>> thanks. okay. this is the recreation and park commission meeting of april 19th. if everyone could please turn off any sound producing devices that may go off during the meeting, just as a quick announcement, you will have three minutes on each item to

speak under general public comment. if you do want to speak on an item that is under the jurisdiction of the commission but it is not on calendar today, you would speak on item number 4 which is specifically an item of general public comment and it is continued on item 9. please address your comments to the commission during public comment, and in order to allow equal time for all, neither the commission nor staff will respond to any questions during public comment. the commission may ask questions after public comment is closed. last, if the fire alarms activate, you must evacuate in an ordinarily fashion using any exit. please note the elevators will immediately return to the first floor and are not available for use. if you need assistance out of the building, please make your way to the closest area of refuge, which is directly across the hall in the men's rest room. inside the rest room is a speaker box.

press it and city hall security will answer. let them know where you are, and they will assist you. with that, we will go ahead and take roll call. [ roll call ] >> commissioner anderson is on her way. >> she should be. she was at the zoo meeting. maybe she's lost in city hall. >> with that, we are on item number 2, which is the president's report. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> from time to time, our commission receives unsolicited letters that actually praise the work of the department and the staff. i always like to comment on the ones that i think are meriting such comment. this came to our secretary of the commission, and i won't eat

the whole thing, but in part it said the recreation and parks staff closed things up on friday night, found or had a lot of backpack turned into them. they were able to determine it belongs to my son who played for the washington high school baseball team there friday afternoon. they then managed to get it returned to his school. my son personally thanked the person who brought it over but did not get his name. i'm not sure who or how or even if it was someone from recreation and park who found and turned it in and returned it, but if it was, i wanted to reach out to them personally and let them know how decent they were to return this. i'm going to ask the secretary of the commission to track down who that fine individual was, he or she, and them appropriately. this came to our general manager and said i want to acknowledge will lions who was the volunteer for the second grade class visit

to the alameda farms today. he exhibited tremendous skill with the children. he was able to keep their attention and maintain engagement in a way that was very impressive. i was impressed by how he controlled the group. he should probably work for congress. regain their focus and did not hesitate to bring less ruly children into line while keeping the lessons in mind. i appreciate the effort that will has invested in understanding primary school children. so i mention these because these aren't the highest ranking people in the department. they make us look better. that concludes my report. >> is there any public comment on the president's report? being none, pub electri -- publc

comment is closed. >> thank you president buell for acknowledging the hard work of our team. happy april and happy earth month. i just came from the department of environment and mayor's annual earth daybreak fast downstairs. we are preparing for the climate action summit that the governor will be hosting here in the fall. in honor of earth day, which is actually april 22nd, and the more than 4,000 acres of open space we have, we have a host of events going on throughout the weekend and month to help us get in the spirit, including volunteer clean-up days, community celebrations, and garden workshops. included is a garden workshop at

alemany farm. we'll offer community guardeners tips and workshops on gardening, compost, mulch and vegetables, station where you can clean your tools. there is a complete list of all of our earth month activities on our website. i'll try to come up with the right pun here. i guess also about a greener planet, this friday, tomorrow, is 4-20. april 20th marks the annual 4-20 event in golden gate park, an event that gave the city a huge hangover taking up valuable resources; 11 tons of trash in the aftermath of the event to deal with our neighborhood impacts. under the leadership of supervisor breed, last year, we tried something different. that is, we leaned in and

partnered with community merchants that were willing to invest resources in helping make this event a little safer, a little cleaner, and maybe a little less impact on the neighborhood, although i don't want to overpromise in that regard. last year we partnered with sound bizarre, a merchant and a variety of other local businesses. they provided infrastructure, portable toilets, fencing, and security. this was the first time we did it together, and the results were a much safer event, a cleaner park, and safer streets. their contributions in addition to increased resources from our own organization, mta, public works, the police department, juvenile probation and other agencies have yielded significant improvements from years past. we are doing that again this year. it is tomorrow. it will be a crazy time on the

eastern end of golden gate park. we expect 15,000 people. there will be traffic impacts. there will be neighborhood impacts. but our goal is to try to mitigate and minimize those impacts, and i think through our partnership with the merchants and the leadership of supervisor breed and the support of all those other agencies, even incrementally, the event, the day will hopefully go a little smoother than it otherwise would have been. so as a reminder, traffic around the hippie hill area of the park will be strictly limited this friday with portions of jfj, nancy pelosi, bowling green drive closed, and our message to the public is pay attention to what you can bring and cannot bring. there's a whole list of things you cannot bring to this event. you must be older than 18. if you bring things that you are not allowed to bring, we will

