with respect to the other question about the pavilion, i want to, again, pull up another diagram as a reference. the pavilion is right here in the cottage is right here. the goal is to leave the pavilion as a narrow structure. the space between the cottage and the overlook pavilion is approximately 110 feet. with the intent of preserving the shed in the corridor. >> vice president low: and the dog park? >> my understanding is the big green built-in can speak to the plans for the dog area.

>> vice president low: that's right. thank you. >> i just want to comment briefly on the project, and first is to think that many, many, many partners. i want to remind everyone this has been in the works for well over five years. the planning for this project. an extraordinary number of community meetings and extraordinary amount of community participation. the theme of this process is to serve communities that are there now while acknowledging that growth will need more open space and more functional open space. will be -- what we have before us is a rather remarkable opportunity to connect the dots on 1.7 miles of continuous waterfront open space. there's not another opportunity like this in the city and county of san francisco. we have had a tremendous amount of sport and nicole is either

out of town or even out of the country this week, so she couldn't be here. she has been driving this along with charlene. on our behalf, i want to thank the mayor process office of workforce development. they have been a driver in the partnership. build inc. has prior to eyed george prioritized open space. they understand the lengths could -- the landscape literally. of the real benefit here is to develop this waterfront for everyone and accessibly. they have taken that responsibility very seriously. at the the end of the day, this is an underserved neighborhood. it is a community that has not had extraordinary open space and we have welcomed hunter's point family. we have welcomed the institute. they have guided us through a lot of community conversations and how we make sure the park serves communities that are there now. we are really proud of this

effort. it is a low-key day today as we are looking at this. there are many more steps in the process. yes, we have an enormous lift to fund this project, but i want to make two final points. one is, this is, essentially, a brownfield. environmental justice is very much of the top of our list in accomplishing this project. it is park space that we own. india basin shoreline park is not a brownfield but it is an underutilized and under program space that we own. we have an opportunity now to make it healthier and more utilizable and healthy for everyone. if i am going to put this in context, when i started speaking, we don't get opportunities like this. i mean, in generations. it's a really exciting moment

and we are here to take the next step. >> president buell: thank you. commissioner low? >> vice president low: i just want to commend to the general manager on this project. this is a generational opportunity. we are making a transformative investment in this area. this is outside our jurisdiction, but perhaps to come up with the development plan comes up, this is probably more of a question to planning, what can be done when we make this transformative investment for the detent residents, for those who were making investments will still be there? gentrification is an unintended consequence when we make this large investment. we put in $100 million to create the christie field to the east. and he said property values gives opportunity for more

development. we cannot stem the tide of gentrification, but what can planning do to try to keep the residents that are -- that we are building the park for, to stay and enjoy that part? i would like to hear when the development agreement comes forward, may be a response to how to keep residents who are there now to enjoy the park. >> commissioner, if i could just -- thank you. thank you for raising that point. that was very much a topic of the extensive community planning. that is a concern. it was not a concern that we tucked in a corner. it is a concern that we discussed honestly and openly and head on through the community process. i think you'll see, if you dig into the details of the design and what we have intended to do, is really listen to the community that is there now and try to develop amenities for people who are in that neighborhood now. that is why the porch swings

were a community requested feature of those who are there now. that is why expanded active recreational opportunities were doubling. our basketball courts are there. with that is why we made some changes to decide to add more picnic and community space and barbecue space. you are right. we can't necessarily solve that issue, but in the park design process, i can't say that we try to deal with that issue as openly and honestly and directly as we could through the community planning process. >> vice president low: i'm not necessarily saying its something related to the park design, but is there something else -- a planning tool that is then -- a toolbox that can help stem the tide? there is a great article that came out that talked about some of the transformative projects like the high line in new york and rail at 66 in chicago cacao

that created this gentrification at the unintended consequences of displacement. how do we address -- it is we as a safety, but it is more for planning. how do we try to do our part to stem that gentrification? >> one of the things that we've talked about during this project, at i think charlene mentioned it, is working with hunter's point family on having the community involved in the remediation phase and making traders economic opportunity that flows with communities that are there now, in the creation and storage of the park. it is also worth noting that while there is build in this area, there is transformational hope s.f. projects that this park will serve. some of the requirements that the board of supervisors and the mayor of the planning department have alluded to with respect to affordable housing ratios, i

