>> >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. today is december 10, 2013, i call this meeting to order. madam secretary, please call the roll. [calling roll]. president -- courtney. our public comment session is open. anyone wish to comment.

the next matter for closed session. we'll we'll go ahead and proceed. the commission did prove a settlement under item 10. i would like to entertain a motion regarding whether or not we are going to disclose the discussions. >> so moved. >> moved and seconded. all in favor say, "aye". >> aye. >> that motion carries. item 15. approval of minutes of

november 12, 2013. >> i will move. >> it's been moved. any discussion? any public comment. if none, all in favor say, "aye".? >> aye. >> the item is closed. item no. 16. the clerk: item 16 is for public comment. members of the public may address the commission on matters that are within the commission jurisdiction and are not on today's agenda. >> an? >> i'm wearing another hat to the on for the environmental resource for the common wealth club. on january 9th, we are

having a program for the forecast repair and restore renew. the speakers are michael karld and a senior scientist and eric and frank from the yosemite grove land chamber of commerce. i wanted to give each of you an announcement. if you are a member of the club. i hope everyone is. you will find it in the most recent magazine. i can't tell you what i think of the cover. it's an exciting for the holiday and inside the magazine. we hope you will join us and we look forward to the program celebrating what we will be able to do to bring that whole area back to the wonderland that we know and love. i will give each of you one and some for the public if that's okay. >> good to see you again.

can i please call francisco decosta. good afternoon. >> good afternoon commissioners. i want to discuss with my comments and bring to your attention is we need to revisit the memorandum of understanding the commission facility. first to gather a blueprint and have a better idea of what's going to happen with that facility and more importantly link it to the green houses or the nursery because we seem not to understand who builds those

nursery. we can't assume that sf puc will take them and control them. that's what we have had in the last few years that we have groups that assume that they know a lot. for example when i read a memorandum of understanding on the facility, i knew the language was wrong. i had to go and get the original document and send it to the assistant general manager of infrastructure and to ask jackson. so that they could read it and really understand what was the role of sf puc at the facility commission. it is to maintain the building.

and you cannot leave out the community. similarly, you have to have open communication with the people who operate the green houses, open transparent communication and not come out with some set of ideas that may seem to be okay but you don't pay attention to small businesses who have invested, have been there for 10-20 years, undergone a lot of hardships especially 2008 economic spiraling survive and get dictated as to what is going to be their future. so i'm bringing this to the attention of the commission because i have taken it upon myself to have one or two of those businesses meet with the

general manager so the general manager can look at them in the eye and know what is npg our community. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. can i call dr. jackson. good afternoon, doctor. >> good afternoon, before the clock starts. i want you to look at this and what i want to you do first is go to the back page. this is some stuff i found yesterday after my house burned i was looking for things. >> when everybody gets to the back page, we will start the clock. nice. this was done

across 2008. the rest was burned when my house burned. i would like to say apartheid what has been going on. i just learned saturday. i asked the question what is apartheid because i went through unified school district in san francisco. i didn't learn anything because they had me in special ed. so there is a lot of words that i don't know the meaning of. i don't mind asking if i don't know. when i was

told what apartheid meant. i said what? you mean to tell me i have been going through apartheid in san francisco the whole time. i said wait until i get to the puc commission and let them know they have been putting me through apartheid. i told the young lady who is not here, roseana to bring this information that she needs and you all need for her to make copies because i know none of you have it and this is done by the report by the state puc before the community college was built. i think everybody need information because one young man had me fooled. i thought he was the one that was involved and putting the commission and find out he wasn't the one. he put the amendment together when brown

was mayor. people don't know what is going on. we need to stop and when i come to you and i know you have checked it out, whatever information i have given to you, you have found it to be true. you have not found no errors that dr. jackson has said. i have stated. you need to talk to moran because he was the only general manager that we were dealing with back in the day. he's going the bring more information to you. i don't think he can because i think, am i older that be you, baby? [ laughter ] i want to make sure. a lot of people forgot a lot of things. i haven't. you all have a blessed day. >> the center is far older than my tenure with the commission either in management or here.

