January 22, 2014 Southeast Community Facility Commission Approved Minutes
ADOPTED MINUTES
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY FACILITY COMMISSION
Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 6:00 P.M.
1800 Oakdale Avenue, Alex Pitcher Community Room
San Francisco, CA 94124
1.0 CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Karen Chung called the Wednesday, January 22, 2014 meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
Ms. Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary read the Mission Statement and announced the Sunshine Ordinance rule.
2.0 ROLL CALL AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUNSHINE AUDIO RECORDING POLICY
Ms. Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary called roll at 6:05 p.m.
Commissioners Present: Karen Chung/ LaVaughn K. King/ Bobbrie Brown/ Janine Greer/ Brigette R. LeBlanc / Eddy Zheng
Commissioner Excused: Al Norman
Staff Present: Toye Moses, Executive Director/ Francis Starr, Management Assistant/ Carla Vaughn, Commission Executive Secretary II/ Mary Holing, Deputy City Attorney
3.0 CONSENT CALENDAR
Ms. Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary read the Consent Calendar.
3.1 PROPOSED ACTION
Commissioner Eddy Zheng moved to adopt the commission meeting minutes of Thursday, December 12, 2013 and Thursday, January 9, 2014.
Commissioner Janine Greer provided a second for the motion.
The minutes of the December 12, 2013 and January 9, 2014 meetings were adopted.
4.0 PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary provided the public comment rules.
5.0 COMMUNICATION
Ms. Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary announced the following communication, correspondence and announcement files:
Notice: Community Meeting on the proposed Sugary Beverage Tax sponsored by Supervisors Cohen, Wiener, Mar and Avalos
Save The Date: 10th Year Celebration Of Black American History Gala
Press Release: Mayor Lee Announces Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign To Launch In February
Press Release: Mayor Lee Swears In New Appointments & Reappointments To City Boards & Commissions
Press Release: Mayor Lee & Seattle Mayor Murray Make Friendly Wager On 49ers-Seahawks NFC Championship Game
Press Release: Mayor Lee Outlines Bold 2014 Agenda In State Of The City Address
Statement: Mayor Lee’s Statement On San Francisco 49ers
5.1 CORRESPONDENCE
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary announced the following correspondence:
Letter of congratulation and an invitation to Dr. Arthur Q. Tyler, Chancellor, City College of San Francisco.
Letter of thanks and recognition to SECFC Health, Housing and Public Safety Advisory Committee and members of the planning group for the SECFC Annual Health Fair.
6.0 ANNOUNCEMENTS
-The next meeting of the Southeast Community Facility Commission will be Thursday, February 13, 2014.
Ms. B.J. Jones, SFPUC, Senior Community Development Specialist, Infrastructure, provided a personal invitation to the Commissioners to attend the 2014 Black History Month Kickoff Celebration at City Hall on Friday, February 7th at 12 noon.
There will also be an Exhibit Opening, Lecture, and Reception at the San Francisco African American Historical & Cultural Society at 6:00 p.m. The theme this year is “Civil Rights in America”.
7.0 ADVISORY COMMITTEES REPORTS
Governance Ad-Hoc Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Karen Chung, Co-Chair, Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc, Alternate, Commissioner LaVaughn King, Community Members, Alma Robinson, Siri Datta Khalsa, Greg Doxey)
No report.
Health, Housing and Public Safety Advisory Committee, (Chair, Commissioner LaVaughn King, Co-Chair, Commissioner Janine Greer, Alternate, Commissioner Karen Chung, Community Members, Dan Goldman, Michele Davis, Veronica Shepard, Lyslynn LaCoste, Harrison Parker, Onika Shabazz)
No report.
Economic Development Advisory Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Al Norman, Co-Chair, Commissioner Eddy Zheng, Alternate, Commissioner Karen Chung, Community Members, Dan Goldman, Tempe Priestly, Lyslynn LaCoste, ShamannWalton)
No report.
Facility Advisory Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Brigette R. LeBlanc, Co-Chair, Commissioner Al Norman, Alternate, Commissioner Bobbrie Brown, Community Members, Robert Woods, Lawland Long, Siri Datta Khalsa)
Commissioner LeBlanc requested the upcoming agenda include an action item to vote on the MOU between the SECFC and HSA (SF-Faces).
