north side of the park. it is part of the capital improvement project program funded by the 2012 clean and safe neighbourhood park pond. the scope of the north side water conversation project includes, replacement of sod and automatic irrigation systems to the north side. installation of a perimeter drainage system in select locations, installation of a donor recognition circle, at a concrete driveway up to the new donor circle at scott street and washington street. [please stand by]

staff recommends the project with azul works to increase the approved contract limits from $2.188,600 to an amount not to exceed $2.5 million -- sorry. $2,552,100, increase of $363,500, which is greater than 10% over the original approved contract amount. >> clerk: is there any public comment on this item? public comment is closed. commissioners, any questions or

comments? >> the 5% on contract plus resolve any punchless items? i will say, it looks great. the -- there's no water on the corner of clay and steiner. for us runners, for me on tuesdays at least, i appreciate the work that you are doing out there. >> move to approve. >> second. >> president buell: moved and seconded. all in favor? motion carries. thank you, commissioner. >> clerk: garfield pool renovation, award of contract. you need to say that into the mike. >> slipping a rendering in here

for -- >> good morning, commissioners. i'm levi conover, project manager for garfield pool renovation the item for you today is discussion and possible action to award the construction project to build group inc. in the amount of $14,756,135 for the construction of the garfield pool renovation. contract works 1000009586. under the strategic plan, the project seeks to inspire space and strengthen the quality of the existing parks and facilities and support active living, well-being, and community in the diverse and growing population and strengthen and promote safety, health and well-being of san francisco's youth and seniors. garfield pool is at 26th street.

it's a pool building adjacent to a small clubhouse, sport court, soccer field, playground, picnic area and landscaping of the proposed project consists of construction of pool building and demolition of existing garfield square poolhouse. a lobby of a 3,500-square-foot rec center will be constructed and create a single, integrated facility. the project is in a high-speeds, family-dense neighborhood, that continues to see an increase in total households. it's adjacent to a 106-unit mixed-income complex. a significant goal of the project is to increase youth swimming utilization at the facility. the planning process and community engagement started in late spring, 2015, and started

in june, 2017. the department held a total of three community meetings and 10 presentations to community focus groups and organizations. attachment b of the report includes images of the final design for your reference. i've included one here on the screen. and the following key elements are included -- flexible community room for events and programming in the clubhouse. introduction of a floatable bulkhead to allow for dual programming and increase programming hours by over 40%. this is one of the key elements to the increase in youth swimming, because we can hold dual programming for lessons while lap swimmers are swimming at the same time. the project will be creating a defined entry that's visibly pleasing, plumbing and air quality come for the. a.d.a. site and building improvements. legacy murals on the exterior

south and east walls are being preserved. and the new lobby and courtyard allow for the creation which is a sparingly use space but creating a larger courtyard between the clubhouse and the pool that will be utilized for multiple programs. with the assistance of the department of public works, the recreation and park department, advertise washington -- i wrote washington square, but garfield square renovation and bid were open on june 27, 2018. a total of six bids were received. and summary is included for your reference. build group was the low bidder with the bid value of $14,756,135. upon approval of the commission and contract certifications, construction activities will commence with the reopening of balboa pool and closure in fall,

2018, with the construction duration of 14 months and reopening targeted for late 2019. staff recommends a ward of the construction contract to award build group inc. $14,756,135. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: any public comment on this item? richard? i saw you this time. >> yep. my first question had to do with whether or not there was a settlement of the previous time that people wanted to have a swim and i see it's still there, where is it safe for kids and people to use the pool? and there was a superintendent present then and i like that. the other thing i like is i

don't know what type of material is on top of the roof, the covering. it seems like a good time for park and rec to try to get some of the funding that's going around for solar panelling, so that's something that i kind of like and probably makes a few jobs for quite a few people. but that type of look to it, it's open space, and it's area on the top. i don't know if that has a translucent that light would go on to the pool. that's the one and only criticism we have. can we make more use of that roof? and another part, if it's painted, something has a cover to it. do we just -- can we get it more blended to the surroundings, the coloration? thank you. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: anyone else that would

like to make public comment on this item? come on up. >> hi. i'm phillip vitale, speaking as a san francisco resident for more than 20 years. and also a master swimmer who has been swimming in the city pools for 20 years and i've swam -- before the renovation of hamilton pool and have been swimming there since renovation and have benefited from that pool renovation and i understand the condition of the garfield pool and i really support this renovation. having seen how much use these pools get prior or after the renovations, it's amazing how master swimmers are able to have more time as well as youth swimmers and senior swimmers. i'm a full supporter of this pool renovation and look forward to swimming there when it's done. thank you. >> president buell: thank you it. >> clerk: anyone else that would like to make public comment on this item, garfield pool? okay. being none, the item is closed.

