i think we are looking forward to talking with todd, the rate fairness board, and the commissioners in the future about how this works. the other point i wanted to make is, generally speaking, the green power capital fund -- i like the idea of that being redirected to the redevelopment agencies. we are trying to attract clean energy and clean businesses out to the hunters part -- the hunters point shipyard. we have a lot of work to do as a city to get there. it is more of an invitation right now to work with folks going forward. i think if you could consider the needs of the project area, i noted it was number of four in your strategic plan objective. you do not want to forget the work force development objective. i am happy to answer any questions that commissioners

might have. president vietor: any questions or comments? we appreciate your reminding us of these issues. we hope you'll come back as opportunities arise to see how we can help. it would be great to develop the work force and provide as many opportunities as we can out there. >> if i may, i did a back of the envelope calculation reminding you that phase one is approximately 1200 homes. the remaining 10,500 homes have yet to be built up. there is a lot of high-density development, ranging from towers 35 stories tall to a very big projects. i did a back of the envelope to regulation of the projected energy to create 10,000 jobs, you are looking at something like the $125 per year subsidy per job to facilitate the attraction of those businesses. that is one ankle and one way to

think about it as we move forward. president vietor: thank you very much. next item, please. >> next item -- discussion of possible action authorizing the general manager to request approval from the board of supervisors to accept and expand congressionally directed project funds from the 2009 omnibus appropriations act, as administered by the department of energy, for the fats, oil and grease to biodiesel project, currently in the process of demonstrated -- of demonstrating technologies to recover greece to be converted into biofuel including biodiesel. president vietor: is there a motion to adopt this item? any public comment? all those in favor? opposed?

the motion carries. next item, please. >> item 14, discussion of possible action to approve the selection of esa+orion jv, a ward of the -- award of the hetch hetcy moccasin facilities upgrade, and authorize the general manager to negotiate and execute the professional services agreement. >> i have a question. that is whether this project is ready. what i am thinking is as we go to the budget process, one of the things i want to talk about is the nature and pace of this program. i am wondering if we have the project will one of defined to put into the environmental review process -- we have the project well enough defined to

put into the environmental review process. >> commissioner, i think there are a number of facilities that need to be upgraded. i am not sure that we have a project totally ready to start right now. the contract would not begin until march. we can explain. >> go ahead. [laughter] >> michael karlin, deputy general manager. we think this whole program is maturing all our facilities. as part of the budget process, we will take you through some of our facility needs outside of san francisco. we are building 525 golden gate. but our staff is currently working out of moccasin. we would like to upgrade those

facilities so they have the equivalent of what people in san francisco have. we have been studying it. we have layouts of facilities we want to of great and what they entail. -- we want to upgrade and what they entail. we want an environmental consultant in place as we take the project forward. we think we are ready. >> i am not going to object to this. i am just putting everybody on notice. >> we have several specific slides just to talk about how much we would be spending on facilities. president vietor: any other comments on item 14? is there a motion to adopt item 14? any motions? item 14? second? hearing none, what do i do?

to table it until -- continue it to the next meeting, until we have more information and can look at the slides? >> is there any time line when the bid runs out, anything like that? president vietor: i don't think so. hearing no objections, i would like to continue -- can we please continue this to the next meeting and get more information at this time? next item, please. >> item 15, discussion and possible action to approve the selection of hdr engineering, harry tracy water treatment plant long-term improvements project construction management services staff augmentation, to authorize the general manager to execute the professional services agreement with hdr engineering not to exceed $16

million with a duration of five years, subject to board of supervisors' approval. >> julie labonte, executive director. do you have questions on any specific items? president vietor: any questions or comments on this item? is there a motion to adopt item 16? i am sorry -- 15. is there a second? hough -- public comment on this item? all those in favor of adopting item 15? opposed? the motion carries. >> item 16, discussion and possible action to approve the plans and specifications of the water enterprise water system improvement program, crystal springs pipeline number to

replacement project to the lowest qualified responsible bidder, ranger pipelines, to provide improvements that will add seismic reliability to the northern peninsula. >> i want to point out that this item shows we are continuing to benefit from a very favorable bidding environment. in this case, we were able to save $13.80 million with the lowest bid, which represents 30% of savings from our budget. >> and ranger pipeline, as i recall, is a san francisco firm located in bayview. >> they have done very good work for us so far. president vietor: public comment on this item? all those in favor? opposed? next item, please.