think, actually, our efforts to try to make sure that communities can afford to stay in this neighborhood and i think some extensive discussions about transportation equity and transportation access. that's also playing a role. of those are things that i have observed as we have gone through the park planning process and have been participants, if not drivers, in the larger development conversation. >> vice president low: may be when the development agreement comes before us, that could be highlighted in the presentation. >> president buell: thank you. i would like to add a comment that i sat on the jury for the selection of the landscape architects. i just want to complement staff that we have come a long way and it is very encouraging. it is a job very well done. with that, i don't see any other comments. we would entertain a motion. i believe we have two items in front of us. >> vice president low: we could bring it up as one motion?

>> president buell: so moved. moved and seconded. so moved. thank you. >> clerk: we are now on item eight. washington's -- washington square water conservation project. >> good morning, commissioners. my name is levi connover. the item before you today is about action and possible action for concept design of the watch -- washington square water conservation project. approval of this action by the commission is the approval action as defined by s.f. administrative code, chapter 31. under the strategic plan, we seek to inspire public space, strengthen the quality of existing parks and facilities and inspire stewardship and

natural resources and continued water conservation plan with fixtures, pathways, landscape, irrigation and modernization. washington square is located in north beach at the intersection of columbus and palace street. it is one of the city's old as parks and was issued landmark designation in 1999. and 2012, we partnered with sfp you see. of the 12 parks surveyed, washington square was the highest user of water on an annual per acre basis with a total use of 3.3 million gallons of water a year. contributing factors are age, the current irrigation system was installed in 1950. there is a poor layout of the irrigation zone controllers, inefficient spengler heads and insufficient water pressure regulation. in addition to the irrigation system, the park suffers from

oversaturated soil on the main lawn and deteriorating pathways that do not meet current a.d.a. standards. the scope also seeks to address these issues through replacement of the sub drain infrastructure beneath the main lawn and full replacement of the pathways with new a.d.a. compliant concrete pathways. the department has worked closely with friends of washington square to develop the water conservation project from its early inception in 2016. the advocacy for the project and support from supervisor peskin was central to obtaining the sfp grant award for the irrigation improvement scope and attaining -- obtaining the funding for the pathway improvement scope for the project. our larger community outreach project began in february 2018 f. messaging the project and obtaining community feedback. outreach has included presentations and continued engagement with community groups and meetings with community members, meetings with business owners on the square and an online survey, which at last count, had received

approximately 225 responses. flyers passed out at the north beach festival in june, at a community meeting this last ju july. the north beach community is highly engaged and very well networked. through our outreach, the department gratefully accepted support from community groups to help circulate project updates through their e-mail distribution list and newsletters. this collaborative effort helped ensure that the neighbours received up-to-date project information from sources they actually read. we estimate that this shared effort helped to the department move the project to over 1,000 people that we otherwise may not have been able to reach without their assistance. neighborhood groups who assisted with this project messaging include the north beach neighbors, friends of joe dimaggio playground, and friends of washington square. additional outreach included updates to the chinatown community development centre and chinese press, north beach

business association and the community meeting that i referenced in july. the department is working with supervisor peskin's office on continued outreach through the chinese community, and lastly, we sent snail mail notifications to all of the businesses and properties on the square and have been meeting in person on site with business owners to hear their feedback and concerns. letters of support from friends of washington square, north beach neighbors in russian hill neighbors are included with the staff report for your reference. community feedback obtained during our outreach had a direct impact on the project today. at it's inception, this project was solely irrigation improvement project with the goal of conserving about 2.2 million gallons of water per year. the community raise concerns and advocated for the additional park scope items which resulted in the inclusion of the pathway, improvements on the drainage improvements on the main lawn. a significant focus of the community feedback we received