Outreach and Diversity Advisory Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Eddy Zheng, Co-Chair, Commissioner LaVaughn King, Alternate, Commissioner Bobbrie Brown, Community Members, Lance Burton, Gina Fromer, Barbara Ockel, Elder Carl Alexander)
No report.
8.0 PRESENTER (Discussion & Possible Action)
Chairperson Chung welcomed and introduced Karen Kubick, SFPUC, Sewer System Improvement Program Director, who provided a progress update on the work taking place during the past eight months. The presentation provided information from the news media regarding the failing infrastructure and the work being done to bring it to efficiency.
The Sewer System Improvement Program consists of system and seismic upgrading, innovative storm-water management solutions and protecting public health and the environment.
The Southeast Community Facility Commission is one of five External Review Advisory Committees slated to receive regular updates on the projects.
Construction of the Southeast Oxygen Generation Plant began a year ago and is now in the testing stage. The roofs of the existing digesters are being stabilized so they will be safe until the new facility is up and running. Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in an eight year timeframe.
The Biosolids Digester Facility is the flagship project in the program. Of the $2.7 billion dollars authorized by the SFPUC this project is the highest priority. Members of the community have told the SFPUC how critical this project is. A team of experts have been hired and that contract was issued this fall. These individuals will address the community and discuss the progress moving forward. The facility will be constructed and started up by June 2022.
There are a number of other projects that are under planning and construction at the Southeast Plant. These include rebuilding Headworks, Evans and Sircosta. The facilities are being stabilized which include seismic upgrades and structural improvements. The plant next door was designed and planned in the 1940’s and built in the early 50’s. It has been running every day since then and is a critical part of San Francisco’s infrastructure but it is also a part of this neighborhood so there will be a lot of improvements that occur. The majority of the sewer improvement system program is going to improve the Southeast treatment plant.
The Phase I Projects are as follows:
New Headworks (Grit) Replacement/ Land Reuse of 1800 Jerrold Avenue (Central Shops)/ Oxygen Generation Plant/ Land Reuse of 1801 Jerrold Avenue (Asphalt Plant)/ Primary-Secondary Clarifier Upgrades/ Primary Wet Weather Treatment Replacement/ Existing Digester Gas Handling Improvements/ Primary Sludge Handling Improvements/ Tank Drainage Pump Station/ Existing Digester Roof Repairs/ Building 521 Replacement/ Disinfection System Relocation and Facility Upgrades.
An urban watershed charrette was held in the Alex Pitcher, Jr. Community room and attended by 100 residents from the neighborhood. There will be eight early implementation projects built to demonstrate green technology. Four of the projects will affect District 10. One in particular in Visitacion Valley will be adjacent to Our Lady Of Visitacion. This will include bulbouts, a plaza and pavement. These projects will be continued one by one in each of the urban watersheds. The challenge is the projects involve other city departments and we are working on this one with MTA and Rec & Park. The projects involve a lot of interagency cooperation to ensure success. The point of the project is that it will take in adjacent storm water and remove it from the system. That buys additional capacity in the collection system so larger rain storms can be handled.
Another project that is part of District 10 improvement is a daylighting project that is adjacent to McLaren Park. This is our 1 creek daylighting project. Historically in San Francisco there were several creeks that got buried over, were covered or land was developed nearby. The creek will be opened because it still flows, but the flows are collected in our sewer collection system and take up valuable capacity. There will be a public neighborhood meeting in February and Sam Murray will provide the exact date and confirm the location in the near future. Neighbors are excited and have been actively involved. The area will include some recreational space and will have a creek that is open for the public. SFPUC is looking into potentially terminating the area into wetlands.
A lot of energy has been spent working with stakeholders and working with people outside of the neighborhood, bringing them into the neighborhood so they can get to know the plant and the environment. This has been done through different methods such as walking tours, coffee walk and talks, bicycling and anything we can do to get people to participate. Recently on December 16th the Contractor Assistance Center held its grand opening. The center allows local small businesses to engage and have a hub where they can go to learn about projects that are out for bid. Those can be construction projects as well as professional services contracts. They will be able to attend classes and learn how to compete for projects.
Ms. Kubick presented a video and flyers from the grand opening of the Contractor Assistance Center. Guest speakers were the Honorable Mayor Edwin Lee and Harlan Kelly, Jr., General Manager, SFPUC.
