REPORTER: Frances Lorraine

The meeting was convened, pursuant to

Notice, at 9:00a.m. John Garamendi Deputy Secretary of

the Interior, presiding.

DIRECTORS PRESENT:

TOBY ROSENBLATT, Chair

EDWARD BLAKELY, Vice Chair

DONALD G. FISHER

JOHN GARAMENDI

AMY MEYER

MARY G. MURPHY

WILLIAM K. REILLY

ALSO PRESENT:

FOR THE GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA:

BRIAN OINEILL, General Superintendent

B. J. GRIFFIN, Presidio General Manager

U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA:

HON. THELTON HENDERSON, Chief Judge

A G E N D A

Page

Welcome 6

Administer Oath of Office 23

Election of Officers 26

Bylaws adopted 36

Presidio Trust Resolution adopted 63

Public Comment:

BILL McDONNELL 64

GORDON CHAPPELL 66

BUD ASH 69

SISTER BERNIE GALVIN 70

RACHEL ELLIS 74

MILAN WIGHT 77

MARCIA SMITH-WHITE 80

MARGARET ZEGART 81

CARL ANTHONY 83

MICHAEL ALEXANDER 85

GLORIA ROOT 88

ANNE HERERRE 90

ENA AGUIRRE 91

JOSEPH MYERS 92

JIM WAGNER 94

CAROLYN SCARR 95

WILLIAM JONES 97

Public Comment (continued): Page

JACQUELINE DE CESARI 98

EDUARDO COHEN 100

JOAN GIRADOT 102

JOANNE LINDEKE 106

YOUN CHEY 107

FREDERICK HOBSON 109

MARY ANN MILLER 112

DOUG KERN 114

SAUL BLOOM 115

JOEL VENTRESCA 117

BRIAN FELSTED 119

WHIRLWIND DREAMER 119

LOUIS VITALE 122

KEN BUTIGAN 124

LYNETTE LEE 127

ARLA ERTZ 128

RICHARD STOCKTON 129

Adjournment 130

P R 0 C E E D I N G S

9: 20 AM

PRESIDIO MANAGER GRIFFIN: Good morning,

everyone. I am B. J. Griffin, I am the General Manager

at the Presidio and I want to welcome each and every one

of you here today.

A few housekeeping items before we get

started. Aaron Brace and Greg Hiatos are here to provide

sign-language interpretation. Is there anyone here today

who would like to have that service?

(No response.)

PRESIDIO MANAGER GRIFFIN: All right, we

will ask again in about half an hour. And if not, we

will dismiss them.

If you missed them, the agenda items, the

sign-up sheets and the mailing list items are all on the

table just outside the door. So if you want to get on

the mailing list, make sure that you do so.

Welcome to the Presidio. Perhaps I am

preaching to the choir this morning if I talk a little

bit about this wonderful place. But I don't think anyone

here today is a stranger to the Presidio and what it

offers as a national park.

What is so special about the place and

gives it national park stature, however, is the people

across this nation that were instrumental in getting it

protected and set aside as a national park.

It recognizes the importance of our

national heritage. In fact, you don't need to look

beyond the opening lines of the legislation to understand

the importance of the Presidio, not only to this

community, but to this nation.

The Trust law has these words expressed by

the people of this nation through the United States

Congress in talking about the Presidio:

"Incomparable." "One of America's great

natural and historic sites." "Cultural and historic

integrity." "Must be preserved for public use." "Must

be managed so that it is protected from development and

use which would destroy the scenic beauty, historic and

natural character and cultural and recreational

resources." Finally, "The Presidio will remain in the

National Park System as part of the Golden Gate National

Recreation Area."

Those words are clear. And we in the

National Park Service laud all of you in the community

who have participated in preserving this land for the

common good.

To the new Board, welcome. we are glad you

are here. The task ahead is a challenging one and you

have a limited time in which to accomplish much. It is

not an easy job that you are about to accept, but we

appreciate your doing it.

What a marvelous opportunity to make a

lasting gift to this nation. And thank you for accepting

the challenge from the President of the United States.

The National Park Service looks forward to forging a new

kind of partnership with the Presidio Trust. And

together we will succeed in preserving this incomparable

national park.

Thank you. And it is my pleasure right now

to introduce Brian O'Neill, Superintendent of the Golden

Gate National Recreation Area. Brian?

(Applause.)

SUPERINTENDENT OINEILL: Thank you, B. J.

To our team of committed folks in the audience and to the

new members of the Trust, we extend our most heartfelt

welcome.

Before I introduce our distinguished Deputy

Secretary of the Interior, I would like to just take a

few brief moments to really discuss where we have come

from here. It has been eight and a half years -- it is

hard to believe.

I personally remember the call I got when

the announcement of the closure was to occur and how much

of a shock it was to many that the Presidio was closing.

And how naive the community was of the genius of Phil

Burton and the provision that he included In the law that

assured that the Presidio would continue to be managed

for park purposes if the military had determined it to be

excess to its needs.

Eight and a half years of intense,

exhilarating, frustrating, sometimes contentious work

that we have all been through to get to the point that we

are at today.

It really wouldn't be right for me to go

any further without paying a special tribute to the late

Congressman Phil Burton who had the remarkable foresight

and the legislative skill to include the Presidio within

the boundaries of GGNRA.

How proud Phil would be if he was here

today to know how our delegation, our two Senators, our

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, fought such a courageous

battle to be able to allow us to be here to celebrate the

next phase in the Presidio’s future. All of us give

terrific gratitude to Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer

and Representative Pelosi for their incredible work to

get us to this point.

I also want to give special thanks to

several other entities who have been there through every

chapter of this effort. First I want to -- and it is a

shame that Ed and Peggy Wayburn aren't here today. It

was really Ed's vision that led to the effort and got

Phil involved to begin with in the crusade to establish

GGNRA, which has become now America's largest urban

national park.

And I want to give a special tribute to Ed

Wayburn for his lifetime of work on behalf of national

parks, and ceytainly on behalf of GGNRA. I would like to

also acknowledge his very able sidekick, the mother of

GGNRA, Amy Meyer, in her absolute dedicated crusade on

behalf of this park now for 25 years, as we celebrate our

anniversary this year.

I want to give special thanks to our

Advisory Commission, certainly I think probably the best

advisory commission that supports any national park in

its system today, and to Rich Bartke and the other

eighteen dedicated members of the Advisory Commission who

have heard the testimony and time and time again gave

sage advice to the Park Service as we developed the

vision for the future of the Presidio.

I want to thank the Golden Gate National

Parks Association for their extraordinary non-profit and

support of the park, and the genius that Greg Moore and

his staff brings to the work every day, and the steady

hand that Toby Rosenblatt has provided as the Chair. And

the talent that has come together to be able to allow us

to be able to extend the resources of the Federal

Government in being able to realize the full potential of

the Presidio and other areas within GGNRA.

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area

really takes special pride in the park's strong record of

community participation and support. This has been

particularly true on the Presidio. Community

participation has helped move us from a broad vision for

the place through the transition from the Army to the

National Park Service, and now to the new partnership

with the Presidio Trust.

I want to save the last accolades for the

people who have been in the trenches day in and day out

on this. And that is the staff of the National Park

Service. You simply would never full appreciate the

demands, the stress, the pressures that our staff has

been under. There has hardly been anyone on our staff

that has had a full restful night during this period -

or have had a full weekend that they could say was their

own with their families.

So whether it is the law enforcement police

officer or ranger that is providing law enforcement

5upport, the fireman who is staffing the fire department,

the volunteer who is helping manage the native plant

nursery or any one of our staff, you all have been

terrific.

And I think all of us in the Park Service

can stand up proud and tall after eight and a half years

of intense effort and be proud to be here to say to the

Trust, we are changing our partnership and we are in good

stead. And we are anxious to bring your talent to the

partnership that lies ahead.

So everyone in the park, God bless you.

You have been terrific. It has been a demanding time,

but we are proud of where we are.

Last -

(Applause.)

SUPFRINTENDENT OINEILL: Very lastly, I

want to thank the community. You are here in force

today. It is even nice that we are able to set up an

additional room to be able to accommodate you. For it is

your interest, your caring about this place that has been

able to elevate its visibility on the national level. We

have walked our talk in this community. And you have

been part of the success that has occurred.

And now, it is with great pleasure that I

introduce John Garamendi, Deputy Secretary of the

Interior, and new Trust Board Member.

Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: Brian, let me

express my deep gratitude to you and the work that you

have done here these years as the Superintendent of the

GGNRA. It is an extraordinary piece of work and you have

built a beautiful park together with the staff.

And I want to compliment them. I see many

of them in the upper balcony and around the room. They

have done a wonderful job and we are most appreciative at

the Department of the Interior and the President. And I

believe The City is also.

B. J. Griffin, thank you very much for

taking this task down here. I suspect most in the

audience know that San Francisco Is blessed with the two

brightest stars in the NPS, the National Park System, to

manage and assist us in working through the challenges of

this magnificent national park.

I also want to be certain that we express

the appropriate appreciation to the representatives that

you have elected and sent to Congress. Congresswoman

Nancy Pe1osi has been an extraordinary champion for the

park. It is her dedication and her hard work that led to

the legislation that allows all of us to be here at the

head table, and sets up a unique and innovative way in

which an urban and complex national park is going to be

managed.

Certainly Senator Boxer and Senator

Feinstein were there with Congresswoman Pelosi as she

processed that legislation. And they, too, share in this

moment. And I want to be sure that we all recognize the

contribution and the leadership that they have provided.

President Clinton, when signing the bill,

knew that he had a couple of things to do. One was to

sign the bill and set in motion this whole process, which

was the easy part. The second part, and the much more

difficult, was to choose the trustees.

I think there has been an extraordinarily

good choice made in these trustees. I have had the

pleasure of working with them now through two meetings,

as we tried to familiarize ourselves with the very

complex issues. And it is an extraordinary group with a

deep experience of San Francisco, with the issues of the

Presidio, the area of California, and also extraordinary

personal experience in the key elements necessary to make

this Trust and this Park function.

So, to President Clinton, a big thank you

for giving me such wonderful colleagues to work with. My

task here is to represent the administration and the

Department of the Interior and the National Park Service

on the Trust Board. It will be a wonderful challenge and

one that I look forward to.

The Department of the Interior and the

National Park System are dedicated and absolutely

committed to making this park work, the new way of

handling this park, the Trust, and the complexities and

the issues before it. It is going to take different ways

of thinking. We will have to do new ideas and new

processes that have not been done before.

But we are committed to the process. And

we know that it can work. Certainly, the information

that has been developed over the last several years would

indicate that it is possible. And we will lend all of

our support and all that we need to do to assist this

Trust in carrying out its functions.

And those are unique functions. The

heritage of this particular site is unequaled in America.

It dates back to some of the earliest of European

activities. And even before that, Native American

activities. To maintain that heritage will be a

challenge that this Trust must undertake.

At the same time, it has to maintain the

esthetics of the site and also the purpose and esthetics

of all of our national parks. And an additional

challenge was laid on us by Congress. And that is to be

financial self-sufficient.

The management of those challenges will

stress this Board and the community and the National Park

System. But It will be managed, and managed very well,

because of the qualities of the Trustees that have been

chosen.

1 have a couple of tasks to do as this

transition takes place, and as we move to a new day. I

am sort of the presiding officer for the next couple of

minutes until the Trust, first, is sworn in and then

decides who its presiding officer or its chairperson will

be.

And so, as we make this transition, I just

want to make a final remark, that it is an extraordinary

day, a day of change. And it is going to be the start of

a very good relationship between the Trust, the National

Park System and Service, as well as the community of San

Francisco and the larger community of America, and all of

those people from around the world that have come to see

this extraordinary place.

Having said that, it is time for me now to

move this thing forward by introducing the gentleman who

will be swearing in the Trustees. Judge Thelton

Henderson is the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court

for Northern California. And he has honored us by his

presence.

Judge Henderson, if you will take command

as though this were your courtroom and lead us forward?

Thank you.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Thank you. Let me first

say what a true honor it is for me to be asked to be a

part of this auspicious occasion.

When I was asked to come here several days

ago, I asked a few questions. One was, what kind of an

event will it be and how many people will be there. And

1 was told somewhere between twenty and 200. We have

greatly exceeded that and what a marvelous turnout, as is

appropriate for this occasion.

Today, we come to a truly historic moment

in the 221-year-history of the Presidio. Many people

have been stewards of this beautiful and unique land.

Native-Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, the United States

Army and most recently, the National Park Service.

Today, we introduce a distinguished new set of stewards,

the Presidio Trust.

The Presidio Trust is established pursuant

to Public Law 104-333, which was enacted and signed into

law by the President of the United States on November 12,

1996. The Presidio Trust is a government corporation

wholly owned by the Federal Government.

The law stipulates that the Presidio Trust

will be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of

seven members. Six of these members are to be appointed

by the President of the United States. The seventh is

the Secretary of the Interior or his designee. In this

case, the Deputy Secretary of the Interior.

I would now like to introduce to you each

member of the Board of Directors, after which I will

swear them in, which is my great honor, as Directors of

the Presidio Trust.

Alphabetically, Edward Blakely is the Dean

of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the

University of Southern California. Perhaps his most

distinctive -- and this isn't in my notes -- perhaps his

greatest distinction as we talked in the back room there

Is that we grew up for a while in the same neighborhood,

in South-Central Los Angeles.

He has a long history of involvement in Bay

Area planning, both as the Chair of the Department of

City and Regional Planning at the University of

California at Berkeley, and as a member of the Presidio

Council, in which he helped formulate the development

concept for the park. Dr. Blakely received the 1990 San

Francisco Foundation Award for improving community life

in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dr. Blakely received his B.A. from the

University of California at Riverside, his M.A. from the

University of California at Berkeley and his E.D.D. from

the University of California at Los Angeles.

