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| June 2009 IN THIS ISSUE
NPC QUICK LINKS Neighborhood Parks Council
451 Hayes Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94102 PHONE: 415.621.3260, FAX: 415.703.0889 Click here to email NPC. Click here to find out how to take public transportation to our office. SUPPORT NPC  Click here to see NPC's 2009 supporters.  Thanks to NPC’s 2009 Presenting Sponsor   GET INVOLVED Click here to check out NPC's volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Match. |
SPECIAL EVENT |
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 Support the Hidden Waterfront Walk for NPCWith the help of local author Adah Bakalinsky, NPC is hosting a 10K "Hidden Waterfront" walk to welcome Adah’s forthcoming great-grandson, which is also a fundraiser for NPC. Please join us for a fun and informative walk along the Blue Greenway on Saturday, June 6th. Adah is known for the definitive local guidebook, Stairway Walks in San Francisco, now in its fifth edition. If you would like to join us for the full walk or a portion of it, RSVP today to achordia@sfnpc.org or call 415.621.3260 with any questions. If you are unable to join us, your donations (online or by check) are greatly appreciated. We are encouraging a minimum of $1.00 per kilometer in gifts in honor of Austin, Adah’s great-grandson, and every donation will support NPC’s stewardship for parks. We will accept donations for Adah's walk until one month after the event. Click here for more information including meeting time and location, and to make your donation today! |
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| ACTION ALERT | ||
Attend BOS Hearings on Rec and Park Budget: June 17th and 24th
It’s budget season again, which means it’s time to make our civic leaders aware of how important parks are to our city. Rec and Park has had to take a 35% reduction in the General Fund support. Some of these cuts could be offset with revenue-generating ideas such as parking fees (aimed at reducing the use of the Eastern end of Golden Gate Park as an unpaid parking lot), and naming rights to Candlestick, but unless electeds hear from you that you’d rather see revenue generation than staff cuts, we will continue to lose staff. We urge you to attend two upcoming Board of Supervisor hearings about the RPD budget, and bring your own revenue-generating ideas–-just make sure they can be implemented now! Hearing dates are as follows:
Stop the Closure of 80% of CA State Parks! |
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New Date for Meeting With Mayor Newsom: Tuesday, June 2nd  Due to a scheduling conflict, our Annual Meeting with the Mayor will take place on Tuesday, June 2nd at 4 PM. At the moment we are at capacity and cannot add to our attendee list; however, if you would like to be put on our waiting list, please contact Sunya at sojure@sfnpc.org or 415.621.3260. We encourage everyone to submit a written park question for the mayor, even if you cannot attend. Email questions to sojure@sfnpc.org. A hard copy of all questions will be given to the Mayor. Even if you cannot attend the meeting, everyone is welcome to attend the reception in honor of Isabel Wade at 5:30 PM at City Hall (room 305). Isabel will be leaving the position of Executive Director at NPC on July 1st; she will remain on the Board of Directors. Take the Community Opportunity Fund Survey Before June 5th The 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Park Bond set aside $5 million for a Community Opportunity Fund. The Community Opportunity Fund was established to fund small-scale park improvement projects across the City. Community members will be able to apply for small grants to drive capital improvements in their park. The Recreation and Park Department and the Community Opportunity Fund Task Force are in the process of designing the program and would like your feedback. We urge you to take the Task Force survey before 5 PM on June 5th at http://tinyurl.com/communityfundsurvey. Please contact Karin Edwards (831-2791) or Dawn Kamalanathan (831-2743) at RPD with any questions. |
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 In June we honor Gary Weiss of Corbett Heights Neighbors as our Volunteer of the Month. Click here to read an interview with Gary about the many projects he has helped accomplish in his neighborhood over the 20+ years he has lived there. |
