>> this is the recreation and park commission. will the secretary please call the role. [roll call taken] >> the san francisco recreation -- this is the recreation and park commission meeting of august 19, 2021. the san francisco recreation and park commission acknowledges that we occupy the unseated ancestoral home land of the maloni people.

we honor the. [indiscernable] they have never seated, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers, as well as for all people to reside in their traditional territory. we recognize our duties to honour the maloni. we affirm their sovereign rights as first people, and wish to pay our respect to the ancestors and relatives of the community. please note due to the coronavirus health -- [inaudible] we ask for your patience if we experience any

technical issues. public comment will be available for each item on the agenda. each speaker will be allowed two minutes to speak. comments or opportunities to speak during the public comment period are available by calling 415-655-0001, and the access code today is 1468530731. when you hear the agenda item you would like to comment on called, dial *3 to be added to the queue to speak. you will be lined in in the order you dialed *3. the system will notify you when you're in line and waiting. all callers will remain on mute until their line is open. everyone must account for the time delays and speaking discrepancies between live coverage and streaming. alternatively, you may submit public comment by e-mailing rec parks.commission. if you submit public comment via e-mail, it will be included in the

legislative file. you can also send it to 501 canyon street, san francisco, california, 94117. this meeting is recorded and will be available on sfgov tv.org. we are now on item 2: president's reporter. >> the president does not have a report. >> clerk: if there are any public comment on the president's report, you can dial *3 to be added to the queue. paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> there are zero hands raised. >> clerk: seeing no public comment, public comment is closed. we're now on item 3: general manager's report. >> good morning, commissioners. happy end of summer. i do have a few items for you today, so bear with me. i need to start on a sad note. we recently learned about

the passing of one of our beloved park rangers, who works in a career spanning more than 50 years. carl worked with us for the past five years, but also spent time with other city departments, including the san francisco police department and sfmta, where he famously won the annual bell-ringing contest several times. our thoughts are with carl's family as we say good-bye to this san francisco icon and legend. his passing will definitely be felt here at the park. he was beloved by the rangers and by the park visitors. i would like to request that we adjourn today's meeting in carl's honor. >> chairman: sure. >> i have a few vaccination requirement updates as we continue to

adhere to the city's ever-changing health orders. beginning this friday, august 20th, all patrons of bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters, gyms, and large indoor events will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter. this will apply to our recreation facilities, which include, but are not limited to, our swimming pools and recreation centers. appropriate signage has been posted at our facilities to help keep the public informed of these new requirements, which do not apply to those who are ineligible for vaccinations, including children under the age of 12. for more information, the public can visit sfgov/information, where all of these requirements are listed with more detail. last month we were very

pleased to celebrate the opening of the golden gate heights playground. the place where joe halissey cut his teeth as a dog walker, nature explorer, and tennis player. it is a nature play area that sparks creativity and a dramatic spiral tower soaring above it all, the newly renovated golden gate park opened last month. the makeover includes a climbing wall, monkey bars, a basket screen, and steps. the renovation is part of the "let's play s.f." campaign, which is a partnership between the recreation and parks department and the san francisco parks alliance

transformed the city's 13 most time-worn playgrounds for creativity and family life. a nature exploration area created by repurposing logs and other natural materials, offers opportunities for unstructured play in the renovated park. san francisco children and nature, which is a collaborative that increases children's access to nature provided design over the exploration area. beyond the playground, it includes a new irrigation system and sod for the field, picnic area, an a.d.a. provisions. [inaudible] which allows neighbors a proposed project to benefit their community. it provided construction management and

architecture design for the project, which was shaped by input from neighborhood residents. i want to thank public works, the rec and park staff, and, most importantly, the neighborhood residents for all of their input in developing what is really a very, very, very special space. but it is not the only special space we have in san francisco. a special ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of another renovation project will be held at jury commons park on september 13th at 1:00. the concepts and objectives for this project were driven by input from communities throughout the new park, and the design has the lush green hidden oasis of the space, and taking advantage of the sites unique railroad history. there is play equipment, a path improvement and additional seating. for more information, check out our website

sfrecpark.org. next week yours truly will be joining a discussion about what we've learned about the parks during the pandemic. we will talk about the challenges brought on by the pandemic, and our staff's herculean effort to serve our city in the time of need. the discussion will be in person and online at manny's. for tickets and more information, check out welcometomannys.com. commissioners, what do the san francisco giants know how do do better than beating other teams, winning funds. thanks to the good tidings

foundation and others, the baseball field at bayview-hunters point neighborhood was recently renovated, including a repaired and upgraded field, dugout, fencing and more. the giants' foundation has helped to renovate more than two dozen baseball fields over the past few years, and now free baseball clinics for boys and girls, ages 7 to 16, will take place on tuesdays and thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 beginning september 14th through november 4th. free clinics every tuesday and thursday at gilman from 4:30 to 6:30. for more information, you can contact our staff. i think it is manny blackwell who will be running these clinics. you can call him at

218-3942 or by e-mail. i'm hoping and expecting there may even be guest appearances from commissioner halissey and commissioner manny, who have a lot to offer our children, cultivating a swing and staying down on the ball. i look forward to seeing you all at the diamond. i was a second baseman, for those of you who care -- i don't sense you do, but i just thought i would throw it out there. as many of you know, the great highway reopened to week-day vehicular traffic this past monday. this was a decision made by the mayor, in consultation with supervisors melgar, mar

and chan. motorists will be able to use the roadway from 6:00 a.m. on mondays until noon on friday, and then it will close for bicyclists over the weekend. on holidays, the great highway will also be closed to vehicular traffic. as i mentioned, these changes were announced aft last week by mayor breed, with support from supervisors chan and melgar, and will be in place until the board of supervisors considers legislation on the future of the highway beyond the pandemic closure. check out the mayor's website or sfrecpark.org. the historic san francisco open is returning to golden gate park during labor day weekend, from september 3rd to the