was on overall project delivery and related neighborhood impacts to the construction. we feel that we have achieved a project scope that is -- that the community is overall supportive of. with this understanding, we have focused a significant effort on the planning and implementation of construction to reduce impacts that are the greatest areas of concern that we've heard from the community. the proposed project scope includes installation of new whether sensing eric -- weather instigation -- irrigation cactuses up from a current system that has two irrigation zones. we were able to direct water exactly where it needs to be and be much more efficient with the use of the water. will be planting new drought tolerant and landscaping, installation of new sub drain infrastructure, and replacement of the topsoil on the main lawn to reduce a saturated soil conditions, repaving the pathways and making a.d.a. site access improvements. pruning throughout entry

maintenance and removal and replacement of 11 trees and maintenance to the existing benches and in-kind replacement of those benches only when necessary. the community was almost unanimously concerned with the duration of the park closure. and requested either a phase project delivery or a reduction in the duration of the closure. additionally, the community and local businesses advocated for formal plans to reduce neighborhood impacts related to the construction activity, to address these concerns, the department is concerned -- has said they will take the following measures. for construction duration, the construction contract will specify a closure of duration of six months. we believe we can achieve this based on larger irrigation projects that have recently beak -- been completed or about to be completed such as alamo, which were twice the size and were done in approximately seven or eight months. the department will utilize best value bidding, which is to ensure a qualified contractor is selected. this is a new contracting method

which is a new contracting method which we used that includes a noncost component for rating the contractor. it ensures we get somebody who we will be able to work with. we will also be offering an early completion bonus to be used as an incentive to shorten the completion date, even beyond the six month duration and liquidated damages will be encouraged to discourage late completion. the contract middle period will be planned prior to the park closure to ensure the project has been planned fully before closing the park to the public. homeless outreach is a major concern. the department is coordinating with the san francisco department of homelessness at supportive housing and the police department to engage with the homeless population prior to your -- prior to and during the park closure. they will undertake a large pest control and route eroded eliminn effort prior to the construction start. ongoing monitoring of traffic will also occur during construction. a plan will be provided to business groups and community groups for review and comments

before we commence with the construction contract. parking specifications will require the contractor use the vallejo street parking collage -- garage and parking equipment and debris will be stored on site at all times. we will also be hiring an archaeological consultant and have an as needed contract in place to eliminate any potential schedule inc. plot -- impacts of any unforeseen archaeological items. local businesses, the department will be working with local businesses to develop signage at the square to remind people businesses are still open around the square. lastly, we would be providing space near joe dimaggio park for informal uses such as tai chi and other uses at the park. to address the project budget a bit, i referenced earlier that we had done an initial assessment in 2012. this led to a report that was

done for us in 2015 by the landscape technical assistant program. this was a high level report used to help get a basis for the irrigation project. this included -- of this report included an estimate of $180,000 for the irrigation improvement scope. as we have developed the project, we found that the scope has come closer to about $360,000. our overall project budget right now is $3.1 million with construction estimated at $2 million, at ten% contingency is allocated and we have $800,000 in soft costs. to address it by metal review park the project has been reviewed by the planning department and was heard at the historic preservation commission at -- in may of this year. it was issued an exemption under class one existing facilities. following this commission and appeal was filed in june.

the plenty department rejected the appeal it issued a determination that the appeal was not timely. lisa gibson is here to answer any additional questions you might have on the status of the appeal. upon approval of a concept plan, the department the department will continue development of construction documents and bid documents and anticipated construction start is in early 2019, with a plan six month park closure. therefore staff recommends the staff approves the design for the washington square conservation project. i am happy to take any questions. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: do you want to go to public comment now? >> president buell: ,yeah. commissioner anderson? >> commissioner anderson: i just had a question. do we actually pay for the wat water? i didn't think that we did.

>> i believe so. yes. >> commissioner anderson: i had a little talk with our favourite meal and i am curious as to -- i was a -- i thought we are supposed to get the water for free. how does that work exactly? >> president buell: we pay. >> commissioner anderson: ok. >> clerk: other comments? i have one card. amanda, would you like to comment. and after amanda, if there's anyone else who wants to make public comment, come on up. you will each have three minutes. >> commissioners, hello commissioners. >> president buell: good morning. >> clerk: into the mic more. >> hello. i am a resident of the neighborhood around washington square park for a long time. i use it every day. as i watch it, i see that it's not only the heart of my