and it goes back a considerable time. it was before mayor brown's time. so there is a lot of history that is important. >> has roseana come in? you are roseana? hi, sweetheart. this is for you and you make copies and make sure i get all my stuff back. >> thank you, doctor. always a pleasure. can i please call kaitlyn galloway. hi, kaitlyn. >> good afternoon city commissioners, my name is kaitlyn galloway. i run a farm here. i'm here as a resident to express mien en enthusiasm for

this project. this site is rich for our city's history and it needs our protection. since 2010 we have witnessed the city garden needs a space for the community. we also experienced how well a farm can fit into a local economy offering fresh local produce. not only is it a tangible symbolic model for food production, but also great for agricultural -- many people marvel and never have seen a farm. only recounting stories from their parents and grandparents. i truly believe these firsthand connections to our food production is a true

help to our communities. it's i am period of time -- imperative that we bridge this gap as a viable component of our city's landscape. the inclusion of the greenhouse and sf puc efforts to do this. it would be a unique model of agriculture that will be seen across the country. not o.j. -- only has it been in the past, but it will set a way for san francisco. the parcel to be activated to a dynamic model is particular in tandem about our water shed and matter management and strategies. the paving over of this site and city housing will be a great opportunity and as well as an

an opportunity for san francisco. i know i speak as a farmer enthusiast. thank you. >> thank you. isabelle wade? good afternoon. >> commissioners and chair pleasure to see you, general manager. i'm here today as a president of urban resource systems wefrm a local non-profit organization since 1981 promoting green and parks and urban agriculture. i'm here to speak for the 770, site in the acquisition by the puc hopefully to save this amazing 2-acre space. it is actually zoned for agriculture still which is, you know a phenomenon in our city. it's in an area

that is very breft of usual open space by neighbors. yes there is the park but it's very steep to get to and not accessible for many people. an open space which features some unique aspect of storm water management that might have some agriculture on it would be really important for this neighborhood wechlt need to try to get this property while you can and add it to the open space in san francisco which is really needed. i think the neighbors are 100 percent behind this. we are the home of the greenhouse project which you will hear about in a minute and the volunteers heading up that project have been actively working in this neighborhood with the neighbors and have a lot of support for this project and for the puc. so please do

your utmost to get this important 2-acre space for san francisco open space and water system. >> thank you, it's always nice to see you. can i call juan carlos? speaker: good afternoon, commissioners, thank you for hearing us today. i apologize that we aren't more agendaed. there are a few of us author talk about the green houses an how we hope it will fit into yosemite creek project. it's an early project part of the 5th out of the portal district in the southeast. i'm a member of the greenhouse project, project that started in 2008. our focus is to help the portola and build on its agricultural history by building green houses. at native san

franciscans, we need to promote progress and growth. we don't have a financial interest in the property. we have high hopes. we formed the group if 2008. spent the first couple of years doing research and looking at models around the country that we thought could successfully sustain a project like the greenhouse project or green houses on the property. we became thoroughly convinced of that potential and have been in the past 2 years meeting and engaging in the neighborhood around this project. i found there is overwhelming support for the project at 77 woolsey. the connection total southeast portal neighborhood is just i think a divine intervention. we

are hoping that we can capitalize on this incredible potential in the neighborhood. i'm sure that many of you, this is the first time you are hearing about this. i just want to underscore the urgency of this matter although we've been organizing in this neighborhood, we've had an eye on this property for 20 years or more. the family has listed it in as an open market and the developers have the property in escrow as we understand. although we think it's unfortunate, we don't think it's impossible to overcome. it's not closed property and we are hoping that having seen the

petitions and other aspects of others interested in the property, they may walk away from the property still. my final comments is that there are many who wished they could be here today. others couldn't be here. the project that include 77 woolsey and do everything you can. >> bonnie bridges. >> hi, thank you for hearing me