6th, at the lisa and doug goldenman tennis center. this year's tournament is hosted with funding from toby's philanthropy. it is the 120th anniversary of the tournament. no joke, 120 years. and for the first time in decades, the tournament will be offering a prize purse to attract top women and men college players, emerging and task professionals, as well as recreational players. for more information, including how to register, visit playtennis.usta.com and then we'll be doing a public free broadcasting with u.s. open matches on the big screen during the

championship weekend. the schedule includes matches on friday, september 10th, from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m., which will include the men's final semi matches. and on friday, which will be the women's final. and sunday, september 12th, from 1:00 to 4:00, which will be the men's final. we showed the women's final last year while the tennis center was under construction, and the year before that, pre-covid, and it was so much fun to see everybody out there and to watch tennis on the big screen. so bring a blanket because we can't predict the weather, and cheer on your favorite players at the lisa and douglas goldman tennis center. finally, commissioners, after five successful years and then a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, the san francisco botanical gardens and

sunset piano are excited to bring back "flower piano," to transform the san francisco botanical garden into their own alfresco concert hall. and everyone is invited to play and listen to commissioner eric mcdonnell and many others. flower piano will take place from friday, september 17th, to tuesday, september 21st. for more information, visit sfbg.org. finally, commissioners, i'm thrilled to share this month's video with you, which is about our golden gate park junior guides program. and i really want to thank and appreciate lisa branston and the partnership division, and the san francisco parks alliance for all of their work, and our recreation team, for all of the

incredible work they did to put this program together this summer. this was a free shuttle program for kids to visit golden gate park this summer. and they were treated to an amazing day in the park of play and observation and a reading of golden gate park "a" to "z" by the author. and they were given passes to come back to the park with their families to visit all of our attractions for free. they also got a ride on the sky star ferris wheel. as i think this video will share, this is a wonderful program, touching hundreds and hundreds of kids. and i think there was a very healthy percentage of kids that had never been to golden gate park before. and we focused our shuttle program in our equity zones and most underserved

districts in san francisco to ensure that everyone has a chance to enjoy one of america's best parks. so with that, david, i'd like to queue up the video and share with you in a little more detail this wonderful program. >> we're not hearing any sound, colleagues, just so you know. >> david -- [audio echoing]

>> we will bring this back to you. i think there are some technical difficulties that are going to be hard for us to overcome in a timely way, that i'm learning from our staff. so this really is a wonderful program. so what i would like to do at our next opportunity, come back with not just the video, but some more highlights of this fabulous program that was happening this summer. but with that, i'll conclude the general manager's report. >> chairman: thank you. >> clerk: if there is any public comment on the general manager's report, you can dial *3 to be added to the queue to speak. paul, let me know if anyone has their hand raised.

>> ashley, there are seven people on the call, and there are two hands raised. i'll unmute the first. >> clerk: okay. you'll have two minutes to speak. >> caller: yes. i want to open the great highway. i think it is finally refreshing that the highway is open to cars so that people can get to work and do the things that they need to do. this is a have, a want, rather than a need -- it is a have for the people. i think it was kind of telling that you guys all laughed when you mentioned that the great highway was going to close at noon on friday. keep the great highway open, please. people need it. i'm a vet. i need to get to the v.a. stop all of the nonsense. thank you. >> clerk: next speaker. >> good morning. this is patricia eric.

i'm so grateful to the mayor and gordon mar for opening it at least partially the great highway. everybody in the sunset, 85,000 people, are breathing a collective sigh of relief finally. i was on the lower great highway, and the number of cars are down 60%. since monday. and it is a beautiful sight for me to see. people are up there walking on the newly-cleared bike path. there are just as many people up there now as there were before during the week. and working people are not stuck in traffic trying to get to work and get home. people in the avenues are

not afraid to cross an intersection because they might get run down by a callous commuter. so i'm very grateful. i'm very grateful that finally working people, moderate-income people who have to get up every day and go to work are safer, and we are all safer. the bike coalition says that they deserve a fully car-free great highway. does that mean that we deserve to have to live with 18,000 more cars in our neighborhood? i don't think so. i'm just grateful that finally there is some fairness and equity. thank you. >> clerk: paul, has anyone else raised their hand? >> that was the last hand raised, ashley.

>> clerk: okay, see no further callers, public comment is now closed. commissioners, did you want to say anything about the general manager's report. i think commissioner halsey has his hand raised. you're on mute. >> thank you. i was at the gilman playground event. it was a beautiful day. the facility is gorgeous. we all know that projects like these take funding. a tremendous job by the giants' community fund, the glad tidings foundation, the generosity of brandon crawford. there were a number of speakers that day. mayor breed talked of her time at gilman, said she played shortstop about 35 years ago. i actually played at gilman about 20 years before her, when the field

was entirely dirt, as well as the outfield, with a few sparce blades of grass, and now it looks fabulous. but i wanted to say there was a number of speakers that day. they all did a very good job, but i felt commissioner jupiter-jones was the most affective at this event, without question. and i'll tell you why: most of the politicians talked about the bigger groups, the funders, which, as i mentioned, is totally necessary. but when commissioner jupiter-jones spoke representing the commission, she brought it down to the community level. she talked about teaching at brett hart school. i believe it was her first teaching job, which is right next door. more importantly, she gave a shoutout to the staff at gilman, to robert watkins and duran tyson and