neighborhood, but so many tourists use it and so many people come from other parts of the city to eat and play. so i'm just very supportive of what i consider a restoration project. the park is perfect and wonderful, but it needs a lot of maintenance and care to make it better and to save water. thank you. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: next speaker? i do not have any more cards. if you want to speak, please come up now. >> hello. ken. maley friends of washington square. i am in total support of this project as the department has put forward and i would commence the department and a long-term relationship with friends of washington square on various projects in the past. from tree maintenance, to

landscaping, into benches, to lighting, friends of washington square, for the last almost 20 years has supported projects in the square. this project as proposed today, is the first attention paid to washington square since the first bond issue for recreational park was passed in 1957. in the amount of $50,000. [laughter] >> president buell: wow. geez. >> that grand plan, fortunately, hard elements, not only that happened, but did not happen. which is often the case with master plans. i don't believe, nor does friends of washington square, believe that there's any reason to delay this project. it is the first time we have had an opportunity, as i said, since 1957 to address long-overdue issues in the square, and recognizing it is one of the most historic parks in our city. fortunately, it did escape the fate of union square and

portsmouth square with the installation of underground garages, due to the late mayor, jack shelley jack who unfortunately lost his bid for reelection by vetoing that project for washington square. is one of the few in the city which is the ground for the first woman born in san francisco. it was her atlanta that the city traded for washington square. there is no reason in my view to delay or phase out this project. the department has worked as diligently as they are able to address community concerns and to ameliorate impact on the square. i really strongly encourage a direct approval of this plan and set the department free to begin this project in the beginning of next year. thank you very much. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: next speaker. richard.

>> good morning, again. commissioners, i went back to walk around washington square park. i found tom harrison and he is doing fine. it is much bigger. [laughter] >> i have a problem -- when i looked at the tree of my interest is cyprus. they are right. they will have to do a tremendous time. on the top, it is way off into one park. one of those branches went way off too much. i hope i didn't downplay that. i brought up another question about the woman, we have a bench for her. i am not sure if they are able to move it around. it does not face the corner.

i thought it would be nicer under the big bigotry. the cypress tree and get the big view of all the park activities across the street. you would get a nice view. and you don't just look a restaurant. mama's on the corner there. the satellite type system, i think they're doing weather or something. one of the sprinkler systems was missing. all it does is keeps on pumping out the water. i asked a question about it in community, and i hope they have a way of monitoring what is going on. i have seen that and they do have that *-asterisk type of irrigation system. i can't understand how a park such as washington square park uses so much water. i can't believe the amount of

water used. and if it is water saving, how else can they save water and at the same time, have the available hydration we like i said, commissioner harrison, i watched him planting and he did a great job. [laughter] >> on that particular park of the -- part of the park area, there is supposed to be other trees similar to the one that would have been planted. i don't see them around. i see may be a few. if any of the other commissioners ever drop by there and want to get their tree going, be sure to get there, ok? they need you guys. i will see you all later. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: next speaker.

good morning -- >> good morning, commissioners. i live in the street polk area. i go over to north street -- north beach a couple times a week. i work as a gardener and i worked in central park and the shakespeare garden. my question, or my concern with some of the renovations to the park, is the conversion of asphalt to concrete. especially in south park, which sort of change the park from a park land to an urban plaza. it is successful, but it has changed the look quite dramatically. also, the upper level, which had an asphalt, sort of, trail circling, now is a rather hard

concrete circle. it's kind of overkill. otherwise, the renovation of the park seems to be very sensitive. in this case, i was concerned with the conversion of concrete asphalt paths to concrete. asphalt, again, is more trail like. it has a very soft edge. it is dark. it blends in with the soil. concrete reflects the light, even when it is tinted. you are shooting it, you would use a different exposure. i think that is as any change to existing type of paving materials should be addressed in the procedures for review of alterations. and the second thing is, if you

are using concrete, why not use hermia's concrete, which i believe the parks was talking about five years ago and mayor newsom signed a go-ahead with the use of that material. so that was my concern. thank you. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: next speaker. >> my name is mark bruno. thank you all for letting me reappear here. as was pointed out by levi connover an appeal filed by me and the association was submitted to the clerk of the board of supervisors on june 15th. this is a copy of the front page of the appeal. this appeal, this piece of paper here, was resubmitted this morning because at the commission hearing on august

