to thank mayor lee to his incredible commitment to technology and frankly the recreation and park department. i want to thank supervisor chiu who has been a leader both in the parks world and in the technology world. sf city has really been a driving force behind helping government think about new ways, new and improved ways maybe for some of you they're old ways now. but new and improved ways for government to reach users of our programs and services. and i want to say the last special thank you to the folks from apple-liscious. this thing is awesome. this past year, the trust for public land which is a national parks organization determined that san francisco, which has 4,000 acres of open space and over 220 parks, over 15% of the city's land is open space. the trust for public land said we have the best urban park system in america. and the challenge for us is making sure that all of our park users understand all of the wonderful things in our park system and know how to use our parks to tailor to their own specific experience. as diverse as this city is, there are hundreds if not thousan

our recreation park department staff that made this happen today. (applause) >> these are the unsung heroes that don't get recognized very often, but they are what make our parks work and look the way they do and we are so lucky we have one of the most beautiful parks now right in the middle of pacific heights. but there are two people -- i want to thank a few folks. stefan franz as well, and our friends from prozac that represent our parks department and represent all that we believe in in our neighborhood. thank you for all that you do. and i really in particular today want to single out two folks. phil mentioned the friends of lafayette park and we have certificates of honor for them. but this playground behind us would not have happened without one of the best friends of parks groups in our city of san francisco, and that's the friends of lafayette park. they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. the plaques are around here and all the people that contributed to it, but there are two people that had the biggest leadership in this, and i want t

the park is actually a great example of the success between our department, and our friends groups. this effort and you will hear more about that from our good friends from mountain lake park, but the friends of lafayette park contributed through clean-ups and really this park project has really set the bar and we look forward to figuring out ways to surpass it. the 76th annual stern grove festival was kicked off this past sunday with the big picnic. and bob mcdonald and bos skaggs opened the season with an afternoon of food, music, dancing and more than 400 people attended the picnic and probably close to 10,000 people at the concert. i was one of them. celebrating father 's day with by own father and brother and families and spouses. it will provide the people of the bay area with admission-free access and i want to give a big shout out and thank you to the stern grove foundation and their executive director for their partnership. soccer usa will set up a tournament to raise awareness for homelessness and bridge the group and includes homeless teams from cities across the nation, p

park. the proposed fees are part of the larger picture. our recreational department is trying to - golden gate park has suffered from this policy. it was established over 40 years ago for the relief of stress. leading us through forest and alongside parks and meadows. just 2 years ago the recreation and park department was giving up the location for administrative salaries. they want to pave over 7 acres of artifical tomb and add 1 hundred and 50,000 watts of lights. this will ruin species of birds and the beach experiences for families to sit by the beach or gaze at the stars. for those listening you can find more information on line. this is part of the way to turn golden gate park for paved troiktsz to remind us all this

park. the proposed fees are part of the larger picture. our recreational department is trying to - golden gate park has suffered from this policy. it was established over 40 years ago for the relief of stress. leading us through forest and alongside parks and meadows. just 2 years ago the recreation and park department was giving up the location for administrative salaries. they want to pave over 7 acres of artifical tomb and add 1 hundred and 50,000 watts of lights. this will ruin ec

i see the prospective of the rec and park department it's hard to do away with the gardens. i do want to say i'm still going to vote to - i'm still going to vote consistently with what i did to not approve the non residents fee because my idea is to present more a of a world-class garden. if i had to choose within a hig . our recommendation is based on the fact that is throughout all the budgets that anytime the mayor provided a budget our remedies is consistent with that in order to keep the budget in balance. in agreement with the botanical gardens i'll read the comment on page 21 of the report regarding item 6. once the department has received and i think mr. beginnings burger has gone over this one the department has received $250,000 which is restricted must be used to support of both tangible garden the garden society out-of-pocket expenses incurred and sectional the botanical garden should be paid up to $250,000 per year for public programs and then the balance of any remaining balance would be deposited into the botanical garden to be used for maintenance renovation

