>> this is a meeting of the recreation and park commission. with the secretary take the roll, please. >> commissioner buell. commissioner harrison. commissioner bonilla. commissioner lee. commissioner martin. and commissioner sullivan. >> let me make a brief announcement. the ringing and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. please be advised that the chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any persons responsible for the

ringing or use of cell phones, pagers or other similar sound-producing electronic devices. in order to facilitate an orderly meeting, we ask that you complete a blue card if you would like to speak on an item. and each person will have three minutes. >> also, please address your comments to the commission during public comment on items. in order to allow equal time for all, neither the commission nor staff will respond to any questions during public comment. the commission may ask questions of staff after public comment is closed. we are on item number two, wigs the president's report. >> the president has a very brief report. since i've been out of town, but i did want to say that i attended yesterday, the marina green fun day for the recreation and park department. and i would like to emphasize the recreation side of the

department and say that it was quite a nice event and staff put in a lot of hard work and a lot of good will came from it. so my -- i extend congratulations to all the recreation side of the aisle. i also got a very nice letter from the widow of art hoppy thanking the department and the commission for the nice way that they are maintaining and revitalizing the benches that memorialize people and in particular her husband. so i pass that on. i know commissioner lee spent some time at camp mather so i'll ask him to weigh in on the president's report. commissioner lee: i just returned from camp mather yesterday. it was a great couple of days up there. i just wanted to -- three items on my camp mather report. one is i witnessed a lifeguard up there in action. i was at the pool on sunday, actually, at the lake on sunday, with a -- a slow day.

and elderly gentleman was having difficulty swimming in the lake. and i saw one of our lifeguards , young man, 20-year-old, a san francisco resident, named emmitt her shl connor, leap into the water and save him and it was something to behold. and i would recommend to the president perhaps a certificate or some proclamation for a lifeguard here who performed his duties admirably this past week and i was fortunate enough to witness that. and i have a nice bio from him. he's a native san franciscan. who spent two years at soda and two years -- so i'll put that forward for a future meeting. the other thing i would like to say about camp mather was since

the general store has been turned over to the friends of camp mather, it's been a vast improvement. i see the difference between the previous operators and the friends, the friends have done a tremendous job in stocking the general store with things that campers really need. they're attentive. the staff definitely feels much more passionate about the camp. and it's been a vast improvement. and then finally, i have a picture and i would like to share with the commission of some water tanks. there are about five or six water tanks at camp mather that chlorinate the water. and provide drinking water for the entire campsite. the water tanks are wooden. they were built in the 1920's,

i presume. and they're leaking. as you can see from the picture, they're damp, they're moldy. and it's midday, i was taking a ride up there, a horseback ride up there. and saw a stream of fresh water pouring down these tanks. and i would like to ask staff to look into the possibility of replacing these tanks with some metal ones, some stainless steel metal ones that can perhaps hold more water and avoid the kind of leakage that we're seeing there. because to me, it seems like a tremendous waste of money and resources to chlorinate the water, treat the water, to have so much of it flow out of the tanks and into the ground. so perhaps this is something that the general manager or staff to look at for future meeting. thank you. commissioner buell: we'll get back to you on that. thank you. with that, that concludes our report. >> is there any public comment

on the president's report? seeing none, public comment is closed. we're on item number three wigs the general manager's report -- which is the general manager's report. >> good amp, commissioners. -- afternoon, commissioners. sitting in for sylvia burke who is on a much deserved vacation and i have a very brief general manager's report for you this afternoon. the first item on the report is just to note that as i'm sure you all know, we've had some incidents, in particular, stabbing at adolors -- at delores park last weekend and we've been working with the san francisco police department to significantly increase the police presence in delores in particular. they will start to work with us to enforce all of the park codes, the relevant park codes for delores as well as we're looking at some increased

police presence in golden gate park and one -- and buena vista as well. on a happier topic, as commissioner buell mentioned yesterday, was our playday on the green. we had over 2,000 children participate. and it was an enormous -- a smashing success. and then tomorrow is our first-ever day camp jamboree. it's going to start at 11:00 at kezar and there will be over 800 day campers who are going to participate. they will take part in a parade. they will sing camp songs. and they will also celebrate the 70th anniversary of silver tree day camp which is pretty cool. so please come one and all. and that concludes the general manager's report. commissioner buell: thank you very much. >> is there any public comment

under the general manager's report? seeing none, public comment is closed. we're on item number four which is general public comment. 15 minutes. at this time, members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission and that do not appear on the agenda. with respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the commission will be afforded when the item is reached in the meeting. i have two cards. earnestine weis and michael paul. lozano. if you could come forward, you do have three minutes each. earnestine. >> good afternoon, everyone. my name is earnestine weis and i just want to point out to you one thing -- it was suggested that you do outreach to the communities that are involved with certain things that come up. i don't see it happening yet. and especially on an item that's on today's agenda. so please keep that in mind.