christopher adams, and jamie omens. she gave a shot out to them so that when all of the media and politicians and speakers left, it was great to hear those people mentioned because they're the ones that are going to have to take care of this space. they're the ones that are going to have to provide this positive programming for all of the youth in that neighborhood. so i just wanted to tell everyone what a fantastic job she did. as i said, the most affective part of her presentation is that she brought the conversation to the neighborhood level. great job, commissioner. >> you're too kind. thank you. i appreciate it. it was a great event. >> chairman: thank you, commissioners. >> clerk: okay. so we are now on item 4:

general public comment. up to 15 minutes. this item will be continued to item 8. at this time, members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that do not appear on the agenda. with respect to agenda items, you will have the opportunity to address the committee when the item is reached. if you would like to make a general comment, dial *3 to be added to the queue. paul, does anyone have their hand raised for this? >> ashley, there are seven people on the line and one hand raised. >> clerk: okay. you'll have two minutes. >> two hands. >> clerk: two hands. okay. >> good morning, commissioners. my name is tony paster. i've been the parade chairman for 2021. we are applying for a permit for washington square park for sunday, october 10th, 2021, from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

this will be our 163rd parade. part of this event is the auto show in washington square park. it will hopefully be our 25th auto show in the park. we believe this will help the city and county of san francisco to come out of this pandemic and celebrate all things italian. we bring in thousands of people for the parade and car show. this will help the economy, all restaurants, bars, delicatessens, and bakeries in the area. it has been a north beach tradition for over 150 years. recently i attended the san francisco old car picnic in speedway meadows, and the recreation and parks gave a permit to them for over 200 cars in the golden gate park. we are asking for 30 to 40 cars only. with the renovation in 2019in washington square part, we are excited to showcase the park and san francisco nationwide we have revised our plans

to protect the green spaces and water systems so we can leave the park in the same condition when we depart. again, we're asking for a permit for washington square park on october 10, 2021, to showcase italian cars in the park. thank you for your time. >> >> chairman: thank you. >> clerk: next speaker. >> yeah, hi. good morning commissioners. thank you for this opportunity to address the commission. my name is paul panelli, and along with tony, i'm on the committee, on the board of directors for the italian heritage parade and the auto show, that tony was just talking about, for which we have applied for a permit. in addition to the pertinent comments made by tony, i would just like to add that it's very important for the commission to know that

our committee is very aware of the time and effort put into the renovations at washington square park. and we are very aware of the concerns of the commission over the condition of the park. this is something we discussed quite a bit in the past, and we continue to right now, and it is a concern of ours because we have so many commissioners who are either natives of north beach our current residents of north beach, and realize the value of the park not just to san francisco, but to the community in north beach. so being aware of the renovations and aware of the concerns, we constantly discuss mitgations that we can take. it is important that you know we're willing to do whatever it takes to get the permit and to satisfy the concerns of the commission. mitigations are necessary. we realize that and we're

willing to accommodate any of the concerns on the part of the commission, and i just wanted to kind of make that point so you're comfortable grants us a permit should that time come, and if this needs to go on the agenda for next month, we're more than happy to do that, too. thank you for your time. at the same time, the concourse italiano car show is also a big part of our heritage and celebration. >> clerk: paul, are there any other speakers? >> there are no more hands, ashley. >> clerk: okay. seeing no further callers, public comment is now closed. we're now on item 5: the consent calendar. commissioners, let me know if you would like to take anything off the consent calendar. if not, someone will make a motion to approve.

>> do we want any public comment on the consent calendar, ashley? >> clerk: yeah, that's probably a good idea. is there any public comment on the consent calendar? paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> i see six people on the call and zero hands raised. >> clerk: okay, callers, public comment is closed. >> chairman: commissioners, any questions or comments? [buzzer] >> i move that we accept the consent calendar. >> chairman: thank you. >> i second. >> chairman: moved and seconded. all those in favor? >> aye. >> chairman: any opposed? hearing none, it is unanimous. thank you. >> clerk: we are now on item 6: san francisco zoo. >> good morning. tonya peterson, director of the zoo. i'm here from the zoo, and

i believe i have a powerpoint, which is better than my messy office here. oh, goodness (laughing). [laughter] >> okay. i think we sent a powerpoint. i'm just checking if maybe -- >> clerk: maybe gary -- not gary. david has it. he should be sharing it for you. >> oh, thank you, david. because i wanted to show you two of my favorite animals. >> from the beginning, and...there we go. >> great. david, if i could just go right to that first

slide -- >> okay. >> thank you. all right. i wanted to wish everybody happy world orangutan day. unlike world donor day, there is a day for these beautiful animals. we're celebrating the two we have here, judy and baroni, who was named by our community. instead of trying to promote doughnuts, we're trying to tell people not to eat foods that have palm oil, they are destroying the communities of these species, particularly the palm oil industry. we're trying to make our zoo visitors eat less in terms of palm oils and fats. so be healthy today and think of these two beautiful creatures. if i could go to the next slide, david. the one title "march of

the penguins here," this is my favorite annual convenient at the zoo. as a reminder, the zoo has the largest outdoor penguin pool of any u.s. zoo, if not the world. we couldn't do this during covid, but we gave birth to penguin chicks. because our pool is out door, these chicks will be in competition with seagulls and other wildlife, recently even egrets, so we take some time to train these chicks how to be hand-fed, and we actually train them how to swim since they are separated for some time from their parents. once we feel they are ready to join the big colony, we allow them to come from the back of the zoo, where they've been training and learning these skills, and they actually walk through the zoo and join the colony for the passage of rights. and we open it up to our members early in the