VOICE: Might they stand for just a moment

as you introduce them?

JUDGE HENDERSON: I am sorry?

VOICE: Might these people stand as you

introduce them? We can't see from here.

JUDGE HENDERSON: Oh, all right, I am

sorry. Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Next is Donald G. Fisher.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Mr. Fisher is from San

Francisco. He is the Founder and Chairman of The Gap,

Inc. He also served for many years as a partner with

Fisher Property Investment Company, concentrating on

general contracting, real estate and management.

He is a current member of the University of

California Haas School of Business and Stanford

University's Graduate School of Business, as well as a

Trustee of Princeton University. He also 5erves on the

Charles Schwab Corporation and AirTouch Communications.

Mr. Fisher received his B.S. from the

University of California. Thank you.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: And thank you so much for

correcting that oversight. I wouldn't have done that. I

wouldn't have had them stand, and they should.

John Garamendi Is the Deputy Secretary of

the Interior and was selected to serve as the Department

of the Interior's representative on this distinguished

Board. Mr. Garamendi is a native Californian and served

in the California State Senate and Assembly with great

distinction, and as State Insurance Commissioner.

While Deputy Secretary, he has worked to

build bridges between the Federal Government and the

private sector to further the goals of conservation.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Amy Meyer of San

Francisco is the former Chair of People for the Presidio,

formed in 1993 to work on the legislation creating the

Presidio Trust. She has served as Co-Chair of the People

for a Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 1971,

and was appointed Vice Chair of the Golden Gate National

Recreation Area Advisory Commission by the Secretary of

the Interior In 1974. This is a position she still

holds.

She served on the San Francisco Recreation

and Park Commission from 1976 to 1988. Ms. Meyer is a

graduate of Oberlin College and holds an M.F.A. from the

California College of Arts and Crafts.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Mary G. Murphy is also of

San Francisco. She is an expert in commercial real

estate law with the firm of Farella, Braun & Martel in

San Francisco. She was also Vice President of the Board

of Permit Appeals for the City and County of San

Francisco.

Ms. Murphy is a member and former Co-Chair

of Neighborhood Associations for Presidio Planning, an

umbrella organization of nine San Francisco neighborhood

associations surrounding the Presidio. As chairperson,

she testified before Congress regarding the legislation

to create the Presidio Trust.

Ms. Murphy graduated cum laude from Yale

University, was a Rhodes Scholar and received an Honours

B.A. from Oxford University. She received her J.D. cum

laude from Harvard University.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: I should also mention

that she gets up a 5 every morning and Jogs an unseemly

distance before going to work.

(Laughter.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: William K. Reilly, also

of San Francisco, is the former Administrator of the

Environmental Protection Agency. He is currently serving

as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University's

Institute for International Studies.

Mr. Reilly is associated with the Texas

Pacific Group which invests in environmental companies

and technologies in the United States, Latin America and

Asia. He serves on the boards of Yale University,

National Geographic Society, World Wildlife Fund and the

Dupont Company.

Mr. Reilly is a graduate of Yale

University. He received his J.D. from Harvard and his

M.A. in urban planning from Columbia University. He also

served as a Captain in the United States Army for eleven

years.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Toby Rosenblatt is also

of San Francisco. He is President -

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: He is the President of

the Glen Ellen Company of San Francisco, and he is Vice

President of Founders Investments, Ltd., of Salt Lake

City, both private companies in the business of financial

consulting and investments.

He has been Chair of the Board of Trustees

of the Golden Gate National Parks Association since 1991.

The Association is a non-profit member-supported

organization which provides financial and volunteer

support to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Mr. Rosenblatt served as President of the

San Francisco City Planning Commission from 1977 to 1988.

He holds a B.A. from Yale and an M.B.A. from Stanford

University.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Well-deserved applause

for a truly distinguished Board. And now it is my great

pleasure, if you would all stand and raise your right

hand, to administer the oath to you.

(Whereupon, the Board of Directors of the

Presidio Trust were duly sworn:)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Repeat after me, I -- and

then state your name -- do solemnly swear that I will

support and defend the constitution of the United States

against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will

bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take

this obligation freely without any mental reservation or

purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully

discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to

enter, so help me God.

(A chorus of I dos.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: You are now sworn in.

(Applause.)

JUDGE HENDERSON: Thank you.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: Thank you very

much, Judge Henderson. We are honored by your presence

and by your remarks.

Before we begin the official meeting, I

would like to welcome a few individuals who I have

noticed in the audience. Barbara Kaufman, President of

the Board of Supervisors here in San Francisco.

(Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: I believe

there are several or a couple of representatives from the

Mayor's office, and we welcome you also. And I noticed

that Colonel Thompson is here from the United States

Army, which is an appropriate thing since I believe we

are still in the Presidio and the Army still has some

interest here.

So thank you very much for joining us.

Thank you all.

(Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: There are also

representatives in the audience from Senators Boxer and

Feinstein and Congresswoman Pelosi's office. And perhaps

other Congressional offices. I would like to welcome you

also and acknowledge you. we appreciate your attendance

and look forward to working with all of you.

It now comes to me to complete this

transition from the National Park System to the Trust

that now formally exists. And I would like to do that by

handing over -- we must first have an election, excuse

me.

I think it is time for us to elect a

chairperson for the Trust. And I would ask the Trustees

if there is a nomination from any us the Trust Members?

DR. BLAKELY: I would like to nominate Toby

Rosenblatt.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: Toby

Rosenblatt has been nominated -

MR. REILLY: I second the nomination.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: -- and

seconded. With that nomination -- let me just make a

comment before we continue on.

San Francisco is noted for its political

activism. It is also noted for its civility. And we

have a very good opportunity to establish a pattern here

of civility. And I would appreciate it if all the

members of the audience would assist us in establishing

that civility -

(Prolonged applause.)

proceed, there will be more than enough opportunities for

the public to be heard in whatever you may want to say to

the Trust. And we would appreciate the remarks at that

7 time.

Now, we have a nomination. We have a

second. I would like to propose to the Board that we

have an election. All those in support of the motion to

nominate and to elect Toby Rosenblatt as Chair of the

Trust Board say aye?

(A chorus of ayes.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: Those opposed?

(No response.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: There being no

opposition and unanimous support, congratulations, Toby.

we are-delighted --

(Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: When I sat

down at my seat, I found this gavel or club here. And I

pass it to you, Toby. Congratulations!

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Thank

you, John. And thank you to the members of the Board for

the confidence you are expressing in asking me to chair

this distinguished group of people.

Let me just pause for a piece of business.

Could we ask the signing individuals, if you would just

step forward for a minute? I would like to ask again

whether there is anybody here who would like the services

of this signing translation to continue throughout the

meeting?

There is one individual there. Oh, two.

All right, perhaps over at this end? All right, thank

you.

I also want to thank John very much for

your willingness over this transition period to be the

convener of this group as we have been through this

period of being briefed by the National Park Service. We

appreciate that a lot. Thank you.

I would just like to say a few words to the

Members of the Board and all of you that are here. The

task that we are embarking upon is indeed both compelling

and daunting. We are picking up a responsibility that

began here formally when it was designated as the

Presidio 221 years ago, and indeed a responsibility for

stewardship that began with other people of other

backgrounds and diverse backgrounds even long before

that.

It is a stewardship responsibility for this

very unique place with the resources to be preserved and

new opportunities to be created. It is the beginning of

a new era for the Presidio that looks to another

milestone and has a very specific time frame of fifteen

years.

In the context of the Presidio history,

that is short. In the context of San Francisco that is

short, too. If I could just strike a few examples as

memories for you, Just to put us in context.

If you think of how long it has taken in

the Bay Area to get things underway like the Yerba Buena

Gardens or the Embarcadero waterfront or Hamilton Field

or, indeed, Crissy Field right here and the renovation

that will happen there -- and that planning even started

ten years ago -- fifteen years is really short.

If you think about how long it took all of

us to put together the Presidio Trust legislation and

have this place saved as a national park, that was four

years.

Even so immediate an issue as how long it

took for us to become officially directors of the Trust

from the day the bill was signed to today, it is already

eight months. Time slips by very quickly.

So we as a Board need to be very focused

and very urgent in our task. To be dramatic about it, we

have 131,400 hours left to get our job done. And that is

ticking away, minute by minute.

We are inheriting a rich tradition of use

as preservation. And for that we want to, again as has

been done but cannot be done too often, express

appreciation to the U.S. Army, Colonel Thompson and your

associates, and to the National Park Service, to Regional

Director John Reynolds who is here, and Brian O'Neill and

B. J. Griffin and to your predecessor Bob Chandler, and

to all of your staff.

We thank you for the stewardship that you

have brought to the area. And we look forward very much

to the close cooperation that we know we will have with

you, as the Trust and the Park Service move together

forward in continuing this grand adventure.

We are embarking upon the implementation as

a Board of a set of plans, ideas and mandates in the law

which themselves are the result of an extensive,

already-in-place public review and consensus that was

undertaken since 1989 by the National Park Service, and

then by Congress.

As we undertake our planning in fulfilling

these mandates, we need always to remember that our task

stems out of a drive to save this place as a national

park.

We need to remember the very real threats

of those in Congress who wanted this place to be sold for

private development, those who were appalled at the cost

of operating this place in the context of the National

Park System and the national budgetary context.

Now we are given fifteen years to prove

self-sufficiency is possible. Otherwise, indeed, the law

as it is written requires that the Presidio be placed on

the block for that sale.

So our agenda is already set, as

articulated in the GMPA for the preservation of the

natural and historic resources here, and to be balanced

with the mandates of the Presidio Trust law. And balance

is the key word. Every constituency who cares about the

Presidio in any respect or another will always need to

reread this law and the GMPA and remember the need for

balance.

We have been created as a board to run a

national corporation chartered by and owned by the

Federal Government, and accountable to Congress and the

President.

We are brought to this task and provided by

Congress with special authorities. But those authorities

are created not to engender new initiatives, but to carry

forward the already-in-place public consensus about the

preservation and uses of this national park. And to

carry them forward as a federal corporation with

authorities to enhance the efficient operations of that

corporation.

In that respect, we are not comparable to a

city planning commission or a board of supervisors or

even a congressional committee. Our requirements are

already in place. And our processes are the conduct,

with the benefit of continuing public input, of an

effective business in the stewardship of this public

asset.

That is what we are about. There are many,

many questions that everybody will have about where we go

from here. And the Board Members have had the benefit of

some informal briefing sessions which have been provided

by the National Park Service. And, again, for that we

are appreciative.

There are many questions that can be

addressed. And we and the National Park Service have

tried to anticipate some of them. You will find out in

the hall there a memorandum which is a series of

questions and answers which we hope will be helpful to

you in understanding what we know so far, out of the

history that the National Park Service has brought to

this place and the authorities that we have.

We will have some other business remarks to

deal with as we move along. At this point, I would like

to ask the board to consider taking action on the

nomination and election of a vice chairman as an officer

of this board?

MS. MEYER: Mr. Chairman, I would like to

nominate Ed Blakely as vice chairman.

MS. MURPHY: Second.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: I has been moved and

seconded that Ed Blakely be elected as vice chairman of

this board. All those in favor of that motion?

(A chorus of ayes.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Opposed?

(No response.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The motion is adopted

unanimously. Thank you.

DR. BLAKELY: Thank you for electing me as

vice chair of this board. The vice chair's

responsibilities are to act in the absence of the chair.

And I hope you are not absent very often.

Many of you know I have been involved in

this process since the formation of the Presidio Council.

So I have been involved from the military conversion to

the development of the national park.

It has been a privilege to be involved in

this process. Clearly we are blessed -- Just looking

outside today -- with an extraordinary asset, spectacular

views, an opportunity to work with a diverse community on

the things it wants most.

The Presidio is not just San Francisco’s.

It is the nation's and the world's. Most of the world

has been here at one time or another. And we have an

opportunity to create a world asset here, and we will

take advantage of it.

We are fortunate to have unparalleled,

unmatched opportunities here to establish something that

is sustainable in three ways, economically, socially and

physically. We will take that as our charge and work at

it very hard.

We must make this an economically feasible

project. We have to do that for your interests, for our

interests and for the interests of generations to come.

Success will benefit the entire community.

We will create Jobs here, we will create

economic opportunities here, but we will also create

cultural resources and preserve them. For the history of

this place is part of what its future is all about.

The tapestry of cultures that are

represented in this room and around this community will

be represented on the Presidio. It will include all

races, all incomes groups, sexes, religions,

nationalities and the like, so that this is truly a

representative place.

We hope the spirit of cooperation,

community and trust will be the bywords under which we

operate. You will be part of this process. It will

ensure that you are. This is a great day and a great

opportunity for all of us.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: At this point in the

business of the board, it would be appropriate for us to

have action with respect to the adoption of bylaws for

the operation of this corporation.

And I would like to ask our Board Member,

Mary Murphy, if she would please do that for us.

MS. MURPHY: I notice that I get stuck with

all the very exciting parts of the agenda like bylaws,

which most people don't -- it must be something about

being a lawyer.

The bylaws that you see before you

think there are some available for people to review if

they are interested -- are very standard bylaws for any

corporate entity. We are a wholly-owned government

corporation. And all corporations have bylaws.

Our article of incorporation is the Act

creating us by Congress. And these are our bylaws.

These are the absolute prerequisites for corporate

existence. And these are very standard.

These are extremely similar to those of the

Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation, which is

another wholly-owned government corporation, and serves

as a very good model for us in this matter. It is not

exciting reading. If you are an insomniac, I would

recommend them to you in the evening.

