NPC is starting off the new year with a “wish list” for our parks and we want to share it with you.  Please let us know if you have any other ideas to add to our list! You can make a donation to the Recreation and Park Department here on behalf of NPC that will be designated toward many of these needs.

Shop in San Francisco to Help City Funding for Parks!
We all know that we’ve hit rough economic times.  But there is a way to help parks while you shop for groceries and other essentials!  If you shop for everything you need in the City and County of San Francisco, the sales tax generated will go toward the City’s General Fund, which in turn, funds our parks.

As you know, the City must have a balanced budget.  The Recreation and Parks Department is largely funded by the General Fund of the City’s budget (as is the Department of Public Heath, the Department of Children Youth and their Families, etc.)  The General Fund is usually about $1.5 billion of the overall $6 billion that the City spends every year.  The other approximately $4.5 billion are obligated to be spent on set-asides that cannot be touched.  More detailed budget information can be found here.

This is going to be a rough period for the Recreation and Parks Department.  In addition to all the volunteer and advocacy work you do, please make a special effort to stay local with your spending.  For more information about special retail discounts for San Francisco residents, visit http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/shopsf.

Playground Initiative
Workdays Raised Grades of Failing Playgrounds

The Playground Initiative is a joint venture of the Neighborhood Parks Council and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. It focuses specifically on upgrading playgrounds that were identified as "failing" in the 2008 NPC Playground Report Card.

Throughout 2008, NPC and RPD held volunteer workdays at 10 of the 26 failed playgrounds identified in the Report Card. Volunteer tasks varied by playground, but included the following: trash pickup, sand sifting, beautification projects, plantings, weeding, sand addition, and equipment painting.

NPC reassessed each playground in December after the workdays were completed, and the grades of seven out of the ten improved after Playground Initiative efforts. Although many of the 26 failing playgrounds will require expensive renovations in the future, the reassessment process demonstrated how community involvement in small, relatively inexpensive improvements can often upgrade the overall safety of a playground area.

NPC hopes that the 2010 Playground Report Card will have fewer failing structures as the result of more frequent attention to playground safety, inspired by the 2008 grading process.  NPC would especially like to thank the numerous volunteers and RPD gardeners who participated in the 2008 Playground Initiative workdays!  We also thank the foundations and donors who have made NPC’s work possible on this important initiative, particularly Miriam and Peter Haas Fund, Koret Fund, Morris Stulsaft Foundation and the Stanley Langendorf Fund.

For this month’s park interview with Chuck Farrugia at McLaren Park, visit http://www.sfnpc.org/ilovemypark0109.

RPD Park Users Survey Released
NPC recently received a copy of the Spring 2007 Park Users Survey conducted by RPD.  The survey was intended to: measure the park user experience on site, characterize San Francisco City park users, provide data on typical park usage patterns, and assess the park maintenance standards against the public’s perception.

Some findings of interest:

To read the full survey, click here.

RPD Leadership Search Begun
With Interim Manager Jared Blumenfeld in place since October, RPD has now started a search for a permanent general manager.  Click here to read the job description which, amazingly, is not posted on RPD’s website under Job Opportunities!

Park/Recreational Facility Reopenings
For a complete list of opening and closure dates for RPD capital projects, click here.

Neighborhood Service Area Quarterly Meetings
RPD is now offering quarterly meetings in each Neighborhood Service Area so that the public can discuss park-related issues with key RPD staff members.  The January meetings are listed below:

Visit http://www.sfnpc.org/NSAcommunitymeetings for the dates and locations of all future meetings, and to find out which Neighborhood Service Area your park is located in.

Keep Up With RPD Commission Meetings: 1st and 3rd Thursday of Every Month at 2PM
Click here for up-to-date schedules of Commission meetings.  Public comment is now at the beginning of every meeting

Plant*SF Mission Walking Tours: Saturdays in January
Take a guided walking tour of permeable sidewalk gardens in San Francisco's Mission District with Jane Martin, architect, landscape designer and founder of Plant*SF. These easy one-hour walks view several gardens while discussing their benefits and challenges as well as the process of creating them. $20 (cash only). Rain or shine. Advance registration required - space is limited. To register, specify date in an email to info@PlantSF.org. Leaves from 23rd and Harrison Street.

Saturdays in January; 11-noon:
January 10, 2009
January 17, 2009
January 24, 2009
January 31, 2009

Please direct inquiries for future tour dates or professional services to: Jane Martin, Principal, Shift Design Studio, 415 431 2777, janemartin@shiftdesignstudio.com

Family Appreciation Day: Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mayor Gavin Newsom invites all San Francisco families with children to the 4th annual Family Appreciation Day on Sunday, January 11, 2009. For one special day, every San Francisco family with children ages 0 to 18 years old receives FREE ENTRANCE to 32 world-class museums and attractions. Plus, all kids ride MUNI and the new Culture Bus free on January 11 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm when accompanied by a paying adult. Find a complete Family Appreciation Day attractions list and event details here or call 311.

2009 Native Plant Conservation Conference: January 17-19, 2009
The 2009 California Native Plant Society Conservation Conference aims to bring together over 1,000 scientists, conservationists, university students, public policymakers, professional and amateur botanists, and local and regional land-use planners from all regions of the state and beyond to share and learn about the latest developments in conservation science and public policy. This conference, to be held in Sacramento, will be the largest of its kind devoted to California botany and landscape conservation. Its purpose is to identify and promote strategies and solutions to California's conservation challenges and to celebrate its diversity.

To register and to find out more about conference topics, keynote speakers, and sponsorship and volunteering opportunities, visit www.cnps.org.

Friends of the Urban Forest Tree Plantings
Please contact the staff person to verify meeting location and to RSVP. Information is subject to change without notice.

• Telegraph Hill Tree Planting: January 10, 9 am - noon
  RSVP: Heidi Lakics, (415) 561-6890 x.110
• Bernal Heights Tree Planting: January 17, 9 am - noon
  RSVP: Naomi LeBeau, (415) 561-6890 x.100
• Replacement Tree Planting: January 31, 9 am - noon
  Heidi Lakics, (415) 561-6890 x.110

Past Events
Golden Shovel Dedication at Dolores Park Playground

Dolores Park’s 2nd Annual Caroling in the Playground took place on Saturday, December 13th, attracting over 50 attendees. Community members stopped by the playground to listen to the San Francisco City Chorus, enjoy hot cider, and celebrate the holidays and the Helen Diller Family donation towards the future renovation of Dolores Park Playground.  “Despite the freezing cold, there was a lot of holiday cheer at our event. It was wonderful that we had such a great crowd,” said Friends of Dolores Park Playground Steering Committee chair, Nancy Gonzalez Madynski.

Highlights of the event included holiday music performed by the City Chorus and a golden shovel dedication symbolizing the upcoming construction in the playground. California Senator Mark Leno and Supervisor Tom Ammiano also commended the Friends of Dolores Park Playground for their hard work and dedication to rebuilding the playground.

To read more about these park events, click on the underlined links above, or see the full calendar here.