Southeast Community Facility Commission - October 8, 2014

ADOPTED MINUTES
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY FACILITY COMMISSION
Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 6:00 P.M.
1800 Oakdale Avenue, Alex Pitcher Jr., Community Room
San Francisco, CA 94124

1.0 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Chairperson Karen Chung called the Wednesday, October 8, 2014 meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.

Commission Secretary Carla Vaughn, read the Mission Statement which was followed by the roll call.

Commissioners Present: Karen Chung/ LaVaughn King/ Bobbrie Brown/ Janine Greer/ Brigette LeBlanc/ Eddy Zheng

Commissioners Excused: Al Norman

Staff Present: Toye Moses, Executive Director/ Francis Starr, Senior Management Assistant/ Carla Vaughn, Commission Executive Secretary/ Mary Holing, Deputy City Attorney

SUNSHINE ORDINANCE AND AUDIO RECORDING POLICY

Commission Secretary Carla Vaughn read the Sunshine Ordinance and Audio Recording Policy.

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

3.1 PROPOSED ACTION

Commissioner LaVaughn King moved to adopt the commission meeting minutes of Wednesday, September 24th as submitted.

Commissioner Bobbrie Brown provided the second for the motion.

The minutes of the September 24th commission meeting were adopted as submitted.

PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO 3 MINUTES

Community member, Dr. Espanola Jackson commented regarding the bursting water pipes located near her residency and her attempts to contact authorities in charge of the infrastructure.

COMMUNICATION

Ms. Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary announced the communication, correspondence and announcement files:

Press Release: Mayor Lee & Supervisor Farrell Launch Free Wi-Fi across 32 Of San Francisco’s Parks, Plazas & Open Spaces

Press Release: Mayor Lee Appoints Colin Lacon as Mayor’s Director of Strategic Partnerships

Press Release: Mayor Lee Announces Completed School Safety Projects To Reach Vision Zero

5.1 CORRESPONDENCE

Letter of invitation to Karen Huggins, President, Holly Courts Resident Council requesting she provide a presentation to the Commission at a future meeting.

Joint Letter of invitation to Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt, Chair, Mayor’s Hunters Point Citizen Advisory Committee and LaShon Walker, Lennar Community Benefits Representative.

Letter of invitation to Mike Neumann, Chief Operations Officer of Wu Yee Children’s Services requesting he provide a presentation to the Commission at a future meeting.

Letter of invitation to Susan Pfeifer, Certified Outreach and Enrollment Counselor, Covered California requesting she provide a presentation to the Commission at a future meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

-The next meeting of the Southeast Community Facility Commission will be Wednesday October 22, 2014. There will be one meeting in November due to the Holiday schedule.

-Save the Date/Bayview Hunters Point Adult Day Health Center 30^th Birthday

ADVISORY COMMITTEES REPORTS

Governance Ad-Hoc Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Karen Chung, Commission Member, 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, Commission Member, Commissioner Janine Greer, Alternate, Commissioner Karen Chung, Community Members, Dan Goldman, Michele Davis, Veronica Shepard, Lyslynn LaCoste, Harrison Parker, Onika Shabazz

Commissioner Janine Greer, Commission Member of the Health, Housing and Public Safety Advisory Committee provided a summary of the Monday, September 29th meeting which was the last meeting prior to the Annual Health Fair held on Saturday, October 4^th.

Commissioner Lavaughn King, Chair of the Committee thanked everyone for their participation and the effort that went into making the Health Fair and overall success.

Dr. Toye Moses echoed Commissioner King’s comments and thanked the SECFC staff for their hard work.

Economic Development Advisory Committee, (Chair, Al Norman Commission Member, 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, Commission Member, (Vacant), Alternate, Commissioner Bobbrie Brown, Community Members, Steve Good, Siri Datta Khalsa, Robert Woods)

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc, Chair advised the Committee was not ready to make a recommendation to the full Commission regarding the recent repast incident however, the policies and procedures were being reviewed and once the new Facility Manager was in place a full recommendation would be made. In the meantime the Captain of the Bayview Police Department guaranteed his commitment to provide police coverage for any upcoming events that may prove to be of a possible violent nature.

