landfill was much greater than what was assumed. what conditions were different as well then what some of the geotechnical investigation showed -- rock conditions were different. and this was a dam built in the late 1800's, so the drawings may not be quite as accurate as they should be, and when we got out there and started digging, the foot of the dam was actually different than what were shown in the dry, so we had to make some adjustments for that. the project also encountered some environmental challenges. we had to relocate some fish twice, and they kept coming back, so that provided some additional challenges, as well, but i am very pleased with them on the job. this is a project that has been on the books for over 10 years, and i am going to be really pleased when it is all done, considering where it is relation

to the san andreas fault. president vietor: is there a motion? commissioner: so moved. commissioner: 2nd. president vietor: some comments. commissioner moran, and i am sure it was a fiercely debated at the management level. >> we did not have as many owner-initiated changes. the situation was an appeal. president vietor: right, right. commissioner caen: you have stated here to authorize the general managing to consider and if appropriate to approve. is that not a little wishy- washy? i would like to know the numbers as opposed to "if appropriate." >> the way it works, because

you're in construction, decisions need to be made very quickly because of the standby cost a lot of times, the way we work it is whenever we go over the 10% contingency, all of these additional change orders need to get funneled through the general manager, which normally they would not, so that is kind of what that language states. basically by approving these agenda items, you are intrusting the general manager in making a judgment on whether he feels these change orders are justifiable, up to the limit that is sent into this agenda item, and in the agenda item, we describe what the area of these changes are. commissioner: you are asking us to go up to that amount but not to pay. >> yes. president vietor: all of those in favor?

opposed? next item. secretary housh: there is a minor change to the one that was issued. this is for an amount not to exceed $6,400,000 plus with the soul, responsible, and responsive bidder, yerba buena engineering and construction inc., or any qualified contractor, and upon successful, approve the plan and specifications, and award water and a prize water system improvement program, habitat reserve program, homestead pond, san andreas reservoir wegmans, and adobe go to grasslands, in an amount not to exceed -- to perform wetlands compensation. to adopt findings in the environmental quality act, including statements and overriding considerations.

>> this is several that will be awarded. this is for mitigation for the wsip. the challenge there is to find enough qualified and interested contractors to bid on these jobs. and we did have a successful bidder. since it was a sole bidder, we negotiated down by about half a million dollars, and i am hoping that future contracts will have a little more interest, so i think we will talk with our contract group and see how we can actually achieve that. we do now have this successful, and commissioner, i am not sure you have been notified, but we have changed the agenda item. it is a pretty straightforward item, actually. commissioner: it seems that

since this is -- that even though there is only one bidder, this will continue to be a competitive field. >> if we find a contractor who can get the funding requirements met, and they do very good work, it could be that the same contractor does a lot of these, and i would have no problem with that. president vietor: all of those in favor of -- i am sorry. all of those in favor of item 15? a second? commissioner moran? questions and comments? all of those in favor? aye? opposed? unanimously, it passes. next item, please. secretary housh: the next item is are closed session. >> we do not need one today. we were going to be looking at our new police liaison.

one man has been brought back to the department. he is now the police liaison. we can have that happen some other day. president vietor: thanks. so if there are no further items? secretary housh: is there any additional new business? >> just one item. you have this on your desk. there was an article posted last week on our stearnes program. it was a very good article. i just wanted to make sure you were aware of it. 110 at risk youth. it is a great program. president vietor: yes, we loved the project. thank you publicly. they are not here. for their continued good work and efforts. any other business? commission business? any other comment? hearing none, the meeting is adjourned. [gavel]

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>> i am not a big speech-maker, but i relish the idea of coming here today to share with you a very special graduation. i want to begin by saying it has been a wonderful, exciting time being the mayor of san francisco for these first seven months. i have had the privilege of working with the chief and his wonderful staff and the fire commissioners. i know they're here to celebrate this unique opportunity. we're joined by supervisor carmen chiu. the last time there was a firefighters graduation class was 2005. it has been a long time. i understand that over 5000 people applied for these positions.

those 5000 people along with you know that these jobs are precious, meaningful to our city, and hard-bofought jobs. i am here to congratulate those of you who have been part of this class. i want to recognize and thank the trainers. each and everyone of you have now departed and in printed -- imprinted on these recruits, skill, attitude, commitment. i want to thank you for the professional hand-off in training. i know that is not easy to do. i want to say to your recruits that you are joining a world- class department.

i know that having been part of the city for 22 years. i know that right after this event, you will be sent to your fire houses and engine companies. but for a moment right now, and visualize that you are joining a world-class department, a department that has served the city so well and has its own history. it is a department has provided the city with its own heroes. i want to congratulate you for working really hard getting to this point. i know that you come from so many diverse backgrounds and disciplines. i understand there is a bartender among you. there is an accountant. there are people who worked in 911, people from all walks of

life. now you get to work as a team. you have gone through this 14 weeks of rigorous training so that you can be part of a world- class firefighting team call the san francisco fire department. i also want to let you know that you are also joining me and 26,000 other people who serve the city well. you are part of delivering a world-class city of services. whether or not he will be jumping into a fire, rescuing a cat from a tree, or maybe being with me when disaster hits the city, i want you to know that you have my personal appreciation as you begin your careers. every day on the job, we serve

the public and do the best the weekend. everything you do by way of sacrifice is worth it all for this great city of san francisco. no they will be backed up by this mayor and administration, -- know that you will be backed up by this mayor and administration and board of supervisors. your friends, family, the residents of san francisco hold you number one in the appreciation that we have and the wealth -- love of the city family. you are joining a great department. we want to make sure we do our best. you are joining a world-class department of firefighters, paramedics, and all the other

wonderful things that we do. i want to impart that i am personally appreciative of the sacrifices you have made thus far. i will also appreciate everything you do from here on. i will do my best to continue leading this city and making sure we recognize all of the contributions made. we want to keep this city family close so that we can depend on each other whenever we have times of need. i want to signal to the public and your families that this is a day we want to remember as one where we celebrate your entry to this department, how you got here, all of the sacrifices, and make sure that you know that you are serving the best city in the world. thank you very much.