take them and confiscate them. most importantly, we ask that people respect each other, the neighborhood, and the park. so after 4-20, you might happen to have an urge for snacks. so we're asking everybody to head on over to humphrey's ice cream for a scoop of their delicious new flavor. in partnership with the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park and inspired by the conservatory's cherry baby orchid, the ice cream maker is featuring milk chocolate black with black flowers. this is the first ice cream flavor for the conservatory of flowers. we encourage everybody to check it out by ordering it at

humphrey's and in the mission. almost sounds like an ad. junior giants registration, this saturday, it's baseball season. sfybl and san francisco little league are underway, but the junior giants summer baseball league registration is this saturday. we've been partnering with the giants and the giants community fund for a long, long, long time to bring san francisco junior giants which is a free, noncompetitive and coed baseball program for kids between the ages of 5 and 18 working together with local agencies, such as ours with families and volunteers, junior giants reaches in the communities and offers our kids a chance to learn the basics of baseball during the summer while discovering the importance of essential life skills, established in 1994, junior giants now serves 25,000 kids in the bay area. not just in san francisco but all around the bay area in 90 different leagues.

more information on sign-ups for the san francisco junior giants league can be found on our website. also, this saturday, the bugs are back. it is bug day at the randall museum. check out the incredible extravaganza of insects at the randall this saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and celebrate everything insect with hands on science and art activities, games, entertainment, and more. the insect inspired fun will demonstrate how important these little creatures are to the earth and our survival here. kids and families can make their bug related crafts to take home, see and touch live exotic insects, take a scientific look at inspects through microscopes, compete in the insect olympics, and, perhaps, even eat a bug or two. don't bug out, president buell. am i bugging you? okay. all right.

the san francisco beekeepers association will have a hive of live honeybees on display. kids can watch them at work and decorate containers of beeswax lip balm to take home. there will be honey collected from the hives all over the city and other products for sale. of course, admission to the museum is free. on may 5th, access to adventure in partnership with support for families of children with disabilities. we are cohosting access to adventure for kids with disabilities or special health care needs. the annual event, again, is this saturday, may 5th at the golden gate music concourse. accessible activities are art, music, sports, live entertainments, and recreation and park mobile activities. this event is free. so pack a puck in this case or -- picnic and register online or call 415-920-5040 for more

information. looking down the road just a little bit, the lineup for the 2018 outside lands music and arts festival in august has been announced featuring president buell's favorite bands including the weekend, florence and the machine, janet jackson, odessa, and beck as a reminder, our successful partnership with outside lands and another planet entertainment, this benefits not just our parks but our city as a whole. revenue from the festival has generated $20 million that we've reinvested into our parks over the last ten years. it's funded a full-time city gardener. it's generated $75 million to the local economy and economic impact. 2500 full-time jobs each year. this event is really special because it showcases all our local restaurants and merchants and highlights the incredible

work of your recreation and park staff in golden gate park. so see you out there. all right. we have a very -- speaking of golden gate park, we have a very special acknowledgment. this summer, we are celebrating on may 12th, the 80th anniversary of the one, the only anglers lodge and casting pools in our very own and beloved golden gate park. built in 1938 during the works project administration, it's a wpa project, they are really considered to be, by many, some of the finest casting pools anywhere in the world. on saturday, may 12th, the angling and casting club and recreation and parks are hosting a celebration from noon to 5:00. there will be firefly fly casting lessons in the morning followed by remarks and unveiling of a bolder and free

barbecue try tip lunch. the club was founded in 1933. originally, they did casting at stow lake. the club moved over to the lodge and the casting pools when they were built in 1938, and this club has offered fly casting instruction, fly-fishing education, and amazing steward ship to the public ever since. so i am delighted to say a few words willie george. he's served at the club for four years. he has a certified master casting instructor and teaches fly-fishing and californiaing at the club and throughout northern california, including teaching a fly-fishing course at stanford. i should have gone to stanford. so president buell, if you'll join me in presenting a certificate to willie honoring the casting pools and the club's

stewardship of them and we'll take photos and then i would like to bring him up to say a few words to all of us. thank you. >> thank you commissioners, and everyone present.