But a couple of things that people might

find of interest to the public are that, in add-1tion to

setting out the basic structure of the board and

provisions for how meetings are conducted, providing for

the chair and the vice chair positions, setting out

authorities of the board and what constitutes a quorum -

which is four members, as provided by our enabling

legislation -- it also provides for noticing procedures.

And you might be interested to note that

public meetings will be announced in advance in

newspapers of general circulation and published in the

Federal Register at least fifteen days prior to any

meeting being taken.

It provides that the Board can create

committees which will help it to function more

efficiently, so that not all seven members need to be

present to address particular issues. That committees

can work on different issues that present themselves for

the Board together as a group.

And it also provides that, if we are to

adopt or promulgate rules and regulations, we may do so.

And that the notice of the adoption of those rules and

regulations shall also be published in the Federal

Register. Which is, for those lawyers in the crowd who

are into this sort of thing, obviously consistent with

the Administrative Procedure Act.

That's it. That's the basic ground rules.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: All right. Could I

have a motion from the Board to adopt the bylaws, please?

MR. FISHER: So moved.

MR. REILLY: Second.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: All those in favor?

(A chorus of ayes.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: opposed?

(No response.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The motion is adopted

22. unanimously and the bylaws are now part of the Trust
23. activity.

A couple of notes with respect to very

preliminary thoughts on how we are going to operate some

of our business. Through the accommodation of the

National Park Service, GGNRA, Presidio office here, the

Trust has already in place its first employee, a

gentleman named Craig Middleton.

Craig is serving as what I would call our

Chief Generalist. He is providing support for the Board.

He is taking care of all of the transition issues with

the National Park Service. And he is and will be our

Director of Government Affairs in charge of our liaison

with other government entities.

We have embarked upon the process of

seeking an Interim Executive Director. Again, through

the assistance of the Presidio NPS office, we have

retained the services of an executive recruiting firm by

the name of Chartwell Partners.

They have created, with us, a position

description for that. And for those of you who might be

interested in seeing the content of that description,

there are also copies of that in the outer hall. As you

leave, you are welcome to pick up a copy.

If you have individuals that you believe

are fitting those criteria and that you believe should be

considered in this process, we would encourage you please

to send a note, a resume, to Craig Middleton at the

Presidio Trust office. And there are materials out there

which indicate the new address of the Presidio Trust

office as well.

Other senior management will be hired after

the Interim Executive Director has been retained. And

that individual will be responsible for creating the

whole staff in consultation with the Board.

The transition from the National Park

Service to the Presidio Trust will really occur in two

respects. The operational functions here and the

physical properties.

And let me say as an aside that whenever we

are talking about the Presidio that is within the

jurisdiction of the Trust, we are talking about that

portion of the map which accompanied the Presidio Trust

legislation, Public Law 104-333, that designates all of

the Presidio with the exception of Crissy Field and the

coastal area.

Those areas remain permanently within the

Jurisdiction of the National Park Service. So

henceforth, when we refer to the Presidio within the

Presidio Trust legislation, it does not include those

edges.

The law sets out the process for the

transfers to take place. And this is to be complete by

the end of the first year. During the coming 12 months

and through the 198 fiscal year, as appropriate, we will

be taking on some functions Presidio-wide, while taking

Jurisdiction for properties only as our planning for them

can evolve.

As an example, based on what we know to

date, we anticipate asking the National Park Service to

continue either directly or through contract with the

Trust to be responsible for all of the day-to-day

maintenance operations.

Similarly, the Park Police, Fire Department

and other public safety personnel will be asked to

continue responsibility for their functions. Also, the

resource management, interpretation and some of the

administration functions will likely continue through the

National Park Service directly, or by contract with the

Trust.

As for properties, for example, housing

units that are currently leased to the Department of

Defense or the Wherry housing units are most likely to be

left in the Jurisdiction of the National Park Service,

while other housing that meets evolving opportunities

such as availability for Park Partners and Presidio

tenants could be moved to the Trust jurisdiction for

longer-term rental and leasing arrangements.

All of that will evolve over the next year

as we do the comprehensive plan that is required for

submission to Congress at the end of the first year of

our activity.

Somewhere in my head out there that clock

that is running fifteen years has got a parallel clock

that is running the hours by for the first year

requirement. And that starts officially today.

The conduct of the business by the Trust

will be an evolving process as the staff is hired and as

the plan required at the end of that first year is

developed. So we don't have yet all of the answers by

far as to Just how this will be done.

There are a number of rules and regulations

that will be applied by the Trust to its business. The

first of these was, or is, the set of bylaws which we

just adopted.

In addition, there will be others such as

procedures for NEPA, Freedom of Information Act, the

National Park Service park regulations and rules, the

ethics standards and similar standard kinds of government

regulations that may apply to the Trust.

Many of these are routine within the

federal agencies. And the Trust will have the option of

either adopting these standard formats or, in other cases

as defined by our enabling legislation, will need some

refining to meet the Trust's particular operational

requirements.

We anticipate in a few minutes creating

Board committees. And we will ask the appropriate

committee to include opportunities for public review,

such as through the Federal Register, and public comment

periods for those rules that might have broad public

interest prior to their final adoption by this Trust

Board.

And that will be within the decision of the

appropriate Board committee as to how we will proceed

with that for those that may be non-standard kinds of

rules.

At this Juncture, as allowed in the bylaws

we have just adopted, I would like to make a

recommendation to the Board members with respect to

adopting or allowing us to create some Board committees

in order to conduct our business more efficiently.

Each committee will undertake the detailed

review of issues and policies in consultation with the

Trust senior management, and then make reports and

recommendations to the full Board for consideration and

possible actions.

In that regard, I would like to recommend

to the Board that initially we establish three Board

committees. First, a real estate and housing. Second, a

finance and budget. Third, an operations and management.

The real estate and housing committee will

have responsibility for oversight of the leasing and

other agreements, and for construction and renovation

programs, property management, environmental remediation,

et cetera, for the real estate and the housing.

The finance and budget committee will have

responsibility for oversight of the Trust finances

including budgets, appropriations, borrowing functions

and long-term financial planning. It will also oversee

the accounting and audit functions.

The operations and management committee

will be responsible for-oversight of the Trust's own

business functions, such as its rules and regulations and

its relationships other than finance to other government

agencies.

I would propose to you that oversight of

the issues of transition, which are largely one-time in

nature, will be the responsibility of the Chair and, as

appropriate, of the Board as a whole. Similarly, broad

issues of strategic planning and the plans and reports

required of the Trust will remain as the responsibility

of the whole Board.

If that is agreeable to the Board Members,

I would ask you for a motion to create those three

committees.

DR. BLAKELY: I would like to move to

create the committees.

MR. REILLY: Second.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: It has been moved and

seconded. All those in favor?

(A chorus of ayes.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: opposed?

(No response.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That motion is

adopted.

1 would like to ask the following

individuals if they would please be willing to accept

assignment to the committees as follows:

For the real estate and housing committee,

Don Fisher would chair that committee. Mary Murphy and

Ed Blakely would also serve.

For the finance and budget committee, Mary

Murphy would chair that and John Garamendi and Bill

Reilly would serve on that.

For the operations and management

committee, Amy Meyer would chair that, with Bill Reilly

and John Garamendi also serving.

The Board chair and eventually the

executive director would serve ex officio on each of

those committees.

And that doesn't require a vote. It simply

requires a lack of objection about responsibilities I am

just asking you to take on. And hearing no objection, we

will take that as assent from everybody. Thank you.

At this stage, those of you who have Just

been asked to chair committee, if you wish, it would be a

very good time if you wanted to make any remarks about

the work of the Trust or the arenas in which your

committee might specifically function.

MR. FISHER: Well, thank you, Toby. 1

appreciate the opportunity to serve as the chair of the

committee on real estate and housing.

The key objective of the committee's work

will be to establish a comprehensive leasing and housing

program that will protect the resources of this

magnificent Presidio by creating a revenue stream to fund

park operations, maintenance and programs.

Clearly, we don't have a lot of time.

Fifteen years is a brief period in which to make the

Presidio operation self-financing. In order to be

successful, we must create a compelling vision of the

Pre5ldlo that builds on its national park character, its

historic flavor and scenic beauty, all of the attributes

that make the Presidio so important to all of us today.

As chair of the real estate and housing

committee, I would like also to recognize the

organizations and families who are currently residing

here in the Presidio. I look forward to working with you

as we move along. And I understand that the Presidio

Tenants Council may be represented here this morning.

Welcome to all of you.

One of the most pressing issues that we

will face as we begin our leasing program is to ensure an

expeditious and thorough cleanup of hazardous materials

here at the Presidio.

Congress has provided the Trust with

significant flexibility in managing this major piece of

property. It is essential that cleanup actions not

hamper our flexibility by, in effect, restricting the

universe of our uses that are possible here. We intend

therefore to work closely with the Army, the National

Park Service and the community to achieve adequate

cleanup.

As a first step, we have asked the Army to

grant a 45-day extension to the public comment period for

its main installation feasibility study to allow the

trust adequate time to analyze the Army's proposed

cleanup alternatives. We are looking forward to

receiving their response.

In closing, I look forward to serving on

this Board and to working with all of you to achieve a

great result in this incomparable national park.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you, Donald.

Mary, did you -

(Applause.)

MS. MURPHY: Thank you. I want to say how

wonderful it is to see so many people and friends here

today whom we have all gotten to know so well over the

last few years, who have worked so hard to make this

place what it is and hopefully what it will be in the

future.

1 look forward to working on establishing a

financing and budgetary program for the Presidio that

will set us on our congressionally-mandated course of

achieving financial self-sufficiency in fifteen years.

Ultimately, financial self-sufficiency can

be good for the Presidio by relieving us of the

uncertainty that surrounds the federal budgeting process,

especially in the current era of financial belt

tightening.

A 5elf-supporting financial structure will

eliminate a significant amount of vulnerability for the

Presidio. However, in order to be successful, we must

not be forced to accept reduced funding levels until

there are sufficient revenues to replace federal funds.

In this, we ask for the cooperation of both Congress and

the Administration.

We have an opportunity here to use limited

amounts of federal dollars to leverage other sources of

funding. Using the authorities provided to the Trust in

the law, a strong financial program can bring substantial

benefits to the park, more funding for infrastructure and

resource protection, enhanced public programs and

adequate levels of security.

I want to add at this point my appreciation

and that of the whole Board to the National Park Service,

the U.S. Park Police and the Presidio Fire Department for

their wonderful job in maintaining crucial services here

at the Presidio despite their budgetary constraints.

As a Presidio neighbor, I know that the

neighborhood and the people of San Francisco share this

sense of gratitude for the work that the Park Service,

the Park Police and the Fire Department have done to keep

the Presidio so well maintained and safe during this

period of their tenure.

in closing, I would like to underscore

Don's point about the importance of an expedited, timely

and thorough environmental cleanup here at the park.

Thankfully, we are relatively fortunate that the

hazardous materials found here at the Presidio are not

unmanageable.

It is essential for public health, as well

as for financial viability, that the toxics that are here

get cleaned up as soon as possible. To that end, the

Trust has hired an excellent environmental consulting

firm, Euler Kalinowski (sounds like) Inc., EKI, to review

the Army's remediation investigation and feasibility

study.

Like Don, I hope and I trust that the Army

will agree to our request for a 45-day extension of the

comment period for the feasibility study in order to

provide the Trust adequate time to respond thoroughly to

the main post installation feasibility study that is

currently out. We look forward to working with the Army

and the Park Service on this issue.

1 Just wanted to add a comment that

somebody made to me recently. I was talking to a man who

is a veteran who was wounded in Vietnam In 1967. And he

was brought to Letterman Army Medical Center to recover,

before the large Letterman was built.

So he was in the old Letterman which is now

the site of the Thoreau Center Partners. And when he

recovered well enough, he told me that they put a paint

brush in his hand and they had him paint the ramp going

from one building to the other.

When Thoreau Center opened, he was invited

to the opening. And he said when he walked in and he saw

that ramp that he had painted, he felt as if the building

was speaking to him. This was his segue before they sent

him back to Vietnam for another tour of duty.

What he said spoke to how meaningful this

place is to our veterans. And I know that the Army will

be as committed as the rest of us to the cleanup of this

place. Because to be a national park, the true national

park it can be, it has to be a home for everyone. For

the children we hear in the audience today, and for the

veterans for whom this place is a very meaningful

signpost in their lives.

The cleanup of the Presidio is critical to

making this the wonderful national park it can be, and

critical to enabling us to achieve the financial

viability to protect this park. And I know the Army will

be as committed to this process as we are. And we look

forward to working with them on that.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Amy, would you be

willing to say a few words?

MS. MEYER: Thank you. I would like to

share with you something of the spirit with which I will

approach the operations and management committee for the

Presidio Trust. And to do this, I have to go back in

history a bit.

In 1970, the National Park Service brought

forth the idea of parks to the people, where the people

are. And the intention was to make it possible for

people from all walks of life to experience and enjoy the

splendor and heritage of our national parks. our

national parks were not just to be for the people who

could afford to drive to Yosemite or Yellowstone.

Gateway National Recreation Area in New

York and New Jersey, Lowell National Historic Site in

Massachusetts, Chattahoochee in Georgia, Indiana Dunes,

Santa Monica Mountains and more were born in that era.

Of these parks, the largest and most

visited and the most successful is the Golden Gate

National Recreation Area, in part because the people of

the Bay Area have valued and worked hard to protect our

incredible landscape. This park will celebrate its 25th

anniversary this year.

The other reason why we have the Golden

Gate National Recreation Area -- it is really reasons.