>> president buell: commissioner bonilla. >> commissioner bonilla: i'm not that wild about the court of this project, but i love the design elements. i think it's going to be a game-changer in the mission district. it's much needed and i'm really looking forward to seeing the completion of the project. >> president buell: thank you. commissioner mazzola. >> commissioner mazzola: question on the bid here. i have a sheet that says there was two alternate bids. so was that because there was added scope? >> yeah. we had two bid alternates, one was an upgrade to the glazing to do a -- what's called starfire glass, a clearer glass. and the other was to do some work, irrigation work, to a field adjacent to the facility.

if the contract had come in low enough, we would have added them to the contract scope. but it didn't, so we're leaving those out. those were excluded. >> commissioner mazzola: those were excluded, so it's still $14.7, not 896? >> correct. >> commissioner mcdonnell: i recall from previous renovation of a pool there was concern around lap swimmers in change of length. i don't recall right now -- what is the basis of their concern? >> right. historically -- i cannot say all the pools, but the majority of our pools were built in the '50s and they had 100-foot lap lanes. and lap swimmers like having the longer lanes. standard competition length is 75 feet. and so what we are -- what we've done is we've taken advantage of the fact that our pools were built longer than competition length and so we take the shallow end and use the bulkhead

to create a dedicated lessons area and give the competition length on the lap side. the concern was among people that like to turn less and have a longer swim length. so it's been a balance. i think the other advantage that we see when we switch the competition length, is for high school meets, the times qualify. where the 100-foot lengths is not eligible. we've seen 40% increase in lessons being offered. >> commissioner anderson: i just have a general question for anybody who may be listening but can't see the document. the construction contract is about $14.7 million and there's a 10% and change contingency of $1.5 million. then there are soft costs of

over $4.2 million. i'm curious for my own edification and anyone else that may care, can you tell me what the $4.2 million in soft costs will be? >> yeah. it covers a ton of things. building permits, design consulting fees, testing, project management, construction management. those are the big ones. there are miscellaneous advertisin advertising, everything not the hard construction contract. >> commissioner anderson: some of the items are one city department charging another city department, is that right? >> some of them. the design contract is through a private sector -- a joint venture with t.e.f. architecture. but we're using public works for

the design team on another pool. so it's case by case. for geotechnical analysis, that was done through public works and hazardous materials testing done through public works. so there are city agencies as well that we're paying. >> so when it's to determine that permit fees are due, is that the rec and park paying another department? >> d.b.i., yeah. >> commissioner anderson: does rec and park pay the same scale as anybody else? >> yeah. >> commissioner anderson: no discounts for being in the same city house? >> they're legally mandated. >> commissioner anderson: this is just for any own edification and anyone interesting. i think it's interesting to civilians how these things work. you kind of think we're under one roof and it's not going to cost everything, but everything has to be charged in some way. >> having done development in

the private sector before this job, it -- we operate very similarly to how i had to work with the city in the private sector. >> commissioner anderson: thank you. that's very helpful. >> president buell: seeing no further questions, the chair would entertain a moment. >> moved. >> seconded. >> president buell: all those in favor. so moved. thank you. >> clerk: we're on item 10, 2019 general obligation bond. >> good morning, commissioners. interim director of planning.

with me here today, stacy bradley, deputy director of planning. this is a presentation and discussion only to update the commission on planning for the 2019 bond. the 2019 bond plan effort supports objective 1 of our strategic plan, develop more open space to address growth in high-needs areas and emerging neighborhoods to strengthen the quality of our parks and facilities, preserve and celebrate historic and cultural resources. with your leadership, we continue to cultivate one of the best parks systems in the country. with that success also comes a responsibility to continue to

invest in resources in a deliberate and inclusive manner. over the last decade, we have invested over $380 million in our park systems. the largest source of funding for park renovations in the last decades are our funds, between 2008 bond and 2012, as you can see in this slide. that puts it to about $320 million. what is really significant is we've been able to leverage this public investment for other sources. the departments have leveraged approximately $60 million of private funds. that is partly philanthropy. it is grants. it is impact fees.