1st of this year, which was on the budget, three of you were there, three of you were there, you might recall that mr connover noticed that that meeting was the action item for this project. it means that somebody could appeal from that day forward. we were told today, that today is the action item for the appeal. i want to point out there has been three stated action items on this appeal. that is confusing to the public because as you keep having to reappeal or resubmit what you're objecting to, things are constantly changing. the project has been diligently pursued by rank and park with full-time employees. those of us in the neighborhood who are not full-time employees are simply trying to respond to a project that is already in its very nature, complicated. to have three different action items, three different dates, is very confusing. i want to point out, ms. miss

gibson, in her letter to me, stated very clearly that the action item couldn't be at the historic preservation commission meeting, which was may 16th, because it really is supposed to be in sometime in the future due to be determined. when the entire concept of the project is considered. in fact, the notice of the public hearing of the historic preservation commission says that the historic preservation commission approval of the public hearing would constitute the approval action for the project. for purposes pursuant to san francisco code. finally, if you go to that section, which refers not at all to the rank and park commission nor to concepts, nor to any particular type of approval, it simply says that under definitions, this is the only

section of the ministry of code that tells us all of -- all as citizens. for all public projects determined to be exempt, that is what we were appealing. we are saying it is not exempt. all of these projects, the first approval of the project in reliance on the exemption, meaning the categorical exemption by a safety decision-making body, which we say is a historic preservation commission, at a public notice of hearing. and this historic preservation commission did rely on that exemption because they refer to it in their motion. they say because the city is doing this, we are now going to give you their certificate of appropriateness. it all fits together with the code. that is the basis of our appeal today. we point out that our first appeal should be accepted. thank you. >> clerk: is there anyone else would like to make public comment on this item.

>> my name is dale. i'm a member of friends of washington square and also telegraphed hill dwellers and north beach my neighbors. i spoke briefly the capital committee. one of the commissioners mentioned that he has never gotten so many e-mails over what he considered a water project. i would just like to speak to the emotional reaction in the community. there is some. you may hear others speak against it. i am the guy that suggested we get out and hand the flyers out at the northbeat -- north beach fare. i realized when i was with a member of the friends, their shut down the park and people would go crazy. it is a great deal. i have spoken to many groups and i have seen levi who has done a tremendous job in addressing these issues with the community

organizations. i have seen the correspondence every time something comes up. we are trying to address it. i have talked to people in the community. i have talked to individuals. nobody will come down here and say we are delighted about having the park shut down for six months. it is a huge, huge deal for that community. it really is. but when you understand the significance of it, what these improvements will do in the long term, they will support it. they will not come down here and speak, but the great majority support it. it is a case of courage and sacrifice and whatever you hear against it, i promise you, people will support it. we will get a lot of flack when it is closed, but let's have the courage to move forward. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: is there anyone else who would like to make public who would like to make public comment on this item? ok. if anyone else wants to, could you please come forward now so

we have you come on up? thank you. >> hi. i'm louise miller. i've been resident of north beach since 85. it is great that we are investing in washington square. it is a super place and it needs to get better. it -- i do have concerns about the timing. >> president buell: can you speak into the microphone? thank you. >> it is a very economically depressed neighborhood. there is nine closed storefronts on one block just off the square. in addition to that, there is all the other stories that are closed and to the residential area that was lost due to the fire. is a struggling neighborhood. i am not sure if this is a good time to be investing in closing the square and closing the plaza for the businesses in the neighborhood and the residence. may be the timing -- i think it was starting in march. it would be going right through the spring and summer. that might be something that should be considered.