And Brian O'Neill said this very beautifully at the

beginning. But I feel a necessity to underline it.

our late great Congressman Philip Burton

carried this legislation in Congress and knew how

important it is for all of our people to know and love

their natural, historic and scenic heritage. And to have

outstanding recreational and educational opportunities.

In working on this legislation, the People

for a Golden Gate National Recreation Area, of which I am

co-chair -- a large number of people worked on this, but

our chairman Edgar Wayburn, who is today up in Alaska

working, as he has for years, on saving the Alaska

national parks worked so hard to protect and preserve

this land.

Because of Congressman Philip Burton, the

senators of that time, Senator Cranston and Senator

Tunney, and because of a group of people who cared very

much, the headlands of the Golden Gate are preserved for

public-use in perpetuity.

And the Presidio, two percent of the Golden

Gate National Recreation Area's 75,000 acres, is saved

for public use and enjoyment and is not being sold off

like the other 85 military posts that were voted for

closure in 1989.

The people of the Bay Area, and especially

of San Francisco, owe a large part of this success -- and

looking over this audience today, I see people I have

worked with over a 25-year period -- to the active

support of the park and the volunteering of time and

effort at every level over these 25 years which have

helped to make our national park next door the success

that it is.

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is

our national park. The Presidio is a community within

the San Francisco community. And whether under the Army

or the National Park Service, has always been of national

importance. This Board will have to report to the

President, the Congress and the American people on its

ability to transform this post into a park of the

National Park System.

Fox more than 23 years, the Golden Gate

National Recreation Area Advisory Commission has heard

public testimony concerning policies affecting this park

and has been responsive to public concerns.

I am very pleased to see sitting in the

first row the chairman of our commission Rich Bartke.

Rich, would you raise your hand, please? Thank you.

(Applause.)

MS. MEYER: For more than eight years, the

commission has heard the public on matters affecting the

Presidio. The commission will continue to play a major

role in hearing public comment. This Board needs and

wants your continued interest, concern and support.

We Will 5hortly adopt a resolution

concerning public comment on our activities.

Thank you.

(Applause,)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Amy, thank you. I

wanted to back for Just a minute to something that Don

Fisher said with respect to the housing in the Presidio.

I want to reemphasize the fact that the

Board Members are very cognizant of the fact that there

are a number of people who are currently living in the

Presidio, both members of our armed forces and

individuals who work for the National Park service and

for a number of the other tenants, those we call Park

Partners.

We, as a Board, are very appreciative of

the fact that those people are living here and that they

care very much about the environment that they live in.

And they have the obvious concerns that one would have

with the transition about the National Park Service to

the Presidio Trust with respect to what happens to them.

I want to assure them, and everyone else

who is interested in the housing issues for the Presidio

that nothing abrupt is going to happen. There will be

the orderly development of a set of housing policies for

the Presidio that take into consideration the issue that

I have raised before.

That is, it takes into consideration the

balance of the issues that affect the National Park, the

GHPA and the Presidio Trust legislation. And that we

would anticipate that there will indeed always be a

cross-section of housing in terms of those who are living

here in the Presidio.

And so we are very cognizant of the

desirability that was laid out in the GMPA for the

relationship between housing and Jobs in the Presidio and

what that does as an environmental benefit.

So during the coming year, clearly housing

will be a very high priority and an early priority for

the planning that the Trust Board and its staff will be

doing. And it will be done in the context of the

comprehensive kind of planning that is required by the

Act to be completed and submitted to Congress by the end

of the first year.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: Toby, if I

might just add a couple of comments?

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Yes, John.

DEPUTY SECRETARY GARAMENDI: The housing

stock here on the Presidio is an enormous asset that must

be properly managed for the financial benefit and also

for the historic heritage of the park. It is a very

complex issue. And at the moment, the Board has no

specific plans on how to go about dealing with that and

we have discussed some of the best ways.

But in the context of the overall planning

for the Trust assets, the real estate assets here, it

would seem to me wise that we incorporate in that a

specific sub-element of the housing.

And that we look to those issues in a

comprehensive way, taking into account all of the various

buildings that exist and their potential use in light of

the legislation and the General Management Plan for the

park, as well as the needs for the housing and employment

relationships here on the park.

I think this is something we can undertake

and will be undertaken, and would urge that we do so.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you, John.

I would like to ask Bill Reilly if he would

be willing to add to that? I would appreciate it.

MR. REILLY: Thank you, Toby.

Let me first note with gratitude and

admiration President Clinton's decision to select a

notably non-political, non-partisan Board for the

Presidio Trust.

Congresswoman Pelosi’s skill and

effectiveness at marshaling through the legislation to

enactment, and Senator Feinstein's and Senator Boxer's

advocacy of this legislation was conducted in that

fashion. And so, too, has been his action on

appointments.

I am a career conservationist. I am not,

contrary to Judge Henderson's introduction, a veteran of

eleven years in the Army. I had two years in the Army.

But what I did have was fifteen years as president of the

Conservation Foundation and four years as president of

World Wildlife Fund before becoming EPA administrator.

In that capacity, I oversaw a good deal of research and

advocacy regarding national parks, and international

parks, even.

Our nation's idea of itself has always been

reflected in our selection and protection of specific

cites and distinguished places. Each generation has

added a new dimension to the park's inventory and legacy,

the Civil War battlefields, national seashores,

recreation areas, urban parks, as Amy Meyer said. They

have all reflected the priorities and the emphases and

the concerns of people at their time.

The Presidio represents a wholly unique mix

of natural distinction within an urban cultural setting

with a very rich history. I toured this place when I was

EPA administrator and, given my background in the parks,

Found it peculiar that I was seeing a new park

established including an area that technically qualified

as a Super Fund site.

(Laughter.)

MR. REILLY: It is unusual. It is not

precedented. Well, you know, it is probably not

precedented to create a park with over 800 buildings.

And yet, future national parks are not likely to be

empty. They are likely to have a history. They are

likely to have a past. Even to show some scars of a hard

life.

The challenge to the National Park Service

and to the Presidio Trust will be to forge a set of new

institutions and new legal and financial mechanisms for a

whole different set of challenges.

I am reminded that some years ago I was

visited by a group from Latin America which World

Wildlife Fund was supporting who were establishing a

National park system in their country.

They had just come from the Grand Tetons

where they were shocked to see commercial grazing

conducted in a prominent place in the Grand Tetons. That

was contrary to the idea of the national parks which they

had gotten from us, an idea in that respect at least I

thought we had not lived up to.

And yet, we have this peculiar challenge to

generate sufficient revenues to relieve the federal

treasury of the burdens of this resource. Now that is

really new. It is something the public is going to have

to accommodate to. It is something that we -- that I

find novel and am going to have to accommodate to as

well. I think it will require a lot of ingenuity and

very careful acknowledgement of the different set of

responsibilities we now undertake.

In America's path toward self-realization

created in the evolution of our parks, Yellowstone really

started this country, and then the world, on the path of

parks' creation and protection. There are a lot of parks

in the world, and I know many of them. But there is no

park that has the mix of cultural, historic and stunning

natural distinction as the Presidio.

It will be our task to do something that

hasn't been done before in San Francisco, in the United

States or anywhere in the world. And that is, to give

meaningful recognition to all the educational, the

recreational and the environmental protection, the

ecological protection values in this place.

To do so, is a new departure toward

blending commercial and conservation values in a whole

new relationship that works successfully for both, and to

do it in a way that really protects and preserves this

uniquely beautiful national and even international

treasure.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: we have in the

enabling legislation a section which calls for a liaison

with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Advisory

Commission for the purposes of assisting the

opportunities for public input to our activity.

Amy, I would appreciate it if you would

address that question. We have a draft resolution for

consideration. And if you could run through that for the

group?

MS. MEYER: Surely.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That would be

appreciated.

MS. MEYER: I am going to read the

resolution but kind of tighten it up:

"WHEREAS, the public law that established

the Presidio Trust reaffirmed that the Presidio is

entirely a part of the Golden Gate National

Recreation Area and called for it to be managed by

this innovative public/private partnership, and

directed us further to establish procedures for

providing public information and opportunities for

public comment, and recognizes that there is strong

public interest in the Presidio and would like

public input on certain key issues for decision

making processes,

"THEREFORE be it resolved that this Board of

Directors of the Presidio Trust encourages members

of the general public to make their views known to

the Trust and will provide opportunities for public

comment in the following manner:

"1. Write or call the Presidio Trust -- an

address can be found on the papers outside, and

there is also a telephone number -- and we shall

seek to respond to your inquiries or comments in a

timely way.

"2. There will be public meetings of the

Presidio Trust Board of Directors. We will convene

at least two public meetings each year. Such

meetings shall include opportunities for public

expression. In accordance with the Presidio

Trust's bylaws, public meetings will be announced

in advance, in particular in newspapers of general

circulation, and fifteen days prior to a meeting.

"3: In addition, our committees may convene

meetings for the purpose of providing for public

discussion of issues falling under their

jurisdiction.

"4: Finally, public comment through the

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Advisory

Commission. From time to time the Board of

Directors will invite the Golden Gate National

Recreation Area Advisory Commission to provide

opportunities for public comment on key Presidio

land use issues where there is significant public

interest.

"Such invitation shall be extended to the

Chairman of the Commission by the Chairman of the

Board, acting at the behest of the Board of

Directors, and shall coincide to the extent

possible with the Commission's regular schedule of

public meetings."

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Would you like to

make a motion?

MS. MEYER: I would like to make a motion

that we adopt the Opportunities for Public Comment

Resolution.

MR. REILLY: Second.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: All those in favor?

(A chorus of ayes.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Opposed?

(No response.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The matter is adopted

unanimously.

That concludes the organizing portion of

the business of this board meeting. And now it is

appropriate, as is called for in the published agenda,

for a period of public comment.

There are a couple of things I would like

to ask you to consider. As you know, people were asked

to sign up in advance. We now realize that the number of

people who have signed up in advance who wish to speak,

if we even limited this to a brief period of two minutes,

would extend us well into the afternoon.

Unfortunately, we would lose our quorum.

As you know, the notice anticipated a meeting that would

go from 9 to 11. We had no idea, frankly, that we would

be welcomed with this large a crowd.

The Board would like the opportunity to

receive public comment. First, I would like to take a

very short break. We would like to ask you who

anticipate speaking if you could convene among yourselves

and attempt to appoint one person who would speak on

behalf of your issue and/or organization.

If we can do that, then possibly we can,

with a two-minute time limit per speaker, be able to have

all of the issues brought to the attention of the Board.

Two other things I would like to mention.

As you just heard, we have a relationship with the Golden

Gate National Recreation Advisory Commission. That

Commission has its next regular meeting tonight at 7:30

at Fort Mason in its regular room. I would encourage

you, given our time constraints, to also take advantage

of that opportunity.

In addition, I would like you to please

bear in mind that in terms of public comment here, this

is an opportunity for us to hear your views. But please

do not anticipate that we will be in a position to

respond or have any dialogue. There just isn't time for

us to do that.

All right. If you would be good enough,

let us-take a very short recess, five minutes at most,

and reconvene for public comment.

(A brief recess was taken.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Ladies and gentlemen,

if I could ask you to resume your seats, we will get

started again.

For those of you who are familiar with the

processes and procedures of the GGNRA Advisory

Commission, you will recognize this. What we are going

to ask you to do, again, is to limit your statements to

two minutes.

The secretary here, Michael Feinstein, will

indicate a warning to you when there are thirty seconds

left. And when the two minutes is up you will hear a

gong, and we will ask you please to be seated so that we

can move on and hear everybody else.

The other thing I would ask you to do is,

if the issues that you had thought about raising with us

might have been answered in the first section of this

meeting, maybe Just refer to the issues rather than going

into a long discussion about them. That might save us

all a little time as well.

I am going to call from the list I have

three names at a time so that two of you can be ready to

come forward and speak quickly, and we can move this

along.

And the first name I have on this list is

Bill McDonnell. Please, go ahead.

STATEMENT OF BILL McDONNELL

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS FOR PRESIDIO PLANNING

MR. McDONNELL: Thank you. Good morning,

my name is Bill McDonnell and I am a co-chair of

Neighborhood Associations for Presidio Planning, also

known as NAPP.

NAPP is an umbrella organization consisting

of the neighborhood associations of San Francisco which

surround the Presidio. From east to west, we encompass

the neighborhoods of the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific

Heights, Presidio Heights, Presidio Terrace, Lincoln

Park, the Richmond and Sea Cliff.

On behalf of NAPP, I congratulate each of

you on your appointment to the Trust. Most of our

members supported the creation of the Trust. I want to

take special note of the appointment of Mary Murphy, a

former co-chair of NAPP. Mary's dedication and ability

served us well and I am certain will serve the Trust

well.

My brief remarks will focus on three

issues. First, public participation in your decision

making process. Second, open meeting procedures for the

Board and, third, conflicts of interest.

In the interest of keeping my remarks

short, as the Chairman urged, the first two topics I was

going to speak on have already been addressed by the

bylaws and some of the other things that have already

been said. And in summary, we urge an open process where

the public can participate.

Finally, with respect to the conflicts of

interest issue, it is important to NAPP and the public

that the Board Members disclose financial conflicts of

interest to foreclose all appearance of impropriety.

At the time the Trust considers conflict of

interest rules, NAPP suggests that the Trust consider,

among other things, the San Francisco rules for

commissioners and senior public employees relating to the

disclosure of certain investments and income.

In conclusion, NAPP looks forward to

working with all of you and your staff in a constructive

relationship to create a model urban national park.

Thank you very much.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you, Bill.

The next speaker on the list is Gordon

Chappa-11, follow----2 by Bud Ash and then Carolyn Scarr.

