>> he said 15. i was going ask for 18. >> paint me a picture here. how many of those would be available to help disperse the crowd if a crowd showed up in excess of 1000 people? >> i am not the security company, but i can say that securing the interior would be securing all the doors or the exit in case of fire, earthquake, or whatever. i think a majority of those g aurds -- guards would be there. he does very large events including most of the events in

the civic center. they are one of the companies, one of the several companies we are lucky enough to have in the city that know how to do large events. what i was going to ask for is 18, and i was going to specifically ask them to ask him to make it 18 experienced guards. sometimes, they hire off of the streets. 18 experienced guards. that is what my thing was going to be. >> if you think 18 is the right number -- >> if they disperse them down the hill, commissioner roja, where would they go? columbus?

it would be busy, and there are restaurants and businesses that might be able to benefit from that. having said that, does somebody have a motion? >> i would like to make a motion to approve with the times stated and the language with regard to security personnel as commissioner joseph has stated on the record, when the language on the record that includes distributing a letter to all members within a 500 foot radius. one more chance. any other specific conditions? that is my motion. >> there is a second. >> commissioner benetti has seconded. any further discussions?

commissioner benetti: aye. commissioner meko: aye. commissioner perez: aye. commissioner roja: aye. commissioner joseph: aye. president newlin: have a good time. did somebody really applaud? how cool is that? commissioners questions and comments. commissioner roja: i would just like to applaud your efforts, using your expertise for all of the different sound equipment. you are speaking latin. you lost me for about 10 minutes. with your expertise, it was incredible for this type of event. it is a very sensitive area, to be able to have that kind of

expertise and ask the right question, and it is great. i hope you pull this off. president newlin: commissioner meko? commissioner meko: no more comment. president newlin: the only thing i want to say with regard to this really quickly, we have come out of a recession. the city wide events that engaged people and businesses that put our city in front of the news has got to be good for everyone. small businesses, jobs, it has to be good for income. i encourage these events. it is daytime. i really encourage more city- wide events for the vibrancy of this city. the city has been hurt so badly.

that is my comment. her new business? anybody? without objection, we are

supervisor chu: welcome to the regular meeting of the budget and finance committee. my name is carmen chu, chair of the committee. we will be joined shortly by supervisor mirkarimi, and sitting in for supervisor jim is supervisor mar -- sitting in for supervisor kim. >> please turn off all cell

phones and pagers. if you wish to provide public comment, please submit a card to myself. items acted upon today will appear on the board of supervisors agenda on february 1, 2011, unless otherwise stated. supervisor chu: thank you. call item one, please. >> item 1, resolution authorizing the recreation and park department general manager to enter into a lease with stow lake boathouse, llc, for the operation of stow lake boathouse concession in golden gate park. supervisor chu: i believe the supervisor has some opening comments, and then we will go to the general manager of the recreation and park department, and then to harvey rose. supervisor mar: thank you. i'm really excited to bring this item before us. i think the efforts of the

department have been to improve and restore the stow lake boathouse, and as a neighbor of the area, i have followed the process closely. one of the things i have heard consistently about the project from many community members is the desire to preserve the stow lake boathouse, and i strongly support the efforts to preserve and improve the boathouse. i support that goal, and that is the primary reason i'm proud to be the sponsor today. i know there has been a number of community meetings already on this item before the recreation and parks department but also in the community as well. regarding ortega family enterprises, i believe the city has found a partner that has been capable of putting resources in to preserve the boathouse so future generations of san franciscans can enjoy a

boat ride and the enjoyment around the lake. ortega family enterprises is extremely well qualified for restoring enterprises to their original splendor. i recently took a trip up north with my daughter and one of her friends, and i wanted to specifically try out the concession stand there that is run by the ortega family enterprises, and it really impressed me in many ways and help me -- helped convince me they would succeed at stow lake erie the quality of the food, the with education is used about the environment from the bathrooms to the basic facilities was impressive. it is clear that the link that the ortegas will go to minimize the environmental impact. they feature all locally sustainably sourced foods. either active displays that make

it easy for many visitors from run the world, but especially bay area people to know what should be recycled, what should be composted or sent to a landfill, and they have also successfully used recycled materials throughout the renovation of the concession stand. i was delighted to see the menus as well in the food stand. very healthy, and an effort to reduce drilled food, candy, and sodas, and to have instead fresh sandwiches made with local ingredients by local san francisco businesses as well. has been a long process to get to this point, and i am appreciative of the advocates on both sides of the issue have expressed strong opinions to improve stow lake and to preserve it as well. i know that the budget analyst will be presenting very soon and speak to some criticisms of the process, which i share as well, and i want to say that while i think we need to invest in

cattle improvements and make the facility better, i do share some of the concerns of the budget analyst as well. i have asked the recreation and park department and the ortega family enterprises representative what could be done to address the concerns the budget analyst brought up, and i'm happy to say that it is my understanding that the recreation and park department general manager will be introducing the amended lease today, and it should accept the budget analyst's main recommendations, and it will increase the minimum rent by $20,000 to $160,000. that said, i would like to introduce our general manager for the recreation and park department, phil ginsburg. >> thank you, supervisors. after almost five years of diligence, and very excited today that the recreation and park department is presenting a lease that restores,

revitalizes, and preserves stow lake and its boathouse for generations to come. before diving into the mechanics, i want to take a step back and placed stow lake -- place stow lake in context. for those of us who visit regularly and those of us who may not. it is an oasis of beauty and recreation. it is completely man-made and in engineering miracle. completed in 1893, stow lake was designed for part irrigation on the east side of strawberry hill. the highest point was in the park. thanks to the vision of john mclaren, the initiative of william stow -- the wealthy parks commission president -- and the support of paul p. huntington, our engineers created more than an engineering reservoir. they created a spectacular lake 360 degrees around, and a cascading waterfall from its peak designed to give visitors a

taste of the high sierra. on the north shore stands our beloved boathouse. built in 1936 for $34,000, following yet another philanthropic, the boathouse replace a log cabin at the site, which was originally built in 1883 and demolished in 1937. today, the talks of replacing that $34,000 beloved boathouse stand at $1.9 million in its entirety. stow lake is golden gate park's largest lake, and the top of strawberry hill, its highest point. i climbed it on my running early this morning. it was originally the location of the sweeney observatory, until it was destroyed after the 1906 earthquake and never replaced. it has become a hub of natural

beauty and social gathering. we consider this an opportunity to invest in and preserve the stow lake for our children. we have focused on finding a partner to help us restore the boathouse, to improve the visitor experience, and, yes, increase revenues at the site. in this lease with ortega family enterprises, i'm proud to say we have accomplished all three. ortega has a long history of operating concessions, including in a number of national parks, and you will hear today from a representative from the golden gate national recreation area. they are a company devoted to historic preservation from the environment to local and sustainable food, to local hiring, and to valuing the visitor experience. they will be implementing stringent environmental protections at the lake and hiring 100% local work force.

from the visitor experience perspective, ortega will be purchasing a brand-new fleet of rental boats. they will be offering new menus that feature healthy, tasty, and affordable options, including locally grown foods. we will be able to invite people into -- invite people to enjoy