morning. and we were safely distanced, so we limited the numbers by online reservations, but it was just great to see the public again and to welcome lemon on the left. lemon was named by our members in a contest. i don't know if they meant lemon and lemonade. and to the right is handsome david, who was named after a board member who recently passed away during this terrible pandemic. so welcome david and lemon to our colony. right now their feathers are quite fluffy, and they look big until their feathers actually become waxed down and look more like the other penguins. so come join us. and then my next slide here, david -- we didn't have much breeding or births during the pandemic, but thankfully many of the breeding recommendations we

received have been under way. this is an endangered african antelope. it has the longest nursing period, and the mothers will hide with the calves in the african savannah. and i think for a couple of weeks, staff didn't realize she had given birth. she was so clever about how she hid her calves. about five or six weeks later, she allows the calf to come out. you can see he is healthy, and already his remarkable strengths are showing. come see him. he is a spectacular annal, already hopping and jumping around. as the general manager mentioned, in the next slide, we, too are ever-changing with the covid requirements. we had recently opened places like our insect zoo and our south america

tropical aviary. we are reopened those areas in the front of the zoo. and today we will be closing indoor dining, moving folks outside. you can order food through our mobile apps, but we'll eliminate that and some other indoor dining in light of new covid requirements, but we're thrilled that the rest of the zoo and the outdoor aspect of the zoo remains open. we require online reservations to make sure we can maintain a steady flow of visitors and ensure social distancing. my next slide is bittersweet. that is bruce, named affectionately after the former giants manager. he may be the heaviest but also the meanest annal in animan africa. and he has just been a delight.

[inaudible] they seek our collaboration in breeding endangered animals. and recently they have found a girlfriend for bruce. unfortunately in a zoo in the midwest. it is a brand new exhibit, and i think will it best for him and her that we move bruce to the midwest. so we are training him now now. see those treats there? those are lollipop treats that entice him to come out of the water and into a water. he is 5,000 pounds, and his crate is 4500 pounds. not a lot of companies can assist us. so we thank lab core and others for providing us the equipment. when he is ready, he will be going on a special chartered flight probably mid-september. the timeline is up to him. again, bittersweet to see him go, but we hope he

sires future hippos. our long-term plan is to replace him with two pygmy hippos. they're even more endangered. they were found in the island of madagascar, and our strategic plan is focusing quite a bit on madagascar and the wildlife there, as it is predicted in the next 15 years there will be no wildlife on the island in madagascar. so please come and say good-bye to bruce before he goes. and i just want to give another update on an exhibit that thankfully was allowed to have continued construction during the pandemic, and that's our snow leopard exhibit. our male was named jimmy "g" after the 49ers quarterback. and he successful sired twin leopard cubs. and it was the first

births for jimmy "g" and his mate. so to jimmy "g"'s credit, he not only had one successful birth, but two, but that caused us to have to expand the exhibit quickly. and we have tripled the size not only in length, but in height. and the snow leopards will have a chance to look over the tigers, the hippos, the rhinos, and maybe even have a view of the ocean on a good day. we hope to open that at the end of september. lastly, little things matter: we are zoo and gardens, and one of our meritis board members came here (indiscernable) and it has been the delight of children and all generations as they have come in a surprise, something we were able to do during the pandemic with the closure. with that, i finished my

report, and i'm here for any questions. >> chairman: thank you very much. >> clerk: if you have any public comment on the zoo report, you can dial *3 to be added to the queue. paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> yes. there are four people on the call and zero hands raised. >> clerk: okay. seeing no comment, public comment is closed. we are now on item 7: the "let's play s.f.." and an update. >> hello, commissioners and general manager, i'm lisa branston, i'm director of partnerships at the recreation and parks department. and i'm here with cara rupert, who is the deputy

director of the capital division on this initiative. the item today is, of course, our recurring informational update on the "let's play s.f." initiative, and they get more and more fun as the pictures get prettier and prettier as we move through this. so before diving in, just a quick reminder that the program had its origins in the 2012 clean and safe neighborhoods parks bond, which allocated $15.5 million to renovate playgrounds. the task force prioritized 13 playgrounds based on presence of toxic wood and play equipment and placed in low-income neighborhoods for children. the playgrounds they selected was twice the number of playgrounds that the department estimated could be renovated with the $15.5 million from the

bond. so the department partnered with the san francisco parks alliance to raise private funds so we can get all 13 playgrounds renovated more quickly for san francisco's children and families. next slide, please. so just a little bit of a summary before we dive a little deeper into this. as i mentioned, it is just so exciting to continue to be able to share the progress with the commission, and, more importantly, with the public. we've now completed eight, and almost nine, playgrounds with one set to open next month, as phil mentioned. three more have approved concept plans by this commission, and their documentation is being prepared to put them out to bid and get them into construction. and the very last playground in the initiative, stearn grove, we're deep in the community and engagement process. and carol will share some pictures of the emerging

design of that playground later. and then i did just want to -- okay, go ahead. sorry. next slide, please, cara. and i did just want to think about the three pillars of the campaign, which continue to guide all of us in this work of why it is important. community, creativity, and wellness are critical factors behind the initiative. there is detailed research that shows that beautiful public spaces designed with stakeholder engagement inspires community and brings people together. play helps nurture growing brains, and getting outside leads to improved well-being among children. and through these pillars, we honor the combined commitment of the department and the parks

alliance to the 20,000 children that live within a quarter mile of these 13 playgrounds. and with that note, i'll turn it over to cara, who can talk a little bit about where we are on project delivery on all of these 13 sites. >> great. thank you so much, lisa. and good morning, commissioners. my name is cara rupert, and i'm a project manager with the capital division. i want to remind everyone of what these 13 playgrounds are. here is the map we have showed in the past, identifying each of these 13 playgrounds across the city. the ones with the red check marks are the ones that are complete. and eight of the 13 are complete and reopened to the public. we are excited to share that -- actually, i'll go first through the seven that we have already shared with you.