and i think that presentation should be both by planning department staff, of course rec and park staff, as well as the mayor's office of economic and community development. and i would like to have that hearing at -- accounting for the summer, in september, to give both departments enough runway so that they come prepared with an analysis and a proposed structure of how that might be developed to have those opportunities presented to project sponsors,, as well as the implementation. >> i assume you want that before the full commission as opposed to a committee? >> correct. >> and i just want to second that and thank you commissioner low for doing that, because i think if there is one thing imminently clear with the development boom, we need to work on that very quickly. >> does staff understand the request? >> yes. >> will you make sure we get a response to the request to schedule that, so we know it's moving forward? >> yes. >> thank you. seeing no other comments. >> is there any public comment on this item? being none, public comment is closed and we're on item 11 "new business, agen

park. this is the 49ers last year that's a significant source of revenue for the department. even with the proposed increases it's worth noting we're short. since 08 and 09 we have gone through like all other departments some serious belt-tightening. during the same period we've had the reduction of 40 ftes. including to the budget we've lost the funds. also rec and park needs about $40 million more and more to meet the needs. we do, however, returning to the good news are with our growth this year in support of the mayor's office are able to grow our recreation programming. this year's budget . the rationale to our park system by 25 at the same time over the same 5 year period that the general fund has grown by over 20 percent can you help me understand the rationale for that. those cuts and obviously rec and park has done a good job of generating their own revenue but there's a cost for that. it causes a lot of political attention and puts the department in an awkward positions so it would be great to understand the rationale for that >> supervisor kate howard. you know, i

parking. they charge all the residents to into the garden of flowers. in order to maintain the fee the department is requesting to remove the sunset provision from the park code. in the current fiscal year we say that the fees will increase. after we reimburse the botanical garden we'll net approximately $400,000 to support the cost of our garden in the botanical garden. i'm happy to answer any questions and a supervisor breed do you want to talk about the fees >> i do want to make some comments. >> colleagues any other questions. >> well, i'll get started base i have some proposed amendments. >> we have another report from staff then we'll turn to the budget . since 1955 the botanical garden society handbags has been an organization to support and enhance the use of both tangible garden and during that period has provided tens of million dollars dollars of assistance to this city including the russel library and funding and developing a master plan for the botanical garden. providing visitor education and disturbing - and management they additionally provided horticultural programs at the botani

. >> san francisco recreation and parks department offers classes for the whole family. rec and parks has a class for everyone. discover what is available now and get ready to get out and play. henri matisse. frida kahlo. andy warhol. discover the next great artist. get out and play and get inspired with toddler classes. experience art where making a mess is part of the process. classes and the size the artistic process rather than the product. children have the freedom to explore materials at their own pace and in their own way. talks love art, especially when they died into the creative process -- dive into the creative process. at the end of the classes, they have cleaned and washup. of.com great way to get out and play. for more information, visit sfrecpark.org. that out and play and get into the groove. rec and parks offers dance classes for seniors. first-time beginners or lifetime enthusiasts -- all are welcome. enjoy all types of music. latins also, country and western. it is a great way to exercise while having lots of fun. seniors learn basic moves and practice

they have not had identified funding for maintenance of the park. >> the parks department is already strapped and they would need about $24,000 a year to keep the park clean and safe. the city wants it to be public and they are exploring other options like paying the owner to maintain it for letting the public in. there are other spaces in the city that are privately owned but have a public easement on them. >> there are questions like insurance, but a deal could happen in the next few months to bring the fence down. in san francisco, jonathan bloom, abc7 news. >> oakland officials will throw a car free party this morning to celebrate improvements to lake merit. love our lake day is a free event that encourages residents to get out of their cars and explore the neighborhoods around the lake. three miles of streets around lake merit will be closed. there will be live music, salsa dancing, free bike rentals and. boat rides and food trucks. mayor jean quan is scheduled to attend. it kicks off at 11:00 this morning and runs until 4:00 p.m. >> great weather for the event. >> yeah. a much