>> madame president, i believe we are coming to the end of the regular calendar. >> there are no closed session items today. if you could take those off calendar and move to item 22, if the commissioner has any additional new business items? president vietor: any new business items? >> move to adjourn. >> let me put a nail on the to buy four. we are talking about issuing debt and for the first time ever against our credit. we are talking essentially about giving a rate to one part of the city that would be at the

end of five years 20% below market rates. we are also talking about building facilities. that picture bothers me. we are heading into budget season. that would be the time to talk about that. there are significant bears -- significant issues there we need to look at. president vietor: thank you, commissioner moran. that is helpful. i heard the motion to adjourn. the meeting is adjourned. thank you so much. 4:15.

>> being a pedestrian in san francisco is not easy for anybody. >> [inaudible] people push tables and chairs outside the sidewalk. >> i have to be careful not to walk the sidewalk. it is very hard. >> sometimes people get half

way across the intersection. >> you have to be alert because there is always something coming up that you need to know about. >> i learned to listen to the traffic patterns. sometimes i notice the other pedestrians, they are crossing, on occasion, i have decided i'm going to cross, too. i get to the middle of the intersection, and i find out that the light has changed. >> we need to be able to work and go from one place to the other and have public transportation. the world needs to be open. >> people on disability has the task of addressing all the disability. when we are talk about the

sidewalks, ramps, we have very specific issues. for people blind and low vision, we have the issue of knowing where they are and when the cross. it can be hit or miss. >> at hulk and grove, that sound the the automatic -- it helps people cross the street safely. >> now we have a successful pedestrian signal. >> i push the button, i get an audible message letting me know that i need to wait. when it is safe to cross, not only am i going to get an audible indicator, this button is going to vibrate.

so it tells me it is safe. there is the driller sound and this trigger is vibrating. i am not relying on anything but the actual light change, the light cycle built into it. >> it brings san francisco from one of the major cities in the u.s. to what is going to be the lead city in the country. >> city working on all sorts of things. we are trying to be new and

innovative and go beyond the ada says and make life more successful for people. >> disability rights movement, the city has the overall legal obligation to manage and maintain the accessibility and right of way. with regards to the curb ramps, bounded by a groove border, 12-inch wide border. for people with low vision to get the same information. the shape of the domes, flush transition between the bolt bottom of the ramp and gutter.

>> we have a beveled transition on the change in level, tape on the surfaces, temporary asphalt to fill in level changes, flush transition to temporary wood platform and ramp down into the street under the scaffoldinging. detectable ramps. they are all detectable. nothing down below or protruding that people are going to get snagged up on. smooth clean that nobody is going get caught up on. >> our no. 1 issue is what we see here, the uplifting and shreufting to concrete due too

street tree roots. here is another problem we have with street trees. if i have i was a person blind, this would be an uncomfortable way to find out. >> we don't want to create hazards. >> sometimes vendors put sidewalk cafes where people push the chairs too far out. >> sometimes it can be impassable. so much foot traffic that there is no room for a wheelchair or walker to go by. >> san francisco is a lively street life, it can be an issue

with people with visual disabilities as well. they have these diverting barriers on other side of this tables and chairs area. if people can find thraeur way around it without getting tangled up, it is still fully accessible. >> we don't want anything special. we want people to basically adhere to the regulations and laws as they are on the books now. people can also, just be cognizant if they have stuff on the street, they thaoed to have 48 inches so we can pass, think outside your own spectrum of yourself that there are other people you need to share the

sidewalk with. we will all get along better. >> although san francisco is a hilly place for a whraoel chair user, we seem to be better at most. that doesn't mean we can't continue to improve upon ourselves. >> the public has a clear are -- of travel. we can't be every to make sure that is the place. we have to rely on the place. call 311. give them your name. that goes into a data base. >> it is difficult, still, um to make the case that the disabled community isn't being represented. in some ways we are not. we have a long way to go. >> the city of san francisco is

using the most innovative technology available. these devices allow people to remain out in their communities, doing things like shopping. it is great to be able to walk as a pedestrian in this city and cross streets safely. >> right on time. i am grateful that a number of you showed up today. i thought we had just a few people being sworn in. i kid you not. i was thinking we could do this in my office.