great opportunity to say a few words about our great club and the special relationship that we have with the san francisco recreation and park department. we currently -- to bring you up to date, phil did a great job with the history lesson. from 1938 on when the ponds were built and the lodge was built, we've occupied those as stewards really offering our casting instruction, fly-fishing lessons. we currently have over 1,000 members, which is an all-time record, and that makes us the largest fly-fishing club in the world. it's worth noting that 40% of our members are on family memberships. in an era where clubs are on the wane and with gray haired members, our club is actually growing, and the average age of

the golden gate club is getting younger. thanks to social media, we've got 20-somethings and 30-somethings who come to our club and make it a date day for a casting lesson. they come and hang out with four or five of their friends, and it's just phenomenal. for example, just last saturday at our monthly free casting lessons, which are open to the public, by the way, that's free -- this is for everybody in the room. free loaner rods, free casting lessons, free lunch afterwards, second saturday of every month, except outside lands when we do it the third saturday because of commissioner buell's favorites bands. last saturday i was honored to be the head casting instructor for 150 students. that's an all-time record. average age of that group, about 40 years old. >> nice. >> but quite a wide range.

many a 95-year-old was there with his granddaughter. you've got down to 8 years old and so forth. we have an abundance of programs we offer. members can participate in a 3-year progressive learn to fly fish program. three dozen fishouts each year. casting tournaments including the world championship. we call it spayarama. it's this weekend. then the following weekend to give you another example, there will be 60 kids, fourth grade through seventh grade participating from 7 different fly-fishing clubs around the bay area in a brand new program called the bay area youth fly-fishing program. it will be our launch event. it's the first of its kind. but the free casting lessons and the youth program are just two examples of our community outreach. in association with the san francisco veterans administration medical center, we work to rehabilitate disabled veterans through engagement and

fly-fishing relating activities in project healing waters. we had over 30 vets and 35 club volunteers last year in this program. as parted of our commitment to conservation, we established an annual scholarship at humboldt state university in support of the advanced degrees in fisheries biology. now, the other part of our growth story is really the angler's lodge and casting ponds. we're blessed with these world class facilities. we have a wonderful relationship with the sf park and recreation department. we're the best caretaker organization they work with, word has it. regardless. we work very hard to maintain whatever reputation we have with you all. we do that through our volunteer work, our partnering with the city, for example. in march, we had 55 club volunteers cleaning the ponds, and then our outreach to the public. i want to take the opportunity today to regular fill ginsburg,

gave, and keith roberts who is our supervisor for being such great partners and leading by example. thank you. >> thank you. >> i want to invite you to the may 12th event. come early if you want to get a casting lesson from yours truly. we'll have 100 plus people there. come at 8:00 or 8:30 for free loaner rod and then lessons start at 9:30. i have invitations for the commissioners and more for the people in the room. we want to show a video of the 1938 dedication. >> they showed it while you were talking. >> good. you saw that already. >> i saw you look and i thought that might have been. it's amazing. we'll do the same thing on may 12th, sort of. right? >> you've got it. >> thank you, commissioners. >> thank you, and congratulations. it's really extraordinary. the largest fly-fishing club in the world. >> there you go. we built it that way with your help. it's all of ours. >> thank you, willie. before i turn to our -- this

month in parks, let me do a quick acknowledgment. our assistant superintendent for golden gate park, dave and his crew help ste stuard the lodge. as we move into high season, dave and his crew deserve a special shoutout for the the caring stewardship they offer our park which on april 4th, celebrated a birthday. >> congratulations and thank you. >> now, this month in parks. >> he raised $285 and presented

it to our mayor and said please fix our playground. >> we just wanted to raise money for, like, the children's playground

>> that concludes the general managers report. >> thank you very much. >> is there any public comment under the general manager's report? being none, this item is closed. >> i've got a couple of questions here. >> sorry. >> commissioner anderson, did you want to say something? >> yeah. i wanted to comment -- willie, i wanted to tell you that i really commend the work that you've been doing and i wanted to tell you that one of my friends was three term president of the angler's club, and i understand that you actually had a presence from the late 1800s.

