation change of nearly 30 feet. climbing ropes and walls, including one made of granite. 88 suspension bridge. recycling, traditional swing, plus a therapeutics win for children with disabilities, and even a sand garden with chines and drums. >> it is a visionary $3.5 million world class playground in the heart of san francisco. this is just really a big, community win and a celebration for us all. >> to learn more about the helen diller playground in dolores park, go to sfrecpark.org.