STATEMENT OF GORDON CHAPPELL

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. CHAPPELL: Thank you. You are going to

hear from a lot of people today who have various axes to

grind. My concern is a pretty basic one. And while I

have been somewhat reassured by the various comments that

you have made today, nevertheless I am concerned that the

Presidio Trust legislation does not sufficiently address

historic preservation as a purpose of the Presidio’s

Trusts activities.

And noting the biographies of the various

members of the Trust, I don't see anybody on the Board

who has a background or experience in historic

preservation.

The basic values of the Presidio as I see

it are its magnificent scenery and its historic

resources. It consisted of barren sand dunes until about

1880 when the Army did the landscaping. But the trees

and shrubs and the grasses at the Presidio are primarily

exotic species that were brought in by the Army and are

not normally considered to be natural resources.

So it is the historic values that are

important here. The Presidio is a national historic

landmark. it is not and probably never will be a

national natural landmark because it simply doesn't have

enough natural qualities, despite a few endangered

species.

The important resources are the historic

buildings, structures, archaeological sites, objects such

as the old Spanish cannon, and the historic or cultural

landscape. In achieving your balance, it is important to

preserve the historic character of the buildings, both

inside and out, and of the landscape around them.

An example of what not to do is what the

State of Washington did at Fort Warden State Park on the

Olympic Peninsula where in an officers' row they painted

each of the quarters a different pastel color. Seemingly

innocuous, perhaps, but it entirely destroyed the uniform

character of that officers' row. And it entirely

destroyed the historic value of it in so doing.

I urge you to follow the Park Service's

General Management Plan Amendment. There are some parts

of that that I was not happy with. But overall, it is a

pretty good document and I would urge you to follow that.

I also urge you to follow the Secretary's

standards for historic preservation.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you for -

MR. CHAPPELL: Rather than building new

buildings, I would urge you to adapt perhaps the

nonhistoric buildings which still stand.

MR. REILLY: Gordon, thank you.

MR. CHAPPELL: I have spent 22 years

studying the Presidio

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

MR. CHAPPELL: -- and I have a great deal

of knowledge of its history and hope it will be

preserved.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Bud Ash?

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Carolyn Scarr, and

then Rachel Ellis.

STATEMENT OF BUD ASH

FRIENDS OF THE PRESIDIO ASSOCIATION

MR. ASH: Good afternoon. My name is Bud

Ash. I am retired from the United States Army and have

been stationed at one time here at the Presidio.

The point that I would like to bring up is

a little extension of the conflict of interest remark

earlier introduced. Now, understand that the individuals

I am going to name by name, I mention them not as a

putdown or a spoiler, but only because we are more

familiar with them by virtue of them being in the public

eye more than some of the rest of you on the

directorship. That is Ms. Meyer and Mr. Rosenblatt.

Now, we of the -- well, I'd better say

further than I'm vice president of the Friends of the

Presidio Association. And we have been vehemently

opposed to -- when this came to pass as today when the

directorship election took place -- that is, these two

individuals I mentioned were placed on the directorship

that they must vacate their positions in the present

group that they are associated with.

Such as Ms. Meyer, the GGNRA Advisory

Commission, which is a funnel for information into the

NPS. And the GGNPA on the part of Mr. Rosenblatt, which

is the financial funding conduit into the NPS.

That would seem to us, after we looked it

over very carefully, that somewhere down the line that

being the director of the Trust and also members of those

two groups would be a definite conflict of interest. And

they should vacate the two groups mentioned.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The next speaker,

please?

MS. SCARR: My name is Carolyn Scarr. I

exchange my time with Sister Bernie Galvin.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

Rachel Ellis? Oh, sorry, you wanted to do

that right now? Sorry, I didn't understand that. Please

go ahead.

STATEMENT OF SISTER BERNIE GALVIN

RELIGIOUS WITNESS

SISTER GALVIN: Honorable Members of the

Presidio Trust, my name is Sister Bernie Galvin. As

Director of Religious Witness with Homeless People, I am

here today representing literally thousands of leaders

and members of San Francisco and the Bay Area who have

formally endorsed the campaign of Religious Witness to

preserve the remaining 466 Wherry housing units for use

by poor and homeless people.

In addition to practically all the various

faith traditions, those endorsements include

environmentalists, labor unions, housing organizations,

civil rights organizations and advocates, homeless

advocates, service providers and homeless people

themselves -- 250 organizations in all. And over 3,000

7 individuals.

This committee is hearing today the

testimony of many of these organizations, representatives

and individuals. We come here today, all of us, outraged

that the unconscionable plan to demolish $80 million

worth of good housing in our beloved city is still even

being considered by the National Park Service and

presumably by this Board.

The outcry of this community over the past

sixteen months has essentially been ignored by the

National Park Service as they continue to spew to the

community all the reasons why Wherry housing cannot be

used by poor people, all of which we have steadfastly

refused to accept.

We have been told that those Wherry housing

units were in such deplorable condition that the only

logical solution would be to demolish them. And it would

take a staggering $47 million to bring them up to code.

Two independent studies have proved the falsity of this

claim.

We have been told that it is too late to

save Wherry housing. That the General Management Plan

calling for the demolition is set in cement. The United

States Constitution itself has been amended numerous

times.

Please don't tell us anymore that the

General Management Plan cannot be amended. You can make

it a simple matter. It is simply a matter of political

will and courage.

We have been told over and over that the

National Park Service is not in the business of providing

housing for the general public. And all along there is

this plan to put the officers' housing on the open market

for wealthy people who can afford up to $4,000 -- even

$6,000 -- a month in rent.

Such hypocrisy. Such blatant

discrimination against poor people. If policy permits

you to rent to the rich, then it permits you to rent to

the poor.

And, finally, since December of 1996, we

have been told by the National Park Service that they can

do nothing about Presidio housing. That everything was

on hold until the Trust Members take over. That the

decision about housing would be in their hands.

Well, the Trust is here. And we are here.

We implore this body to make an honest assessment of the

Wherry housing. To amend the General Management Plan to

permit the use of the Wherry housing by poor people.

To agree to lease the Wherry housing to the

City of San Francisco, according to Mayor Willie Brown's

plan, with which Religious Witness is in complete

agreement.

To abandon the hypocrisy and the

inflexibility that has characterized the response of the

National Park Service to the concerns of this community

regarding Wherry housing.

And, finally, to immediately and completely

abandon any idea of relocation of the Wherry housing

units. This plan is nothing but a shirking of one's

moral and civic responsibility and constitutes a blatant

discrimination against poor people, and a flagrant

violation of the Fair Housing Act.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Presidio, the

interfaith community and our allies are united in our

determination to make Wherry housing available to poor

people in its present location.

We urge you to honor your oath to make this

magnificent Presidio park a place for all people. By

making Presidio housing available to the poor as well as

to the rich, you will truly enhance the splendor and the

beauty of this precious national treasure.

Thank you.

(Prolonged applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Thank

you, please. Could we have -- thank you.

There are a number of speakers signed up on

the list I still have, which was before we asked you to

reorganize this process, all of whom indicated they

wanted to address the same subject.

Given our time constraints, it would be

very much appreciated, if that is still the subject you

would like to talk about, if you could simply come

forward and say that you subscribe to the same remarks

that were just made by the previous speaker. That would

be very much appreciated.

All right, the next speaker is Rachel

Ellis.

STATEMENT OF RACHEL ELLIS

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. ELLIS: Good morning, my name is Rachel

Ellis. And I live in San Francisco. I have the

misfortune to follow a splendid speaker.

But I am here because I feel privileged to

witness your assumption of office. Because the creation

of the Presidio as a national park and the Trust to

manage it represent the combination of years of dedicated

efforts by many people.

And I am now able to say thank you, not

only for myself, but for many others throughout the

nation to those of you who are now Trust Members for your

long and special efforts to conserve our country.

It is a happenstance that I am a follower

of the speaker. But I also wanted to speak on the matter

of converting Wherry housing. I have to ask you, who is

going to vote against motherhood, the flag or the

homeless? Certainly not the majority of the San

Francisco board of Supervisors.

A few weeks ago before a closely-contested

city election, although press reports leaders of the

protest as seeking the Wherry housing for the homeless,

the resolution passed by the board makes no reference to

homeless but for low-income residents.

Is this an opening for ultimately claiming

all but certain historic buildings at the Presidio to be

used for housing development? I have to ask that

question. Can anyone imagine that after fifteen years

families occupying the Wherry housing would be evicted?

Are we seeing the beginning of a site-by

site struggle to make and keep the park a national park?

Is everything going to be seen as appropriate for

meeting San Francisco's housing problems? Are we going

to have to meet every time this comes up?

These are troubling developments and

fulfill the prediction of those in Congress who opposed

funding, charging that it was no more than an attempt to

get the National Treasury to pay to enhance San

Francisco.

If the offer of the National Park Service

to move Wherry housing to a location outside the park is

rejected by the City of San Francisco, there are other

nearby towns that should be given an opportunity to

accept.

I think we have to keep the plan that has

been adopted.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Ms. Ellis, could -

MS. ELLIS: San Franciscans who have

struggled throughout the years to create a Presidio

National Park now rely on you to carry out your mandate

to preserve and restore the Presidio as a national park,

and to resist all efforts to convert its buildings into

public housing.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

MS. ELLIS: I hope to hear from you how

those of us who care about the park can help in the

fulfillment of our mutual dreams.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The next speaker is

Milan Wight.

VOICE: Is that Marcia Smith-White?

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That comes next,

right after this.

STATEMENT OF MILAN WIGHT

RV CAMPERS

MR. WIGHT: Members of the Trust, I am

Milan Wight, Concord, California.

I would like to encourage the Presidio

Trust to amend the General Management Plan to provide for

RV camping. They will be good partners. I would like to

point out some of the rationale for this recommendation.

First, the Presidio of San Francisco

National Park should provide camping facilities, just

like any other national park in the United States of

America.

Second, adequate space is available in the

1,480 acres for a 13-acre RV and tent campground -

family campground.

Third, there are 8-1/2 million RVers

throughout the United States that represent people who

are interested in our National Park System, and

specifically the Presidio of San Francisco programs,

events and displays.

Fourth, the national parks are in the

people business, not just with concern for natural

resources, historical preservation and infrastructure

needs. RVers are real people, not vehicles.

Number five, properly designed and operated

camping facilities can provide nearly $1 million a year

of the $25 million necessary to make the Presidio of San

Francisco self-sustaining within fifteen years.

Sixth, the precedent for camping was set by

the Ohlone Indians and Juan Batista de Anza, who utilized

this area for camping long before it became a Presidio.

Seventh, Rob Hill should be used for a

walk-in tent campground by families and youth groups. RV

parking sites can be used for parking during Presidio

special events. Just reserve them.

All RV drivers and their vehicles are

licensed and have a right to use public roads. RV

drivers have a good driving safety record. Proposed

camping time limits and daily camping fees provide for

fair access and use of camping facilities by a segment of

the traveling public that otherwise would not visit the

Presidio of San Francisco area.

RVers take pride In their vehicles and

respect their campsites. Caravans of Rvers would be

encouraged to visit the Presidio. I represent the Wally

Brian Caravan Club International, Good Sam and the

California Motorcoach Association with approximately a

million members.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you for your

remarks.

MR. WIGHT: Anyway, participants of your

workshops and seminars might opt to bring their own

vehicles, instead of being in other crowded housing.

My father came here about a hundred years

ago as part of Company H Nebraska volunteers on his way

to the Spanish-American War. So I have an interest in

the Presidio.

Good luck in your work.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Marcia

Smith-White?

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: And then Margaret -

it's hard for me to read. The address is Mill Valley.

Go ahead, please.

STATEMENT OF MARCIA SMITH-WHITE

RESIDENTIAL MAYORS PROGRAM COORDINATOR

MS. SMITH-WHITE: Welcome and aloha. One

of the nicer things about being in the military is that

we get to travel around the country. We just came here

from Hawaii where aloha means a welcome and an embracing.

Also one of the words we learned was

"ohana." And it means family. Which means sometimes

problems that will work out. And it means cooperation

and listening to each other.

So again, I welcome you to the Presidio.

Ohana. My name is Marcia Smith-White. And I am the

Coordinator of the Residential Mayors Program. We have

over 24 mayors who work with the 350 families who live

here.

When I was looking for an appropriate gift

to welcome you here, I couldn't help but think of

something that the park and the community, the mayors,

have all done together.

We have a community garden here that has

been designated historically correct. There had been a

garden there before. And we have a wonderful bounty that

I would like to share with you.

Just last night we pulled these scallions

and beets.

(A basket was presented to the Board.)

MS. SMITH-WHITE: We have potatoes and

tomatoes -

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That is wonderful

Thank you.

MS. SMITH-WHITE: On behalf of the Presidio

Alliance who helps us a lot with our concepts of

sustainability, you must know the baskets are not

recyclable but they are reusable.

The mayors have been waiting a long time to

deliver this letter of welcome and appreciation and know

that we are with you every step of the way. And anything

we can do to help you out in your effort, we will be glad

to do it. Because we all axe so honored to be in this

magnificent place.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That is a wonderful

gift. Thank you very much.

STATEMENT OF MARGARET ZEGART

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. ZEGART: I am Margaret Zegart, a

resident of Mill Valley, Marin County. And for 25 years

I have been interested and active in different aspects of

the GGNRA, and I am particularly enthusiastic about the

Presidio.

And I urge you to accept the Management

Plan. Over 350-plus organizations and representatives of

the City of San Francisco worked this out. And it was

done very carefully. And the final amendment plan is

something that works to provide the historic, cultural,

educational and world peace uses. And the goals of this

plan should be followed.