[applause] >> thank you, mr. mayor. [applause] >> good morning. thank you all for coming today. this is a beautiful looking group of people. give them a hand. they have been through so much in this training facility. i am so happy to be here today. it has been a long time coming. i am hoping we can make this an annual thing where we are bringing on even more firefighters for this great city. we have people retiring, leaving the department in large numbers. we are truly going to need them and more to come. i am hoping that is something we

can start talking about. this is such an amazing city. every single day when you hear the fire trucks and see the firefighters saving lives, i cannot be more proud to be a fire commissioner then i am when i see this great department saving lives. you are coming into a wonderful department. there are people here representing the department whether you are in or out of uniform, you are always a representative of this great city. i am so proud to be here on behalf of the commissioners who are here and those who cannot be here. we're here to serve and work with the city. we are here for you. thank you so much for being part of this great department. we're looking forward to meeting you and working with you in the

future. [applause] >> thank you, fire commissioner. the chief of the department, joanne hayes-white, would now like to say a few words. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. welcome to our beautiful division of training 21 years ago, i sat in those seats and was a proud member of the 1978 recruit class. we're here to celebrate your hard work and successful completion of the rigorous 14- week recruit academy. this the first recruit academy we've had in nearly six years. you now have the skills and ability to enter the field on your assignments and provide firefighting and emergency medical services to our community to fulfil our mission.

i remember your first day here on may 2, 2011. i spoke about the importance of teamwork, getting to know one another, and working together to build on strengths to help those who might be struggling. teamwork serve you well throughout our careers. your ability to do that and be successful has paid off. the staff at the division of trading has provided you with an excellent foundation -- at the division of training has provided you with an excellent foundation. each day, you will gain new insights and experiences you will carry with you throughout your career. hopefully someday you will train other firefighters like yourselves today. whether it is responding to restructure fire, medical,, making a presentation to the community, you are now part of the official san francisco fire

department family. i am very proud of each and everyone of you. [applause] the profession you have entered is more than just a job. it is a vocation. it is an honorable and noble vocation. there are tremendous rewards and satisfaction that go along with a career in the san francisco fire department. along with this comes great risk and responsibility. as firefighters and medical service providers, we put our lives on the line daily to carry out a very important mission. this is painfully present in our minds with the tragic loss of firefighters in june, heroes who made the old and sacrifice in fulfilling the mission of the san francisco fire department.

i know vince and tony are looking down and giving you the thumbs up today. you are to be commended for the work over the last 14 weeks. you have formed a strong team. the bond will always be with you. each and every member of the class i graduated with is a lifelong friend because of the experience, bond, and teamwork reform here at the division of training many years ago. i encourage you to continue those relationships as you move into the field. always challenge yourself. be a sponge when it comes to learning and knowledge. ask a lot of questions. treat everyone the same way that you would want every member of your family to be treated each and every day, even when you have been up for hours and

hours. always wear the uniform with pride as you are today. nothing is worth doing unless you do it 100% all the time. i am proud of the diverse makeup of our class. it truly reflects the community we are serving. all of you came very well- prepared. you were all emergency medical technicians. this is the first time we have had a class that we made that a requirement. it is great to have real estate appraisers, people who have worked in construction, personal trainers, people will have worked retail, 911 dispatchers. that is all important. each of you bring something to the team. i am also proud that collectively, there are many languages that you speak in addition to english. we have speakers fluent in spanish, cantonese, italian, french, russian, and vietnamese. all of that is value added for

an employee of the san francisco fire department to serve our diverse city. many of you have advanced or bachelor's degrees. with history majors, sociology, i.t., psychology, civil engineering. all that is impressive and important as you build a team and contribute to the san francisco fire department. to the family and friends of our recruits, thank you very much. it has been a sacrifice for the recruits and family members. it has not been an easy 14 weeks. you will find that there will be missed holidays because they are serving the city. we're so proud to have them. we're thankful to you for your continued support throughout their careers. i will also like to acknowledge the division of training staff.

it is challenging and rewarding. it was one of my favorite positions. we're able to impart our knowledge and experience and make our imprint on the new recruits. under the direction of frank costa, they are all to be commended for the work in building the foundation upon which the class will continue to grow. we have many new faces. we had some tiretirements last month. i could not do my job without a good team of people to work with. i would like to acknowledge each and everyone of you chiefs recommend -- representing the department today. i want to thank the commissioners for your support.

we're very proud to work with the commission that challenges us, works with us, and expects us to be our best. we appreciate your presence today. of like to acknowledge local 798. thank you for continuing to advocate for our department, to give the recruits over our class working. supervisor chiu, i would like technology. -- i would like to acknowledge you. i really appreciate your presence and support of the san francisco fire department. the supervisor was chair of the budget committee. it was not an easy task. we appreciate her diligence in

that role and how she understands the importance of continued funding for public safety. last but not least, to mayor lee. he is -- i am proud to be achieved for almost eight years. i am so proud to be working under the direction of mayor lee. he is a colleague and friend. i am so proud he is with us in good times like promotional ceremonies and graduations and in difficult times like in june with a loss of vincent and tony. thank you so much for being here. i will be back to give you your oath of allegiance to officially welcome you into the department.

i look forward to seeing you grow. congratulations. you have our support 100%. all i ask is that you give your 100% each and every day you come to work. [applause] ♪ >> this is where it techs started and this is where we lead from. it is with great pleasure of publicly announce