Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association
Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
May 22, 2008
At
117 Greenwich Street
“DRAFT”
The meeting was called to order
by President Fred Allardyce 6:05 p.m.
Board members in attendance in addition
to President Allardyce: Morton Beebe,
Bill Benkavitch, Carol Parlette, Lee Radner, Debra Bleemer, Felix Rodriguez,
Bill Sauro, and member-in-waiting Jonathan Middlebrook. Absent were Linda Schwartz, Joe Wyman and
Diana Taylor. A quorum was established.
1. Approval
of Minutes. The minutes of the April 24, 2008 meeting were approved
as distributed via email by unanimous vote.
2. Treasurer’s
Report. Carol
Parlette distributed the Balance Sheet indicating assets of
$6,461 and no liabilities. A deposit for
$60 representing 2 member payments was all the activity during the past
month. Membership forms were given to
Secretary Sauro that represented two renewal memberships and five new members
with forms being sent in from the last BCNA
Newsletter.
3. Waterfront
Action Committee Report.
A. Seawall Lot 351/8 Washington Street Condominiums. Lee Radner
reported that the Port of San
Francisco was being very uncooperative in
providing agendas and background material for a planned Public Meeting on
Seawall Lot 351 scheduled for the day after Memorial Day. Radner expressed his displeasure with the
entire way the Port had been handing the Request for Proposals (RFP) for uses
of the Seawall Lot. After much
discussion, a letter that had been crafted by Diana Taylor
was presented and approved for delivery to the Port before the Tuesday, May 27, 2008 meeting. The letter stressed the overwhelming
preference of neighborhood residents for the creation of a park or open space
on Seawall Lot 351, and that this aspect needed be highlighted in the
consideration of proposals received by the Port. Allardyce brought up the fact that the San
Francisco Supervisors 18-month temporary resolution regarding preservation of
like-kind recreational facilities in the City needed to be made permanent, and
that individuals representing the San Francisco Tennis Club were working on
that legislation. Radner stated that
Friends of Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club (FOGG) were also working to that
end.
B.
Discussion of Exploratorium
Meetings. Beebe stated that he has
had meetings this day with the Board of Directors of the Exploratorium on
various issues including the timing of their planned move from the Palace
of Fine Arts to Pier 15 on the SF
Waterfront. He stated that they hoped to
be in this new facility by 2012. He also
said that he thought it might be desirable for the BCNA to co-sponsor a
fund-raising event with the Exploratorium in the future to help their
money-raising efforts. The Board voted
unanimously to a motion to permit Beebe, Rodriquez and Schwartz to meet with
the Exploratorium on this fund-raising event issue, and to also make sure that
issues previously raised concerning parking and
traffic were being addressed in a proper manner for the betterment of the
neighborhood.
C.
Broadway Family Housing II. Discussion was limited to the fact that in
all likelihood, this second low/moderate income project will be built, and that
Broadway Family Housing I was an overwhelming success with thousands of
applicants for the available apartments.
D. 555 Washington Street Condominiums. Allardyce notified the Board that the
developers of this project have stopped making presentations and have not asked
for approval by the BCNA of their plans, evidently tabling the project for the
time being.
4. Annual Meeting Agenda. A general agenda for the 2nd
Annual Meeting of the BCNA was discussed,
including a treasurer’s report, overview of accomplishments and future issues,
the election of Board members and the subsequent Board meeting to elect
officers for 2008-09. Sauro stated that
all dues-paying members had been mailed a postcard indicating that they had
until May 15, 2008 to place
their names in nomination for a Board seat, and that currently there were 11
nominees for the 11 Board seats. Sauro
said that in this situation the nominees could be elected by acclamation. Sauro will also remind Schwartz of the
meeting and see if she needs any help with acquisition of refreshments for the
meeting.
5. Existing
& New Committee Activities for 2008
A. Community Improvement District. The advantages of a CID
and its various thresholds for creation and tax implications were
discussed. Sauro and Allardyce stated
that they would be working with Wyman on meetings to learn more about creating
such a district in the BCNA
B.
Newsletter Committee. Allardyce reiterated the issues relating to
the re-publishing of the Spring newsletter and stated
that the response has been positive from those receiving it. After some discussion, it was moved and
approved that the Board gives permission for any news stories or articles that
have appeared in the BCNA newsletter to be
re-published in Connie Hazel’s Barbary Coast
News on-line publication. In addition,
electronic (PDF) versions of the BCNA
Newsletter will be placed on the www.barbaryneighbors.org
website.
D.
Program & Social Committee. No activity except planning for the Annual
Meeting.
6. Additional
Item: Legality of the Port Not Redoing
Its Plan Every Five Years. This
issue was discussed in various aspects with the final result being that Sauro,
Radner and Rodriquez would do research into finding ways to make the Port
follow the law and create a new Waterfront Land Use Plan. Such an effort will include contacting the
City Attorney, the Planning Department, and secondarily, the costs of a law
suit in the event some organization wanted to press the Port for compliance.
7. Next
Meeting. Wednesday, June 4, 2008 after the 2nd BCNA Annual Meeting.
8. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Sauro
Secretary