i would ask that you shut off any electronic devices that may go off during the proceedings. if you wish to have a private conversation, please take it outside. if you would like to speak on any item today, if you can please complete a blue card. it will help the process move quicker. you have 3 minutes on each item unless the president of the commission says otherwise. and last please address your comments to the commission during public comment on items in order to allow equal time

for all. neither commission nor staff will respond to any questions during public comment. the commission may ask questions after. with that, commissioners, buell, we are on president's report item 2. >> thank you. we have special guest here today. i want to note that item 5 h will be heard in the regular calendar. the meeting january 16th, will be canceled and rescheduled for january 23rd at 1:00 p.m.. for those that can't wait to come to a commission meeting. let me give a little wrap up for this year. it's the last meeting of the year. we've had

our successes and i think it's been a productive year. so i want to commend all of the -- i think some of the highlights i want to point out at the opening of the golden gate park community gardens. if you haven't seen it you should. it's part of the work of staff and even the gardeners themselves. the part of town that had demand for those services and we are happy that got completed. the marina yacht

harbor is completed and looks first class and by and large everybody is happy down there. there have been others. some of the big events this year, the charles schwab cup, the blue grass veft -- event and the event that brought over $2 million. for that i congratulate staff. i think significant progress has been made on the parks and the project which has had a share of appeals. those things are moving along as well. for all in all, i think it was a great year. to the staff, my congratulations. now, we have an event that kind of bitter sweet. we are going to acknowledge some of the fine work that's been done at

candlestick park. we are honoring the staff for their dedication commit and service to the stick. mike gay, the manager has been there 35 years. mike? 35 years. [ applause ] some of the highlights, i guess, everybody knows the famous catch. the catch. we've had heroes bill walsh, joe montana in an and ka-aper nick and there is many more. we'll hold on to those memories. the 1989 world series, who could forget. i was there as people ran out on the field. that was the playoff games. willie

mays, jack clark, the beatles concert at -- stick park. it's really been an extraordinary journey for that location and as i say it's bitter sweet. a lot of people put in a lot of hard work over the period of time. on behalf of mayor lee who was unable to attend, i'm going to present a certificate of honor to you from the mayor and i'm going to ask our general manager to say a few words and alvarez and ask vice-president of operations with the 49ers to say a few words and we'll recognize you with a momento of this

occasion. on behalf of mayor lee, i want to thank each one of you. >> thank you, commissioner. bitter sweet is certainly the word as i look out at rec's and park teams. there have been teams that step foot on the field at candle stick the last several decades. you mentioned some of the highlights. it is hollowed ground. today we honor our own team. these are the men and women that have given the

city so much pride and so much cause for celebration and warmth. there is going to be a lot of talk this week about clark and joe montana . but today we talk about mike gay and cumberland and all the men and women that are before us today that have had great pleasure in giving the city so much pride in maintaining what is the oldest stadium in america i believe at this point. i think lambeau field is a little older but it recently underwent quite an extensive renovation. you have done an amazing job in giving the city just so much pride in particular the last couple of decades when let's be honest, you were responsible for stewarding a stadium that has

been long past it's prime. you have do it with such incredible pride and such incredible commitment and you are our unsung heroes. when 70 thousand people show up at candle stick to see the 49ers and everything works and all the details that nobody appreciates and understand, it's because of the incredible work that you have done. so you are really our hall of famers today. we really want to celebrate this team. on behalf of the mayor and on behalf of sports fans everywhere. i want to thank you for helping me enjoy some of the special moments i have had with my own kids at candle stick and for the work that you have done to make the field and

stadium accessible, not just to the montana and kaepernicks of the world, but to the kids and for all of the san franciscans that have showed up for a race or concert or any other of our special events. it's been 18 -- an incredible iconic asset. thank you very much. what i want to do now is actually, you guys are -- your operations and i don't know if everybody really truly appreciates all the hard work and sweat that goes into it. i want to bring up our director of operation, kerns and alvarez.

>> thank you. the group that operates the park is several groups. the park patrol has been the security and the safety contention for that particular facility since it was first brought online. candlestick park is parks and recreation largest facility. it's a huge a very complex building, buildings i can say and the park patrol is responsible for the site security and the building and those inside. they are there 24/7, three different shifts. you can see them out in the parking lot where they are controlling the surveillance

cameras throughout the stadium and on game day where they are augmented by the sf p.d. and the private security. since they are there 24/7, they are the site experts and have done a tremendous job, and like everybody in the department they are very short resourced, but they stretch and make it work. i was going through names to call a couple of them out. i don't see any of them here. we have doubled up the security between now and the 23rd. they are resting for coming on tonight. they would have been here. raymond wong and -- others. none of you guys are here, right? >> we appreciate that. that means they are working at the

site right now. >> great. anyway we are really grateful to them for the decades they have put out there and kept the site secure and the buildings and the fans safe. >> thank you, good morning. it gives me great pleasure to stand here in front of you to honor and recognize one possibly one of the highest functioning team within parks and recreation the synergy and the delivery to san francisco is amazing. out of my 25 years of joining parks and recreation services i have never worked with such an amazing group of people. i say that with a lot of pride and trust when i tell you that i would like to highlight two individuals in particular. my gay and castillo

and roger rivera. these folks are really good people. that's how i can encapsulate who they are. i wish you were able to know these individuals. they work the best with the fullest integrity and honor. these are honorable people and these are very committed, but most importantly unpretentious folks and they understand the critical role that they play. just to give you an idea mike gay, chief engineer runs a very complicated electrical system.