this chart shows an example of how we've sort of leveraged the funds on specific projects. take, for example, heyward, $26 million total project budget. 6% of that is bond funds. the rest of it has been leveraged. that's an important sort of strategy to make this whole. the 6% does not actually achieve the full scope or goals of the project. another example that came before you is garfield pool. that's another almost 6% of the funding for that coming from the bond funds. the rest of it is through impact fees and other sources.

this is really the margin of excellence. this does not get you the project with the current scope and vision. the c.o.f. is another sort of strategy that we have that is another successful program that has allowed communities to decide on investments in their communities. this public-private strategy is crucial for us to be able to deliver the projects. let's play s.f., we're currently in the midst of a capital campaign. 52% of the funding from let's play for about 13 playgrounds are coming from private sources. that's crucial. citi field is another sort of investment that we've done, which is quite successful. >> to chime in, the success of philanthropy, we've really been

able to leverage our bond dollars with other sources, but our bond projects aren't the only philanthropy-driven projects. we have outside the civic center, playground that are not captured within this, as well adds francisco reservoir and other projects that you know of and we have approximately $80 million that aren't -- that has been captured here within the bond program that we received or are receiving from the past decade. >> thanks. next. taking a look back, by the time garfield, balboa and rossi are complete, we would have renovated nine of nine pools. this one goes back to about 2000, but at the end of this program in 2020, we would have

renovated all of the nine pools in our portfolio. next. synthetic fields, turf fields. we've installed 10 synthetic fields in the last decade or so. there are many upsides to the synthetic fields, that save a lot of water. they are available year-round for programming. less maintenance, which allows us to take some of the maintenance and resources and allocated where they're most needed. this is the other -- we're going through, we're on generation two of renewals now through prop b and baseline budget, we're renewing the fields. in the last two years, we renovated or renewed franklin

and garfield. we're now shifting over to youngblood coleman. prop b is crucial also. this is another -- sort of looking back at our restroom portfolio also, it's quite significant. we've renovated 38 out of 43 restrooms in our portfolio. that's huge, through the 2008 program and the restroom task force, we're really, really able to address some of the old restrooms. rec centers. this is the heart and soul of who we are. it's the examples of work we've done with partners with public works and planning. it's sites that offer use and

multiuse facility. it's crucial. it's a better return on our investments. it's multigenerational and some of the sites that you will see, glen canyon, sunset rec center. the sites offer a multitude of uses, for example, adding a children's playground, a gym, able to offer a wealth of programming opportunities at this site. we're also able to put in the walking path for our adults and seniors. this is children's playground. this is an example of some of the work that we've done in the last few years. south park, which is quite a successful project.

beautiful project. we've renovated 94 out of 130 playgrounds in our portfolio. that's quite significant. here's the pivot. let's look into the future. we now have a new mayor that was sworn in last week. this is a quote from her a few days before she was sworn in. when i see this quote, i see a lot in this. this affects different policy areas and priorities, including housing, transportation, safety, and schools. and the quality of life in this city. intrinsic to policy areas, especially housing and safety is also, i believe, open space is

crucial to the synergy between housing and our open space. what we know is that the city continues to grow. the question for all of us, how do we ensure that our park system adapts and embraces this growth? we're going to be making some decisions in the near future that help to shape the future that mayor breed is talking about in this quote. before i talk about opportunities, i think i want to talk about challenges that we've had. this slide shows an immediate challenge that we are facing during this period. in the last couple of years, as you are aware, this is a very, very hot market for contractors

and construction. prices continue to grow. contractors are picking the work that they're going to do. and they're not talking a -- taking a lot of risk. prices continue to rise, with new, sort of, immediate levelling in sight. when you see these escalations, it means less park. when you see a 20%, 30% sort of growth over time, that means it's less park than we are able to deliver over time. that's crucial. next. this is another way to look at it. this is a cost that we've seen over time. eight years ago, we were able to deliver the project at about