do that first. you owe it to the community. they work hard for a lot of things to benefit the city. and they would like to see that happen. thank you. >> thank you. please come forward. >> hello. my name is michael palazano. and i'm a 58-year-old native san franciscan. and spent many a summer at camp mather because my father is a retired police officer. and also learned to swim at rossi pool. and i'm here on behalf of the san francisco free civic theater. we were an all-volunteer adult drama program that had been part of the san francisco rec and park department for 10 years. and we were outed by uricha and the randall mue -- by euraka

and the randall museum. and i'm here to support that adult drama program. >> please come forward. richard. >> good evening, commissioners. my name is richard fall and i want to make a few comments. had to do with childcare that we're going to be doing. and i understand that three fourths of our clubhouses are going to be going into nursery type of activities. that's what i read about. this is what i wanted to try to add in the comment that i didn't get last time. it has to do with how are we going to be dealing with the distribution aspect should there be like equality and have young people and you have different people? so one of the things i came up with had to do with if we have any such type issues, and there's always a difficulty that people have and the -- to go to different parts of the city, that's like at the

schools and everything else, so what i'm trying to think about is will we be able to do a distribution based upon the total throughout the county so that there would be -- the racial distribution and more on the equality issue? an example might be like they have at being a donald's that would allow ethnics -- have at mcdonald's that would allow ethnics -- we at r.p.d., our nursery programs, what we would be doing that same kind of distribution throughout the whole of san francisco county. and there would be fair and equal distribution even where there are excessive amounts of caucasians, excess amounts of orientals, provided that throughout the county we have that racial distribution. that's a comment i wanted to make on the on the one part of it.

another part of it has to do with you got a lot of old seniors and a lot of other citizens who need to stay active in clubhouse type activities. an example might be table tennis at chinatown. so i want to try to get across some of that before the department goes right into all nursery school. i don't know the programs and how the specifics are. we're going to have to keep in mind our old-timers citizens and that's what i wanted to plug away at, last few seconds i have here. and myself and other people who might have cardiac type problems. so when we have problems, we need to have cardio fitness activities. about the only places that we're able to do such would be recreational centers and that would be the clubhouses. so at chinatown, there are a lot of people who haven't been able to play ping pong. and real old-timers. and i think we're going to have to keep them in mind not just the nursery school people. thank you, commissioners.

>> david. >> good afternoon, commissioners. my name is david miles. i'm the executive director for the california outdoor roller sports association. most of my time is spent each and every sunday in san francisco golden gate park at sixth avenue, kennedy drive, and i've been here several times to speak to you, written letters, about the situation that's going there. and i want to take this opportunity to just let you know that we haven't had any movement to the problems that we're having there. each and every sunday, people come from all over the bay area to go skating in the park there on sunday. and what's happening is you got more and more people. you have skateboarders, you have bikes, you have a lot of different kind of people that are interacting here. and basically the law, and what's happening is this is outgrowing what i can handle. you have dogs that are loose, parents that are -- running into adults with their skate boards, people angry about the possibility of getting hurt. we have some people that went

to the hospital behind accidents that happened between the clash of some of the people that come out there every sunday. now, i love this just to be taken care of, don't have to go to meetings or call police or any of that stuff. but what's happening is it's growing out of what i can control. i have been here several times. and sent several letters. we've had parents come over to argue with adults about their kids that are threatening to hit people with their skate boards while the adults are defending their children on their scooters. this situation needs some real attention. and as i would love to be able to meet with people in planning or something, but we haven't had any movement. what we wanted to do is just create a situation where everybody can be there, but there's some basic guidelines that can follow that somebody can say he just made it up. and we actually -- i am sending two of my board members to the boot camp because one of the

