fences for all the people on their way in and all of the other people using the park. and then i myself walked for miles needing a rest room. have you ever walked for miles needing a rest room? and there were no port-a-potties and there were no rest rooms we could find on the outside of the fence. so, more port a potties and rest rooms, please. >> thank you. >> is there anyone else? may. good morning, commissioners. may wong from the excelsior representing friends of the m. first of all, i'd like to thank each and every one of you for supporting our dream to bring more programming to the amphitheater in mclaren park and let the public know we have a wonderful park with wonderful facilities and we'd love to have sir paul mccartney at our -- [laughter] so, as our first show is

this saturday, if you're at the opening of cayuga and you're done there, please come up the hill. we'll feed you lunch, and then you can sit back and enjoy the entertainment. so, once again, thank you, thank you, thank you. >> thank you. >> is there any other public comment under the general manager's report? okay, being none, public comment is closed. we are now on item 4, which is general public comment. at this time members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission but that do not appear on the agenda. with respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the commission will be afforded when the item is reached in the meeting. i have one card and that is kelly watts.

sfgov-tv have a video? first of all, welcome, commissioner mcdonald, and congratulations. prior to this meeting i electronically submitted to this commission a short video clip for your consideration. it is in part presented to address the shortcomings of the reports that have been generated by the rpd and zvi fields foundation partnership as well as the 2008 synthetic fields task force.

it is specifically intended to address the scarcity of -- and virtually lack of medical testimony presented by the rpd and city fields foundation partnership in the reports. the video tip is comprised of nationally recognized public health professionals including medical doctors, pediatricians, epidemiologists, toxicologists, neurobiologists, chemical engineers, as well as others. they are shown testifying about and commenting on the various health risks associated with synthetic fields including key facts that dispute this commission's findings. the video clip along with others that have been provided to you can be found at youtube website and you simply type in sf parks synthetic turf and children.

the video contains testimony and presentations from, for example, dr. thomas haar tongue of the johns hopkins school of public health. dr. joel foreman of the mt. sinai school of medicine. dr. phil ip landrigan, dr. kathleen michaels, dr. david brown, nancy alderman, president environmental and human health, incorporated, deborah davis, epidemiologist and author of the book the secret history of the war on cancer. dr. joel foreman, dr. susan bachman, jeffery grossman, executive director of the integrated nano mechanical systems at u.c. berkeley. paul [speaker not understood], director of the material science division at the lawrence berkeley national lab. dr. andrew nelson and our local person, dr. kim [speaker not understood]. it also includes new jersey deputy health commissioner, the connecticut attorney general,

as well as abel maldonado who sponsored the california synthetic trip study and today can be found to be most vociferous debunker of its findings as well as other health advocates such as robert f. kennedy, jr. appreciate if you all would take the time. it's only -- it's a short video, to look at it and consider its comments. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> carolyn johnston. hi, commissioners. i am the vice president of the greater west portal neighborhood association and also the chair of the land use committee. and i just wanted to talk to you a little bit about west portal today and what i perceive to be the park needs of that neighborhood, which is a real family neighborhood. i mean, i chose that neighborhood because of the

open space in the area, very green. it had two parks within each walking distance of our home. mount davidson and west portal playground, and my children both went to west portal school. and, so, i just -- some of the changes that i've seen in the neighborhood in terms of access to open space -- in fact, all of them have been for the worst. and i just wanted to talk to you about them and my ideas of how to address them. when i raised my kids in west portal playground there was a woman, i think her name was pat, who was on staff every day starting early in the morning, and she would literally rake the sand every day, every morning so that when the kids got there, any objects that might be in the sand had been removed. and she would sweep the sand on the sidewalk so that the kids could run around. that person -- there is no person like that any more. nobody cleans out the sand. the rec center is usually closed. there's nobody there keeping