Dr. Espanola Jackson, community member commented regarding a recent repast and the violence that ensued. She suggested there should be no repast held during the week that may disrupt the classes being held in the Community College.

Outreach and Diversity Advisory Committee, (Chair, Commissioner Eddy Zheng, Commission Member, Commissioner LaVaughn King, Alternate, Commissioner Bobbrie Brown, Community Members, Lance Burton)

No report.

PRESENTATION

Chairperson Karen Chung introduced Marlena Jackson and the Nexgenegirls who provided a presentation regarding training in science for girls.

Marlena Jackson, Founder of the Nexgenegirls, an afterschool STEM enrichment program offered to girls in the Bayview community as well as the broader community in the Southeast Sector of San Francisco.

The Nexgenegirls program is setting the stage to empower girls through science, technology, engineering and math and to understand the importance of STEM education. One of the biggest questions is why STEM? One out of five families has access to STEM related afterschool programming, however in the African-American community, particularly in the Southeast Sector, girls are not taking advantage of STEM related opportunities.

Women in science, technology, engineering and math earn 33% more than their counterparts in non-related STEM fields. The average annual salary for all STEM occupations as of the last census report in May 2009 is about $77,000.

There is a big problem with diversity in the STEM gap. How can the future be more meaningfully realized if women are not playing a more significant role in shaping STEM? African-Americans and particularly women of color are only 3% of the STEM workforce which means they are missing out on the potential to have not only high paying salaries, but missing out on the opportunity to inspire the community and really change the shape of the community.

What can we do to inspire and empower our children, especially girls who are so under- represented in science, technology, engineering and math, and how can we learn from one another the best ways to recruit, prepare, support and retain the next generation of excellent STEM leaders?

As a mother, Ms. Jackson said it was important not only for her daughter to be prepared to meet the challenges of the 21^st century, but it is important for all young girls to be inspired and empowered. Even if they do not participate in STEM it is important for them to have the foundational skills needed so the problem can be addressed.

Women account for 25% of all jobs in STEM. Women of color hold 3% of those jobs and African-American women are holding approximately 1% of those jobs.

Nexgenegirls is the solution to the problem. Girls are allowed to excel through STEM so they are ready to participant in a healthy 21^st century. This is done through fun hands-on science experiments and workshops that are supported by women mentors that come from diverse STEM backgrounds. Doctors and college educators serve as mentors and role models to the girls.

Some of the goals of the program are building the girls interest in science through inquiry based hands-on participation and developing self-confidence so the girls know scientists look like them. Higher education and economic empowerment aspirations are also being strengthened through internships that are provided to the girls in high school.

Encourage, engage and explore are the hallmarks of the program. Girls are given the opportunity through the mentors to be encouraged and then they are engaged to take the creative process and think about how they will solve a problem. They are able to explore and collaborate which allows them to build success and think about a STEM profession at a young age.

Mentors are a huge component to the program and the networks that are established allow the girls to go beyond this one experience.

The girls are excited about the process. The mentorship and student pipeline as well as the volunteers, community partners, industry associates and the successful launch of the Nexgenegirls pilot at the Willie Mays Boys and Girls Club allowed the organization to build upon its success and continue to provide the program and workshops to other community partners.

Ms. Jackson introduced a Nexgenegirls summer intern, Mykial, who shared information regarding her experience with the organization. She recently traveled to Africa and participated in a program that built a school. She said the program gave her the courage to travel and expand her opportunities.

Ms. Chinasa Ozonsi, a Health Science major at Cal-State East Bay and Nexgenegirls college mentor shared her passion for science and related STEM fields. She said the Nexgenegirls program gave her the opportunity to teach and share her passion for science with the girls. Ms. Ozonsi gave several examples of the subject matter addressed in her classes with the girls from climate change and renewable energy to the Lack’s Family experience in cell research.

In closing, Ms. Jackson thanked the Commission and invited the Commissioners and the community to join the Nexgenegirls on November 1^st at the Bay Area Science Festival where the girls will participate in a decoding project.