Stakeholder engagement has continued through a public awareness campaign, the Urban Watershed Game, tours and workshops, e-newsletters and social media including Twitter. Recently there was a very successful media campaign to engage people, make wastewater fun and let them know that it is a part of their community. Soon the Phelps Wing will open and our External Affairs Department has been leading the project and the anchor tenants have been selected and they will be moving in.
Upcoming is the Career Day at Thurgood Marshall High School. There are discussions with students about becoming engineers, communications experts, or working in finance. This is also the beginning of the recruitment process for SFPUC Internship Programs. There have been 32 interns working specifically on SSIP efforts and the city hired 500 different interns in different focus areas.
In closing, Ms. Kubick announced several slogans being used in the current media campaign.
Chairperson Chung thanked Karen Kubick for her presentation and opened the floor to the Commissioners and the public for questions.
There were no questions from the Commissioners.
Yolanda Jones, owner of Yolanda’s Construction spoke in support of the SFPUC, Karen Kubick and Harlan Kelly, Jr.
9.0 CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT (Discussion)
Chairperson Chung appointed the following individuals as members to the Commission Advisory Committees:
Governance Advisory Committee: Commissioner LeBlanc has respectfully declined the Alternate position.
Economic Development Advisory Committee: Eli Goldman, Member, Bayview Merchants Association (TBA), Member
Facility Advisory Committee: Five Keys Charter School (TBA), Member, John Chung, Member
Chairperson Chung reported receipt of the draft MOU previously forwarded to SFPUC, General Manager, Harlan Kelly, Jr. She said the draft would be forwarded to the Governance Advisory Committee and they would provide a recommendation to the full Commission.
Chairperson Chung announced the Community Meeting on the proposed Sugary Beverage Tax and encouraged attendance. She also invited everyone to attend the Phelps Wing Grand Opening on Wednesday, January 29th.
Chairperson Chung provided a form for the Advisory Committees to help them organize their meeting schedules.
10.0 STAFF/DIRECTOR REPORT (Discussion)
Toye Moses, Executive Director reported staff is working closely with Sam Murray, the new Facility Manager and we are happy to see City College back and look forward to receiving a response from the Chancellor’s office regarding our recent invitation to him to address the Commission. We would like the Chancellor to provide an update on the status of the school and what the plans are and the status of City College after July 2014.
Francis Starr, Management Assistant reported staff had settled into the new office and will continue to work with Sam and his staff to ensure everything is ready for the open house.
Director Moses announced the 2014 Commission Retreat would be held on February 22nd at the Oceanside Plant. The retreat is opened to the public.
10.1 SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STAFF REPORT & GENERAL UPDATE
Sam Murray announced the SFPUC Tenant Retreat will be held on the same date as the Phelps Wing Grand Opening on Wednesday, January 29th. Mr. Murray also announced the sand was being removed from the HeadStart Childcare Center as requested.
11.0 NEW/ONGOING BUSINESS (Discussion & Action)
Chairperson Chung announced Commissioner Zheng’s request to disseminate the press releases by email only in an effort to be more environmentally sound.
Commissioner Zheng provided his reasoning and the Commissioners weighed in.
In closing it was decided the Commissioners will continue to receive the press releases in their packet and Commissioner Zheng will receive his through his email only.
12.0 NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS for Future Agenda Items (Discussion)
(This item is to allow Commissioners & staff to suggest/introduce agenda items for future consideration)
Commissioner LeBlanc requested the Commission vote on the MOU between the SECFC and HSA. She asked to place it under the Facility Advisory Committee report as an action item on the upcoming February 13 Commission meeting agenda.
Francis Starr, Management Assistant noted additional information had been forwarded to the parties on the MOU and staff was awaiting feedback.
Commissioner LeBlanc responded the new information referencing the removal of responsibility and liability to the Commission would be added to the SECFC/HSA MOU. Staff was directed to add it to the MOU and provide the MOU at the next Commission meeting for discussion and action.
13.0 PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES
Dr. Espanola Jackson expressed her disappointment that the SECFC/HSA MOU was not voted on.
14.0 ADJOURMENT
Chairperson Chung adjourned the meeting at 6:53 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_________________
Carla Vaughn, Commission Executive Secretary II
Southeast Community Facility Commission
