our properties that was put together by mark stevenson from our staff. it is really lovely. i think you will see throughout the site that weather with photos or video we featured not just the physical spaces themselves but a lot of the recreation program. you can click on to our site and see a dance production music video to the michael jackson song thriller that was done by a group of children in the arts and recreation camp. we will be showcasing the work that is done by our kids and families that are using our facilities. this is a definite upgrade. we are very excited about it. sfrecpark.org -- it is live now. that is our new web site. we encourage everyone to visit

it, to use it, to learn about what we do, to learn how you can get out and enjoy the parks. >> as a bonus, it also works on a mobile. president buell: terrific. thank you very much. >> i know the silence there is because everybody is stunned that we have bridged the technological divide. that concludes the general managers' report. commissioner lee: congratulations. that was a long time in coming. great job on the website. my question has to do with your first topic, the coffee. what is their status? i know we voted on that issue. how do we move forward? >> the commission did vote to approve the placement in dolores

park, but we have heard the concerns. you asked us to work with them and the community on a location that was most supported by the community. we do not think we will get 100% consensus on this issue. we understand that people have different views. it has also been clear to us that people want a chance to talk about this more. they want to discuss it and maybe ask questions. that does not necessarily mean we are all going to agree. there are a lot of people excited about having the amenities in dolores park. there are others with concerns about it. we will have a community meeting on the 27th and see how that goes. we will come back to the commission to let you know how that meeting went. we will also come back to you with an update on where we would be located and blue bottle. >commissioner lee: you are not

going to reopen the selection of the vendors? >> we have a roaming rflp for amenities in our parks. we have 225 properties. we heard the presentation from the mayor's office of economic development. based on some of our own feedback, we hear from park users all the time a desire for amenities in our parks. we also understand the need to work with our communities and neighborhoods in terms of how, when, and where. this is not the only opportunity to actually submit a bid to participate in this program. we work with the vendor and we work with the neighborhood and the community on the details. commissioner lee: my concern was

that since we have gone through this process we have already accepted blue bottle. we should move forward instead of reopening the process. >> that was not our intent. it is clear to us the community has questions and would like to engage in a conversation. we are very willing to do that. commissioner bonilla: i would like to know as soon as possible where the meeting is going to be held. that is right in my neck of the woods and i want to make sure i am at that meeting. >> we will make sure you are notified. there are logistical issues. we are looking at different places and waiting to hear back. >> i have cards for public comment. i am not sure if they still want to speak. would anyone like to make public comment under the general managers' report? if anyone wants to, please come

forward now. >> thank you for your wonderful comments about our organization. we have been trying to work hard. i have two questions. on the dolores park page, is there an rss page? is there a way for people to sign up? nobody goes there every day. >> just as a reminder, they are not answering questions during public comment. they may do so afterward. >> ok. as a community, i am sure we want to revisit the blue bottle selection, and possibly la cocina. we are asking for all food vendors, beverage or otherwise, to be put on hold until the community has had a chance to

weigh in. thank you. >> is there any other public comment on the general manager'' report? seeing none, public comment is closed. we are now on item 5, the consent calendar. is there any public comment on the consent calendar? seeing none, public comment is closed. we need a motion. commissioner bonilla: i move we approved. president buell: it is unanimous. >> we are on item 6, the san francisco zoo. >> good afternoon. bob jenkins with the san francisco zoo standing in for tonya peterson, who is at the memorial service for one of our significant long-time donors. i would like to augment the report you received already from us.

the pick is in the air. they may be white, but you will be tickled pink. as i left for houston, one of them hatched out. we have birds sitting and waiting. it looks like we will have a good population of plumbing goes. we have not had flamingo's born at the zoo in almost seven years. this was long in the making. i am pleased to support, perhaps prematurely, that it looks like we will conclude fy10 with a slight surplus. we are meeting the obligation to manage these do so it stays in the black from year to year, or at the very least breaks even. you know we have been dealing with a difficult weather situation which has affected attendance at the zoo.