she was a historian there and dear friend of the club and many organizations in san francisco and unfortunately she lost her life to cancer a few years ago, but i would love to dedicate a piece of her memory to this event. then another great event that happened this weekend was on saturday, we had a community fun day where we reopened our beautifully refurbishedded play gowned at the east corner of chestnut and laguna. i had the pleasure of attending with commissioner tom harrison. it was a wonderful event. we have a beautiful new playground, a dog area. we're going to have tennis courts resurfaced there. it seems like hundreds and hundreds of families showed up, didn't they commissioner? >> yeah. >> there were lots of wonderful nature games and bubbles and just a great festival atmosphere. we're very, very excited about it and wanted to thank

recreation and parks staff and the people in the community supporting the playground and the tennis courts. i met some of the ben factors and wanted to say yay and thank you. >> thank you. commissioner harrison. >> yeah. i don't know if my timing is right but i would like to do this before public comment. since we've gotten a letter from a person who would like to speak on the guy place, i would like to ask if that -- >> oh, i see what you're saying. >> i would like to take that off the consent and add it to the general calendar. do we need a motion? >> so moved. >> okay. then that concludes the general manager's report. we are now on item 4, general public comment up to 15 minutes. and as a reminder, this will be continued on item 9. 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 and that do not appear on the agenda. with respect to agenda items, you will have the opportunity to address the commission when the item is reached in the meeting. i do have one card, and that is richard. >> good morning, commissioners. i just wanted to add in a few comments of what i had said before. i'm trying to look into the point about having the woman over at puc, i asked her years ago, mark, before you were here something about ground water. i asked her if she's going to be retiring. she told me no. so i have to find out where

she's at in the new building. i want to ask her more about ground water because i'm looking at that hill and if we could find a way of treating ground water off site, not at the park, we could pipe it in and there would be water if it goes that way. i just wanted to make sure that i would have people in the commission before i go stepping on people's toes or they put me out. okay. that's about all i wanted to be sure that i had to say. >> thank you. >> okay. is there anyone else who would like to make general public comment? being none, this item is closed. commissioners, we are on item five, which is the consent calendar, with the removal of item c that will go to the general calendar. >> move to approve. >> second. >> move and sected. all those in favor.

>> aye. >> so moved. >> we are own item -- did you want to pull that item off the consent calendar. >> it is. you just made the motion without it. but we are now on item six, which is the san francisco -- oh, you know what? let's go back. richard actually wanted to speak on the consent calendar. i apologize. we do need to go back and revote then. >> let me ask, at what point do we bring up the -- >> we'll hear san francisco zoo and then the item. >> okay. >> okay. go ahead. >> good morning, again. >> i apologize. >> my head is scrambling. on the page issue, i made some comments at committee. i just want to add comments to it. there was something where i said something about of our kind of geneva, community gardens. now we have alemany gardens

again being worked on. i'm just making a comment about how to try to clean the vegetables because i couldn't come up with a way to look at it other than in organic chemistry. so all of you who drive cars, they have that high octane power boost and that -- i don't know the exact name. it's some type of ether or ketone. it breaks down, when it explodes. that stuff has been found in ground water. so when that stuff gets all over and the vapor, the food -- i don't know how good it is. it's not put through food agricultural department. so what i'm looking at is if people are going to be growing gardens and they're going to eat the food, i just want to includ,

there's denature alcohol that's the ethanol. another alcohol that's into good is methyl. so of the denatured alcohol, you can have -- after you clean them, you can spray some on, but you can dilute it and spray the plants and then you wash it off. it might be some organic compounds, including non combusted and octane gasoline. it will give it a little rinse but it has to be organic dissolving. okay? thank you. >> thank you, richard. we'll have a quiz in a little while for the commission on that. >> is there anyone else that would like to make public comment under the consent calendar with the exception of item c? okay. being none, this item is closed now. i do need another motion. >> motion to approve consent

calendar. >> all us in favor. >> aye. >> okay. so we are now on item 6, which is the san francisco zoo. this is a discussion only item. >> thank you. good morning, tanya peterson, director of the san francisco zoo. our march attendance was below budget because of rain falling on the weekend. we love rain, but we would like it to come in the evenings and weekdays. on the good news, year-to-date is still above attendance budgets with over 670,000 visitors total. that's 30,000 more than we had at this time last year. i want to touch base on community programs. we are proud to host recently the third annual bay area teen science event. here's where we collaborate with uc berkeley and the high schools of the san francisco unified school district to inspire teens to have careers in science. not only did our staff speak,