and to think about the water that we pay for in the square, i am wondering if it is currently being maintained. the spring colours are at odd angles. at two in the morning on monday, there was one that was shooting at an angle? -- it was above head and there is such a force that it was some kids are playing as a slide on the pavements. it is not being maintained. it is a problem even before now -- between now and the spring. we should be looking after it right now and not letting it get worse. i wonder if the businesses around there have had enough time to consider and respond. there has been some residence to think that the economic impact will be worse and worse for the whole neighborhood. it is not just a square, it is the plaza too with the new condos that are being sold. i wonder about the schedule and

the budget for the playground that is being worked on there peerk that seems to be going on for a long time for such a small area. playgrounds take a lot of maintenance. they are doing a lot of work on it. it is a great thing too. they made a great playground in the street, but is that keeping to the original budget? is that keeping to the original squirt -- schedule? i think it is good, i just have concerns. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: ok. is there any other public comment? if not, we will be closing public comment. ok. being none, public comment is closed. >> president buell: commissioner mazzola? >> commissioner mazzola: is it and an r.f.p. you'll be or is park and recreation employees and d.p.w. employees doing some of it? >> we will be bidding it out

through standard public works contracts. it will be done under the one gc. >> commissioner mazzola: second question i had, was best value bidding. i'm not 100% familiar with that, but is that instead of taking the lowest bidder, you take the lowest responsible bidder? can you explain that a little more. >> this will be our first, this is a new contracting method. it has been in place for about a year. this will be our first project where we are utilizing best value bidding. public works has done it on a couple of projects to date. what you have is a component that is a standard low bid contractor submits their bid for the six month duration, and you get that. as you would do similarly to an r.f.p., we have noncost criteria where there will be three judges who will grade all of the bidders. so then there is a formula where you divide the grade by the

value and that gives you your ranking of the contractors. >> commissioner mazzola: cost isn't everything? >> cost isn't everything. >> commissioner mazzola: but the low bidder still will win after the judges make their decision? >> not necessarily. we could have a situation where, for instance, the second bidder got much better grades than the low bidder. so then that adjusted cost would have them win. the intent behind this is we get someone who grades really well and we are confident that they can execute this. will be putting a lot of focus on things like past project delivery, time, that kind of thing. >> commissioner mazzola: what is the major reason for doing it this way rather than the other way? >> in this case, there has been

a ton of concern about how long we are closing the park. this is just one more tool we have to try and ensure we get a really good contractor. i think if this works out well, we will start doing it more. it is new to the city to be doing it this way. >> vice president low: it is a project of legislation that the board pass and the mayor signed in 2016. and the city is going through a process now of evaluating contractor performance and a parcel of the legislation -- the ultimate cost of the bid is still a driving factor, but it is not the only factor. for example,, we know the neighborhood has concerns about the length of the park closure and, you know, the impact of dust and certain other things on

this very constrained space. to see how they respond to it. they need to pick up some more experienced contractors, even if they were not necessarily the lowest bidder. it is a rating system so the price is still a driving factor. i do not know, levi, if you know off the top of your head how it is weighted, but the answer, the qualitative criteria actually contribute to the score along with the quantitative criteria. >> we see the three factors that you add in their. will be see these? >> when i bring the construction contract. i can bring the full breakdown of how we graded it. >> commissioner mazzola: and you still consider there will be new stuff in the system? everybody is eligible to bid, at all other things being equal, a lot of the other laws and

statutes in our contracting system still apply, but it just means it is no longer appear low bid. >> thanks. >> president buell: commissioner low? >> vice president low: did make qualify where we are with the historical preservation commission and when they issue the certificate of appropriateness, did mr bruneau appeal this? >> yes. maybmaybe i should have lisa coe and give a little bit more. >> good afternoon back president buell and members of the commission. i am here to speak to the issue of the appeal that mr bruneau filed on the categorical exemption for the project. he appealed that as he stated correctly following the historic

preservation commission hearing. regrettably there was an error in the notification and in identifying the approval action for the project, for purposes of an appeal of environmental determination, the approval action is the trigger for when an appeal becomes timely. it is within 30 days of the approval action. so he filed an appeal following that, based on the language that we had in notice, subsequently, i responded to him that it was in error and today's hearing is the approval action for the project. the approval today, if the concept plan is approved by this body, the appeal would be time timely. i had communicated that to mr bruneau, and he is aware that his appeal already filed, would become timely, following approval if that occurs. so we have learned from this

that we need to improve some of our training and ensuring that we don't make those kind of errors in the notice. i do apologize for the confusion to the public. >> vice president low: what is on the agenda is only one action item, which is approval of the concept land. this is the triggering approval action that triggers the time. to file an appeal on the categorical exemption embassy of a? or just the categorical exemption? >> i do not know about the appeal periods. i am sorry about that. might area of expertise is on the environmental review. whatever timeframe there was for the appeal, i would have to differ on that one. but it is that today's action is, in fact the approval action for the project that triggers the appeal on the environmental review. >> vice president low: ok.