the place clean and neat. and i guess that's for lack of money, which is a shame and later on in the program we're going to be -- there's going to be some discussion of funding for some other things. and i would say it's a higher priority to have somebody there keeping the place clean and safe. there was a tennis court -- there is a tennis court right next to us, portal playground and i used to play tennis there all the time. i believe it's the only -- was the only lit tennis court west of twin peaks in the city. that tennis court has been without a net for years. it's usually basically what it's used for is smoking dope and breaking -- you know, beer cans, beer bottles. it's a nest. i don't think anybody collects the traffic, the trash therethv nobody patrols it so it's just a wasted space. we've asked the neighborhood association has asked for them to at least put a tennis net

back up so that people can play. that hasn't happened. so, it's just a waste. when we moved to the neighborhood, there were -- the west portal school is right next to west portal playground. in fact, the children go down there once a week to play. and it has a large, large yard and has basketball courts and just places, big flat area where my children learn to ride bikes and roller blade and the kids would go and shoot hoops. there is no basketball court within walking distance of our home. now, for years it has been locked. and i believe this is a school district-wide order policy now, that school yards are locked. and, so, that was the park. that was part of the park. and i wish that the parks department would work with the city and find out some way to open up those spaces so that kids can play. because there's no place to learn to ride a bike or learn

to shoot hoops in that neighborhood any more. there's just no place. >> thank you. thank you. >> is there anyone else who would like to make general public comment? being none, general public comment is closed and we are on item 5, the consent calendar. is there anyone who would like 3

so that the baby feels fur as we transfer her to the troop. and her name will be the result of a public naming contest and i'm happy to announce that the honorable jackie supervisor aioto-pier will be kicking that off next week as she comes to the zoo to visit. she's our congressman for the zoo. stay tuned for that name. that concludes my report. >> thank you very much. >> is there any public comment on this item? ~ jackie spear seeing none, public comment is closed. this item is discussion only. so, we are now on item 7, lake

merced memorandum of understanding with public utilities commission. >> commissioners, [speaker not understood] tag teaming you here. the item before you is discussion of possible action to discuss the memorandum of understanding between the san francisco public utilities commission and the [inaudible] to address maintenance, operations and recreational program at lake merced. first, a bit of background because it does have a large background here. as you know, lake merced is a 300 acre freshwater lake which sits within a larger tract of property known as the lake merced tract. it serves multiple purposes including acting as emergency water supply in case of disaster and has a destination for outdoor weighter based recreation such as boating and fishing. in 1950, the public utilities commission adopted a resolution giving the rec and park department the right to "occupy, use, and improve for park and recreation purposes the lake merced tract."

your predecessors on the rec and park commission accepted this offer and for the last 53 years rec and park has managed recreation, landscape, maintenance, and property leases on the property. in 2006 the board of supervisors passed a resolution directing our two agencies to reevaluate our roles in managing and maintaining the lake. in particular, the resolution urged the puc to focus on lake merced as an urban watershed and to manage the tract to optimize lake levels and water quality. in response to this direction from the board, the puc and rec and park have collaborated on a new memorandum of understanding defining each agency's roles and responsibilities in managing the tract which also leverage and optimize our respective competencies of the two departments. so, to the m-o-u itself which is attached to your package there, the m-o-u has four primary sections.

puc management responsibilities, rec and park management responsibilities, joint agency responsibilities, and management of leases, licenses and management agreements. if approved, this m-o-u would commence on october 1st of this year and have a term of five years. it could be renewed for an additional five-year term at the discretion of the p.u.c. and rec and park commissions. so, to the four primary sections, first the p.u.c. management responsibilities as you will see they were aligned with their core competencies managing the lake and its tract and collaboration with the rec and park design projects to augment lake levels, monitor the lake's water quality, maintain and operate existing water supply and wastewater infrastructure in the tract, fund rec and park for maintenance activities in the tract, our current funding from the puc annually is $415,000 each year.

