PAGODA THEATER: WRITE TO SUPERVISOR DAVID CHIU

Hi Everyone:
CENTRAL SUBWAY TUNNEL BORING MACHINES (TBMs) & NORTH BEACH
Feel free to write Supervisor David Chiu and his staffer Judson True.
David.Chiu@sfgov.org, Judson.True@sfgov.org
1.  Thank them for agreeing to answer Paul Foley’s 1-28-13 questions BELOW.
At the 1-22-13 Community Meeting, the fire alarm ended questions & answers.
2.  Ask for another Community Meeting to see TBMs final plans and to ask questions.
People seem to be learning details from the news, like Matier & Ross’ 1-30-13 article:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/49ers-hometown-mayors-staying-home-4233649.php

EXTRACT TBMs IN CHINATOWN OR BURY TBMs
It is illogical for the Central Subway to spend $80 million for a northern tunnel extension and Pagoda Theater costs to get $4 million in TBM salvage value.  Instead, per the original plans in 2005+, the TBMs can be extracted or buried in Chinatown, saving $80 million, reducing construction liabilities and eliminating all disruptions to northern Chinatown and North Beach.  Other subway projects bury TBMs.

BRISBANE:  Subway project is burying two TBMs.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/tunnel-giants-to-be-entombed-as-underground-road-takes-shape/story-fn59niix-1226089288072

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/worksite-to-become-graveyard-for-machines-20110706-1h25s.html

Time Lapse Burial:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i4DSvRoKQc

CHUNNEL:  “What happened to the boring machines used to build the Chunnel”
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happened_to_the_boring_machines_used_to_build_the_Chunnel

NEW YORK CITY’s new subway construction is leaving TBMs in the ground for cost-savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/nyregion/deep-below-park-avenue-a-200-ton-drill-at-rest.html?_r=1&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/nyregion/index.jsonp  

http://www.mta.info/news/stories/?story=320

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/subway-tunnel-boring-subterranean-wonder-buried-under-grand-164749728.html

Regards, Howard Wong, AIA, www.SaveMuni.com

See correspondence with Supervisor Chiu

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Negotiations, approvals still await Muni’s plans to extract Central Subway tools

By: Will Reisman : SFExaminer – excerpt

While Muni negotiates with a North Beach property owner on how it will remove boring tools for the Central Subway project, major planning and approval decisions regarding the controversial extraction process await.
Outrage among residents and merchants over plans to remove the machines at Columbus Avenue led the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, to propose taking out the equipment at the Pagoda Palace, a derelict former movie theater.:…  (more)

Letter to NBBA Members, re: Central Subway Project

northbeachbusinessassociation.com – excerpt

Dear Members,

You may have been approached and told that the North Beach Business Association is not actively involved in fighting the proposed extraction of the Central Subway machinery scheduled to take place in the heart of North Beach.
NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH…
we have decided to provide funds to retain the law firm of Susan Brandt-Hawley, a well-known lawyer who works exclusively on environmental cases such as ours. She has an amazing track record. If you are interested in researching her, her firm’s website is preservationlawyers.com…
This is not a time for people to be divisive within our community. We are facing a huge crisis and we need to stand together as one voice to prevent the destruction of our neighborhood and merchant corridor. We hope you will join us in this fight. Please keep an eye out for more e-mails and updates as the situation moves forward.
Please feel free to contact anyone on the board via email or call us as well (415.989.2220).  We want to hear from you!!
Many thanks,
The Board of NBBA… (more)

We were looking up the results of this week’s meeting and discovered that most of the links regarding SFMTA North Beach meetings lead to our videos of the first meeting. This is the first other recent data that comes up in google.