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Mayor’s Open Space Task Force Join NPC at a ROSE Working Session NPC and SPUR will be hosting a working session to carefully review the recently-released draft update of the City's Recreation and Open Space Element (ROSE). The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 17th, from 9 AM-noon, at SPUR's new Urban Center (654 Mission Street.) Space is limited, so please RSVP in advance to Mike Kritzman: mkritzman@sfnpc.org. The ROSE draft document is available for review and comment to City Planning here: http://openspace.sfplanning.org Blue Greenway Get Involved with Showplace Square Open Space Planning The Eastern Neighborhoods rezoning will impact the Blue Greenway, and Blue Greenway advocates are encouraged to engage in the open space planning activities sponsored by City Planning which have just begun. An important step is a walking tour on June 16th to get familiar with potential open space opportunities and constraints in Showplace Square. There will also be a meeting on June 24th to identify the community's open space needs, and to discuss open space opportunity sites identified in the Showplace Square/Potrero Hill Area Plan. Click here for more information. Pier 70 Master Plan Workshop: July 22nd The Port of San Francisco is conducting a public planning process to develop a preferred master plan for the entire 65-acre site of Pier 70. A public workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. More information here. Playground Initiative Franklin Square Playground Is Now Open!  After three years of hard work on the part of the Friends of Franklin Square, the park now has a beautiful, community-designed playground that meets the needs of the neighborhood. In June 2006, the Friends began a campaign to raise money for the playground’s reconstruction. Eventually, the group secured over $1.2M of funding from the City and from private sources. On Saturday, May 16th the playground was opened to the public, much to the joy of local residents. Since the opening, the playground, which is located at 17th Street and Bryant, has been packed with playing children. The Friends are continuing their efforts by volunteering at the park. Regular monthly workdays will be held on the 3rd Saturday of each month, from 9 AM-12 PM, beginning in July. There will also be a volunteer paint day on Saturday, June 6th, from 9 AM-12 PM. Please email friendsoffranklinsquare@gmail.com with any questions. Parks Bond Will Fund Playground Renovations: Keep Informed At Planning Meetings RPD is in the process of planning major renovations at several playground sites, with money from the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. Some projects are just beginning the design phase, while others are nearing implementation. Visit RPD’s Capital Division website here or call 415.581.2559 to find out the status of Bond projects nearest you. NPC is particularly interested in the renovations planned at 5 parks that were found to be "failing" in NPC’s 2008 Playground Report Card: McCoppin Square, Dolores Park, Chinese Rec Center, Cayuga Playground, and Sunset Playground. We urge you to stay tuned on NPC’s calendar (http://www.sfnpc.org/event) and attend public meetings related to playground Bond projects (see below.) Let your voice be heard! Upcoming Playground Meetings:
 ParkScan Use ParkScan to Deter Vandalism in our Parks An amusing Reuters story recently reported that a device called The Mosquito, which emits a high-pitched tone audible only to teenagers, was installed in a Tokyo park, in an effort to deter young vandals. While this is a unique remedy, here in San Francisco we already have a highly effective system to deter vandalism and report park maintenance problems: ParkScan! ParkScan now has a powerful partnership with the City’s 311 system; all ParkScans are routed to 311 to ensure that RPD follows up on the reports. Last month, community ParkScanners submitted approximately 100 ParkScans. Almost one-third of the observations were related to graffiti, and illegal dumping and littering were also a top concern. You can help reduce vandalism and graffiti in your neighborhood by ParkScanning frequently and visiting your local park often. When you catch vandals in the act, call the non-emergency police line at 415.553.0123. If you discover graffiti after the fact, report it right away on http://www.parkscan.org. Unabated graffiti usually attracts more graffiti--by using ParkScan, you will help to deter further vandalism at your park and help keep San Francisco beautiful. Playfields Initiative Community Grows, Along with New Garden, in Silver Terrace  NPC’s Playfields Initiative was founded with the goal to create new park stewardship groups in five city parks (Crocker Amazon, Franklin Square, Garfield Square, Silver Terrace and South Sunset.) These five parks have new playfields (or are slated to receive one) funded by the City Fields Foundation. NPC’s Outreach Coordinator Matt Silva has been hard at work organizing community members in these neighborhoods and getting them engaged in the stewardship of their newly-improved parks. On May 26th, the Friends of Silver Terrace, made up of parents, grandparents and kids of the neighborhood, planted new life into a garden plot at the Waterville Street entrance of Silver Terrace Park. Click here to read the complete article and see photos from the workday. |
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Supervisor Avalos Calls Meeting of Crocker Amazon and McLaren Park Advocates On May 2nd, over 50 park advocates attended a special meeting called by District 11 Supervisor John Avalos to discuss the future of Crocker Amazon Park and McLaren Park. Spurred by a flurry of activity in both parks, the meeting was an opportunity for park advocates in the area to get to know one another, share ideas, and think collaboratively about opportunities to improve both parks. Click here to read more. |