but planet.com to get kids enthusiastic about careers in science. then we hosted for our 12th annual wild about art and science children from the san francisco public district schools from elementary, this was an effort to meet their next generation science standards. here you see some of the winners. all of the elementary schools are allowed to participate. the winning entries, they get to the zoo free, but their whole class plus a lunch and their posters are used for marketing materials and get newspaper press as well. congratulations to those artists. then this weekend, we will celebrate both volunteers and earth day. we'll have a two-day celebration and the first is to open gail's garden. gail was both a docent and board

member at the zoo. our bird walks, this is another effort to attract martin luther king ra torre i thanks mr. ridly for his efforts as well. thank you for all you do for the zoo. we have other species. i just had to show you new faces. here's our otter. he's got a companion now at our zoo. he is yet to be named. he will be named by president buell at zoo fest, i'm sure, for the winning bid. right? so his name is about to come. speaking of names, though, we do have a celebrity in the house. new quarterback to the 49ers lent us his name.

there was several conversations with his lawyers, but we have a new male snow leopard at the zoo. he will hav have a new sweetheat and she will be named at zoo fest. but i didn't want to leave out the other sports team in town and just a reminder, bruce is the namesake of our very handsome and ferocious -- i say that to him all the time. she's a great animal. lastly, the day after zoo fest, we will have our meatless cookoff. this was the idea of international celebrity chef. he will take on the heat chef of monterey bay aquarium. this is open to general admission. you get a chance to taste. i'm one of the judges. goodness knows what i'll be eating that day. with that, i finish my report.

>> is there any public comment on this item? okay. being none, public comment is closed. >> now -- >> i think commissioner harriso- >> sorry. commissioner harrison, please. >> yeah. just a compliment to the director of the zoo and her staff, my granddaughter and i had another great day at the zoo a couple -- about a week ago. >> great. >> she took me on a guided tour. >> thank you. does she have a favorite animal yet. >> the red panda. a nice stuffed animal after much ado at the store. >> thank you, commissioner. thank you. >> thank you. >> so now this was discussion only. now we're on item 5c. , guy place mini park award of contract. >> good afternoon, commissioners and general manager.

project manager, recreation and park capital division. the item before you today is discussion and possible action to award a construction contract for the guide place mini park project to azul works, inc., for $2,327,000. this project honors the plan strategy in the following way. strategy one, inspire public space. objective 1.1, develop more open space to address population growth in high needs areas. 2, inspire play. objective 2.2, strengthen and promote the safety, health, and well-being of san francisco's youth and seniors. and 4, inspire stewardship. increase biodiversity on city park land. it was one of the very few indeveloped pieces of property

in the district. it's a relatively small lot, approximately 4,000 square feet. much the parcel is located off first street near the approach to the bay bridge. guy place is a quiet, low traffic side street surrounded by residential and commercial buildings. the site slopes down from guy place to a flat pad. it's unpaved. it was last used for private surface parking. with funding from the community improvements fund, this parcel was purchased by the city in march of 2007 following a joint approval by the planning and recreation and parks commissions and approved by the board of supervisors in may of 2007. the park is designed for passive use as a respite from the urban environment. it offers space for quiet enjoyment as well as an opportunity for small group gatherings. to optimize use and accessibility, the design raises the slope terrain with

engineered retaining walls to created a level site. it's characterized by three outdoor rooms that compose park space. these contain bench seating areas and are framed with a variety of plants that are selected for habitat value to pollinators that will provide seasonal interest and pleasant fragrance. 9 new trees are included as part of the design. the park is notable in its use of high quality materials, such as granite pavers, large ornamental slab and a fence which is the art enrichment component of the project selected by the san francisco arts commission. in coordination with the street scrape improvements, it's included in front of the park entrance. this area contains a park identification sign as well as a dog relief area with a fountain.

