During general public comment, several speakers urged the SFPUC to scrutinize plans for artificial turf at Crocker Amazon Park and to protect community benefits, local contracting and workforce opportunities for Bayview projects.

Bob Hall, representing keepcrockerreal.com, said Recreation and Parks’ plan to install artificial turf at Crocker Amazon would remove more than a hundred mature trees, replace natural grass with plastic turf across 17 acres and obstruct community access by fencing the fields. He said the Recreation and Parks Department has a $45 million budget and recommended alternative sand‑capped natural grass systems used in professional athletics to provide drainage without plastic turf. Hall flagged concerns about microplastics and PFAS (per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances) entering watersheds.

Susan Mullaney (Ingleside District) referenced a March California EPA synthetic turf study and urged a moratorium on artificial turf on SFPUC land, citing chemicals detected in air and biofluid extracts and potential human‑health and water‑quality impacts.

Speakers from Bayview and building trades groups—Demetrius Williams (San Francisco Hyperlocal Building Trades Contractors Collective) and Oscar James (longtime Bayview resident)—urged improved community engagement and use of community benefit packages as the city advances large projects, notably the new biosolids/sewer treatment facilities. Williams asked for training and workforce development to connect local residents to operator and engineer jobs planned for new facilities. James referenced prior community benefit agreements and asked staff to locate earlier memoranda of understanding.

A caller, Rolande Sherland (Bayview Hunters Point Coordinating Council), asked the SFPUC to move beyond goals and put requirements for micro‑LBEs (local business enterprises) into contract terms, arguing that goals by themselves have not yielded sufficient opportunities for smaller local contractors.

Speakers asked that SFPUC examine potential environmental justice impacts of artificial turf and that upcoming capital projects include community benefit and workforce commitments. Several callers associated their remarks with the Gateway Project and Southeast treatment plant projects under discussion elsewhere on the agenda.

The commission received the public comments; no formal action was taken on these specific public requests during the meeting.