Comment is closed. If you have an item not on the agenda under the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission you may speak under general Public Comment in item 4. Please note if the fire alarms activate you must evacuate the building. If you need assistance make the way to the closest area across the hall in the mens rest room. There is a speaker box. Press it and the city hall security will answer. They will assist you. We are on item 2. President s report. I will be brief. I like to read emails that talk about the parks. This is to the general manager. I wanted to say thank you. I love my Neighborhood Parks. The San Francisco park and Rec Department does a fantastic job. I love how there is a park nearby no matter what neighborhood. You have worked hard to make that happen. I know maintenance challenges are daunting you do an amazing job of keeping up. Every employee is helpful and professional if i am getting exercise or enjoying the lovely trees and flowers, your department makes my life richer. Thank you for the hard work and dedication. Love mom. No, it is from jennifer look. Thank you, jennifer. With that. That concludes my report. Mom, i told you not to sign that. Is there any Public Comment on this item . Public comment is closed. Item 3. General managers report. I have a little bit of a meaty report today. We have special recognition at the conclusion. I will remind you 2020 marks a very important milestone in our department history, the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park. The celebration will include events and attractions a freecell operation on april celebration on april 4th which is 150 years to the day the California Legislature authorized the park. They will bring together thousands to experience the park and all it has to offer, make or events and attractions are planned include the 150foot observation wheel, 150 Improvement Projects, 150 programmed activities on april 4. Planting 150 trees and involvement over 150 community partners. Our april 4th day includes a family and kids carnival, large picnic with live entertainment. As we will discuss later tremendous renovation of the vehiclecles temple of music and the programming which will take place all summer with Community Arts organizations coming to Golden Gate Park. Our celebration will include Free Shuttle Service for our communities who dont live as close to the park as others with the idea of making sure everyone feels connected to Golden Gate Park, no matter what neighborhood you are from and that you have the opportunity to celebrate. This week we also confirmed that portions of the iconic memorial quilt will be on display that entire weekend from april 3 through 5. The display of the quilt will be largest ever in San Francisco. It will consist of 1920 panels, approximately the same size and shape as the first major quilt display that took place in washington, d. C. In 1987. Golden gate park 150th quilt display will be on Bowling Green drives in the aids memorial grove. There are panels added to the 50,000 panels in recent years. Reflecting the story of h. I. V. And aids, particularly in communities of color. It is an important part of the park as we bring thousands together to celebrate. It is fitting to have this experience to see the quilted and learn about the lives part of each and every panel. We are grateful to the aids quilt foundation and aids memorial for support in bringing the quilt to Golden Gate Park. In celebration of 150th anniversary the Historical Society is holding an essay contest one perfect day in Golden Gate Park. First place receives 2,500. Publication of the essay in the Historical Society journal. Interested writers visit sf history. Org for more information. On did east coast this weekend it was like zero degrees. It is time to start thinking about spring and the opening of our baseball season. Sfybl opening day ceremonies for the 2020 season take place saturday, february 29 at 11 00 a. M. Players will participate in a parade of teams, speed pitch, battings cages, team pictures and kids will learn to steal signals by tapping on an electronic buzzer. No, they are not doing that. March 2 please join us for the Opening Event for the mini park monday march 2nd at 3 30 p. M. This 1. 7 million project includes replacing childrens play area and landscaping and seating and was funded by the 2012 parks bond and office of mayor ed lee. The park has a profound impact on the tenderloin impact where kids rely on city parks as backyards. March 2nd there will be kids activities and participation for the trust for public land, the tenderloin improvement partnership, and rec and parks Randall Museum is hosting the San Francisco middle science fair this year. Each year city students test and document experiences in the biological and environmental and physical sciences. It is an impressive look in the future minds of tomorrows stem professionals. It will be on display tuesday through saturday february 25 through march 6. The main come at the pigs takes competition takes place on march 6th. The application period for the green agers program i open throh april 10th. They are eligible for the program which offers paid experiences while they learn about park stewardship, lead projects in Neighborhood Parks and gain teamwork and personal training skills. Applications online or by calling our volunteer office 415 8316319. I talked about spring baseball. It is not too early to talk about summer day came registration which begins march 21st at 10 00 a. M. You can register online or at 14 sites throughout the city. You can register in any language. This summer we offer 90 camps, lacrosse, archery, performing