$368 a square foot. we're currently embarking on design and that number is $1, 231 per square foot. it costs a lot to do work here in the city and anywhere else. this is a very sort of conservative escalation assumption. we believe we need to be very, very strategic in how we address this growth and this escalation. it means additional resources, additional funds are necessary to be able to achieve the same scope of work that we're trying to achieve. next. this is another way to look at it.

this is a project that i was involved with in 2010. was finally finished in 2011. for $3.5 million, this is what we were able to achieve. we're able to do a children's play area, a tennis court resurfacing, pathway improvements, basketball court resurfacing, some baseball field enhancements and a restroom. that's a tremendous amount of scope in that work that we were able to achieve for $3.5 million in 2010/2011. in 2017 for mountain lake, we were only able to do a playground for that amount of money. it just shows you the contrasting challenges that we had back then when the economy was decent for the work we were

doing and now. it's very challenging. ne next. one of the lessons learned through our last two bonds is the importance of doing curb-to-curb improvements. when -- this is an example of the playground, when we were able to do curb-to-curb improvements, meaning the fields, the building, the gymnasium, the courts, there's a satisfaction from community when we open on opening day. when we do partial improvements, which we're encountering that now on george christopher, it leads to scope-creep.

curb-to-curb improvements in contrast help to manage that scope-creep. it conveys the completion and a perceived sense of clear wins for park users. as we sort of embrace this strategy of doing curb-to-curb improvements, it requires tremendous amount of resources it do that work so there is satisfaction when we finish. and i will turn this over to stacy for the rest of the presentation. >> thank you. i'm going to lead you through how we're planning to address

the challenges that we identified as well as planning for the future generation of san franciscans. today's projects are going to cost significantly more than they did in the past. to mitigate that risk, we're working on advanced planning and creating projects that are robust and well thought out as they go on to the bond. in addition to that, we're working on healthy project reserves and program reserves for contingencies to see unforeseen costs during planning and construction and design. along with the two overarching elements of addressing the risks that we see, we're looking at similarly criteria to 2008 and 2012 bond planning. first, we're looking at high

needs to account for our residents in disadvantaged communities. in '08 and '12, we used density as a proxy. now we have zones developed in the cal e.p.a. it shows us areas to concentrate on to address our disadvantaged communities, as well as growth, which we want to make sure that as new residents come in, existing residents and new residents have opportunity to live in a livable city that includes having open space accessible and high quality open space. for that, we have -- you can see the planning department's growth map and it's amazing, i think, how aligned they are. the growth is very similarly located to where our equity zones are located. we also have a condition assessment of our property. we did this as well in 2007.

we assess our properties. we were able to see things side by side. it's now out of date, so we're reassessing them. you approved the contract in january of this year. this assessment is under way. they are working very closely with us and with operations staff to make sure that they're gathering the full scope of the existing conditions and giving us a great, really robust database for our review. along with condition assessment, there is seismic safety. we still have properties with high seismic ratings, and we want to address them for the safety of today and future users. along with our conditions in the high needs, there is the multiuse sites and community hubs that form the need for -- to be able to address multiple users at one location.

next i'm going to go through five projects that we've been working on for the past few years that address all of these criteria including that advanced planning work, so we understand our existing conditions and are able to create concept plans and scopes that are deliverable throughout the bond projects. first, we have india basin. sorry. i've -- i discussed this with you earlier today. as you know, it's coming back to the recreation -- to the commission next month. this is a very exciting project for us. it's creating that contiguous 1.7 miles of shore front open space. it's creating high-quality, connected park in a disadvantaged neighborhood within an equity zone. it will have great amenities. it will activate the space. it will improve the health and well-being of the existing residents as well as expected

growth that we're hoping -- that is expected in this area. just to give you a couple more schedule highlights. we acquired the site, as i mentioned earlier, in 2014. and we do expect to have e.i.r. certification next week. the concept plan approval in a month. remediation is expected in 2020 and we have funding in place, almost $15 million. some include grants that we're expecting to receive. this covers planning and design as well as remediation. next we have portson square. we've been working on this for a number of years. the conditions we have underperforming space with a lot of use. it fills the living room for many chinatown communities or community within chinatown. it provides a safe gathering space. we really want to improve this space. it's our densest neighborhood.