i want to point out that the good weather returned at the start of september and for the first half of the month. we are now 8% ahead of projections, and revenues are ahead as well. attendance at the zoo is definitely weather related. at the conference in houston i had the opportunity to talk about this phenomenon with many directors of other zoos. about 50% to 70% of zoos across the country experienced extreme weather conditions. attendance is down. it seems to be weather-related, whether you are an indoor or outdoor facility. this month, we took the joint zoo committee on a literal tour of the zeroo. it was open to the public and was announced on the new rec and park website.

we had a good tour. we talked about some of the things we are dealing with at the zoo. we look forward to doing that again. real quick, the big thing that is coming down the pike after our great labor day weekend, where we sold nearly 600 memberships in a three day period and had over 16,000 people attend the zoo, we are going to be opening at long last the south american aviary building, which i think was originally known as just the aviary building. it is going to be focused on south american tropical rain forests. this will be a temporary exhibit for now. we will have an educational day where parents and kids can go through and learn about the rain forest and get some beneficial conservation actions. the highlight will be the return of our anaconda exhibit. he is probably the one animal

that has not been on display in recent years that we get the most queries about. he is now nearly 15 feet long. it would take all of you to hold him. he is 200 pounds. that will be on display starting saturday. in addition to all the other events you will be going to this week, stop by the zoo and check out the maze. we have the president's schedule tomorrow. we are getting into the last stages of planning for "boo at the zoo" on october 31. i would be happy to answer any questions you may have. president buell: i do not think there are any. thank you very much. >> is there any public comment on this item? we are now on item 7, which is a memorandum of understanding between the san francisco public utilities commission and the recreation and park department.

>> good evening. i am here to reprise an item i brought to the meeting of august 5 regarding an ammo you -- an mou the department would like to negotiate with the public utilities commission for eight long-term parking agreement, at 60 spaces at civic center garage. you will recall at the meeting on the fifth members of the commission expressed some concern about the escalation clause that we were proposing with the puc. the original proposal was to escalate parking -- the revenue we received from the puc annually at a 3% rate. some commissioners will -- were concerned that might not take into account the true cost

escalation over the long-term 75-year proposed agreement. i went back and had a couple of conversations with the public utilities commission staff. in order to address your concerns, the proposal that i am here to speak to you about this afternoon is the following. if actual increases to the parking rates that are approved by the mta board, because they approve parking rates at all city garages, including ours, if this increases to rates that exceed 3%, the puc will cover the difference in one of two ways. one, the length of the lease would be reduced from 75 years to some shorter time, according to the amount of money, or, and

i think this is the more likely probability, the puc would make a supplemental payment annually to the department for the difference between what the new rate would be and what the 3% escalated rate would be. i hope that this is a provision. i think this gives the department some more protection. it does take into account that the mta-approved rates may actually exceed 3%. in that case, it would allow the department to garner that additional revenue. i am more than happy to answer questions. i respectfully ask for your approval. commissioner lee: given the choice, why not go straight to

option b, since that seems to be the best option? why have an option a? >> if there was an option for the department, it is not to our benefit. the way the agreement is structured, we are getting a 3% annual increase regardless of whether the mta approved a rate increase. this way, we get that annual 3% every year, plus the difference between that and an additional increase. commissioner lee: in your opinion, having a and b is preferable? >> yes. >> is there any public comment on this item? public comment is closed. >> i will make a motion that we approve this item. president buell: it is unanimous. thank you very much. >> we are now on item 8, the

golden gate park seguway tours. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am pleased to discuss with you today segway tours in golden gate park. it is a possible action to approve the selection of the san francisco electric tour company as the operator and authorize staff to enter into negotiations with the company for a lease to operate tours. as you know, segway tours are a fun, low-impact wait to see golden gate park's 2,000 acres. in march, we issued an rfp.

