my name is al barna.'m co-founder of san francisco neon, which is a neon preservation organization here in san francisco. and i would just like to, address the fact that the safety concerns that were brought up and maintenance concerns won't be all that different from neon in the first place. you're still going to have to access that sign periodically, and maybe even more frequently, depending on how you feel about led products and their longevity. just as much as you do for neon, you're going to have to get up there on a scaffold or create some kind of a fall protection system and i actually have a background in occupational health and safety. after 33 years, a recently retired. and i know that all this work can be done safely. thank you. hello, i'm gary parks. i also spoke last week in favor of neon. now, this is not to say that the folks from arrow sign don't have some good arguments, but, from personal observation of neon versus led out there in the wild, as it were. i have seen so many led signs, eve

good afternoon, commissioners, and thanks for the opportunity for comment, my name is al barna, and i a co-founder of a small nonprofit organization called san francisco neon. and our mission statement is to save san francisco's rich commercial neon heritage. we do this through neon education, restoration and preservation. we publish books, conduct walking tours, and make presentations that celebrate the city's colorful neon landscape. some of san francisco's most iconic and historic neon signs are the two rooftop signs on the palace hotel. these signs of grace at downtown skyline for over 75 years, they joined the port of san francisco, the hills brothers coffee, and the huntington and clift hotels as the last of the city's spectacular neon, rooftop neon signs. it's our opinion that approving the plan to convert the palace hotel neon signs to an led lighting system would be a poor decision on several fronts. this misguided decision to alter the signs will compromise their integrity, as well as their historic and artistic value. the harsh, intense and one directional light produced by