things i have to do is teach my people to work within a corporate structure to get things done right. that's one of the things that's slowing me down. but i got to take this time to do that. that happens on august 14. after we come back in september, we want to come back with a real laid out plan how to do this. i would like to have it received seriously and let's move forward to make this situation that's good for everybody. >> public comment. >> good afternoon. my name is espinola jackson. and i'm from bayview hunters point. and i would like to say that i'm bringing information to you. i talked with your secretary this morning because i had called. and i know it's not on your agenda but dealing with the state park. and in 1990, they tested the

soil and the water. and it was very bad. this is an open letter. and i hope i'm giving enough of these to your secretary to give to you. i sent a letter to the mayor at that time. no cleanup has been done there. and i just got word the other night that the first african-american that was a park ranger died from cancer. and she died from working out there. and i want to make sure i've never seen -- i've been in san francisco since 1943, i was a child. i'm 77 years of age. but i've never seen as much corruption that is going on in this city as i have seen in the last 20 years. it's a sad state that we are in here. and people are dying in my community. i'm hoping when this comes before you, someone had sent it

to me, that you were going to be voting on the candlestick point. don't you do that. let your secretary get the information from the state. i gave her the phone number. to call. and it was tested in 1993 and 1997 but that area has not been cleaned and the voters voted, the year 2000, 87% of the voters of san francisco said that none of that shipyard will be turned over to the city until it was clean and was stated by the board that i made sure came into san francisco at that time. and earth day in 1990, after i found out about the toxins out there at the state park. don't turn -- you can't turn it but do not accept not one inch of that ground that they're proposing to give to you. please don't. and you start investigating. and i remember you stated, mr.

larry martin, i heard you on the radio, saying, what is the rush? why is this being rushed on us? and you didn't vote that day. thank god you didn't do it. and don't do it again. because i'm tired of saying the same thing. and you all are being snowballed into getting something done in san francisco that don't need to be. stop voting on things that's going to injure the people. i have not seen one commission er i'm talking about from city planning, p.u.c., the board of supervisors, look at the procedures that you're supposed to be looking at and you haven't did it. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank god i got here just in time. >> thank you. >> is there anyone else who would like to make general public comment? ok. being none, item number four is closed. we are on item number five, wigs the consent calendar. would anyone like to make public comment on the consent calendar? seeing none, public comment is

closed. commissioners, we need a motion. commissioner buell: commissioner buell: do we have a motion? it's been moved and seconded. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed. hearing none, unanimous. >> item number six is justin herman plaza, the con isn'tual plan. -- conceptual plan. i can't see the slides. you're going to have to -- >> good afternoon, commissioners. lev kushner from the partnership in resource developmentment. i'm here to present on the justin herman plaza. there's actually two items on the agenda, one for conceptual design, the second is for the acceptance of the gift. someone else will be presenting the second item. what we're looking at here is construction of two

professional sized bachi courts on the lawn. if you guys are familiar with where we're talking about, thakse to the south side of the market -- that's to the south side of the market "wall $treet week"bed after stewart street, an attempt by -- of the market street bed after stewart street , part of the handout. i believe you have this as part of your handout. >> we have it in our book, yes. >> perfect. thank you. so yes, this is an attempt to activate, in yunt utilized plaza. -- this underutilized plaza. you pull up some of the turf and go 10 inch down, a layer of gravel and some crushed stone and on top of that is oyster shells and there's some wood edging to it. the plaza is already a.d.a. accessible and this project has received a categorical exemption from the planning

department. and also has received approval from the mayor's office of disability. >> we do have public comment. commissioner buell: let's do public comment and there may be a few questions from the commission. stand by for that. >> earnestine. >> good afternoon. this is what i'm trying to say. nobody was advised about this. it was put on the agenda. nobody knows. only myself because i get these at home. we do not want that part of the concourse ripped up. i have had my hands full with people asking me for volleyball, for soccer, a couple of kids in my apartment house that are crying to play soccer. go over there and play. there's no signs that says you can't. and others. this is not an exclusive place for bachi. i told the bachi people when they were playing on 203, play

over there. away from the people so that the other people can enjoy. this park was proposed to be a passive park. and that's what i fought for. and so to make a -- an accommodation, i said play on the other side. which is what i want to do is to make everybody happy. this is not the exclusive place for one party. the park is an open park for everyone. and we all resent the fact that they're going to rip up the grass and put shells and whatever the gentleman said in there, no. no way. you keep it grassy. that's what we made the park for. not for ripping it up. i mean, we like the grassy area. so please, keep that in mind. it's supposed to be shared with others. you can have a schedule for game time. have one -- one go one day and another another day and so forth and make everybody happy. then what's going to happen? are you going to give permits out to these groups to play?