in 2009, we conducted a trial. the trial operator followed eight route which was clever plea -- which was -- followed a route which was collectively developed. there was no known opposition or complaint. the selection process for this rfp require the operator have experience, the ability to finance the operation, and a robust marketing and business plan. we received responses from three entities. we had a three-member selection panel consisting of a member of the mayor's office of neighborhood service, a member of the streets division, and a capital division employees. proposals were scored on experience, qualifications,

financial capacity, and proposed financial term. in addition, the panel chose to interview all three who submitted proposals. those took place in august. the selection panel unanimously ranked san francisco electric tour company as the highest of the three proposals. it is quite qualified. they are san francisco-based, currently operating in san francisco and sausalito. they are the first segway company in the united states to receive eight national parks permit. it is rated one of the top three things to do in san francisco on trip adviser. the owner has a wealth of experience in the tourism industry. they have an aggressive business and marketing plan which includes partnering with the convention and tourism bureau, printed online advertising, kiosks in high traffic areas and

hotels. they will be working with institutions such as the california academy of science, the japanese tea garden, and others to develop packages. they will have a terrific website dedicated to the endeavor. that information will be available in 10 languages. there will offer special deals for locals. the staff will include a general and assistant manager for operations, a tour guide that has been with the company for over four years. additional staff during peak seasons, and guest services' staff. they have an elaborate safety protocol. how much are mandatory, as well as highly reflective vests. headlights and led lights will be mandatory during winter hours of the day. there will not allow a guest who is under age or underweight.

each needs to wear appropriate footwear and must pass a training session. they currently operate a new fleet of 40 segways. they have as many as 100 customers per day in their current locations. each unit is equipped with safety features as well as rain ponchos. the financial benefit -- they propose the greater of a minimum annual base rent of $36,000 or 6% of sales. projected revenue to the department over the next five years goes from about $79,000 to about $115,000. prior to the issuance of the rfp, we placed an ad in the san francisco chronicle. we notified folks of the

issuance of the rfp, and we emailed notification to our potential bidders database and other interested parties, including all identified tour operators in the bay area. we reached out to the following groups and individuals regarding the recommendation. i will not read them all. it is an extensive list. support for the initiative has been passed -- has been expressed by supervisor elsbernd, the japanese tea garden, the san francisco visitor bureau pie, pier 31, and others. upon successful negotiation of the lease, we will return to the commission for approval of that lease. i would like to introduce a member of the mayor's office of

economic and work-force development to speak on this subject. >> i am with the office of economic and work-force development. i just wanted to say that on behalf of our office, we support this item. in 2007, the city approved an economic strategy which identified the experience sector as a key sector for the city economy. the sectors that support those businesses -- we think this supports that goal of the economic strategy by enhancing and expanding the user experience of the city. it ultimately provides opportunities for visitors to stay longer and do more in the city and support the overall city economy, and overall job creation. i just wanted to express that.

president buell: think you very much. vice president harrison: these are battery-driven, i understand. they need to be recharged, and understand. i was wondering how that is going to be achieved in a good way. >> i would like to introduce the property manager with the department. >> it will have a charging station at the kiosk and in the storage container to charge overnight and between each tour. vice president harrison: and they will be using the power from the band shell? >> we are working out the electrical logistics now. vice president harrison: ok. thank you. >> we do have public comment. i am going to go ahead and read off a list of names. ross helverson, christian watts,

and brian hoover. please come up. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am one of the owners of bay city bike rentals and tours, as well as the partner in the upcoming parked bike project. i am here today to support the award of the contract to the san francisco electric tour company. this company is the right choice for many reasons. they have successfully run their operation for five years. they have managed to grow that operation amid heavy competition and increase their overall visibility. the san francisco electric tour company is a safe and professional tour operator. they worked in a small and crowded neighborhood. but they are not a nuisance, nor do they cause a danger to