panhandle playground, mercer heights playground, mcculley playgrounds, alice, the west portal, and the west wing in mcclaren park. and i was about to say we are excited to share the golden gate playground opened last month. here are some visuals, some beautiful, brand new lovely, little playgrounds in a beautiful park, and a really fun opening celebration last month. and as you've heard, jury commons is set to open next month as well. these pictures are from last month. as you can see, even the mulch has been put down. we're doing some final tweaks and waiting for the turf to establish, and then we'll open this beautiful little park to the community again as well. and here is a little preview of stearn grove playground. this project is -- we are

working with the community to develop the concept plan. this is a rendering that was shared last month at a community meeting. and we expect to go back to the community with a final plan and then come to you before the end of the year for secret adoption and approval of the concept plans. we have the projects you have seen over the past year, for the concept plan approvals. just a quick reminder of what those look like, to remind everyone, the playground in the upper left, buchanan street mall on the upper right, and hertz playground on the lower left. siege one of these playgrounds is developing documents, and we expect to be back here probably in the spring for award of contract. so i've already gone over the schedules for all of

the remaining projects, but it is always nice to see the whole program together. i know this is a really tiny schedule, apologies. the red vertical line is today's date, showing where we are in the initiatives. and the red stars are when we are expected to come back before you for an action item on the initiative. so as you can see, our next one would be stearn grove. we're hoping to be here before the end of the year for concept plan, and then early to mid-next year for award of construction contracts at the other three that i mentioned. and with that, i will pass it back to lisa to sum up. >> great. thanks, cara. so just to -- as cara said, to sum up and to show the financial update, you'll see from the initiative budget the

project continues hover around $35 million project. and cara's cost estimates on the playground construction has been great so far. and we're hoping and looking forward to those holding as we bid out the next set of projects. and the partners have done some work to lower some of the initiative-wide expenses. and with that and the addition of some public funds for -- to complete richmond playground, we're happy to say we're almost done with the fundraising for this initiative. and, um, that concludes the presentation for today. and cara and i are happy to answer any questions. and just give our thanks to this commission for its support and oversight and to our partners from the san francisco parks

alliance for the multi-year deep partnership on this initiative. thank you so much. >> chairman: thank you, lisa. >> clerk: if there is any public comment on this item, you can dial *3 to be added to the queue to speak. paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> there are four callers and two hands raised. >> clerk: okay. first speaker, you'll have two minutes. >> caller: hi. this is susan chercoff, from the california native plant society. thank you so much for the beautiful native plants around the playground in our park here in north beach. please continue to use only native plants to landscape our playgrounds. it is wonderful that we've got more playgrounds in the works here in san francisco for our

children, but please, please use only our native plants. that way we continue to have a place for wildlife, in addition to children. thank you for your attention. my comments are complete. >> thank you. >> clerk: next speaker. >> caller: hello. my name is suzanna flaker, and i'm a senior project manager at the park alliance. thank you, lisa, for that great overview. we're so happy to be part of this initiative. and we're so thrilled to see the golden gate heights playground opening and the exploration area open up next month. and we're super excited for jerry commons to open up next month. i work on the capital project delivery side of things, and i collaborate pretty closely with the project managers and design teams. i just wanted to say i'm

constantly amazed and impressed about how well the playground design and construction projects are managed. i think i can speak pretty confidently for the community members and partners that are all involved (indiscernable) that just as lisa had mentioned, that the projects are really bringing people together. it has even inspired other community groups to become stewards of their own neighborhood playgrounds, which is really fun to see. i just wanted to mention it is wonderful to see such a range of beautifully-constructed playgrounds, with eight of the 13 playgrounds completed. it is pretty amazing. so thank you for your partnership, as well as all of the rec and park project managers for all of the hard work on all of the renovations. i just wanted to say thanks for being here and that,and thank you

>> i had the pleasure of serving on the task force that identified these wonderful spaces, so always wonderful to hear the ongoing progress that is made. eight down; five to go. thank you, lisa, and the entire team. i just want to add my thanks. thank you. >> chairman: thank you, commissioner.

>> clerk: okay. so we are now on item 8: general public comment, continued from item 4. if anyone else has joined the call who didn't get a chance to speak during general public comment on item 4, this would be the time. and this is where you can address the commission on items that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the recreation and park commission and do not appear on the agenda. so if you would like to make general public comment and you haven't done so already, you can dial *3. paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> there are four people on the line and two hands raised. >> clerk: okay. you'll have two minutes. first speaker. >> caller: good morning commissioners. my name is richard rothman, district 1 resident. and it is great to have the great highway open to cars during the week.