Chairperson Karen Chung thanked Ms. Jackson for the presentation and invited questions from the Commissioners.

Commissioner Janine Greer asked if the girls would attend the upcoming Henrietta Lacks Family event and if there was a similar program for boys?

Ms. Jackson responded the girls would attend the Henrietta Lacks event and there was interest in providing a program for boys in the future.

Commissioner LaVaughn King thanked Ms. Jackson for her presentation and offered words of encouragement.

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc asked what the Commission could do to help.

Ms. Jackson said the organization was in need of space, funding and computers to integrate technology deeper into the program.

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc said she would make a recommendation to the Commission at the appropriate time.

Dr. Moses expressed his admiration for the program and said he was impressed with the work that is being done.

Ms. Jackson commented that she works at the leading research institute in the world and her desire is to encourage more girls to become involved and take advantage of the opportunities that are available.

Chairperson Karen Chung invited questions from the public.

Charles Laws, community member had a question regarding the long term effects of the program.

Ms. Jackson said in the long term we will begin to see communities like Bayview Hunters Point and Visitation Valley change. By commanding jobs that are right down the street jobs will remain local and there will be no need to go continents away to recruit great talent. The damage that is done is generational but with time it can be changed so young girls and boys in this community will be able to command jobs that will allow them to be able to afford homes in their own community.

Dr. Espanola Jackson commented regarding the needs of the organization which were previously addressed by Commissioner LeBlanc.

Noel King, community member had a question regarding the ages of the girls in the program.

Ms. Jackson responded the girls were between the ages of 8 – 17.

Ms. Marlene Walker, community member said she was a coordinator with the bio-technology program with the City College Southeast Campus and worked with Dr. Hunnicutt prior to UC Mission Bay coming to the neighborhood. She reported many meetings were held with Mission Bay and the only jobs available were menial jobs. She noted many people were interested in jobs but were not prepared. She said the grant that was written indicated the people in the Bayview would benefit from the grant but the teachers received most of the money and the underserved communities did not benefit from the program.

Ms. Jeanette Wright, Outreach Manager for the Nexgenegirls indicated she was a product of the Bio-Technology program at the Southeast Campus and was one of the only African-Americans that graduated from the program. Ms. Wright said Ms. Walker was an asset to the program and supported the students. Ms. Wright provided a statistic that showed 75% of high school students in Bayview Hunters Point did not graduate because of their poor math and science skills. Ms. Wright said laying the foundation for these skills is very important and doing so at a young age guarantees a higher success rate.

Chairperson Karen Chung thanked Ms. Marlena Jackson for her presentation and introduced the 2^nd presenter, Mr. Emilio Cruz, Assistant General Manager Infrastructure, SFPUC.

9.0 PRESENTATION

Mr. Cruz congratulated the Commission on a successful Health Fair and spoke regarding future improvements to the Southeast Wastewater Plant and specifically the biosolids component. The technical components of the rebuild of the biosolids piece have been analyzed. The goal of this presentation is to make the community aware of the types of technology that are being proposed.

The goal of the biosolids digester project is to build a modern treatment facility that will reliably meet the goals, levels of service, present and projected regulatory requirements, produce Class A biosolids to beneficially reuse 100% of the biosolids and biogas. The current facility produces a Class B product. The production of a Class A product would provide a safer product.

The SFPUC’s goal is to transform the Southeast Wastewater Plant into more of a community asset, minimizing odors, noise and traffic, promoting training, leveraging job opportunities and contributing to the surrounding community.

The planning phase of the project began in January 2013 and will continue through September 2015. An Alternative Analysis Report is due on December 2014. An Environmental Review will begin in July 2015 and the design portion of the project will be initiated in August 2015.

All of the project components will be tested against the Sewer System Improvement Project (SSIP) levels of service goals which were set by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and are as follows:

Make sure the plant is operational after a catastrophic event;

Ensure stormwater can be managed;

Provide benefits to the impacted communities here in the Southeast;

Modify the system to adapt to the climate change that is being seen;

Achieve economic and environmental sustainability; and

Maintain ratepayer affordability.