next is to approve a memorandum of understanding between the recreation and park department and the san francisco parks alliance for the joint design and construction of the playground. and finally, four, to approve a donor recognition program for the project. mountain lake park is located in district 2 in the inner richmond and it's a 15.2-acre park, bond on the south by lake street to the north by -- and east by the presidio and highway 101 to the left, it includes these structures. in 2012 a group of mothers joined together and created the friends of mountain lake playground with the goal of advancing family-related issues in the park and specifically the renovation of the playground in the park. they joined forces with the architecture firm and park as license and alliance and the architectural firm and mountain lake playground was the recipient of a $2 million budget from the 2012 clean and safe neighborhood park. we believe this is a well-received and popular park renovation plan, which you will be happy to approve. >> thank you mary. commissioners, general manager, thank you. my

for more information, visit >> hello, i am with the recreation and parks department. we are featuring the romantic park location in your backyard. this is your chance to find your heart in santa and cisco with someone special. -- san francisco with someone special. our first look out is here at buena vista park, a favorite with couples and dog walkers. both have a significant force. a refreshing retreat from urban life. the romantic past that meander up and down the park under pines and eucalyptus. hang out in this environment and you might see butterflies it, fennel, and then the lines. -- dandelions. is ada accessible. public transit is plentiful. we have conquered the steps, we have watched the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view. this is a place to take someone special on a romantic stroll and enjoyed a beautiful look out. welcome to corona heights located in the heart of this district. it offers a view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. it is one of the best kept secrets in the city. it is hardly ever crowded. on any given day, you w

the public utility commission and rec and park department, mta, department of building inspection, the health department. and san francisco public housing authority. department of emergency management. department of public works. office of small business and mayor's office of disability. we have a number of officials from the san francisco police department who are here as well. that's all i have. we look forward to hear from you. >> okay. if you have comment cards and they are ready, can you just hold them up. we have our team that will grab your cards. please hold them up. at this time we will have representatives from two district 10 organizations, daphne mcnowel and stacy bartnet and the asian community center, david chan. if you could come to the microphone. >> hi-- okay. good evening, my name ir daphne mcnowle, and this is stacy barltlet. we are parents at daniel webster and petrillo hill. we are here to talk to you about supporting efforts to keep families in san francisco. it's well documented that one of the san francisco's greatest challenges is retaining middle-class familie

parks as well. and in 2009 i helped to contribute over $20 million as department chair. we want to make sure it wouldn't have to go to other types of fee increases. i can't support this lease if it's contingent on a non-resident fee. i've made significant effort to try to eliminate. >> i appreciate your view supervisor. this is really an important relationship to the city. the both tampa garden wouldn't be here without the support of the garden in both in kind and in divorce and sweat and talent. >> i realize the lease is greater than the - park and wreaking knows the fees and you've negotiated a contract but personally, i can't support it. >> understood. >> i'm going to make a few comments and supervisor breed has to commits as well. i want to thank the gentleman on the presentation and nicks presentation also emphasized the education for schools. i think the botanical garden society have been a place for students. i see the lady from the botanical garden society but to talk about the support from the society >> sure. among the support that the society provides the city

i have two more questions and maybe you are aware of this, but the $2 million rec and park department and puc boathouse partnership at lake merced is behind schedule and it's $400,000 overbudget now. area and we're just wondering who is going to be paying for this $400,000 overrun? and finally, under the public utilities commission real estate division and this report was dated february 8th, 2012 and was brought here before the commission several months ago. under section 20 you land use, this caught my attention. it says and this is quoted, "through its watershed management plan the san francisco puc adopted specific land use policies for watershed lands. certain other lands, such as the lake merced tract, are the subject of specific land use polices." we're wondering what are these specific land use polices? or is till a work in progress? and will the public be involved in this process? thank you, commissioners. that is all i have. >> thank you, and you will be getting notice soon. >> thank you very much. >> all right, that concludes "public comments." any other public comments? >>