we would have only been able to get a 10th of you in there. i am grateful that you took the time to be here. i thought this would be my last swearing in as mayor but i have two people, supervisor dufty, tomorrow that i will quietly swear in. this is the last public swearing in of my tenure as mayor. i do hear some claps on the other side. i am glad i do not hear any on this side. somebody picked up on that. -- some of you picked up on that. [laughter] i am appreciative of department heads being here. of course, our city attorney dennis herrera, who has taken

the time to be here, phil ting, bevan dufty, the ubiquitous supervisor, and so many leaders, particularly from the labor community, chief of staff, and particular, the rank and file of my favorite local, 261. [applause] truly my favorite. they are here for you, vince. i am pleased to be swearing in six individuals and i am honored that two were recently and overwhelmingly supported by the board of supervisors as a member of their other applicants were rudely rejected for purely political purposes.

but i am over that. but i needed to state that publicly. that is sometimes the way people act when they cannot make the right decisions. sometimes they make the wrong ones. in this case, they made the right ones with the two of you and supported vince courtney to the public utilities commission -- [applause] i guess i should have appointed him four years ago. little did i know. i should have mentioned him last time. that is unfair to the other commissioners. i know jason does not even have a friend here. [laughter] he does, jason elliot,

department of the environment. leona bridges. we are proud of her as well. [applause] >> how many have dealt lta sigma theta in the house? [applause] >> our collegiate expert, supervisor dufty. we talk about behavioral health and mental health, and i say that in the context of anyone who wishes to serve on the mta board. leona clearly passed the test

and i am glad she did. it is pretty remarkable with all of the warfare as it relates to public transit in our city, dealing with $220 million in state cuts over the past few years. we have been running surpluses at muni had the state not gone in and drawn down nearly a quarter billion. that became the biggest challenge in your biggest frustration in the last few years. so we are navigating through that. that has been the struggle. we are going to be on a much firmer footing in the future. leona will be a big part of the new direction, particularly with the transit effectiveness plan. we have a real information to which we can make decisions about augmentation and changes, and that is the first time in

over decades. ed harrington was a big part of that as comptroller. i really do feel more optimistic than ever about muni. that is a hard thing to say, right? but i do have faith about its future. beverly, hang on. a big round of applause. [applause] this is a big deal. the mayor gets one appointment to the ethics commission. the ethics commission is a big deal, particularly when a lot of elections are going to take place, mayor's race, all of the public financing. we had a great meeting yesterday to talk about integrity, honesty, calling strikes, even if your friends are on the other side. you have to stand up and do the right thing. beverly was ahead of me on all

these things. i gave this a lot of thought and did not make a precipitous decision in terms of this appointment. i am very grateful that beverly said yes, and i am also grateful if you would also give her a round of applause. it is her birthday. [applause] happy birthday, beverly. [applause] i have known lorna for many years. she has been around since the old days of the school district. those were challenging days. we were on not getting along. it was challenging. lorna always stood out as someone trying to bridge those gaps, try to work for all those

challenges. she has done some amazing work with an organization that only does good work, focuses on best practices, mckinsey, a great think tank. we have talked a lot about how great she would be. she has been an advocate for women's rights, advocate for girls. we thought it was appropriate to appoint her to the commission on women. thank you for your willingness to serve. [applause] finally, i see francesca, our first department of the environment. there was an opening at the department of the environment and there wasn't a young guy that has driven a lot of us crazy because he is eager, enthusiastic, engage, and he plays above his weight, figuratively, not literally.

that is jason elliott, whom i am honored to have served on the commission of the environment. he has been my policy guide. i am just going to -- at peril of being judged -- to be bragadotious. i will put up our record that we have done in the environmental commission with any others. i am really proud of the work that has been done. i have great confidence jason will continue that work well beyond my tenure. which expires soon. [applause] the swearing in. i will ask each of you, if you could, to stand up, sit down if you must, but raise your right nd