supervisor kim: thank you. we're now back -- 0h, sorry.

supervisor kim: -- >> we met in closed session. i understand the committee will move items 6, 7, and eight forward with recommendations. supervisor kim: thank you. without opposition. question disclosed. madam clerk, is there anything else on the agenda? >> no, madam chair. supervisor kim: if there is nothing further, this meeting is now adjourned.

supervisor avalos: good morning. welcome to the city operations and neighborhood services committee. my name is john avalos. we will be joined shortly by supervisor mar. can you share with us your announcements? >> yes, mr. chairman. all persons attending this meeting are requested to turn off cell phones and pagers. if you wish to submit speaker cards, please put them by the container at the rail in front of you to your left. if you wish to submit copies of materials for members of the committee, please submit an extra copy for the file.

supervisor avalos: thank you. if you could please call out item one. >> item 1, resolution authorizing the recreation and park department to retroactively accept and expend a grant administered by the california state parks and recreation department in the amount of $2,700,000 for the 17th and folsom street park project. supervisor avalos: thank you. we are joined by supervisor kim. this is an item in your district. do you have any comments? supervisor kim: thank you, colleagues. i do not have a lot to say.

yes, this is an accept and expend for a retroactive grand for a new park we will be building on 17th and folsom street -- a retroactive grant. this is part of the neighborhoods plan to create more neighborhood space in the eastern side of san francisco, and this neighborhood, as you will probably see, has very little green open space. i believe that we have someone from rec and park here to present. >> good morning, committee members. in the grant writer and manager for the capital division -- i am the grant writer. the item is an accept and expend for $2.8 million for the development of the 17th and folsom park. the project was identified in the eastern neighborhoods plan as a potential park side.

in 2009 and 2010, the san francisco planning department and recreation and park department staff collaborated on a grant application to fund a development on this project on a portion of this property. the remainder of the property will be developed by the mayor's office of housing. we did hold four public meetings, and the project was designed with the community's support. currently, the property is a temporary parking lot, and we are currently working with mta to identify areas within the community for additional parking. the recreation and park department is requesting that you recommend the approval of this accept and expend to the board of supervisors. supervisor avalos: ok, thank you very much. once this is approved and moving

forward, what is the timeline for the project? >> we will be hosting another community meeting in september or october to get final input on the design. the project manager is here to answer additional questions. supervisor avalos: very briefly, just a time line. just curious when it is moving out. >> we hope to begin construction in the next year. that is the goal. supervisor avalos: thank you. very good. any member of the public that would like to comment on item 1? seeing none, we will close public comment. we can move this forward with recommendation without objection. please call item two. >> item two, resolution approving a cooperative agreement between the city and county of san francisco through its port commission and the san francisco bay area rapid transit district, authorizing bart to install, use, and maintain

security barriers under the ferry plaza platform under the east side of the ferry building along the embarcadero for a term of 66 years, subject to bart's right to request an extension before the end of the 64th year of the term. supervisor avalos: thank you. we are joined by the legislative aide to board president david chiu. >> thank you. you have before you a cooperative agreement between the port of san francisco and the bay area rapid transit district, known as bart, of course. this is a cooperative agreement related to improving security barriers around a bart facility on port property. to go over any questions you have, we have a commercial manager from the port of san francisco, and she will go over it briefly. we also have bart staff here as well to answer any questions.

>> good morning, supervisors. i am with the port of san francisco. you have before you a cooperative agreement between the port of san francisco and the san francisco bay area rapid transit district, known as part -- bart. bart currently maintains a facility known as the san francisco transit structure, located on and under the very platform east of the ferry building, on property owned by the port of san francisco. bart has existing barriers on the platform but now proposes to construct enhanced surface and marine barriers within the boundaries of the san francisco bay and the plaza platform to protect its continuing transit use. as this is a bart project, bart not only is responsible for the funding of the project, but it will also be responsible for ongoing maintenance and repairs. bart will also be responsible

for any claims or issues that arise from the general public or the area stakeholders regarding the barriers. bart must obtain port building permits for the project, which require that federal, state, and city regulatory issues be procured, such as ceqa and san francisco bay conservation development commission documents. for the surface barriers, port staff have reviewed the design and layout and also accepted the ceqa determination, and bcdc's approval has been required. when bart submit their request for the barriers, they will be required to provide similar approvals. port and bart have agreed on the

various and to establish conditions under which these proposed barriers will be addressed in respect to the review procedures, construction, design, access, relocation, maintenance, and indemnification. the cooperative agreement is 66 years along with bart's right to request an extension before the 64th year. on october 26, 2010, the port commission by resolution 1071 approved the cooperative agreement subject to the approval of the board of supervisors. bart's barrier project will benefit the harbor trust and the city by protecting bart's public transit system and the general public while assuring transit to the waterfront and to the city. the project will be fully funded and constructed by bart, whereas no harbor trust funds or city revenues will be used or spent on this project. for this reason, no fees other