arts and pine lake and silver tree. Go to sfrec park. Org. From camp to cooks and lifeguards your next job could be with rec and park up in the sethesieras. We are looking to full day camp and cooks and program coordinators. Anyone interested, any youth interested in working for us go to the website sfrec park. Org jobs. The first of two separate acknowledgments today. I want to thank a few special guests who are with us, whose agencies are helping to get city kids out into nature this summer. Welcome theresa, the interim director of first five San Francisco, lisa lee, Senior Program officer at first five. Olive via who is the coordinat coordinator. Ngrid. As you recall commissioners with your support mayor london breed and your department announced new initiatives with expanded access to camp mather including a special week at camp for low income. It typically costs 1,700 each were including cabin, activities and meals. That was already subsidized by half for approximately 33 or 34 families each summer. This year they have expanded by 300 making subsidies 50 to 100 of camp cost available to low income families. They receive priority for camping spaces ensuring more equitable reservations. We are grateful to first five which is splitting the cost of the meals for the special week. First five is providing transportation to camp. 338 individuals and 77 families are going to camp this year because of these measures. Thithis is an out grove to parkd rec. As founds member the Department Worked hard to provide access to nature for low income families. There is improved focus, creativity and sense of wellbeing and lower levels of depression and frustration. Nature means Better Mental Health, more Better Mental Health but not good english. Since 2016, first five San Francisco have partnered and today we want to extend or thanks to each organization and these individuals for helping get families who would not have the opportunity for camp this year. If you could join me for the presentation of the certificate. If you want to say a few words, we would love it. [applause] thank you for that very nice honor. Also, i want to thank you very much for your partnership over these past several years. Just to reiterate the special thanks to our staff, lisa lee who has been working tirelessly on this effort to help make it happen. Together with the parks and Rec Department as director mentioned we have a shared understanding of the power of nature to teach, heal, inspire, excite, but we also know that these experiences unfortunately are only available not everybody has the same level of access to these experiences. This is what we have been trying to change together. We are committed to addressing this and to creating additional programs and very specifically we are dedicated to changing the level of access for families this summer. We have quite literally been working to break down barriers, fiscal, financial red tape in order to make this happen for our families. We are really, as you heard the numbers, we are happy for this summer camp mather will reflect diversity of San Francisco families. We hope this is just the beginning of an effort apinitiative to continue to grow and expand and sustain and we look forward to a great week at camp this summer. Thank you very much. Good morning. I am the director for the San Francisco office of early care and education. I cannot say enough gratitude for your director who has opened up not only his i would say more than just heart and the parks. It has been his wallet, too. We have an amazing partnership with rec and park. And the citys. I think this partnership has to be leveraged with first drive and the office and done by amazing staff that care deeply about children and families in the city. Being from San Francisco and growing up in San Francisco, i can tell you how wonderful it was having to travel from the mission to Golden Gate Park every weekend and what a beautiful escape that was, and having the opportunity to be able to take children up to camp mather is going to be an opportunity that most children would have not received. We are focused on children in the Southeast Community and in the mission and areas that we know are far away from these type of lifechanging type of activities. We look forward to it. I cant also not say thank you not only to you but to maria, who works for rec and park, who is one of the most enthusiastic staff persons that you have. Not only does she care deeply. She physically cares. She has helped a lot of different Child Care Centers across the city in knowledg buip the natural experiences. This is not a onetime thing to camp mather. It really is about ongoing experiences and for that the office of early care and education set aside 1 million for this year to support the further greening of playgrounds and Child Care Centers across the city and connecting children and families to the daily experiences sometimes most of us take for granted. Thank you for your time. This has been amazing, and hopefully we get to see you more often because i hope that this relationship continues to develop and grow. Thank you very much. One comment. I just want to say i have known ingrid for many years. I think this project is in great hands. I am inspired by your comments. I hope you will continue to be part of this effort. Thank you. Thank you. One final and special bit of recognition today that i am going to try to get through without chucking up a little bit. I have known john ram worked for the city 12 years as planning director. I have known him all 12 years. From about day one, john. When i first met john, i was in the Mayors Office and didnt have the sense of appreciation