SFPUC delays Lake Merced MOU after residents demand clearer accountability; $940,000 boathouse repairs proceed as interim work

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 8 heard hours of public testimony and commissioner questions on a proposed memorandum of understanding with the Recreation and Park Department that would clarify management roles for the Lake Merced tract.

PUC staff said the draft MOU would reaffirm the commission's landowner authority while delegating day-to-day recreational operations and many leases to Recreation and Park, with tighter definitions of responsibilities, an annual joint work plan and a stakeholder convening to set priorities. Steve Ritchie (staff) said the PUC would retain authority to direct changes where watershed protection or water quality were affected and would assume responsibility for some leases, notably the Pacific Rod & Gun Club site.

Community members and Lake Merced advocates told the commission the draft is too vague on who pays for what, that decision-making lines remain blurred, and that the document does not provide a clear pro forma of costs and revenues. Mondy Larese, a former Lake Merced program manager, urged the commission “do not approve the MOU as it is written,” saying the document is insufficiently detailed and that the task force had previously disbanded in expectation the PUC would consolidate management.

Several speakers who have worked for years on Lake Merced criticized Recreation and Park’s on-the-ground presence and asked the PUC to take stronger stewardship. Gerry Cadigan, cofounder of the Committee to Save Lake Merced, told the commission the tract has been treated like “a city orphan” and called for a workshop rather than immediate adoption.

On the boathouse, staff said the upper floor has been vacant for roughly eight years and is currently used for storage; the PUC plans a package of interim repairs and cleanup funded by prior budget add‑backs totaling about $940,000. Staff said roughly a third of that sum is targeted to restroom repairs, about $100,000 to cleanup, and the remainder for limited structural and cosmetic shell work so the space is presentable for an RFP or temporary concessions. Ritchie emphasized this is an interim step while longer-term planning — including a possible new boathouse and CEQA review for larger projects — proceeds.

Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff for clarity on who would pay for maintenance, how lease revenues would be handled, and whether the PUC would end up funding routine recreational operations that traditionally fall to Recreation and Park. Several commissioners said ratepayer funds should not be treated as a general subsidy for recreation without explicit limits and offsets.

After public testimony and discussion, the commission agreed to continue the item so staff can tighten MOU language, provide clearer accountability and fiscal impact information (pro forma or budget offsets), and return with options — including a staff report on the implications if the PUC took on additional recreational responsibilities or assigned a dedicated PUC land manager for Lake Merced. The commission did not adopt the MOU at the Nov. 8 meeting.

The commission-directed next steps are: staff to supply a clearer statement of financial responsibilities and anticipated budget impacts, to identify what revenue currently exists and what would stay on-site, and to outline options for governance (including an ombudsman/land manager or a workshop). The Recreation and Park Commission is scheduled to consider the MOU in December; the PUC will revisit the item after staff brings the requested clarifications.