>> president buell: seeing no other questions, no other speakers, it is in the hands of the commission. should we entertain a motion? >> moved to approve. >> president buell: second. moved and seconded. so moved. >> clerk: we are now on reminder item nine which is off calendar. we are on item ten. the genieve carbine project time increase. >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am the project manager for the car barn. today's action is the discussion and possible action to amend the contract with robot construction for the geneva powerhouse phase i project to extend to the schedule by 169 calendar days. it just a refresher, the phase i powerhouse project will renovate the powerhouse portion of the building, as well as surrounding site improvements across the entire building frontage.

the project was advertised in october 2017. the park commission approved a contract in november 2017 and a notice to proceed was issued to the contractor in april of 2018. there were some delays between the contract and ncp due to negotiations with the m.t.a. on the timing and space needs of the project within the actively used cameron beach train yard. this is not a request for additional funds. the original contractor was 210 days. after the construction started, it became apparent, due to the sequencing needs of the project, the sensitive rehabilitation and construction of historical and architectural elements within the building, and the constraints of the site and the m.t.a. train yard, that the contract duration for the project was insufficient for the contractor to complete the work. the proposed schedule has been reviewed by the scheduling team for feasibility and compliance

with city contracting requirements and if approved as part of the updated contract duration agreement with a contractor, there will be no additional extended overhead fees incurred by this additional time. depending commissioner approval, the project is on track to reach substantial completion by late march 2019, and final completion by may, 2019. >> clerk: is there any public comment on this item? being none, public comment is close. >> president buell: entertain a motion? >> so moved. >> president buell: moved and seconded. so moved. >> clerk: we are now on item 11. let's play this up.

>> good afternoon, commissioners. still good morning. i am lisa brandstetter. director of the recreation and park department. i am here to give you your twice a year update on the let's playsf! initiative. it is nice to come here and regroup on an initiative level and see where we are. just as a quick reminder, this project comes out of the park's bond that had a 15 and a half

million dollar pot of funding to remediate the city's most deserving playgrounds, and it came with a requirement to convene a task force to determine which playgrounds those would be. at the end of 2014, that task force presented the commission, and the commission approved a list of 13 playgrounds, that were approved for renovation based on the presence of copper arsenic in playgrounds would. the site or sights in low-income neighborhoods, and the sites located in neighborhoods dense with children. is 15 and a half million was not enough to renovate all 13 playgrounds. the park's alliance and the department agreed to partner on an initiative to raise private funds so all of these playgrounds could be renovated in a timely fashion. overall, i want to say, o. -- again contact us as a reminder, this is the map of the 13 playgrounds separated into tier

one and tier two, as directed by the task force. overall, i want to say we are absolutely thrilled with the progress to date. as of today, the commission has approved all six concept plans for the tier one playgrounds, and planning is in process for three other sights. the commission also approved them and i will skip ahead a little bit. the commission also also approved the donor recognition plan for the initiative, and that is just being implemented. we are excited to implement that. we know it will help a lot with the private elements. it also is a really nice elements of the program. it tells the story of a moment in time when the public and the private came together to fix these playgrounds. it really well marked these playgrounds all over the city. it should be a nice addition to

that project. then i will just take you quickly through a thumbnail of the concept plans that have been approved by commission. this is washington square, which is the playground that is in construction. we plan to open that in a few months, this fall. it should be a really nice, -- milestone for the initiative. >> president buell: will that stay open during the water project? >> yes. >> president buell: thank you. >> that will. and the bathrooms as well. sergeant mccauley playground in the tenderloin, allis chalmers

playground, this is the group picnic area at mclaren park, panhandle playground, and this is west portal playground which is a tier two playground but had to money other than bond money that we could use for the design of this playground. i like showing those altogether because it highlights the joy we are creating all over the city. though you've obviously seen all of those on a one-off basis. of course, we continue to run the project with a deep level of community engagement. we had more than 2400 touches of community members listing their opinions on these playgrounds. we've had 95 community meetings, workshops, focus groups and/or surveys to get the word out and gather information about what