they are founded by funds security by the office of supervisor kim. with the assistance of the department of public works, the recreation and parks department advertised this park in january of 2018. two bids were received on february 14th, 2018, and azul works is $2,327,000 for the base scope only. attached in the staff report are the tabulations of bids. department staff has reviewed azul works references. they believe this contractor is capable of performing the required work. the recent allocation of impact fee funding, this project has a budget to award the contract. staff believes this project is consistent with department and citywide goals to increase accessible green space in the

rapidly indense identifying area. members of the community have expressed their enthusiasm for this park, which has been over ten years in the making. graphic rendering of the park and the summary are also included in the staff report. i would be happy to answer any questions. thank you. >> thank you. >> okay. i have one card. garrick: you don't need to fill out a card, sir. go ahead. >> my name is garrick. >> speak into the -- >> i'm from the community benefit district. so i come here to show support for the construction of this park. currently, this area in the community is very dense, and there's not a lot of green space available for residents and visitors. currently, there's about 10,000 residents in this neighborhood, but there's very little space for them to take their children or take pets and things like

that. it's essential to the quality of life for people in the district. so we would like to show our support as the community benefit district to the construction of this park. thank you. >> and is there anyone else who would like to speak? come on up now. >> thank you. good morning, commissioners. i'm here today to speak about awarding this contract with one caveat. i formally request today that this new city park be renamed jessica's place in honor of my fiance jessica evans who recently passed away after an extended illness as some of you may recall, we led a campaign to save the trees, the existing trees in that parcel acquired by

the city at the behest of the community district. during our campaign to save these trees, we were instrumental in causing a major redesign of the original 12-year-old plans. the initial design called for extra -- avocado trees that were in that lot and constructing 12 20 foot tall living green pillars. the original design called for no trees whatsoever. with the support of supervisor kim's office, the san francisco forced alliance, and many neighbors, our advocacy resulted in the removal of 8 of those

20-foot tall pillars with a substitution of 9 mature heritage birch trees as well as abandoning the use of toxic boston ivy to cover the remaining columns that would create a living green column. we did these actions with the intent of making this a more user friendly park. the initial was a sterile urban vision that was not user friendly or family friendly. as a result, and with the cooperation of rpd staff, this postage stamp size parcel will become a hummingbird and butterfly habitat, according to staff, perhaps the largest of

its kind in the city. many neighbors and friends are supporting the request to rename it to jessica's place and we'll go forward with the procedure for naming a park after a person in time for the ribbon cutting ceremony in 2019. i feel the request is more than appropriate given the numerous hours and actions we devoted to gathering for support changing the original design. i note that jessica was suffering from a terminal illness during the entire time and summoned the energy to fight. commissioner buell, you may recall jessica as the young stunning woman who did not run over you with her harley. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> for your time. >> thank you. >> is there anyone else who would like to make public comment on this item? okay. being done, public comment is

closed. commissioners, this is for the award of contract for guy place. >> entertain a motion. >> move to approve. >> second. >> all those in favor. >> aye. >> so moved. thank you. >> we are now on item 7, the golden gate park improvement project award of contract. >> just to be clear on the last request, we can't take up something that's not calendared, but we've your communication. >> good morning, commissioners, general manager, secretary. project manager capital improvement division. this is the discussion and action to award a construction contract for the golden gate park oak woodlands improvement project in the amount of up to $1,499,450.51 to cover the base

bid, alternate signage and possibly alternate for planting restoration sites. this item meets two strategic plan goals, strategy one, inspire public space and strategy two, inspire stewardship. oak woodlands is a remnant forest in the northeast corner of golden gate park. it's approximately 22 acres in size. it's part of our natural areas network as well as the old growth forest network because of the quite impressive coast live oak trees in this area. the existing trails are in poor condition, and like much of the park, the soils are very sandy in that area. it will create a continuous nature trial with finding an interpretive signage and it also includes a designated multi use

trail that allows for bicycle access. the proposed project will improve visual quality, access, safety, and enhance the trail experience in the oak woodlands while we also retain the rustic quality of the trail. the concept design for this project was approved by the commission in 2011. the project was put on hold so that other trail improvement projects funded by the 2008 such as glen canyon park and twin peaks could be completed. they've been kept apprised in the interim. it includes the trail than surfg that we've used successfully in other parks. there's been a major installation along the promenade.