it's been going through a design process. we just had our last community meeting last week. the concept plan shown here on the right-hand side of the screen show a large open upper terrac terrace, more shade, an open terrace, and larger to accommodate for larger, inside events, which is a big desire of the community. it consolidates our playground and exercise space. and it provides greater visibility across the park, in sight lines and lighting. our last renovation here was a restroom renovation in 2015, part of the restroom program. and it did the existing conditions and feasibility report in 2014. and, as i mentioned, the community-driven process is ongoing. we have funding in place from the transit center impact fees.

it was approved by the board in 2010/'11 and it's been able to fund our planning. next, we have rec center in soma in a high-dense neighborhood which is expected to get even denser. it's right next to central soma plan. and the space is next to central soma plan and will serve existing residents as well as future expected residents in the area. it's critical to provide a safe, welcoming space in this neighborhood. the existing facility is really well-used and much beloved by the community, but it could be a much greater space serving more people and be more welcoming to the neighborhood. this area is also in an equity zone and has a poor facility condition index the new recreation space expands

the footprint by 50%, allowing basketball courts, exercise room, outdoor basketball court and improved play areas. this is also an emerging staging site, so when there is an emergency, we can use the recreation center for emergency staging for residents. we've been undergoing community design process for the last few years. and we received an existing conditions and feasibility report in 2015. we have funding in place. $3 million for planning and design. this includes philanthropy as well as impact fees from neighborhood plan areas and we're working with the planning department and the rest of the city family on the central soma plan, which is being considered by the board this month through the next couple of months and we expect to receive $25 million from that plan for these

improvements. next project, hub of youth programming, focused on sfusd programs as well as youth camps and large events. this is our only large, indoor facility that can seat approximately 4,000 people. we are able to have martial arts events, pro-am. this site is well used for activities. and it could be much better. it could be used also at the neighborhood level. it can fill the gap for a recreation center. this area is about 1 1/2 miles to 2 miles away from the nearest recreation centers and those are hamilton, eureka, sunset, so fairly far away. with renovations at the site, we would be able to create a more robust recreation program, a program that actually addresses

the neighborhood need as well as the large city needs. >> if i can add to that, this particular project has the highest seismic hazard rating of our facilities. that's from a city standpoint, a facility that i believe we need to address. >> thank you. just for a quick schedule highlight. we've started -- we did a conditions assessment in 2013 and we're currently reviewing historic resource evaluation. one of the reasons why it's a seismic hazard is it's almost 100 years old and it needs to be addressed. we've engaged public works to start the planning and design process. next we have japantown peace plaza. this is crumbling water surface with a walter feature that's

inoperable and it has water intrusion to the garage below. it's the only public gathering space for the japantown community. this is a community that has been disadvantaged over the years and has been pressured to move into a smaller and smaller area. this space is the only public gathering space. it's important that we treat it with respect and we improve the really -- a space that's been failing the past few years. the community has been asking us to do so for many years. and they started in 2009 -- they started before, but in 2009 authored one of three studies that they've produced over the last couple of years on informing these improvements. we've recently started -- we did a conditions assessment two years ago to help us identify how to solve the problem and if a full renovation is needed or if we're able toll fix it before it turns out a full renovation

is needed and the visions plan is currently under way right now with the community. we have funding in place to start working on design and planning. overall, these projects have -- we have robust planning for all of them. a lot of support. a lot of work with the community. we do expect these to be significant costs. there's buildings we need to address, historic components, large site work, grading issues. we also have supervisor support. we have supervisor cohen, peskin and kim, supporting these projects. these are not the only projects that have need. we have been working hard on these projects we expect the 2019 bond to have

a similar scope as did the 2008 and 2012 bond with named neighborhood projects including core projects and programs. some of the programs that up see listed here have been successful. community opportunity funds is one of our favorite project that help us work with communities on getting their most pressing projects done. maybe it's an opportunity for other projects like dog play and mini parks, for example. to invest in our future today, we think we need more money sooner. so this provides our funding, the bonds we've received since 2008, including 2019 and 2025, except for 2012, it's $185

million, with $30 million for the port. $10 million extra we received in 2012. our proposal is to merge the two bonds so we can have the funds and work through them over the next 10 years, include funding for the port. and really address are the escalation that tokes described that we've seen over the last 10 years of delivering the projects. the money from 2008 is not getting what we need today. we're not exactly sure what the escalation and additional capacity could be. it's enough to make a significant difference in our park system so we're adjusting and renovating, modernizing, for not just people that live here today, but people that live here in the future as well as our next generation of children. determining this bond budget is