Wherry housing, not meeting city codes nor

earthquake standards, was estimated in the report of

March 15th by Ms. Rosen to the mayor to be probably not

the $10,000 per unit for restoration, but nearer $20,000

per unit to rehabilitate.

And rather than supply the major housing

units, only 400 units would be retained because there

would be landscaping. The people who would be using

these would not be the homeless nor the low-cost.

Because HUD, with the HR-2 Congress action

just recently, and quite logically supported by the

Senate I understand in their legislation corresponding,

would require that 65 percent of people in public housing

would now be over the median income. So that means

probably a little over $40,000. This is not low-income

housing and it is not for the homeless.

And the emotional appeal of solving this

problem has given many, many supports to retaining

Wherry. But Wherry housing, following Brian O'Neill's

suggestion, should be moved. If it isn't moved, then

unfortunately it should be demolished because there are

endangered species.

This is a prime site, a prime visual and

esthetic site. It is a site that should have trails

accessible to the visually and handicapped-impaired,

resting stops and recreational areas for the aged, like

myself, and for children like my grandchildren, and for

families from all over the world, not Just for the

residents of San Francisco.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. The next

speaker -

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: -- is Carl Anthony,

followed by Michael Alexander.

STATEMENT OF CARL ANTHONY

PRESIDENT OF EARTH ISLAND

MR. ANTHONY: Members of the Park Service,

Members of the Presidio Trust, my name is Carl Anthony.

And I would like to begin by congratulating you on

bringing to culmination this phase of the work and

planning for the Presidio.

I am President of Earth Island Institute,

which is an international environmental organization, and

director of the Urban Habitat Program, which is an

environmental justice organization.

Our organization was founded by David

Brower who was very active in the early stages of the

development of the Presidio as an advocate of ecological

restoration being a major theme. And we continue to

support that goal and that objective.

Earth Island Institute established the

urban habitat program precisely because we saw that we

must find a way to bring together the issues of

ecological restoration and protection and the issues of

social justice.

My primary purpose today is to present to

you a document with nineteen recommendations of ways that

we can achieve sustainability and community development

at the national park. And you have these recommendations

before you.

These recommendations cover issues of

housing, land use, open space and transportation -- and I

do want to underscore transportation because that is a

really key issue at the Presidio -- building capacity for

park partners, community resource development employment

and economic opportunity for communities of color and

public involvement, and community outreach.

I want to close my remarks by recalling a

time when we started at the Presidio Council an

organization called "The Community Consultative

Initiative." At that time there was a great deal of fear

that if we addressed the Native American issues, that it

would in fact disrupt the process.

Today, you will hear the progress that has

been made on that. We have another opportunity today, to

take what seems to be a controversial issue and turn it

into a gem, something that we all can be proud of.

I urge the Trust to take this issue of the

question of the homeless and make it an opportunity to

show that this will be a park for all the people, and not

just those who are privileged.

Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

STATEMENT OF MICHAEL ALEXANDER

SIERRA CLUB'S PRESIDIO TASK FORCE CHAIR

MR. ALEXANDER: Good morning. My name is

Michael Alexander. I chair the Sierra Club's Presidio

task force. And on behalf of the 60,000 members of the

Sierra Club in the Bay Area and the 600,000 throughout

the nation, I want to welcome you to your awesome task.

Your job is to create a sustainable

national park for this generation of Americans, and for

our children and our children's children and their

children's children.

When this was an Army Post, as best as we

can tell the Army spent somewhere between $70 million and

$90 million a year just in the maintenance and operation

of this place. They had 5,000 people living and working

here, all in one organization, all with a single purpose.

Today, you start with $25 million, not the

$70-90 million, a year. You have to repopulate the

Presidio. And you will do it with tenants who are

diverse and who have diverse purposes.

In doing so, I would like to ask you to

consider the opportunity to create a community here where

people can live and work without the need to spend two

hours or more a day commuting between home and work. We

think that the opportunity to combine housing and

institutional space here is a very important one for your

leasing program.

We heard you loud and clear on the need for

complete toxic cleanup. We hope the Army did too. And

we support your recommendation for a 45-day extension of

the comment period of the Army's feasibility study. it

is a four-inch thick document on which organizations in

the middle of summer who meet once a month have to

comment within 30 days.

We commend to you a relationship with the

GGNPA, the park's association, the most effective and

successful organization of its type in the nation which

has funded millions of dollars for this park's education,

natural restoration and recreation.

As John Garamendi said, this process is

complex. It is challenging. It is possible. We agree

it is possible. We will work with you to make it

successful.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Those of you who are

standing there looking like you are waiting to speak,

because so many of the subjects have already been covered

that are listed in the signup sheet and our time is

limited, could I get a show of hands of how many people

still wish to address the Board who want to speak on

topics that have not already been addressed?

Well, you know, we can go through the

formalities of this. But I did ask you if you wouldn't

mind just subscribing to previous remarks in order to

save the time and allow those who hadn't been heard on

other subjects to be heard. And that would be

appreciated.

One more time, all those whose subject has

not been addressed who still wish to address -- all

right. Given that there are not very many and our time

is very limited, I am going to not use the signup list.

But simply allow you as you are standing there -- or ask

you as you are standing there, to please step forward,

tell us who you are and your subject. And please remain

within the -

Why don't we just hold the line as it

existed there? Just out of courtesy to those people who

are already in line. Go ahead, please.

STATEMENT OF GLORIA ROOT

S.F. PLANNING AND URBAN RESEARCH

MS. ROOT: Good morning, I am Gloria Root.

And my remarks will be very short.

I was asked to come and welcome you on

behalf of SPUR, San Francisco Planning and Urban

Research, which is a public-interest group known to most

of you, and has been involved in city issues -- San

Francisco issues for about thirty years.

And we have been involved in the Presidio

planning process since the very beginning in 1988. And,

of course, we look forward to continuing to work with you

to implement and help with the evolution of the Presidio

plan.

You, of course, are entrusted with that

task. And we feel that when this Board was named, we

were very confident that the right people with the right

values were put in place to carry forward the Presidio

plan.

You are people who understand the cultural

history, if you will, of the planning process that took

place for the Presidio. So we are confident that you

will be true to that plan.

We are also very fortunate in that we are

now in a very strong economy and a very strong real

estate, market. And this gives you the luxury of sticking

with the Presidio plan's principles to preserve the park

in a manner that is ecologically sound and sustainable.

Toby Rosenblatt, long ago you said, "Don't

freeze-dry the Presidio." I think that is a very, very

apt way to look at this wonderful opportunity and

facility. It does have to grow, it does have to change.

But we would urge you to go forward and do

that with good planning principles with respect to

transportation, historic preservation and selecting uses

that are really worthy of this very, very incredible

place.

This isn't an economy in which one simply

needs to fill up the Presidio. We think there are some

great opportunities. And we urge you to look for the

best possible tenancies commensurate with the value of

this place.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Next

speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF ANNE HERERRE

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. HERERRE: My name is Anne Hererre and I

am here with the homeless. And I wanted to talk about

the homeless situation here in San Francisco -- I am from

Colorado. And the thing that -- I have been here for the

last fifteen years.

What I have seen is the mentally

handicapped have been treated very, very poorly. And in

the terms of -- what I am saying is that the medication

hasn't been taken properly on a daily basis. It is a

nightmare to go on Market Street at times.

I wake up sometimes and I go, I can't

believe this is happening here in San Francisco with all

these rich people. But it is a shame to see all you

people that don't have concern for this, and you continue

to ignore the situation.

And it is abusive also. And I'm hoping

that sometime that I will poke a hole somewhere. I had

four first cousins that served in the Vietnam war, in the

Korean. Also there is one fact that one of them brought

a woman back, she was a Journalist and he married her.

There's two children there. And they're already adults,

young adults.

And for them to wake up and see the

mentally handicapped or the homeless, the staggering

homeless out there, it's a nightmare. And I'm tired of

you people not doing nothing about it.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF ENA AGUIRRE

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. AGUIRRE: Thank you, Members of the

Trust, for allowing me to speak. My name is Ena Aguirre.

I live here in San Francisco. I have lived here since

1945. I am retired school teacher.

I am concerned on a number of issues.

Number one -- and this is nothing personal, okay? But I

am concerned that there are no Latinos who are members of

the Trust. So to me this Trust does not represent the

Bay Area. This Trust does not represent California.

And it certainly does not represent a lot

of us who do believe in diversity and who do believe in

involvement. And I am hoping that if and when there is a

vacancy on the Trust that Latinos or Latinas will be

appointed.

The next point, I am very much interested

in remediation and cleanup of this environment. And I

would therefore like to see if it's possible to attend

the meetings -- the committee meetings that will be

chaired by Mr. Fisher. So that some of us can

participate and at least give some suggestions and ideas.

And then the last thing that I would like

to talk about is that I would like to see the Trust allow

the maximum participation for those of us who are

interested in helping.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The next speaker,

please?

STATEMENT OF JOSEPH MYERS

NATIONAL INDIAN JUSTICE CENTER

MR. MYERS: Good morning. My name is

Joseph Myers. I am the Executive Director of the

National Indian Justice Center. And I am also the

chairperson of the California Indian Museum and Cultural

Center.

And we are Park Partners. We have as a

purpose of the California Indian Museum to showcase the

cultures of California Indians, the past, present and the

future. We want to educate the general public about the

California Indian cultures.

And we also want to motivate young people

to live together in peace. Because the history between

the Indian people in this state and the European

occupation and, eventually, the statehood of California

has been one of great violence. And we are looking

toward an opportunity here to bring together cultures and

to appreciate each other's presence.

The story of California Indians needs to be

told. And it needs to be told in a sophisticated world

class institution. I think we can provide that here in

the Presidio.

There is a legacy here in the Presidio.

The very first builders of the original Presidio were

local Ohlone Indians. And they didn't do it voluntarily,

of course. They did it in captivity.

And there is a bit of irony to what we are

proposing here. We would like to create our museum and

cultural center in one of the barracks on the main post,

which years ago was a staging area for the cavalry who

went out and hunted down Indians in Northern California.

So we want to come back in a different

light and a different presence. And we are not asking

for anything. We bring to this project funds that we

have already raised for retrofit and renovation. We have

raised $2 million and we would like to begin the project

and make it work.

Thank you for your time.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF JIM WAGNER

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. WAGNER: Good morning. My name is Jim

Wagner and I am a graduate student from San Francisco

State University's school of social work.

For the past few years, I have been working

in the-streets of San Francisco with San Francisco's most

needy population, the homeless. I need not reiterate

what Sister Bernie has already said to you in support of

Wherry housing. I am sure you are very aware of the need

for Wherry housing.

What I am here for is to give you my

personal invitation to you, Mr. Fisher, Ms. Murphy, Mr.

Reilly, Mr. Rosenblatt, Mr. Blakely, Mr. Garamendi and

Ms. Meyer. I am offering you my personal invitation to

come to the streets of San Francisco with me.

Come into the Tenderloin, into the shelters

and meet and introduce yourself to the human factor, the

individuals, the families, the children that are this

very day denied a home. And we have 466 units of housing

sitting vacant right here in this beautiful national

park.

Where better than right here in San

Francisco to merge a beautiful national park with a

wonderful humanitarian social service-oriented community,

where we could show the rest of the world what we here in

San Francisco can do for our community, our most needy.

if any one of you would like to take me up

on this office, I sincerely offer this to you. You can

contact me through Religious Witness. I am sure you have

her number.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please.

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF CAROLYN SCARR

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. SCARR: My name is Carolyn Scarr. And

I am what I look like. I am a middle-aged housewife from

the East Bay.

Before that though, I was a mathematics

student and for ten years a computer programmer and

numbers interest me very much. And maps. And so I

contacted the Presidio office and they very kindly gave

me a lot of information, including this map which gives

us some perspective.

This little area here (indicating), just

this little area, is the Wherry housing complex. This is

the golf course (indicating). The golf course, according

to these documents, is 160 acres. According to people I

tracked down by phone, Wherry housing is between 30 and

40 acres.

Meanwhile, you have got all of this area,

much of which is other buildings, which are mostly not

going to be torn down. I am not for tearing down

buildings. As an urban park, this is not going to be

leveled or cleared and turned into a wilderness area.

I love wilderness areas. I have hiked in

heaps of wilderness areas. I am all for them. But since

this is not what we are having, let's look at this in

proportion and, as you have said, in balance.

And in balance, we can't have 30 acres out

of almost 1500 acres for low-income housing? And as far

as the question of what Congress has done to the meaning

of low-income housing, that is going to have to be an

ongoing struggle. But that doesn't make the need any

less.

So thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM JONES

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. JONES: Good morning, Superintendents

and Board Members. My name is William Jones. I work

here for the National Park Service in the maintenance and

operations division.

I am glad to here that you are planning to

maintain the force as it is right now. Hopefully, you

won't resort to contracting out a lot of the work out

here. We have a very skilled and able-bodied work force.

And we feel that we have a stake in what's going on here

at the Presidio. And we feel that we should be a part of

what goes on here in the future.

Mr. Garamendi, I am glad to have this

opportunity to thank you for the insurance rebate. I did

get my money.

(Laughter.)

MR. JONES: And I appreciate your efforts

with regards to that. I have some other concerns about

the principles of EEO. And I hope that you maintain the

principles of EEO in your hiring and in the work force,

in equality, diversity, credibility and accountability in

the hiring purpose.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please.

STATEMENT OF JACQUELINE DE CESSNA

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. DE CESARI: The Presidio Trust, my name

is Jackie De Cesari. I am a Marina resident and owner on

Chestnut Street.

I would like to tell you about Mr. O'Neill.