we'll be making this easier in the area. doing patching the asphalt paths, improving existing green waste area off conservatory drive and the reason we're doing that is because we're making a more sustainable trail that will cut into the northern part of the green transfer area. we'll be installing erosion control measures and doing hazardous tree removal for which trees have been posted already as well as landscape planting and signage. two bids were received for this project in march of 2018. there was a low bidder. the project is fully funded with a combination of 2012 trails program and forestry funding, a

very old grant from the coca-cola foundation that came through the parks trust and administered through the parks alliance and we also have an additional grant application pending with the state habitat conservation fund that would pay for additional costs, but our project is not dependent on receiving that grant. pending commission approval today. we hope to issue ntp in may of 2018. the project has received environmental review and is well supported by the friends of oak woodlands. the bay area council, sf urban riders and the san francisco parks alliance. i want to mention you received a letter of support from bay area trail council. they are working with recreation and park to realign the portion of the ridge trail that runs through san francisco to go more through our parks and neighborhood streets. they're a supporter in this piece of oak woodlands is part

of that. i would be happy to answer any questions. thank you. >> we do have public comment. i've got four cards. bob, robert, bonnie, and matthew. if you could please come up. any order. >> i'm rob. good morning, commissioners. >> good morning. >> i'm cofounder. i was awarded recognition on behalf of friends oak woodlands by mr. buell. >> what's your exact title. >> our work to collaborate with recreation and parks. our volunteers help restore and steward this.

we strongly support this long awaited project. we have engaged in several prep projects over the years. it will improve access to this key area of fronted line golden gate park providing a first class recreational trail, and that's a significant piece of infrastructure. it will add value to goal en gate park which is one of the finest parks in america and this will add to that class of first class status. the trail will facilitate better oversight for public safety to suppress vandalism andfer i will camping. this is a problem that affects owl our valuable green spaces. it has affecting the oak woodlands over the years because of its proximity to the ashbury. it's on on going problem. we know about that. the trail can leverage our advocacy to inspire public

stewardship and philanthropic resources for trail maintenance. we've got money in our kitty. this completed trail will really jump start our leverage with the cooperation of parks alliance. i thank you for your attention, and we look forward to completion of this project. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> good morning, matthew brain with sf urban riders. we advocate for a mountain bike usage on trails throughout san francisco. also here to support this project. long awaited project. the same notes that rob did. this trail is important because it's one of the few that includes sections designated to bicycles. of course we always westbound for more, but we're always in supportert projects which allow them today. it's part of the ridge trail reroute as linda mentioned and

it's important to us because many of our volunteers have worked with rob's group in years past to work on this. it is part of a long promised completion as part of that. we're looking forward to the fixing of the erosion problems, the trail is unusable when it's dry. it's the opposite of the much of the rest of the trail because they're sandy and become unusable when dry. the green waste dump is a problem. our hope is that the project will maintain the rustic character of the trail. that's something which sort of meet be lost, but we believe it can be maintained and it's within the specifications for the contract. so we support this project and look forward to seeing it done. thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> good morning. i'm bonnie. on behalf of parks alliance, i am asking that you authorize the completion of the golden gate

park project. the completion of this project will provide such a wonderful asset to golden gate park and the community of san francisco as well as to the volunteers who have shown such great commitment and dedication to this project through direct stewardship. this northeast corner is some of the oldest trails in san francisco and we need to honor it. this project will increase access to save walkable nature trails while provide be habitat restoration to the surrounding area. our oak woodlands are few and it's crucial we protect and enhance these areas while allowing for an outdoor education experience accessible to all. thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please. >> good morning, commissioners. i'm bob. i'm head of the san francisco trail advocacy group. 30 years ago or so, when ridge

trail began its mission to make a ridge top trail around the bay area, which one day at least 550 miles, now 370, golden gate park was not welcoming multi use trails through its park. however, over the last ten years, ridge trail has been trying to get more dirt, less asphalt, and we've had a lot of help from recreation and parks, the figure 3 at twin peaks and the portola trail and now golden gate park. so yes, we're very, very happy that this will become a wonderful asset and be supported. thank you. >> thank you. >> is there anyone else who would like to make public comment on this item? okay. being none, public comment is closed. >> commissioner mazzola. >> thank you. i had a procedural question maybe for melinda or phil or both of you. when these jobs are let out, is

there an engineer's estimate and did these two bids come within that range, or is that because of the scope of work here that there wasn't one done? just how does that work? >> excellent. i can take that question, commissioner mazzola. so yes, this is the third project -- third trail improvement project that we've bid line item, and we do that because for the trails projects, in the field, our staff does their best job to anticipate the distances, but it's helpful to have those costs line item so if it's 110 feet instead of 108, we have the pricing there. we did provide an estimate. this estimate came in over bid. however, the trails project prequalifications built in them. so, for example, this park surface stabilization and the box steps are features that not a lot of contractors have done. so the projects came in