when i was on there three times, there are cars, bicyclists and walkers walking on the path. so i think we're all sharing the great highway. the other thing i want to talk about, i don't know if the commissioners are aware that supervisor chan has drafted a resolution about j.f.k., to keep it open in its present con tribulations, with some modifications. one is to open it up to cars from ace to kent, for a.d.a. parking, and also allow parking people to drive and drop off people in front of the young museum and the academy of science. and then park behind the band shell. the other change is to open up the garage to free

parking for people who meet certain criteria. that hasn't been worked out, but i would guess that the city would have to take over paying of the bond. so this is just a proposal. and i know m.t.a., and i hope rec and park, is planning to meet with the members of the disability community. i know when we have compromise, not everybody is happy, but maybe that's a good compromise if not everybody is happy, but we've got to try to make everybody happy. thank you. >> chairman: thank you, richard. >> clerk: next speaker. >> caller: hi, my name is steven gorski, and i'm a 40-plus year resident along the lower great highway. and i want to say we are grateful that the highway

has finally been opened, but i want to say this partial opening is going to create problems on the weekends. and having it shut at noon on friday seems ludicrous. but, i believe that the environmental concerns of the sierra club are also concerns of ours as residents, and the various groups that are formed, of neighbors that want it open, and first responders, and to prove my point, the bicycle coalition last week had a rally and they bragged about partying on the sand dunes and destroying -- that's why there is no ice plant. they were all trouncing over it. so i believe that their, quote, unquote, environmentalist view is phony because they would not support that. in addition, i have seen

now the path, finally, is 16 feet wide. and we have plenty of photos since the highway was opened that demonstrate walkers, people with strollers and babies and dogs and cyclists on the path. if rec and park would maintain that -- this is the first time in at least eight years -- at least eight years -- and it took katie following and my wife following for finally the path to be cleared somewhat, but that was many moons ago. they need to maintain that. it might be contra to the bicycle coalition because they're trying to use that space. but i also note, because i can see the highway, that there are people still riding their cycles on the highway in the shoulders -- that's fine. the vehicular traffic is there -- >> clerk: i'm sorry, steven, your time has

ended. is there anyone else with their hand raised, paul? >> there are no more hands raised. >> clerk: okay. seeing no further callers, general public comment is closed. item 9: commissioner matters. commissioners, would you like to bring anything forward? >> commissioner mcdonald? >> thank you. today, commissioners, i am your equity moment. [laughter] >> i have had the incredible pleasure of serving on this commission for the last eight years. and my term on the commission has come to an end. and so today will be my final commission meeting. and, again, it has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve. i am eternally grateful. just a few reflections

that i would like to share. one, thank you to president buell for his stellar leadership, both in terms of supporting and facilitating these meetings, but also helping to navigate all of the public interests that get expressed in and around our parks on all sides. so i appreciate commissioner buell, your leadership in that regard. i also want to thank our general manager, phil, for ensuring we have the best park district in the country. it continues to be phenomenal. and, in particular, the leadership around ensuring the department's commitment to centers equity and access in all of our communities and in all of our parks. it is just, and has been, stellar. a few things i'm most proud of -- i'm proud of all that we have done. but a few things i will lift up i'm most proud of:

one, the center -- the creation, rather of equity zones, and a commitment to driving resources, capital investments, into these long overlooked and much-in-need communities and neighborhoods has been stellar. the development of the internal equity plan, trying to ensure that internally and externally we are creating an equitable community and department. the department public statement decrying the murder of george floyd and a commitment to continuing to fight racism and systemic oppression of black people, again, phenomenal. as lisa just shared a few moments ago, "let's play" initiative, eight down and five to go. i look forward to celebrating the remaining five as they come online. and then the commission's commitment to the land

acknowledgements, the equity moments, again, as continued evidence of our commitment to all things equitable. i certainly thank all of the commissioners i've had the privilege and pleasure of serving with and alongside. i hope you are as proud as i am of the really great work that we continue to do. and there are many things still to come. lastly, i want to thank mayor ed lee. he honored me with this appointment and demonstrated some confidence in my ability to represent him and to help support lee, this department, and this great work. so i'm eternally grateful to him. as we reference, we, collectively, in our public statement, i really do believe that parks and open spaces are a perfect space and place to model our commitment to equity for all. and so i really do hope

that you all will continue to hold that as a north star that you drive towards, and that you will continue to ensure that every person in every community has access and opportunity to the best of parks and open spaces, and i believe that's what our city deserves. and i'm very confident that is what you all can continue to deliver. and so i conclude with the words of our friend carol bernett: "i'm so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh and sing a song. it ended before you know it comes the time we have to say so long." thank you so much. [applause] >> bravo. let me say before i call on commissioner mazola, there will be an

appropriate time to thank you for your service and contribution. let me go to him since he has his hand raised. >> i have a question on a different subject. >> all right. let me finish my comments, then. commissioner mcdonnell, there are few commissioners and my experience in 11 years who have contributed more to the commission and the department than you. and, as i say, we will appropriately open an occasion to thank you. i also want to say, though, you have served in many ways as the conscience of the commission. and i think your contribution on the equity and equity measurements that we use in how we evaluate what we are doing have significantly improved thanks to your participation. so you have my heart-felt thanks for all you've done. with that, i see that,

yes, the general manager, i see your hand is raised. >> thank you, mr. president. again, i do hope we have some more structured time, whether formal or informal, to celebrate and express our gratitude to vice president mcdonnell. let me just say a few words on behalf of the staff, and they do start with thank you. i think if there were a book written about how to be an engaging, thought full, modern -- an engaging, thoughtful commissioner with staff, it would be to model your approach. you've always been, first and foremost, a champion of our work. and you have celebrated our work. but beyond that, you have

so thoughtfully, and with that incredible conscience that president buell reference, guided us quietly in the background when we needed you. and even when we didn't realize we needed you. [laughter] >> and you have never said no to a request for council, from me or any of my staff. you always show up. you have never put pure politics above the interests of our parks system. and i just really want to express my gratitude on behalf of our team, and i do want to call out our diversity inclusion committee on equity for all of the advice and guidance you have offered