monitor recreation, education, maintenance activities at the tractv to ensure they do not compromise water and watershed management, work with the california department of fish and game -- fish and wildlife, to improve recreation fishing and opportunities at the lake. work with various local state agencies to ensure greater maintenance of roads and parking areas surrounding the lake. that's the puc. for rec and park, our responsibilities are listed as plan, program and manage recreational activities at the lake focusing on active outdoor recreation and water borne activities. currently at lake merced, we offer ka >>ing, both lessons and exploration of the lake. canoing ~ [speaker not understood]. stand up padling lessons in lake explore asian, and we have come summer day camps who use the tract and surrounding area quite heavily. continuing, we are to minute term the permitting process for the rec activities. respond within 7 days to the puc to any notices regarding the need to change activities

that impact the lake, maintain the facilities surrounding the lake including paths, rest rooms, natural areas, those particular areas include 150 acres of up land natural area, 4.4 perimeter -- 4.4 mile perimeter trail around the lake, adjacent landscape. four park rest room facilities, and a large picnic area and its adjacent landscape. continuing, our responsibilities they are to restore, reave thaiedth, conserve the ecological systems and natural areas at the lake, work with other city departments, stakeholder and community groups to schedule regular volunteer clean up and restoration days. provide the public process for determining how the 2012 general obligation bond funds which are $2 million will be used for track improvements and to not create or allow nuisances or impair the lake or wetlands and pre-hitction dumping of refuse or hazardous material at the tracts.

continuing, then, to the joint agency responsibilities found in the m-o-u, we are both to create an annual work plan to address relevant management issues at the tract and the respective general managers are -- would provide an annual report to their respective commissions regarding the work program completion, sources and uses of funds, lease and concession management, facility condition, capital repair, and replacement needs, and other activities. convening the annual meeting with stakeholder groups to discuss management issues at the lake and solicit other feedback. a plan for signage at the lake including [speaker not understood] finding, ecology awareness, primary landmark signs, and then develop a prior advertised list and funding options to address deferred maintenance and capital improvements required at the tract. ~ manage community process to further utilization of the john muir site. john muir site is more formal

name for the pacific garden club. evaluate and possibly implement opportunities for apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship and other community work force education training programs. and the last section is to the management of leases, licenses, and management agreements. in consultation with the puc, the rec and park department will continue to manage all recreation park related leases at the tract, except for the pacific garden gun club which is now managed by the puc. rec and park will issue and manage rfps for recreation and parka meanttionv. the puc will issue and manage all rfps for watershed management and rec and park will be responsible for the rfp for the potential use of the lake merced boat house, but will work cooperatively with the puc to find a tenant and user who is agreeable to both parties. that concludes the main portions of the four sections of the m-o-u. this agreement will be a significant step forward in the joint management of the lake merced tract.

the clear delineation of responsibilities in the m-o-u allows each agency to focus on core competencies in relation to the lake which is watershed and water quality for the puc and recreation landscape and natural areas maintenance by rec and park. but the framework that this agreement provides the puc and rpd can manage the tract more effectively, preserve the lake's critical roles and emergency water supply, maximize its potential as a destination for water-based recreation. of note, the puc commission unanimously approved this m-o-u and forwarded it to you at their meeting on july 23rd of this year. the staff recommendation to you is approval of the m-o-u. in your package you can see a long list of community outreach which has occurred 2011-2012-2013 in a variety of meetings and puc commission meetings. in support, of course, is the puc commission and the rec and park staff, and also listed in

your staff memo are selected lake merced advocates who do not favor it. with that, that concludes my report on this particular agenda item. >> thank you. >> do we have any public comment on this item? did you want to comment on this item? please come forward. hi, carolyn johnston again. the only thing i have to say about lake merced is i've spent a lot of time there. my observation is we need more trash collection there. we need -- i don't know what natural areas management means, but i'm concerned that it may mean excessive funds being used for things like native plant restoration and things like that at the expense of funds being used for people who are enjoying recreation at the park. i'm just hoping that the budget will be targeted mostly for people using that park and not