today. my interest is on the 77 woolsey property. i want to state my support for your big move for the sewer project. it's important for the city to have a sustainable sewer system. with this yosemite creek daylighting project, if you can include and 770 woolsey project, you will have the beautiful poster child that people will look at across the globe for sustain able cities. i'm here to encourage 77 woolsey to be included in the yosemite creek daylighting project and have it become an agricultural component. i think that one only gets a few

opportunities like this in their lifetime. i encourage you to make no small plans. >> thank you for being here. jack? >> good afternoon commissioners. my name is jack say, program manager for the association. i'm here on behalf of the board. we are in support of the greenhouse project. as to have an agricultural hub in our city. with the new prospects of including that site for public. i'm here to read a letter on behalf of the board. the neighborhood organization is an organization for residents. the

pa and has been working to improve the quality of life and it's been the organization's mission to support and carry conscious a healthy and sustainable and connected neighborhood. the greenhouse project has provided regular up setsto the vision and supported the efforts through direct participation of several of our board members. we have shaped a unique vision for this nursery green houses that are the neighbors and cultural heritage. we believe the core design and agriculture and preservation of the historic green houses for economic and socially and environmentally. the sf puc's interest in an

acquiring the property as part of the sewer system improvement program. the infrastructure component of that board for the development of that site. a vision that enclosed agriculture by habitat that can carry this beautifully and sustainability. the p and a supporters for resources for our community while achieving larger goals for resilience of san francisco. we share the puc which prides itself to acquire this property in developing with a synergistic in agricultural uses. we here by support this non-housing community for use of the

non-housing community. as san francisco we are proud of the city. that our civic leaders are not afraid to support communities and support our aspirations. >> thank you. i'm going to call mindy and then david. >> hi. good afternoon, commissioners. my name is mindy. i'm speaking as a private citizen living in the portola neighborhood. i want to echo the thoughts of my neighbors to look at acquiring

77 woolsey. the pictures, that is the green houses. to the left is university mound. your reservoir system. also it's the site of the new hydro electric plant for the educational components of your many programs. it's a perfect location to jel and make it the ultimate storm water management park. there are very few opportunities like this available in the city, but there is a strong precedent for other city leaders taking a little piece of property and making it something wonderful. on behalf of our neighborhood and your goals of being able to teach and show case and use for different properties. that

everyone would be proud of. it seems to make perfect sense and they have reached out to neighbors up and down the street and have held excellent workshops. let's continue that planning and make it something even bigger. thank you for your time. >> thank you for being here. commissioner vietor? david? >> good afternoon. commissioner, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. this is a petition. all in support of our acquisition

as my neighbors and colleagues have discussed. those are for you. i'm a resident. i live on gerard street and member of the greenhouse project. as you have heard before i have been here since 2008 and see the potential. i would like to give a bit of a history of that neighborhood and why it's relevant for us to preserve it and hopefully echo the potential that puc has for elaborating to create both strong water management and something wonderful that the city can appreciate it's history on. for you that don't know the portal is in the southeast. there used to the 9

green houses in the neighborhood. it's the last one to have the agricultural zone is and really represents a beautiful elements of that history. there are wild roses that grow through it to this day even after the nursery has gone out of business. this is a unique opportunity for collaboration and preservation and very strong historical model. the greenhouse project believes especially those that spoke that there is a sustain able model both economically, environmentally and something that can make this city proud. as a neighbor and resident of this city, i would ask you to inquire this for the sewage improvement program. thank you.

>> anybody else interested in speaking, please lineup. >> i'm here to encourage the puc to do whatever you can to acquire the property. that property holds significant value historically. it catches the eye to everyone. i only to have tell people i live near the green houses and they know where i live. i see people photographing them and they say they came from far away. there

is a very strong sentiment. particularly that portal there is one that has been a lot of talk about water sheds and echo systems and other things that are important to see. the kids don't often have an opportunity to see close to home.