are they going to be charged or what's going to happen? but this has to -- outreach, i ask you to put this on hold until other people in the community has a chance to at least express their passion and i'm telling you, i represent a lot of them that are in that area that do not want this park to be ripped up. that's not what we created. and a few weeks, peter pan will be gone. and they're going to do the renovation and make this park a beautiful place. a showplace, i hope, for the center of the embarcadero. and we don't want it ruined. please get some common sense and make everybody happy. and not make a permanent place for one group to use this. that's totally unfair. and unreasonable. so give the others a chance to play there. there are kids that need it. and others that are crying out. i just went to a meeting for the cruise terminal last night. they're going to also have a public park area.

and i begged them also, put aside places for people to play. we need it so badly there. it's missing. for many years. and thank goodness the cruise terminal is going to have that. and so our parks should be an example for everyone else. so let's be fair and let's have other groups share it. thank you. commissioner buell: thank you. >> jerry, did you want to come forward? >> good afternoon. president buell, commissioners, i'm jerry crowley, long-time community activist. you should have in your packets an email i sent to supervisor david chu, president of the board of supervisors over the weekend. telling him that i introduced this, the idea of the bachi ball courts at a meeting of the neighborhood network last friday afternoon. with very little notice.

however sh the people at the neighborhood network -- however, the people at the neighborhood network who believe in good government and good planning to a person were really excited about this project. what i said -- in one sentence, i think, in my email, said it, calming influence to have that bachi ball recreation opposite the median strip where we have this frenetic skateboarding and there's a lot of activity there. we envisioned lunch time tournaments. families, visitors, all, able to have a game there, or a match, i'm not sure. and the idea that this would be taken care of in perpetuity is a great advantage. to the city and county. the idea that people can go to the museum just across the way, the muni museum, deposit your

driveras -- driver's license, get the bachi balls, is the way to handle it. it's free for everyone and we truly support it. commissioner buell: thank you. >> is there any other public comment on this item? david? >> my name is david miles again. california outdoor roller sports association. another thing that i have done when i've come to these meetings last few times is i've given you a concept of something that i felt would be a great addition to the embarcadero which is to make that area a multiuse surface that included roller skating. every time you build the ice rink for the holiday season, you have thousands of people that come out and it generates thousands and thousands of dollars which could be generated to go toward a lot of

the programs. but we can't afford to do anymore. i think bachi ball is a great thing. i have no problem with bachi ball or any of the things that people want to do. but this little spot here is very special. it's been a lot of different things that people have tried to do from the giant 18-foot stainless steel foot to the organ pavilion and all these different ideas. and personally, i wish that there was an opportunity for people -- if there was an effort to let's do the best thing in this spot, i would like to go in and try to compete with people that have great ideas to see if we can get a roller skating thing put in there. a multiuse thing where you can have lindy hop, roller skating, different events going on for a surface that can accommodate all these different type of activities. and i would like to partner with the recreation parks department to make this something that my organization can be involved with to have something permanent, something that is equivalent to kind of what we have in golden gate park every sunday that's free,

inclusive fun and thousands of people come to all the time. i'm not so much against having bachi ball. i think that's great. but i think that that area, i think that the idea that we presented as a roller skating area was a very, very good one. and yet that was another idea that we haven't been able to go any further than come do our three-minute speech about. we are going to this craigs list boot camp. i am taking my board members through this boot camp and i am going to run them just like i went through boot camp in basic training so that when we come back we want to put this -- no matter what happens, we want to put this up and try our best to see if we can make this happen. it f it happens, great, if it doesn't -- if it happens, great, if it doesn't, and inject a lot of different great ideas and finding an idea that's going to use that space. because one of the things that i always hear is what are we going to do with this? what are we going to do with this? it's time to do something. it's time to do something. let's do the right thing and