a key factor in launching the public process. in advance of knowing that exact number, we're working, as i mentioned, an the conditions assessment, as well as site reviews with staff to make sure that we have scopes analyzed and ready to go when we go to the public, which we're hoping will start in the fall, but we need to have our bond budget determined before we start the public outreach. through community outreach, what we've learned in the past two bond measures, having a balance of qualitative and quantitative data is crucial. we're looking forward to engaging on this issue. we need to know what the funding constraints will be so we don't make promises that we can't fulfill. will leave you with this,

hopefully inspirational image, of the core projects, as well as many projects left in our system that we need to address. thank you. we're here for questions. and i would like to call up britney from -- sorry. >> i was going to say, thank you very much. and before we entertain public comment, i would like to welcome britney chikwata from malia cohen's office, president of the board of supervisors. thank you for being with us today. >> good morning, honorable commissioners. thank you so much for hearing this item today. i hope you guys are all having an amazing thursday. i'm here on behalf of president cohen, who is in the budget committee she's charge. we're here to give our support in particular on india basin project. in 2014, the city acquired 9

900 innes, in the bayview-hunter's point neighborhood. it includes scenic views, waterfront access and natural resources and is the recreation and parks department's only san francisco bayfront property. our office understands the department endeavors to build a park that's spectacular and crucial to the help of the underserved communities that you all, i'm sure, are very familiar with the fact, have historically experienced this investment and access to parks and open space. in recent years, has been great leadership to provide additional access to ensure that the disproportion now comes in health and lack of physical activity. we have opportunities for children and families to access better open space the development of 900 innes

will be in a historic access, with social equity, waterfront, resiliency and habitat rest invasion. i want to double click on the supervisors' understanding and hope that we invest in climate change and the impact of climate change because it's a unique part of san francisco when it comes to threats for climate change. if there is an earthquake, then we have access cut off for residents in this part of town. there could be a tsunami that comes across and hits our part of town. it sounds like wild imagination, but it's true that our residents are at a unique risk for climate change and the india basin shoreline can became a seamless

waterfront experience on a grand scale and what some refer to as a "waterfront feel in the southeast." it's to enjoy the parks and open space. and so just wanted to thank you for hearing this and say that president cohen is supportive of 900 innes and india basin development. thank you. >> president buell: thanks for joining us today. >> clerk: would you like to go to public comment? >> president buell: yes, please. >> clerk: i have two cards, don and eric. after that, if anyone else would like to make public comment, just come on up. as a reminder, you have 3 minutes today. >> shall i commence? >> president buell: before you

start, i've had a request from commissioner anderson, can we get the deck that you provided, forwarded to our -- thank you. excuse me. go ahead. >> no problem. thank you very much. i'm don collins. i am the commissioner of athletics for the school district for the san francisco section. i'm here to support the general obligation bond. i will speak specifically to kezar pavilion, the 94-year-old pavilion is our elite, mid-sized 5,000 to 8,000-seat facility in the city. we use it for a program that has approximately 4,000 athletes, student athletes, playing from middle to high school. we also as a c.i.f. body

frequently use it for state regional play. the facility is aging. totes was kind enough to mention the earthquake problems. and it's visibly aging. it shows when you walk in. not only is it visibly aging, it is also in a condition where for some of the youth, the amenities are not quite where they could be, for example, the academy of art university plays volleyball, basketball, and other events in the pavilion. i regret speaking for them. i should speak for myself, i imagine, but i will do so. their referees cannot be in the same place that they have to shower. so it does have some amenity issues, structural issues. it's our premier place.

we have volleyball championships. my basketball finals are in there. it is the appropriate place for those facilities and the contests, but it does need to be repaired, as any 94-year-old structure would. there is also an efficiency issue to kezar. dana, who is here, would like to schedule programming, as she should. there's 1.5 miles before you get to the next facility. there is recreational volleyball. the city doesn't have the modern, collapsible bleachers. so they have to play on the large layout, instead of pushing back the bleachers. so we lose some use due to efficiencies. so we have a premier facility, 5,000- to 8,000-seat facility and something that could be reconfigured to maximize the use