The project has been evaluated based on technical, financial and neighborhood considerations. The neighborhood considerations being evaluated are odors, odor control, public and stakeholder acceptability, greenhouse gas emission reduction, improvement of the air quality, safety, reduction of noise and reduction of vehicle traffic.

Mr. Cruz provided an example of a modern digester facility in Brightwater, Washington that provides odor control. This is the type of facility the SFPUC is considering to bring to the Southeast Plant in order to make sure that all of the new facilities that go in control all of the odors that occur as part of the regular operations and make sure none of those odors go beyond the fence line of the plant itself.

The process used to determine the best solution was like a funnel. All of the technology used all over the world was evaluated and the best 4 – 5 viable alternatives for this neighborhood were evaluated. Those 4 – 5 viable alternatives were put through a screening process to determine what the final product should be.

Following is a list of alternatives that were considered but did not make the final cut -

Aerobic Digestion - Very expensive and uses a lot of energy

Alkaline Stabilization - Long term effects of lime are unknown

Incineration - Air quality issues for the neighborhood

Super-Critical/ - Too new and untested

Water Oxidation

Following is a list of biosolid technologies that were considered -

Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion - Currently used at Oceanside

Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion + Composting - Not enough space in SF

Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion - Complex to operate

Thermal Hydrolysis w/Mesophilic Digestion - Newest technology of the 4

All four of the above mentioned technologies are good for commercial and environmental reuse such as fertilizer, reforest station and landfills.

The Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion and the Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion + Composting were eliminated from consideration because they are not financially feasible.

The final two technologies, Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion and Thermal Hydrolysis w/Mesophilic Digestion are viable. The industry trend is moving away from Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion and more towards Thermal Hydrolysis w/Mesophilic Digestion. The Thermal Hydrolysis w/Mesophilic Digestion is a better process overall and the best technology for San Francisco. It is currently unavailable in the United States and is currently used in Europe. Washington D.C. is the first agency to decide to use this technology and have just completed their first plant which will begin operations at the end of this year. If this technology is chosen San Francisco will be the third city to use the technology with Hampton, Virginia being the second.

Mr. Cruz provided a summary of the current biosolids process which is similar to the regular digesting process of the human body.

In closing, Mr. Cruz said the current biosolids facility is aging and the new facility will address community concerns of odor, noise and traffic.

Mr. Cruz commended the SFPUC staff and consultants for the work they have done on the project which is 6 months ahead of schedule.

Chairperson Karen Chung thanked Mr. Cruz for his presentation and invited questions from the Commissioners.

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc commented regarding the process of the environmental review and the timeline needed to complete it. Also, she requested the Nexgenegirls be given a tour of the Wastewater Plant to understand the technology and the industry.

Mr. Cruz said a tour would be arranged and noted that a large percentage of the workforce in utilities throughout the country are eligible for retirement within the next 10 years so succession planning is an important part of every utility throughout the United States.

Commissioner LaVaughn King asked about the challenges within the Thermal Hydrolysis w/Mesophilic Digestion system and what was being done with regard to those challenges.

Mr. Cruz said there were challenges because the technology has been around for 20 years but it has been right for 10 years. The biggest challenge was with the odor which has now been fixed. As the product has gotten better it has also become less expensive.

Commissioner Eddy Zheng asked the following questions:

Is this the best technology available?
How much will it cost to install?
What will the amount of savings be?

Mr. Cruz provided the following answers:

Yes.
$30 million dollars for this particular technology.
$2 billion dollars has been designated for the overall system and the 50% reuse of the biogas will create savings.

Chairperson Karen Chung had a question regarding the project schedule and asked if the timeline could be shortened.

Mr. Cruz responded reducing the timeline was a primary goal.

Chairperson Chung invited questions from the public.

Dr. Espanola Jackson, community member, requested a composting center be placed on the land that would not be used for the new digesters and create jobs for residents from Bayview Hunter’s Point.

Mr. Charles Laws, community member, mentioned concern for the piping during the transition period between the digester technologies.

Mr. Cruz said building the new technology and switching it out with the old technology still in place would be one of the challenges and one of the reasons why the job would take time.