or understanding of the job you were walking into then as i do now 12 years later, particularly in this role. The city is going to miss you terribly. Your sense of grace and elegance and compassion and brilliance as you have tried to navigate the delicate balance between growth and equity in the city has been remarkable. We would not be our Parks Department. Stacy bradley will explain in detail. Our Parks Department, john, would not be where it is today, our parks system would not be where it is today without your leadership and the partnership of your entire team at the Planning Department. There is nothing we touch, nothing we do that we dont need your help with and your guidance. Yes, we are smirking, sometimes those are challenges processes you helped us navigate. To give as i special tour, i am going to ask our planning director, stacy bradley, to come up and say a few words. I want to say i really appreciate all of the openness that john provided to me and mentorship and being a role model. As planner i started at planner 3 before becoming the director of planning. John was always approachable and helped in navigating the intricacy of San Francisco planning which i thought coming from new york city it would be easier here but that is not true. John has been an incredible partner for us and has helped us deliver and develop many new and improved open spaces. My tenure is shorter. My highlights are more rent, starting with 17 and folsom the partnership to turn a parking lot into a park there and at the town square. The town square had many challenges with planning where we needed to change the zoning very quickly, and john and his team were excellent in helping us navigate. There was the e. I. R. Certification and approval after 10 years of work where we were victorious on appeal to the board of the e. I. R. He helped us balance recreation and history at the basin. He is driving for more parks in soma. She is working with to transfer an unused popos in somas to a fee funding lighting and other improvements. His drive for a new vision at civic center has helped us catalyze the renovations from the helen diller foundation. The playgrounds and making sure the by right kiosk was built. That was difficult. He is a big advocate for maintenance to ensure there is equal access. To close countless applications and other applications that the flexibility they have shown to work with us to deliver so many products. Let me adhere that you talk about the three tough ones we had to take on about a decade ago. The soccer fields, the conversion of the eight ash bury into the Community Garden and the lake. None of those three difficult things would have happened without john and his staff. As we go forward to celebrate 150th birthday. We jumped on at 149 and threequarters a lot of work to make the celebration possible. I hope, john, that as i think about your tenure, i want to talk about two things that should be part of your legacy. One is the park system which not only do 100 of us live within a 10 minute walk, it is one of the best park systems in the United States of america. As we talked about yesterday, john leads the directors working group. That is an informal meeting of Department Heads and senior staff where we sit down and discuss complicated inter departmental issues. It has become for those of us who are blessed to participate in this meeting such an important part of our growth as managers and leaders. It allows us to learn from colleagues and really discuss how we solve complicated problems together. I dont know that just anybody could have been successful with creating the directors working group, and i think john has, as i am sure you have all experienced when you interacted with him, has just a great listener and a graceful approach and cares so deeply about our city. His legacy is significant not only for parks but the city generally. I am proud and honored to call you a friend. We will stay in touch. I will miss your day to die psalm andie daytoday calm ag presence. We have a present not one park sign but two. One is we would like you to always think of us. So we have for you a john ram original sign from your fends at from your friends at rec and park. Your compassion has been about the importance of space of civic center. Through your passion and interest and will and your hearding of cats, you have created a plan for what the future of the San Francisco most important public commons should be. We have tried to notch your passion by sparking change in one of those spaces, but may your legacy at some point be the fully renovated civic Center Public realm. We want you to have this to think about that always. applause . Thank you so much. This is unexpected and very lovely. Thank you so much. After hearing that email i must have gone to work for the wrong department. I never get emails like that. We get hundreds of them. I just want to express my appreciation. It has been a great partnership. When i started this job, i was still living in seattle. I accepted the offer, and more than one person who i did not know wrote me emails saying what the hell are you thinking taking this job . I couldnt figure out why until i got here a few months later. It is an extraordinarily challenging position and one that is a great honor. When i think about the work we do with rec and Parks Department and other agencies. I put our work ahead of any city in the country. Other cities look to us. We live in one of the worlds great cities. We often have the homelessness and housing, but always helpful to step back and realize what an extraordinary place this is, to remind ourselves we live in one of the worlds great cities. Thank yo