for a lot of kids in the city, including my own public schoolkids, high schoolkids that work in our c.i.f. programs, and general youth in programs working on the site. i thank you for hearing me. thank you very much. >> president buell: thank you very much. >> clerk: erica, steve, carol, emily, after this. >> hello. thank you for letting me comment. my name is erica g. i'm a member of the committee for better parks and rec in chinatown and also a senior planner at the chinatown community development center. and i'm here to really express our support for the general obligation bond in 2019. fortson square is a key space in chinatown. it's an incredibly dense neighborhood and many of the seniors and families live in

extremely small quarters, mostly the s.r.o.s that chinatown housing is made up of. so open space is so important for our community. portsmouth square is a multiuse site. it's used every day for seniors to gather, children to play, people to perform opera on the weekends. and really to host events such as mayor lee's vigil in the community. and so it's been an underutilized space because it needs more space for our community. and we've been working really hard with rec park in the last five years with a report and planning workshops to come up with a robust design that will serve the needs of our community. and it's really important for us to make sure that that design is realized so that the portsmouth square can continue to play an

important hub for our community. we'd love it to also be a president resiliency center for disasters. certainly this new design could really expand on how the community uses the space and serves our community. so we want to thank rec park staff, tokes, dawn, stacy, for their thoughtful work and our project managers cara, jackie and mike, who have really been working with the community to make sure that our community voices have been heard. we've been a part of this process. and we really look forward to seeing this design realized in serving our community. thank you. >> president buell: thank you very much. >> clerk: if i've called your name, you can come on up. i will call a few more names.

i have alice, judy, and junko. go ahead. >> good morning, commissioners. president buell, vice president low, commissioner mazzola, commissioner bonilla, commissioner harrison, commissioner anderson, commissioner mcdonnell, i'm executive director of the japantown task force, here to speak in support of the bond. it was enlightening and impressive in terms of staff's presentation of the general bond that we're talking about. we are pleased in terms of being one of the core projects being identified by san francisco park and recreation. we support the support of all the commissioners and the cooperation and the support of the general manager and the staff that we've worked with. 5 -- i want it touch on certain

points, not just the historical aspect of the peace plaza in japantown being 110 years old, but that peace plaza at one point before the redevelopment process was a residential community. friends and neighbors and relatives of many of us reside in that area as well. when it comes to open space, when it comes to japantown, the peace plaza, you have to understand that there was residents there and the problem with the open space it was created by the san francisco development agency. we made due with what we had. we know that hamilton center is very close to us. we know by historical bounds, that it's been used by the members greater in that community and if we go by there now, we'll see the constant use of the park by soccer, by kids, by basketball, by tennis players, but you won't see that much participation by the japanese community, not that

it's not that far, but our recreation and our open space desires are at the peace plaza. it's real important that we maintain that open space as well. at one point in my career, i was the president of japan center garage. one of the biggest issues that we were concerned about was the membrane and leakage in the garage. i thought that the pagoda was going to go through the two floors of the garage. an issue of liability is very, very important as well, but conceptually the bond and support of the bond in terms of what we want to accomplish in the city and county of san francisco and in terms of the desire of the japanese-american community in our 110-year survival to be part of the fabric of san francisco and our neighborhoods. thank you very much. >> president buell: thank you very much. >> clerk: next speaker, please.

>> good afternoon. my name is carol ito. president buell, directors and director ginsburg, i'm here to have a strong voice to support this obligation bond. i want to thank you for placing a priority on the peace plaza, which is an icon for the city and a symbol of peace and we need that very badly in our country and our city. it's extremely symbolic. but i also bring some history to this. i was on the first japantown task force 25 years ago. i want you to be mindful as you proceed, and hopefully this bond will be successful next year, that the management of the very precious money be overseen and balanced well by staff and by you, the commissioners, for oversight. this peace plaza, there was an attempt to restore and renovate the plaza and protect the garage

underneath, which is owned by the m.t.a. and operated by a nonprofit, but because of some missteps of the contract, the membrane was poorly installed. so it just continued to erode. and because of that, it's a hazard. it's an electrical hazard in the garage. there's been some mediocre attempts to try to repair it over the last 25 years under willie brown's administration. he allocated some money back then. when thought $1 million would do the trick. increased costs are prohibitive and very much up there. so i could see some of your costs increasing on something that could be remediated decades ago. please be mindful with your responsibility to oversee the contracts and make sure that it gets done