our employees of color. you know, we are so grateful for you. and i just want to express so genuinely our thanks for all of your support in the last eight years. >> thank you, mr. general manager. >> i don't see any other hands up at the moment. as i said, we will have a formal event acknowledging this sad moment. having said that, commissioner mazola, you had an issue you wanted to raise? >> thank you. i had a question on the public comment from earlier, from the italian heritage committee and the permit they're trying to receive, for the car show at washington square park, and where staff and the general manager are with that. >> chairman: i'll throw that to the general manager. >> sure. obviously we're very supportive of the event

and the parade. we have expressed, and will continue to express, our concerns about putting cars in the meadow. as you all know, every space is different. i know there was a reference to hammond hallow earlier. we just spent millions of dollars addressing some very serious soil compaction, irrigation, and drainage issues in the meadow. because of the soil mix and some other very unique qualities in washington square, it is a very delicate space. and while we completely understand and celebrate the desire, first of all, to celebrate, you know, the italian-american heritage in north beach, and to include vehicles in

some way, it is our continued strong suggestion that the vehicles be placed on the roads right on the edge of washington square, utilizing a road closure. so we get to showcase them. we get to celebrate them, they get to be adjacent to the park, but they do not potentially compromise seven-figure investment, which, by the way is still in a relatively fragile place. and so that is our condition. >> so i respectfully disagree with that position. like was mentioned by the callers, they have a car show in golden gate park. they park hundreds of cars on it. i just drove by crissy field this weekend, and there were tons of events going on that lawn. they take care of the lawn

the way they're supposed to and then they move on. i realize a lot of money went into this park, but these guys aren't rookies. they're soliciting advice and recommendations from superintendents from golf courses, including the olympic club, who parks cars at the olympic club all of the time when they have golf events. so there is no reason why we can't do it, too. i'm just not satisfied with that answer, and i would like to bring this up at the next commission meeting, and have it on the agenda, and have the commission take it up and vote on whether or not to let the italian heritage committee have their right to have something they've been doing for 25 years down there. i don't think it is fair they get shafted, and i'm completely only about that. so i would like to see this on the commission packet next month. >> chairman: thank you, commissioner. are there other comments?

seeing none, ashley, let's move on to new business. >> clerk: okay. we are now on -- well, first i have to take public comment on that. if there are any public comment on commissioners' matters, you can dial *3. paul, does anyone have their hand raised? >> ashley, we have three people on the line and zero hands raised. >> clerk: seeing no public comment, public comment is closed we're now on item 10: into business agenda settings. do any commissioners have anything new to bring up for item 10? >> chairman: i don't see any. >> clerk: is there any public comment on item 10? >> still three callers on the line and zero hands raised. >> mr. president, can i

just reiterate i would like to see that item on the next agenda? >> chairman: yes, that has been noted. >> commissioner, there is probably some progress there. it is an information item, but should -- if the permit requests wishes to appeal our permit decision, then it could potentially end up on the agenda. but the -- we could certainly have an information item to try to air out the issues, but that would be the vehicle for the commission weighing in. >> i disagree. i think it should be an action item. there is no reason why we can't make it an action item. >> well, let me chat with the city attorney about that before we commit to one way or the other, but i think there is a way to get it before the commission, commissioner mazola. with that, where are we,

ashley? no public comment on -- >> clerk: no public comment on that. we are now on item 11: communications. if anyone would like to comment on item 11, you can dial *3. paul, does anyone have their hand raised for item 11? >> zero hands raised. >> clerk: okay. seeing no further callers, public comment is closed. we're now on item 12: adjournment. >> chairman: let me again follow up on the general manager's report and ask for a motion to adjourn in the memory of carl payne. >> so moved. >> chairman: so moved. is there a second? >> second. >> chairman: all those in favor? >> aye. >> chairman: thank you, commissioners. i appreciate your time and attendance and participation. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, ashley. >> thanks, ashley. >> big hugs to you,

commissioner eric. ♪♪♪ all right. on 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 you innovation on or was on over 200 years they went through

extensive innovations to the existing green new metal gates were installed our the perimeter 9 project is funded inform there are no 9 community opportunity and our capital improvement plan to the 2008 clean and safe neighborhood it allows the residents and park advocates like san franciscans to make the matching of the few minutes through the philanthropic dungeons and finished and finally able to pull on play on the number one green a celebration on october 7, 1901, a skoovlt for the st. anthony's formed a club and john then the superintendent the golden gate park laid out the bowling green are here sharing meditates a

permanent green now and then was opened in 1902 during the course the 1906 san francisco earthquake that citywide much the city the greens were left that with an ellen surface and not readers necessarily 1911 it had the blowing e bowling that was formed in 1912 the parks commission paid laying down down green number 2 the san francisco lawn club was the first opened in the united states and the oldest on the west their registered as san francisco lark one 101 and ti it is not all fierce competition food and good ole friend of mine drive it members les lecturely

challenge the stories some may be true some not memories of past winners is reversed presbyterian on the wall of champions. >> make sure you see the one in to the corner that's me and. >> no? not bingo or scrabble but the pare of today's competition two doreen and christen and beginninger against robert and others easing our opponents for the stair down is a pregame strategy even in lawn bowling. >> play ball. >> yes. >> almost.