for -- not for native plant restoration. >> thank you. >> is there anyone else who would like to make public comment on this item? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioners? >> i entertain a motion. >> so moved. >> second. >> moved and seconded. all those in favor? >> aye. >> so moved. >> thank you. as a reminder, item 8 is off calendar and we will now hear items 9 and 10 together. 9 is the open space contingency reserve fund, funding for the environmental review of the significant natural resource areas management plan. and 10 is the open space contingency reserve plan funding for [speaker not understood] restoration and investigative sampling at shark park. as a reminder, as they are being heard as one item, you will have three minutes for public comment as a combination of those item. go ahead. >> commissioners, [speaker not understood], planning and capital director.

just wanted to again overview the capital committee provide a brief kind of big picture overview of these two items and the context for them within the broader goals that we have for shark park. as some of you may remember in 2009-2010, the board of supervisors asked us to explore a number of alternatives for sharp park. keeping it as an 18-hole golf course, making it as a 19-hole golf course or making it [speaker not understood]. we went through that process and the commission directed staff to pursue the development of plans to both restore laguna sala -- a which is a wet park at sharp park, but also maintain an 18-hole golf course. we are moving towards that goal ~. and as part of that and along the way we've had litigation, a number of other obstacles that we continue to work through. but we can't actually wait

until we have the funds and all the permits necessary to do the larger project that was envisioned, which is a much larger habitat, also involves work on the golf course. in the interim, we do continue to need to have a working compound to help us maintain the water levels at laguna salada to deal with some of the overgrowth of the leaves that continue to choke. as a water body. so, we moved forward with fish and wildlife and fish and game with a proposal to improve access to the pump house. and also as part of that proposal, fish and wildlife requested that we also do some habitat restoration as part of that project. so, we are moving forward with a pump house improvement project as well as the habitat restoration. so, these are two -- interim steps on our way to our larger goal of having a fully restored laguna salada and also an improved 18-hole golf course at

sharp park. so, with that, just wanted to provide that as context. if you have any questions, commissioner mcdonald, happy to spend a few hours with you to explain -- [laughter] >> it remains the most complicated thing i've ever worked on here. and staff will be happy to walk you through the two projects. >> thank you. >> [speaker not understood], i'm stacey bradley, planner with capital planning division. item moving forward today is the funding request for allocation of $237,70 5 from the open space contingency reserve fund for the environmental review for the significant ~ natural resource areas management plan [speaker not understood]. [speaker not understood] our management plan that would govern 32 natural areas totaling over 1,000 acres.

the sites range in size from an acre to just over 400 acres and include sharp park in pacifica that don was talking about. this is a long-term management plan to guide our department's natural resource protection, habitat restoration, trail and access improvement over time. the environmental review history on this [speaker not understood] the ramp itself draft plan was released in 2006 and this commission adopted the final draft plan as a project to be considered under c-e-q-a and 2006 as well. the environmental impact report, e-i-r, started officially in 2009 with scoping meetings after two years. in 2011, the draft e-i-r was released for public comment. we had two public hearings to hear public comment. at the historic preservation commission and the planning commission. and then the first comment

period ended in 2011 in october. it was done -- public comment was reopened in 2012 for two months in april and june -- to june. three months. since june 2012, we have been working with the planning department and with consultant support in organizing, characterizing and developing responses to public comment. during this time we included a supplemental climate change analysis as prepared. and we anticipate with this additional funding that the final e-i-r was released in late spring or early summer in 2014. so, we are -- the funding request before you today is to finalize the e-i-r. looking at the environmental -- finalizing the response to comments as well as providing a draft for our review, and then preparing the final e-i-r. so, we recommend that you fund this so we can finish the

environmental review on this project. if you have any questions, thank you. >> thank you. >> powerpoint. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i'm matt jasmine, project manager with the recreation and park department capital division. the item before you today is discussion and possible action to approve allocation of $250,000 for funding open space contingency reserve fund for habitat restoration of a half acre. and investigative