pedestrians, buses, and bikes that share the neighborhood. their director is on the board of the fisherman's wharf merchants association as well as our community benefit district. he is passionate about giving his time to his community in volunteer positions. he does a lot of background grass-roots work that keeps all of our businesses running. finally, he is an expert in sales and marketing. in addition to publishing various visitor guides, they have an on-line tour booking engine as well as successful discounted activity passes. i know he will leverage all of that advertising proficiency and know how to increase the percentage of visitors in e go golden gate park. i'm 100% confident that brian and his team, at the electric tour company, the work well with your staff, with your commission, with golden gate

park users and create and operate a world class segue tour operation. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> lori, lauren, and then ross, please. >> good afternoon, corey roebuck from cable car sights. we have the motorized cable cars that have been driving around here since 1959 here in support of this item. i've actually had the opportunity to take a segway tour from fisherman's wharf. i can speak to the professionalism of the staff that was there. in the 50-minute training i had, the safety, courtesy towards other vehicles and pedestrians, very thorough. had no hesitation whatsoever in actually going out on the streets of san francisco. in fact, we brought our entire ticketing staff back, because we had such a great time on our tour. and my wife reminds me that i've promised to take her out as well. our tours crossed paths on at least three different occasions, despite the fact that our dock captains make segues make speed bumps, we

never had any safety concern or any hesitation about sharing the streets with them. i did want to speak as well about the professionism of brian and his staff. he's on a number of boards as great community leader and love the fact that this is an alternative mode of transportation and the fact that it's renewable, we pride ourselves that it's a green business. no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this company. president kim: thank you. >> lauren? >> good afternoon, i'm the national sales manager. i've had the pleasure of working with brian and his team for about a year and a half now. we are in favor of this program. not only do we feel that it's an economic cal and clean way of seeing san francisco, it's a safe and quiet way of seeing the park, which is a very large piece of property. speaking on a personal level, i have a lot of people in my family who have mobility issues, who can't walk for

great distances, and this is a really actually ingenious way for people to be able to get around the park and enjoy it, as anybody else would have the opportunity to. in the past year and a half working with brian and his team, they've been reliable. they've been quick to respond. they've lived up to a safety standard that we all respect in our community, which is a very small community. they deliver their goods when they say they're going to deliver their goods. we have about 10 to 15 vehicles on the road at any given day and we've never had a problem with their product. i'm keeping it short and sweet. so we are in favor of that, and thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> ross? >> good evening, commissioners, general manager. my name is ross halverson and i represent blazing saddles bike rentals and tours. we work together with the electric tour company as neighbors at fisherman's wharf and i also have the confidence that they will run a

professional and safe operation in golden gate park. just as we find bicycles an important recreational opportunity in all of the city, i think so, too, will be segway tours in the park. and i just wanted to briefly state that we support the approval to select san francisco electric tour company as the operator of segway tours in golden gate park. thanks very much. president kim: thank you. >> christian, and then brian, please. >> good afternoon. my name is christian watts. i'm c.e.o. of city sights corporation. we offer a fleet of 18 double-decker buses and school buses in san francisco. have done that for the last five years. i've done business with brian for, i think, 12 or 13 years, with matt west, s.f. electric. i think it's already been said. everyone is very supportive. i'd like to fully support the addition to golden gate park. president kim: thank you. >> brian.

>> good afternoon, commissioners, i'm brian huber. a couple of people mentioned my name earlier. the park staff did a great job of covering our operations. first, i want to thank you for putting this r.f.d. out here. it's a great opportunity for my company and to have a new activity inside the park. and i want to thank everybody that worked on the 2008 pilot program. they did the hard work on this and we're going to get some of the benefits of that. we operated the last five years, we are very safety-focused, and i'd like to welcome anyone to come out on our tours. we started doing test tours in the park and we don't have our route down yet. we're still working on that. we're offering free tours, so come on down and we'll take you out for the part of the route that we know. our material is not quite up to