No written report was presented by District Engineer Denis Mulligan. A written report is presented to the Board of Directors by the District Engineer at the second Board meeting of the month.

At the meeting, Mr. Mulligan provided an update on the status of the Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent System (Suicide Deterrent) project, noting that the environmental process is behind schedule. He stated that the wind tunnel testing was completed on time in May 2007, and in June 2007, the District began the environmental process with the release of the Notice of Preparation of the draft Environmental Impact Report.

Mr. Mulligan stated that on July 1, 2007, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) delegated to the State of California, Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the responsibility for administering federal environmental laws and regulations, including federal historic preservation laws. Mr. Mulligan noted that since the Golden Gate Bridge is a historic structure, the principal environmental issue associated with the Suicide Deterrent project is historic preservation.

Mr. Mulligan further stated that District staff will meet with representatives from Caltrans on October 23, 2007, regarding the Suicide Deterrent project. The draft environmental document is scheduled for release to the public in mid-2008.

Discussion ensued, including the following:

• Directors Middlebrook and Reilly inquired as to how the environmental process has changed. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that the federal law and environmental regulations have not changed, but the way in which the agencies administer those environmental regulations has changed.

• Director Newhouse Segal made the following inquiries:
  • She inquired as to the status of the Moveable Median Barrier project in relation to the Suicide Deterrent project. In response, Mr. Mulligan noted that the two projects are separate and distinct, with each project having a separate function. He stated that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is expected to take action in November 2007 to provide funding to the District for construction of the Moveable Median Barrier project. As the next step in that project, the Engineering Department will be issuing a Request for Proposals in December 2007 to seek a consultant to perform the associated environmental and design work. Celia Kupersmith noted that the adopted FY 07/08 Capital Budget includes funds for the environmental and design work for the Moveable Median Barrier project in the amount of $2 million, and that the monies anticipated to be received by the MTC in the amount of $20 million would be a significant additional funding source for the construction of the project. She further stated that although the environmental and design work for the Suicide Deterrent project is currently underway, the District does not yet have a funding source for implementation of that project.
  • She inquired regarding the environmental documents for the Moveable Median Barrier and Suicide Deterrent projects. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that each project’s environmental documents will have a section about cumulative impacts of other planned projects, but each project will undergo a separate environmental process and will not be linked.

• Director Brown inquired as to whether the Suicide Deterrent horizontal net option was still under consideration. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that horizontal nets were analyzed as part of the wind tunnel testing, and will be one of the alternatives studied in the environmental process.

• Director Reilly made the following inquiries:
  • She inquired as to the next steps after completion of the environmental process. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that the draft environmental document will provide an opportunity to educate the Board and the public on the various environmental impacts associated with the alternatives, as well as provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the alternatives. He also stated that following public open houses, staff will respond to all comments and then prepare the final environmental documents that will ultimately lead to a decision by the Board of Directors to proceed with one of the alternatives.
  • She inquired as to when it is anticipated that the Board of Directors will be making the decision regarding the Suicide Deterrent project. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that the final environmental document is anticipated to be released later in 2008.
  • She requested that the District Engineer provide an update to the Board, following the meeting with the FHWA and Caltrans on October 23rd. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that he would provide an update as part of his Engineer’s Report at the October 25, 2007 meeting of the Building and Operating Committee.

• Director Grosboll inquired as to how many months the environmental process has been delayed. In response, Mr. Mulligan stated that the project has been delayed approximately six months.