Ms. Marlene Walker, community member had a question regarding what the community will have to endure during this 10 year timeline with the noise and traffic.

Mr. Cruz responded the SFPUC is attempting to acquire land far from the residential community and much of the construction will be done there.

Ms. Marlene Walker, community member requested a phone number for the community to contact someone if they had questions or concerns.

Mr. Cruz said there were be a 24 hour contact number.

Chairperson Karen Chung thanked Mr. Cruz for his presentation.

10.0 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

The Commissioners discussed the idea to consolidate the 5 current Advisory Committees into 3 Advisory Committees to allow more participation from the public.

Commissioners Eddy Zheng, Janine Greer, LaVaughn King, and Brigette LeBlanc participated in the discussion.

Mary Holing, Deputy City Attorney advised the establishment of committees is under the purview of the Chairperson as established by the Commission bylaws.

Chairperson Karen Chung responded to the Commissioners concerns and said she would make a decision by the next Commission meeting.

Dr. Espanola Jackson commented regarding the Commissioners discussion.

Commissioner Janine Greer commented regarding the process and requested time be taken to figure it out.

The Commissioners discussed the idea of having two presenters at each meeting with strict timelines.

Commissioners Eddy Zheng, LaVaughn King, and Brigette LeBlanc participated in the discussion.

Francis Starr, Management Assistant spoke on behalf of the Southeast Community Facility Staff regarding the process of inviting Presenters.

Dr. Toye Moses, Executive Director said the presenters are invited per the instructions of the Commissioners.

Commissioners Brigette LeBlanc, Eddy Zheng, LaVaughn King and Bobbrie Brown continued the conversation regarding presenters and what would be the best use of the Commissioners time as they advocate for the community.

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

Chairperson Karen Chung thanked Commissioner LaVaughn King, Chair of the Health, Housing and Public Safety Advisory Committee and Commission Member Janine Greer for their commitment to the Annual Health Fair. She also thanked the SECFC and SFPUC staff for their efforts in making the Annual Health Fair a success.

STAFF/DIRECTOR REPORT

Director Toye Moses said there were over 700 people in attendance at the Annual Health Fair and he is looking forward to next year.

A list of upcoming presenters was provided to the Commissioners by Commission staff.

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STAFF REPORT & GENERAL UPDATE

Sam Murray, SFPUC Interim Facility Manager and SECFC Liaison thanked everyone for their help during his time at 1800 Oakdale. Mr. Murray noted his participation on the Digester Task Force and said he would be available in the future if needed.

Commissioners LaVaughn King, Brigette LeBlanc, Bobbrie Brown, Eddy Zheng and Director Moses thanked Mr. Murray for his service and hard work.

NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS for Future Agenda Items

Commissioner Eddy Zheng requested a discussion for a Community Party with the SECF Commission for the Holidays.

Commissioner Janine Greer requested adding a regular agenda item to the upcoming agendas titled “Assessment of Direction” this item is to allow the Commissioners to make sure they are remaining on task.

Mary Holing, Deputy City Attorney suggested it be a discussion item, rather than an ongoing agenda item.

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc requested forwarding a letter of invitation to Radio Host Marvin Robinson to discuss the neighborhood guests and topics he has featured on his weekly talk show.

Commissioner Brigette LeBlanc requested forwarding a letter to the SFPUC in support of the Nexgenegirls becoming tenants of 1800 Oakdale.

Public Comment

Emily Wade-Thompson, SFUSD commented regarding the upcoming Commission meeting guests from the SFUSD and she thanked Commissioner King for attending the SFUSD Board of Education meeting in support of Demetrius Hobson, Principal, Willie Brown Middle School. Ms. Wade-Thompson requested help from the SECFC staff with the logistics of the meeting.

Dr. Moses said the SECFC staff was available to work with her.

In closing, Ms. Emily Wade-Thompson said she would provide a comprehensive list of the young people that participated in the Health Fair.

14. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

________________________________________

Carla Vaughn, Commission Executive Secretary II

Southeast Community Facility Commission

Southeast Community Facility Commission - October 8, 2014 - Meeting Minutes