each neighborhood wants in their site. as the schedule -- it is a little small and hard to reach, at the top is washington square. you will see the red line is where we are today. we do anticipate opening this playground in a couple of months. we expect to come to commission with a number of contract awards in the next couple of months before our next update in march. and my favorite part of the schedule is the middle to end of 2019 when we expect to open five more playgrounds. and then, just to talk through the budget, we flagged for you in our marked update that because, almost completely due to the construction environment

in the city, there is cost escalation in this initiative. we are expecting the total anticipated expenses to be just over $36 million. we have also found some public sources of money to fund this, but one of the remarkable elements is the park's alliance board last month voted to increase the private fundraising goal 214 and a half million dollars out of their deep commitment to getting every single one of these playgrounds done. this has been a really wonderful partnership, but we are very grateful to the park's alliance for taking a hard step in showing their deep commitment to this initiative. i will just add that we do believe this is a pretty conservative estimate. it has very healthy reserves

built and. we have gotten much better at cost estimating. we believe that the cost estimate for the tier two projects will hold and that the reserves will get us to where we need to be, if necessary. that is the summary of the project today. if you have any questions, i am happy to answer them. >> clerk: is. >> clerk: is there any public comment? >> good afternoon, commissioners. i am with the park alliance. we're so grateful to be working with the recreation and park department on this. it is an amazing opportunity to see neighborhoods transform with the input of the community. the designs reflect robust engagement efforts that we have done, hand-in-hand with the project managers, the design team and the park's alliance staff, et cetera.

they are beautiful and reflect these communities, while remaining conscious and conservative in approaching the budget in understanding the climate we are in right now. as lisa mentioned, our board recommitted to this campaign and we are excited to take on the challenge at head and really dive in to our efforts to raise the funding to support this. we look forward to furthering those efforts through the tier two playgrounds at identifying ways to identify -- engaged communities and transform these neighborhoods. >> president buell: thank you. >> clerk: is there anyone else would like to make public comment on the site and. being done, public comment is closed. >> president buell: commissioner mcdonnell? >> commissioner mcdonnell: oh, question. just a quick comment. having served on the initial task force to initiate this initiative is exciting to continue to see the progress on all fronts on the fundraising, certainly, as well as on each of

the projects and quite frankly, on a personal note, in particular, because the one that will cause my phone to ring from people like the pastor of the church and other family members is merced heights. if that could continue, that would be personally meaningful to me. >> commissioner mazzola: to the west portal playground, i have been up there. i live up that area. and looks like it was roped off and closed. as it closed until this starts, or not? >> no. i don't know anything about it. >> commissioner mazzola: you might have seen a court resurfacing above the tunnel? it had yellow tape and everything. >> vice president low: that could potentially been related to some of the muni tunnel work. >> nothing is closed. >> commissioner mazzola: i want to make one observation.

it is so impressive to see the amount of private philanthropy support for these projects. that doesn't happen by accident. it happens, in my opinion, because the parks are held in high regard by the city and that people feel comfortable investing in them. i don't think the enthusiasm would be there if it wasn't for the staff and the leadership of the park department. i just would be remiss if i didn't put all that together. thank you. >> we just want to recognize parts alliance for increasing their goal. it speaks towards the party and the parks, the party for the parks. coming up next month. >> president buell: the 15t 15th? thank you. thank you, lease sb nine we are now on item 12, which is general public comment continued from item for. if you would like to make general public comment and you

did not comment under item from farah, could you please come forward? being then, public comment is closed. we are now on item 13, closed session. is there anyone who would like to make public comment on closed session? being done, this item is closed. i need a vote on whether to hold closed session to confer with legal council regarding pending litigation. >> president buell: all in favor? so moved. >> clerk: i need to ask everyone to pl

>> clerk: communing -- communications, commissioners? public comment? public comment is closed. we are on item 17. adjournment. >> president buell: seconded. >> clerk: wait, wait. >> vice president low: i would like to make a motion to adjourn in memory of sean.