I have had a chance to have some situations with him, and

he has been so good. His secretary, Lori, she has called

back, she has done everything -- I mean, this guy here

should get applause. He is wonderful.

My reason -

(Applause.)

MS. DE CESARI: -- for being here is for

the guys that work here in the Presidio. They have no

place to eat. They are not allowed to leave the area.

And my thing is, I want to open up a bakery -- not

baking.

I want to feature bakeries of San

Francisco. From the Mission, from Chinatown, from South

of Market, from Eddy Street -- we have some of the most

wonderful food here in San Francisco that I would like to

showcase.

And the building I would like to address is

the old M.P. building. It's right across the street from

Letterman, which used to be years ago a sand pit that

they used to play baseball at. Which in case you didn't

know, the Presidios became the San Francisco Seals which

now are the Giants.

I know a lot of history about San Francisco

and the area. And what I want to address is that we

have so many beautiful things in San Francisco and

California, and I want to showcase them.

And I would also like to hire welfare moms

to help me out. Because I am a mom, five children. My

children go to San Francisco schools. I want to showcase

the San Francisco school system. I am tired of the news

media constantly downplaying our beautiful school system.

We have wonderful children. And that's

what I'd like to do. And one last thing, we have four

perfectly good churches here in the Presidio that are

closed. Please, first thing, get them open. I don't

care to who. Get em open. We need them.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

STATEMENT OF EDUARDO COHEN

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. COHEN: Hello, my name is Eduardo

Cohen. And I initially got involved -- we heard that the

Park Service was adverting LAIR, the Letterman Army

Institute for Research, a horrible building where the

Army shot animals with different caliber bullets, broke

the legs of animals, tortured animals in terrible

experiments, which we felt ended when the Army closed it

down.

We were dismayed to find out that the Park

Service was advertising that horrible animal research

building as a facility that could be used to generate

revenue for the park.

We hope that the Trust will realize that

the lethal experimentation on animals is an inappropriate

and grotesque use of an national park facility, and would

be a blight on the Presidio and a blight on the park

system.

It'd set a dangerous precedent by which any

activity, no matter how grotesque or incongruous with

public perception of a park could be justified solely

based on the potential to generate revenue.

The next point I would like to make is

that, getting further involved with this, we found out

that some of the people behind the Presidio Trust

legislation may possibly have other interests than simply

the public good or preservation of the park.

I found out that Nancy Pelosi’s husband

Paul Pelosi has made millions of dollars through Pelosi

Leasing Services. He leases property to corporations.

She wrote the legislation and was instrumental in getting

it pushed through the house.

Diane Feinstein, who was instrumental in

getting this legislation pushed through the Senate, her

husband Richard Bloom is one of the most powerful and

richest real estate developers and financiers in the

State of California.

I would like to hear from the Trust some

attempt to assure us that neither Nancy Pelosi nor her

spouse, Diane Feinstein or her spouse will be allowed to

personally profit -- to make one dime from the passage of

this legislation.

And that Mary Murphy, who was a partner in

a corporate law firm -- that neither Mary Murphy nor her

corporate law firm will be allowed to profit as a result

of the Presidio Trust legislation.

That this Presidio Trust will not be a

mechanism by which rich and powerful people in the Bay

Area simply become more rich and more powerful, while

mansions are rented out to the rich and the demolition of

Wherry housing keeps the poor people and the low-income

people in this community outside the gates.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: We have a logistics

problem. We are going to lose a quorum a little bit

after noon. I count approximately 12 or 13 people

remaining in line there.

What I would like to do is ask you to

please restrict your comments now to one minute, and then

we will be able to get everybody who is still here before

us. Please remember that this is not the only

opportunity for you to get your ideas and issues to us.

You have an opportunity to write to the

Trust. You have an opportunity to be heard, beginning

even tonight before the GGNRA Advisory Commission. And

so out of courtesy to the remaining people there, I would

appreciate your exercising that discretion on your

remarks.

Go ahead, please.

STATEMENT OF JOAN GIRARDOT

COALITION FOR SAN FRANCISCO NEIGHBORHOODS PRESIDENT

MS. GIRARDOT: Good morning. My name is

Joan Girardot. I am president of the Coalition for San

Francisco Neighborhoods, representing over 35

neighborhood associations city-wide.

I am here with a message from the

coalition. Your opportunities for public comment are

insufficient. Our message is a resolution, a resolution

authored by the Marina Civic Improvement and Property

Owners Association, your immediate neighbor on the

eastern boundary of the Presidio, and was passed

unanimously by the Coalition for San Francisco

Neighborhoods at its January meeting:

"Be it resolved that the Coalition for San

Francisco Neighborhoods strongly urges the Presidio

Trust to adopt, voluntarily, a policy of open

public meetings adhering strictly to the State of

California Brown Act and the City of San Francisco

Sunshine Ordnance, and to hold all its meetings in

San Francisco."

The Presidio in its entirety lies within

the boundaries of the City of San Francisco. It is a

tenant of government in San Francisco, indeed of

democracy that government exists to serve the public.

And in order to serve the public, it must

reach its decisions in full view of the public. And its

deliberations must be open to the public's review,

reaching these decisions in the public's view and not

handing decisions to the public after they have been

made.

(Applause.)

MS. GIRARDOT: The Coalition notes that you

have already held three meetings and excluded the public.

That the very time and day of this meeting at 9 a.m. on a

working day excludes the general public.

(Applause.)

MS. GIRARDOT: The Coalition notes that the

four San Francisco members of this Trust took it upon

themselves to fly to Washington, D. C., to lobby Congress

for passage of the legislation which created this body

with its meager requirement for only two public meetings

per year, knowing full well that the public wanted all

Trust meetings open to the public.

The Coalition further notes, with

consternation, that you have already signed a partnering

agreement with the National Park Service, the Army and

regulators, but the public has no knowledge of this

agreement.

What should citizens deduce from these

early indications?

In conclusion, you Trustees have such broad

authorities under the legislation which created this

Trust. The authority to hand out 99-year leases on

choice Presidio properties without mandatory competitive

bidding.

The authority to demolish and erect

possibly millions of square feet of new construction.

The authority to possibly obligate the federal taxpayer

for millions of dollars in guarantees for private tenant

loans. Unprecedented power and control over public lands

in the hands of seven private citizens.

That for you to opt not to conduct all your

business in public will engender the worst sort of

mistrust of your motivations and your action, and in the

long run will hinder your success here at the Presidio.

This is public land built, improved and

maintained for over 200 years with monies from the public

treasury. The public has no veto power over your

decisions. There is no board of appeals here.

The very least you can do in the public

interest is to allow the public to be privy to your

decisions as they are being made, and to subject your

contemplated actions to public review.

This means all your meetings open to the

public.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please.

STATEMENT OF JOANNE LINDEKE

WEST PRESIDIO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

MS. LINDEKE: Good morning. My name is

Joanne Lindeke with the West Presidio Neighborhood

Association.

Our neighborhood is adjacent to Baker Beach

and for years we have seen people who take mass transit

walk through our neighborhood to get to the beach. It is

on the Pacific Coast bike trail, and we have seen many

bicyclists go through. Unfortunately, it was also the

scene of a clean water project, and we saw many of our

neighbors' houses sink into a big pit in December of

1995.

There is a great deal of mitigation money

that is Involved, both with the Richmond Transport

project, the clean water project, and with this sinkhole.

And we were hoping that some of this money could be used

to provide better public access to Baker Beach.

We had very simple requests. ADA

compliance sidewalks, bicycle lanes that connect the

city's bicycle lanes and provide access to Baker Beach.

Traffic safety at the intersection where traffic comes

out of Baker Beach.

It has taken a year and a half even to find

out what might happen to this money. And it appears that

none of this money will be spent on projects that will

improve access to this area. And that access is used by

a great many San Franciscans.

We are very disappointed by this. And we

hope that you will make improving this area a priority.

The projects involved are very inexpensive. They have

short time frames. And they help many, many people, not

only in this area, but the many tourists that we have

that want to come and enjoy the natural wonders.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF YOUN CHEY

INTERCULTURAL INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA

MS. CHEY: Distinguished Members of Trust,

and Mr. O'Neill and Ms. Griffin, I am very very

encouraged and very impressed by your remarks and your

vision to create a global village.

We are right at the crossroads to get into

a new century. And I represent Intercultural

of California and Korean Center in San Francisco.

We are the future tenant, with your

support, of Building 37. As you are very well aware, we

submitted a proposal two years ago, been selected and we

have negotiated number of meetings and a great deal of

effort and time.

And we were about to move in, except there

was a 30-day kickout notice. And we couldn't do much

with that clause. And therefore, I would appreciate if

you could honor all the process and all the times that we

have 5pent and recommended by the former Presidio staff.

By the way, they have been wonderful. Mr.

Bob Series (sounds like) and Mr. Bob Chandler, the

previous general manager, they have really spent great

time. And we appreciated them.

So I would appreciate if you could honor

their recommendation. And we look forward to working

with you to create something very extraordinary. And I

hope the process will be efficient and your priorities

will be known, so that we can work with you.

I look forward to talking with you further.

Thank you very much.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Could we have the

next speaker, please?

MS. CHEY: Oh, my name is Youn Chey,

Intercultural Institute of California in San Francisco.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

MS. CHEY: Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: The next speaker,

please?

STATEMENT OF FREDERICK HOBSON

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. HOBSON: Honorable Members of the

Board, my name is Frederick Hobson. I am a board member

fox the San Francisco Health Authority, a HMO, a member

of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club, and a member of

numerous environmental organizations such as In Defense

of Animals.

I have a couple of comments to make. First

of all, I would like to join you in saluting Nancy Pelosi

for the wonderful work that she has done which has

culminated in the establishment of the Presidio as part

of the GGNRA. I dare say this would not have happened

without her stellar leadership.

I want to emphasize the remarks that the

woman -- two before me I believe -- made about open

meetings. Your bylaws say at least two meetings per year

will be open. That is not good enough. I would

encourage you to amend the bylaws to one open public

meeting per month. And that you facilitate those

meetings in San Francisco.

The bylaws say at the Presidio or other

location. It should be "or other San Francisco location"

at the very least. And that public comment be

facilitated on any Trust business at any meeting, whether

it is calendared on your agenda or not. Those three

things would conform to state law, the Ralph Brown Act.

I also want to extend greetings from

Supervisor Leland Yee, who as most of us here know is a

big supporter of the use of the Wherry housing complex

for homeless and working poor families. And I want to

wind up my remarks with that.

I said this was St. Francis (indicating),

who we know is the patron saint of animals. He is also a

patron saint of the poor. And the little shiny silver

medal I am wearing is our Lady of Miracles, the Jewish

mother of our Savior.

I want to talk very briefly about the

Wherry-housing complex. Each night in San Francisco over

4000 families go to sleep without a roof over their

heads. Or sleep in shelters whose numbers are woefully

inadequate.

The housing market in this city is

encumbered by high rents and scarcity of available units.

This makes the housing at Wherry a critical factor in

moving forward towards the beginning of resolving

homeless in this city.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Could you wind up

your remarks, please?

MR. HOBSON: I will be very brief, sir. I

have waited all morning long, just like you. And I spent

the night with stomach flue.

VOICE: Amen.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Just wind it up,

please.

MR. HOBSON: In addition to the thousand of

homeless, there are thousands more of the working poor

who are imminently homeless. And they are faced each

month with the predicament of buying groceries, paying

bills, paying doctor bills or making rent payments that

consume most of their hard-earned money.

I believe that providing affordable housing

for the homeless and working poor will not encroach on

the environment at the Presidio, but will serve it well

in the long run.

on this issue, my heartfelt concern for the

environment is in tandem with the fight for social and

economic justice. One of the tenets of environmentalism

is that we live in harmony with nature.

This does not happen when thousands of

women, men and children sleep on the streets each night.

A little friendly advice -- my parting

words -- don't mess with Jewish mothers because surely

she is watching here.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF MARY ANNE MILLER

SAN FRANCISCO TOMORROW

MS. MILLER: My name is Mary Anne Miller.

I am a member of board of San Francisco Tomorrow, which

is an urban environmental organization of over 600

members with an outreach to more than 2,000 San

Franciscans through our very famous newsletter.

We have been involved with the Presidio

dream since Congressman Philip Burton and since the

participation that we did in the preparation of the

General Management Plan. And also, we have supported the

Trust.

We are very hopeful that you will

understand the depth of concern of San Francisco

neighbors, as expressed today. And the points that we

have made in our letter, Jane Morris, our president who

wasn't able to be here crafted these points.

And it is funny how things have been said

before, about public meetings and about the exposure you

should give to the public of your decisions.

The only thing I want to say that is any

different from these calls fox more public meetings is

that it appears through a cursory reading of your bylaws

that the public will really have to deal with the GGNRA

Advisory Commission. And yet you, yourselves, will have

to invite them to hear us. It seems very roundabout.

The other thing that is very worrisome

about the bylaws is that you may have telephone

communication with each other. It even appears that you

could hold entire meetings by telephone communication, if

I read the bylaws correctly.

You have asked us to come instead to

meetings of your committees. And yet those committees,

through the bylaws on page 5 are asked to hold only the

sorts of meetings that the Trust itself holds. That is,

no more perhaps than two per year.

So, if you are going to ask the public to

deal more with your staff, deal more with the committees,

you are going to have to make these committee meetings

much more public.

We urge you not to transact major items of

business unless it is you, not your others, who transact

those items of business in front of the public.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please.

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF DOUG KERN

PRESIDIO RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD

MR. KERN: Good morning, Trust Members. My

name is Doug Kern. I am a member of the Presidio of San

Francisco Restoration Advisory Board.

I have been working some three-plus years

with Army representatives and community representatives

and regulators on the Presidio cleanup. I really have

one brief message.