he's the leadership for an amazing group of engineers, at the boiler room, the lights, every single mechanical and electrical system at the stadium is under mike gay. for the turf field which has to meet national football league standards. they maintain that living organism to sustain, not only meet the nfl standards but also be able to continue to sustain the impact and the everyday impact for the use of the field. they do it with a lot of grace. i feel completely honored to say that i work side by side with them in the very late evenings, very very late evenings and the very early early hours of the dawn. it's certainly bitter sweet. but i also know the adjourn is -- journey is not the end, but the beginning of the next phase of

their career at parks and recreation. with that, i would like to mention a couple of folks. the electrical and mechanical systems and the actual hard infrastructure for the stadium and operations that works on the front line with jim with the 4ers is mike gay, george cumberland, the city engineer, patricia walls, danny perez, gary loam an who has done an amazing job of opening candlestick in san francisco to come and take a little peek at behind-the-scenes. the stadium and field manager and the

supervisor, larry, mike, cesar, these are the men and women that have made us very proud. i would say president buell that they certainly they are worth their weight in gold at candlestick park. >> thank you. >> now, i would like to bring our partners who has had the opportunity to work closely with others. jim, i want to say thank you to you. i don't think anybody is feeling more bitter sweet than i think you are. you are an adopted member of the parks and recreation family and you always will be. >> thank you very much. vice-president for the 49ers. i stand here with a lump in my

throat. i have been in business for 20 years. i have done 20 soup uper bowls in my career. i have seen staff put many of the finest games around the country. when i do that, i just can't help but stop working and you look around, that guy shouldn't be doing that and that gal shouldn't be doing this. when i look at the people behind me today, ufz # -- you have some of the finest people in the business and led by great people personally that have become my family. i will try not to get too personal. mike gay is a friend, a pioneer in the industry and has done a tremendous job. mike, i congratulate for just a great

job. roger rival, one of the best groundskeeper. the field has been recognized as such, despite having one of the oldest buildings in the country if not the world, i'm not sure if that's true, but, it might not feel like it, [ laughter ] but, i will tell you steve and his team have just done a fantastic job of making that our home and show casing candlestick park and what you really have to offer. stadium and events, it's not the building a lot of times, it's the people that make things works that keep things alive and moving. a lot of times it's those operational folks sitting behind me that don't necessarily get the credit. so

what you are doing for them today is quite remarkable. they deserve it and i'm happy to be a part of it. we bought some small tokens of our appreciation of candlestick memorabilia. by no means do we want to over shadow what you are doing because it's paramount and extra special. i want to say this you for being a part of that. it is a bitter sweet moment. i don't know who is doing the work today. thank goed the park rangers didn't show. there is a way we can correct that and make it a special moment for those people as well, just maybe not in front of you, but maybe we can do something for them because they are in post. congratulations to all of you. it is bitter sweet to me personally and for the 49ers, there will be a nexus to san francisco. we love san francisco and we love the parks

and recreation department and certainly those that represent them and you today. so again, hats off, ladies and gentlemen. you are good people. with that, we would like to say thanks again and start passing out some gifts. >> thank you. jim. >> so i know i called out our lineup, mike, george, patricia, fred: amanda, stand up. let's give them a big round of applause. [ applause ] our stadium operations team, now, if they can be joined by steve castillo, roger rival, larry gill, caesar, mike, stand up. and i do want to say as old as the stadium is, i get great pride in telling people it is

the best turf. i'm coming down to join you.

this week has been kind of

bizarre. i have over the years spoken to a lot of press, but it's -- i didn't expect this today. you know, i feel very honored. it's all i have to say. >> thank you very much. [ applause ] easy to follow that, roger. >> i will try. i always wondered when i started at candlestick and now it's almost at hand. it a really strange feeling to be going there these last few days and thinking pretty soon i won't come here anymore and it going to be hard to drive up the freeway and not see that big gray edifice

looming in the distance. you have to wonder what's going to be there. over the years, i think we've made a lot of improvements in turf management and we've been lucky that we've been allowed a freehand in experimenting with different methods. i think it's all paid off and it's because of the management that we've had and the crews that we've had out there. they deserve a round of applause. a lot of them aren't here. some of them have passed away. i think we should all be respectful of the fact that this is a real team effort to make candlestick what it is. sometimes when i tell people that when i started out when i was the gardener outside of the stadium, people would say, what's there to do outside because they walk in and they don't see what's outside. i think we have 300 trees to take

care and and the lawns and statutes, and it's sort of the minutia of day-to-day things that made my job a great place to work and a facility where we can get great equipment and maintenance. it's meant a lot to the staff that everybody had a lot of faith in us and we did the best we could. people don't realize how dangerous it is out there when after a football game people want your equipment. putting concerts together and tarping for different events. i have seen people thrown through the air on the tarps and injured, broken collar bones and backs. it's fairly dangerous work.

everybody did the best. all the people that i have worked with. they all deserve a lot of credit for everything they did that almost nobody knows about. thank you very much for the opportunity. [ applause ] >> thank you. i'm going to ask all of you to come up and circle us behind the podium. jim, c'mon up. danny, anna. and we'll get a photo and hopefully someone will figure out how to make cop easy -- copies and make sure you get one.

>> let's squeeze in together. how about go 9ers? >> thank you very much. [ applause ]

. >> thank you very much. that concludes the president's report. >> so is there anyone who would like to make public comment on the