than the building permit fees and fees for staff time will be required from bart for this project here we have members from both the port and bart to answer questions -- for this project. we have members from both the port and bart to answer questions. supervisor avalos: thank you. appreciate your presentation, and we will open this up for public comment. seeing none, we will close public comment. this, we can move forward with recommendations as well. madam clerk, if you could please call item three. oh, we can move this forward as a committee report, yes. thank you. >> item three, hearing on the functions and status of the

department of public works street tree program, including but not limited to the roles and responsibilities of the department, regarding street trees, planting and maintenance plans, status of partnerships outside agencies and individuals, and the sustainability of the program. supervisor avalos: thank you. this hearing i had called earlier this year. it was based on conversations i have had with the director and dpw staff about proposed changes to the street maintenance program. i saw the changes that were being proposed as part of just our budget deficit and our struggles to maintain a level of services that meets our needs here in san francisco. the street tree program i know has undergone a series of cuts over the past -- i would say six

years. and the ability of the city to maintain street trees has been compromised greatly because of that. yet, at the same time, we have, i think, a real responsibility to maintain our trees around the city, especially in light of air quality and efforts to beautify our neighborhoods and make them cleaner. so i would like to call this hearing so we can hear what the proposed changes are. also, if dpw has the ability to touch upon what the actual staffing changes have been over the years in the street tree program. that would be great to hear. i expect we will hear a lot from people around the city who have concerns about the potential loss of staffing and maintenance of the street tree program.

the alternative that has been proposed is that property owners will have greater responsibility for maintaining trees on the sidewalks in front of their homes. that is also not something that i think is realistic in terms of being on top of that and the city being on top of homeowners and perhaps having a program that will work. also, since it will not work, i worry we will not have an ability to maintain our trees whatsoever. i will let dpw present. we will have questions, and then we will go on to more questions from the public as well. >> good morning, supervisors. joining me today, we have quite a number of staff. i do have a presentation that i would like to share with the

board that will explain the situation we have facing us at this time. and why we have put forth this proposal. dpw, under article 16 of the public works code, has jurisdiction of all trees in the public right of way and is charged to realize the benefits of trees over san franciscans. dpw believes a healthy urban forest enhances our quality of life and reduces water, air, and noise pollution. management includes planning, planting, maintenance, and removal of trees on the public right of way. we care for public trees and

enforce the code for privately maintaining trees. because of public cuts, -- of funding cuts, dpw is not able to care for all the trees which are currently our responsibility. we believe transfer of maintenance responsibility to property owners, while not ideal, is necessary to meet our responsibility under the urban forestry ordinance. you can see for the next chart, they are currently over 100,000 trees planted on our sidewalks. of the 100,000, 65,000 are currently privately maintain by property owners. under dpw's jurisdiction, we have 27,800 that the department has been maintaining in addition to the 7500 trees that are on

the medians. the proposal is to transfer 23,700 trees to private property owners. supervisor avalos: just a question on the $65,000 number on privately maintained street tree. where are those generally located? is that on the sidewalk or sidewalk and street? >> the 65,000 trees that property owners are maintaining now are in front of the property or on the side. supervisor avalos: of the 65,000, just an estimate or percentage, how many of those

trees in front of people's property -- how many homeowners or property owners know they are responsible for those trees? like, what percentage of the homeowners to have trees in front of their homes would expect to have responsibilities? >> i would not say i know the percentage, but i know our department does go out regularly to investigate a safety hazard a tree may be closing. it is recommended that trees be pruned every three to five years. with our current resources, our cycle has increased to a 10 to 12 year cycle for maintaining many of the trees. dpw's resources for tree

maintenance continue to decline, and i will show you in a graph from 2007 to where we are now and kind of where we are headed. lack of maintenance of these trees threatens safety of property, including sidewalk damage. we had 19 arborists and headed to 2011-2012 budget. we are reducing staff to seven arborists. the graph shows that as we reduce -- as we decline in staffing, we see an increase in the tree maintenance cycle. we are headed to a 15-year maintenance cycle. what i would like to note on the graph is the optimum tree care

cycle is the green line, which the letters are covering. the green line is between two and four. that is the optimum. over the last five years, we actually have not had the right amount of resources to maintain these trees on a regular cycle. supervisor avalos: is this 19 fte's in 2007-2008 -- is that the highest count you have had for a tree maintenance, or if you go further back, what would you say would be the trend going backwards? >> i would say before 2007, about 19 tree care staff has been about the level. what happened over that time is the department along with the city leadership has promoted an increased the number of