And that message is, of the Army's $36

million proposal, $1.5 million is for cleanup. Thirty

six proposed in the whole cleanup, 1.5 goes to cleanup.

The balance is for monitoring of the contamination that

the Army would to leave in place.

So, I am a working colleague with Army

representatives. I respect them. I have to work with

them on an ongoing basis. But I strongly disagree with

this proposal. And I do encourage you and the Army to

extend the comment period so that you may give it your

fullest attention.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please.

STATEMENT OF SAUL BLOOM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ARC ECOLOGY

MR. BLOOM: Good afternoon, Members. My

name is Saul Bloom. I'm the director of Arc Ecology. We

are one of the largest base closures environmental

organizations, public interest organizations, working on

dozens of installations around the country and overseas.

I would like to thank the Trust for its

concerns regarding base cleanup. Your concerns are not

misplaced, as you already know. I am, however, concerned

about the persistent rumors about the Trust considering

taking on the responsibility for managing the cleanup. I

think this is a singularly bad idea.

Taking over the management of the cleanup

will expose the Trust to liabilities. And I can show you

examples from other communities that have gone into

situations like that.

You will still experience funding

restrictions and problems with DOD funding, if DOD is a

component of the funding source. And it will require the

Trust to operate the restoration advisory board or some

form of technical advisory committee consistent with

Super Fund law.

This is particularly important to us

because sometime in the very near future it is entirely

likely that my organization will be entering into

litigation with the Army with regard to the cleanup of

the Presidio.

We think that taking over the management of

the clean up at this point may be in the interest of the

DOD, but it may not be in your interest at this point

with regard to that.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Saul -

MR. BLOOM: To wrap up -

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

MR. BLOOM: Certainly, no problem. I would

like to instead solicit your support for an effort that

is being organized nationally to reform the base

realignment and closure program.

And I will be providing you with a fuller

report on that. It will preserve your concerns while

enabling you to protect yourself from significant

liabilities from the clean up costs.

I will leave it at that, and I will provide

you with additional information in writing.

Thank you very much for your time.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF JOEL VENTRESCA

PRESERVE THE PRESIDIO CAMPAIGN CHAIR

MR. VENTRESCA: Good afternoon. My name is

Joel Ventresca. And I am chair of Preserve the Presidio

Campaign. I am also a former environmental commissioner

with the City of San Francisco.

Based on the bylaws and the one resolution

that your Board has approved today without any public

comment, it is practically impossible for meaningful

public participation to affect your decisions.

It is essential that you consider

voluntarily agreeing to put into your bylaws, amending

them, promising the public that you will voluntarily

follow the open government and sunshine laws of the State

of California and the City of San Francisco.

If you want meaningful public

participation, you need to take that fundamental step.

(Applause.)

MR. VENTRESCA: Muir and Thoreau helped

establish the National Park System to protect places from

the ravages of development, to take lands off the market

forever, and to insure public control.

Today, we begin the process of moving in

the opposite direction on all three fronts. The stage is

set. This is the first conversion of a national park

into a business park.

This is the first time that a national park

area will be required to be economically self-sufficient

within fifteen years or will be dropped from the park

system.

And this is the first time that the

National Park Service will be kicked out of a national

park unit except for a small shoreline area.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Could you wrap up

your remarks, please?

MR. VENTRESCA: This privatization

legislative model, which mandates what you are supposed

to do in the future, unfortunately is the first step

towards dismantling the National Park Service and System

as we have known it since 1916.

The public demands that you operate in

public so the public can watchdog the key decisions that

you are going to be making in the future. If you close

out the public, as a prior speaker mentioned, you will be

creating tremendous mistrust.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next?

STATEMENT OF BRIAN FELSTED

PRESIDIO ALLIANCE

MR. FELSTED: Good afternoon. My name is

Brain Felsted. I represent the Presidio Alliance, a

group of community members, residents and Park Partners

on the park who have cooperative agreements with the

National Park Service to develop public education

programs to help achieve the vision of the Presidio as a

global center dedicated to sustainability.

We are a project of the Tide Center, and

have some seed funding from the San Francisco Foundation,

and are willing to work with you to develop creative

solutions so the daunting task that you have before you.

We want to make sure that financial sustainability is not

achieved at the expense of environmental quality and

social equity.

And I just want to welcome you here. And

we look forward to working with you.

Thanks very much.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Next

speaker, please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF WHIRLWIND DREAMER

NATIVE AMERICAN

MR. DREAMER: My name is Whirlwind Dreamer.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my understanding that each of you was

actually initiated into this present Presidio Trust by

President Clinton, as well as Nancy Pelosi.

And like yourselves, I have had the

privilege of serving our illustrious President as well as

senators and congressmen. Unlike yourselves, I was not

appointed by President Clinton or Nancy Pelosi.

I, like the late Jean Dixon who became

famous in the 1960s as perhaps a very unusual character,

have used my spiritual gifts to serve our government and

different official throughout the present time.

And I have come today to speak on behalf of

my Native American relations, as well as my homeless

relations who are in the City of San Francisco and

throughout this country.

I came to the City of San Francisco four

years ago from a Seminary in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. When I

first came here to San Francisco, I pretty well planned,

like most individuals, to get a job. But very quickly I

found out that the homeless situation was out of order.

So I found myself in a place of service.

So for four years I have worked side-by-side by homeless

people, as well as their advocates.

So on behalf of the homeless people, my

Native American relations whose land I assert that this

is, land whose blood was spilt for, was stolen so you may

each have a home, as every other brother and sister in a

city may have a home as well as the nation, I beseech you

in order to end the karma of violence which you have

created, as well as your ancestors have created, to do the

right thing.

Create an atmosphere in which we can all

begin to live together, to learn from one another.

Because, ladies and gentlemen, you have a lot to learn from

your Native American relations. You are destroying this

planet.

They may be intellectually ignorant. But

spiritually, I 6ssert they know and understand things

that you have no comprehension of. And if you don't

think the world of spirit affects the world in which we

live, you need to take a long look at what is happening

to this planet right now, the environment.

It is by your actions, not only to what you

are doing to your relations of the human, but what you

are doing also to the land which inhabits all of our

relations. Which means the animal kingdom, the plant

kingdom and the mineral kingdom.

I suggest you take heed to my advice.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

Next speaker, please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF LOUIS VITALE

CATHOLIC PRIEST

FATHER VITALE: My name is Louis Vitale. I

am a Catholic priest and Franciscan. We Franciscans were

here very early on and have a lot of interest in the

park. And we are very happy it is staying a park.

I wanted to ask you, Mr. Rosenblatt, a

question. You mentioned -- as you see, many of us are

interested in the Wherry housing. You made a remark that

the housing would be placed under the Park Service -- is

that right? -- for maintenance and security.

Does that mean they will have control over

the Wherry housing and they would be able to continue to

destroy some of it, as was done in the past? Is that

what you were saying?

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Let me mention that,

as I said in the very beginning, this is not an

opportunity or a time -

FATHER VITALE: Right.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: -- when we can do a

dialogue.

FATHER VITALE: Okay.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: If you would like -

FATHER VITALE: I just want a

clarification.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: to address that

question to the Trust in a letter -

FATHER VITALE: Okay.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: I will be glad to

respond to it.

FATHER VITALE: Certainly, I will be glad

to do that.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

FATHER VITALE: Then I just want to say

that -

VOICE: Can't you answer one simple

question? One simple question?

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Would you like to

finish your remarks, please.

FATHER VITALE: Yes. I would just like to

say that we from the Interfaith Community are obviously

very, very interested and concerned about this question

of the housing.

I am from St. Anthony's dining room. We

have 2,000 people there right now waiting for meals. We

believe that some very creative plans can be made.

Ms. Murphy, you mentioned the idea that the

veterans have a very great interest in the Presidio.

Most of those people in that line are veterans. We

believe that we could create a plan.

Whereas with the works and the activities and

the housing here, we could get people back into the

mainstream. Many of which are veterans. Many others could

be brought back in the mainstream.

We would like to work with you. That is

why we are hoping that you maintain control over the

Wherry housing and enable us to work with you to create a

creative plan.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

(Applause.)

STATEMENT OF KEN BUTIGAN

RELIGIOUS WITNESS STEERING COMMITTEE

MR. BUTIGAN: Good afternoon, Members. My

name is Ken Butigan. I'm a professor at the Franciscan

School of Theology. I am also on the steering committee

of Religious Witness with Homeless People.

As you can see, today opens a conversation.

And over the next days, weeks, months, years, we are going

to get to know you and you are going to get to know us.

As Sister Bernie Galvin said, there are

thousands of people in San Francisco and around the Bay

Area, religious leaders and members, who are saying we can

make a difference by making Wherry housing available.

I would like us all to look around. It is

really a beautiful place. We have heard that again and

again. But we have also heard that it is a place of blood.

For over 200 years, and certainly since the

United States took over, the Presidio has been a place that

has prosecuted wax throughout Asia, throughout the Pacific,

throughout the West where Native American peoples were

killed on orders from the Presidio.

And most recently, the Sixth Army here, under

counterinsurgency campaigns throughout Guatemala, El

Salvador and Nicaragua. I You must know that. It is a place

of death. It can be a place of life.

We had 154 human beings, women and men and

children, die on the streets of this city in the last year

because they were on the streets, be cause they didn't have

housing.

We can have it all here, folks. We can have

the environmental park. We can have the nonprofit

agencies. All the things that you, Amy, have worked for.

We can, as you said, Trustee Reilly, see what we as a

country are made of.

We are facing a crisis, as you know. From

the U. S. Government's own words and studies, over 3

million people in this country axe homeless. In this city,

between 8,000 and 12,000 are estimated to be on the streets

every night.

We can have it all. And I urge you, all of

you, to take into consideration what we have all said. We

are going to work hard with you. But I want to also tell

you, we are going to be here.

Truth passes through three phases -- I am at

my last statement. The first is that it is ridiculed. The

second, it is fiercely opposed. And the third is that it

becomes self-evident.

It was a crazy idea to look at having low

income people and homeless people living here. And for a

year that's what we got. But we are in the second phase

now where there is fierce opposition.

But it is going to become a situation, as

this movement builds, where it will become self-evident.

And you know what? We will all feel great about it when it

happens.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

Before you start, I identify that there are

two speakers after you waiting, and then that will conclude

our meeting today.

Go ahead, please.

STATEMENT OF LYNETTE LEE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EAST BAY ASIAN

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

MS. LEE: Good morning. I am Lynette Lee.

I'm a member of the Urban Habitat Community Advisory Board.

And Executive Director of East Bay Asian Local Development

Corporation, which is a nonprofit community development

corporation.

I want to talk about money and resources. I

understand that it will cost approximately $16 million to

demolish Wherry housing because of the asbestos in the

materials. Asbestos can be lived with if it is

encapsulated and nonfriable. What is the alternative?

There can be a win-win situation.

The City of San Francisco has prepared a

report to rehab Wherry housing and make it available for

affordable housing. It can pay the Presidio $600,000 a

year, which will help the Presidio in its annual operating

income.

This is also possible with other buildings

and other housing units on the Presidio. And the Bay Area

is blessed with many mature and sophisticated nonprofit

housing developers who are able to leverage a variety of

funding sources to help make the Presidio work in many

ways.

Thank you.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF ARLA ERTZ

AN INDIVIDUAL

MS. ERTZ: Good morning. My name is Arla

Ertz. I am a long-time lover of the Presidio. And since I

have moved to San Francisco from Pennsylvania in 1970, I

have really looked forward to the day when it was no longer

military but was available for all of us to share. So I am

really happy that this is happening.

I also for the past few years have been

working with an organization called "Drawbridge," which is

an arts program for homeless children around the Bay Area.

In those years, I have come to know very well a number of

children and families who don't have a place to live.

Now I see several hundred units where

families could live. And I just would like to see the

families and children who don't have any place to live and

the places where people could live come together. I think

it makes a lot of sense.

The children I know are wonderful children

whose lives are so destabilized. It is not just that they

don't have a place to live. It's that they can't have

their friends over, they can't let their friends know where

they do live, namely in a shelter.

It creates all kinds of internal problems.

It comes out in their artwork. And it is heart-wrenching.

And it doesn't have to happen. Because when there's places

available, they could live there.

And I would really like -- I really look

forward to all of us working together. And I would like to

ask you -- I know you don't want to answer me today -- but

I would like to ask, what would it take for us to get

there?

What would it take to be able to have the

Wherry housing, which so many people have spoken so

eloquently about? What would it take to be able to make it

okay for families who need a place to live to live there?

Thank you very much.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Thank you. Next -

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: Next speaker, please?

STATEMENT OF RICHARD STOCKTON

AN INDIVIDUAL

MR. STOCKTON: I think I am the last speaker.

My name is Richard Stockton. I am a descendant of the

Declaration of Independence.

And I Just wanted to say that I am glad that

we live in a country where this open discussion can occur.

Thank you.

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: All right.

(Applause.)

CHAIRMAN ROSENBLATT: That then completes the

public comment portion. And that closes our meeting.

We are adjourned.

(Whereupon at 12:25 p.m. on Wednesday, July

9, 1997, the meeting of the Board of Directors of the

Presidio Trust was adjourned, sine die.)

--000-

C-E-R-T-I-F-I-C-A-T-E

This is to certify that the attached pro-

ceedings before the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA of the meeting

of:

The BOARD OF DIRECTORS of

THE PRESIDIO TRUST

Wednesday, July 9, 1997

Golden Gate Club

Presidio of San Francisco

California

were held as herein appears, and this is the original

transcript thereof for the files of the Trust.

FRANCES LORRAINE

Official Reporter