>> (clapping). >> the size of tennis ball the object of the game our control to so when the players on both sides are bold at any rate the complete ends you do do scoring it is you'll get within point lead for this bonus first of all, a jack can be moved and a or picked up to some other point or move the jack with i have a goal behind the just a second a lot of elements to the game. >> we're about a yard long. >> aim a were not player i'll play any weighed see on the inside in the goal is a minimum the latter side will make that arc in i'm right-hand side i play my

for hand and to my left if i wanted to acre my respect i extend so it is arced to the right have to be able to pray both hands. >> (clapping.) who one. >> nice try and hi, i'm been play lawn bowling affair 10 years after he retired i needed something to do so i picked up this paper and in this paper i see in there play lawn bowling in san francisco golden gate park ever since then i've been trying to bowl i enjoy bowling a very good support and good experience most of you have of of all love the people's and have a lot of

have a lot of few minutes in mr. mayor the san francisco play lawn bowling is in golden gate park we're sharing meadow for more information about the club including free lessons log >> my name is amanda [inaudible] over see the girls sports program. when i came to san francisco and studied recreation and parks and towerism and after i graduated i moved to candlestick park and grain r gain adlot of experience work with the san

francisco 49 and [inaudible] be agfemale in a vore sports dynamic facility. i coached volo ball on the side and as candle stick closed down the city had me move in92 too [inaudible] >> immediate interaction and response when you work with kids. i think that is what drives other people to do this. what drew me to come to [inaudible] to begin with for me to stay. i use today work in advertising as a media buyer and it wasn't fulfilling enough and i found a opportunity to be a writing coach. the moment [inaudible] you to take advantage of how you change and inspire a child by the words you say and actions you do. >> you have a 30 different

programs for girls through rec and park and fast ball, soft ball and volley ball. i started the first volley ball league and very proud what i have done with that. being a leader for girls is passion and showing to be confident and being ambiggish and strong person. [inaudible] for about 5 years. programs offered thraw thirty-three rec and park and oversee thg prms about a year. other than the programs we offer we offer summer camp squz do [inaudible] during the summer and that is something i wherei have been able to shine in my role. >> couple years we started the civic center socking league and what an amazing opportunity it was and is it for kid in the neighborhood who come together every friday in the civic center plaza on green grass to

run and play. you otonly see soccer and poetry but also see books t. is a really promoting literacy to our kid and giving them to tools to make it work at home. real fortunate to see the [inaudible] grow. >> girls get pressureed with society and i know that is obvious, but we see it every day, magazines, commercials the idea what a woman should look like but i like to be a strong female role for it goals that play sports because a lot of times they don't see someone strong in a female role with something connected with sports and athleticism and i love i can bring that to the table. >> soccer, poetry, community service. we now have field of dreams. we are [inaudible] all over the bay area and excited to be share our mission with other schools across the bay to really build the confidence and

character of kids when they go out to play and close their eyes and think, why was [inaudible] we want to make sure-i want to make sure they remember me and remember the other folks who [inaudible] >> get out there and do it. who cares about what anybody else says. there will be poopal people that come up and want to wreck your ideas. that happen today eme when i went to candle stick part and wanted to [inaudible] people told me no left and right. whether you go out for something you are passionate about our something you want to grow in and feel people will say no. go out and get it done. i can be the strong leader female and i love

>> the bicycle coalition was giving away 33 bicycles so i applied. i was happy to receive one of them. >> the community bike build program is the san francisco coalition's way of spreading the joy of biking and freedom of biking to residents who may not have access to affordable

transportation. the city has an ordinance that we worked with them on back in 2014 that requires city agency goes to give organizations like the san francisco bicycle organization a chance to take bicycles abandoned and put them to good use or find new homes for them. the partnerships with organizations generally with organizations that are working with low income individuals or families or people who are transportation dependent. we ask them to identify individuals who would greatly benefit from a bicycle. we make a list of people and their heights to match them to a bicycle that would suit their lifestyle and age and height. >> bicycle i received has impacted my life so greatly. it is not only a form of recreation. it is also a means of getting connected with the community

through bike rides and it is also just a feeling of freedom. i really appreciate it. i am very thankful. >> we teach a class. they have to attend a one hour class. things like how to change lanes, how to make a left turn, right turn, how to ride around cars. after that class, then we would give everyone a test chance -- chance to test ride. >> we are giving them as a way to get around the city. >> just the joy of like seeing people test drive the bicycles in the small area, there is no real word. i guess enjoyable is a word i could use. that doesn't describe the kind of warm feelings you feel in

your heart giving someone that sense of freedom and maybe they haven't ridden a bike in years. these folks are older than the normal crowd of people we give bicycles away to. take my picture on my bike. that was a great experience. there were smiles all around. the recipients, myself, supervisor, everyone was happy to be a part of this joyous occasion. at the end we normally do a group ride to see people ride off with these huge smiles on their faces is a great experience. >> if someone is interested in volunteering, we have a special section on the website sf bike.org/volunteer you can sign up for both events. we have given away 855 bicycles,

376 last year. we are growing each and every year. i hope to top that 376 this year. we frequently do events in bayview. the spaces are for people to come and work on their own bikes or learn skills and give them access to something that they may not have had access to. >> for me this is a fun way to get outside and be active. most of the time the kids will be in the house. this is a fun way to do something. >> you get fresh air and you don't just stay in the house all day. it is a good way to exercise. >> the bicycle coalition has a bicycle program for every community in san francisco. it is connecting the young, older community. it is a wonderful outlet for the community to come together to

have some good clean fun. it has opened to many doors to the young people that will usually might not have a bicycle. i have seen them and they are thankful and i am thankful for this program.

>> we hope we can learn more about the current state of covid-19 variant cases and others. let's get through the housekeeping and get started. recording. today's event is being recorded and being live streamed on facebook on facebook, sfgovtv, comcast 26, and cable 26.