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 Isabel Wade Advocacy Fund As we announced last month, NPC’s founding Executive Director Isabel Wade will step down on July 1st. NPC staff have created the Isabel Wade Advocacy Fund in her honor to support our advocacy work that goes largely unfunded. Please help us honor Isabel’s legacy by making an online donation to the fund. Simply click on the Donate Now button below. When you get to the donation page, be sure to choose "Isabel Wade Advocacy Fund" from the pull down menu. You can also mail a check to the NPC office (indicate IW Fund in the check memo.)  This month we welcome our newest staff member, Development Associate Anita Chordia. Anita moved to San Francisco from New York after graduating from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. She immediately fell in love with the west coast lifestyle, and now enjoys biking, going to yoga and spending time in parks nearly every day of the year. Prior to joining NPC, Anita worked as a public relations professional for three years, where she had the opportunity to work with various nonprofits, technology and medical device companies. As the development associate, she will assist in NPC's fund development, including individual donor cultivation, corporate support, foundation research, and will provide support in coordinating NPC's special events. |
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New Hours of Operation for RPD Facilities Effective May 1, 2009, the new hours of operation and staffing levels for RPD facilities are listed here. RPD Capital Project Updates Franklin Square Playground and North Beach Pool both recently reopened after major renovation projects. 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. Visit http://www.sfnpc.org/NSAcommunitymeetings for the dates and locations of the June meetings, and for a list of parks in each Service Area. 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. |
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Temporary Plazas Popping Up Across the City  Mayor Newsom and Supervisor Bevan Dufty recently unveiled the first of a series of temporary public spaces around the city, at 17th and Market Streets ("Castro Commons.") Isabel Wade spoke at the launch and highlighted the importance of expanding the open space realm in San Francisco through projects like Castro Commons and new parks where needed. Evaluation will be done over a two-month period and will cover traffic flow, foot traffic, public response, crime, sanitation, and impact to local businesses. After the trial period, this temporary closure could be extended for at least four months, or possibly be made permanent with community support. Click here to read more. For public input, contact: Pavement to Parks: Andres.Power@sfgov.org Additional trial locations:
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You can find the complete schedule of park workdays and contact information on our website: http://www.sfnpc.org/currentworkdays |
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Mt Sutro Stewards Volunteer Day: June 6th District 9 Community Clean Team at Jose Coronado Playground: June 6th Sunday Streets in the Mission: June 7th See the complete community event calendar for June here. |
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| Portola Neighbors Help McLaren Park McLaren Park is San Francisco’s 2nd largest park after the crown jewel, Golden Gate. But repeated budget cuts over the years have left many of the park’s facilities in dilapidated condition. Recently a new group of "squeaky-wheel" neighbors has organized to raise money and advocate for improvements in the 318-acre park. Help McLaren Park was founded by Chuck Farrugia, his wife, Trilce, and their neighbor Sue Zimmer, after they were disappointed to learn that their neglected park would not be included in the list of renovation projects funded by the 2008 Neighborhood Parks Bond. Click here to read more about this new stewardship group, and learn how you can help them reach their goals to shine up this "jewel in the rough." Workdays Stimulate Green Ideas in Hayes Valley Neighbors around Patricia’s Green (Hayes and Octavia) in Hayes Valley have been busy tending to their small, but well-loved park lately. Last April, a large work group joined RPD staff to complete a very thorough scrubbing of the entire park. Participants pulled weeds, removed graffiti, and washed the pavement, leaving the park in top shape. Having completed the task, their sights are now set on the areas surrounding the park. Patricia’s Green is uniquely set in the larger Octavia Street corridor, with its planted medians and pedestrian-friendly street markings. One park group member has already committed to tending the planters on the east side of Octavia between Hayes and Oak. With development proposed for the corridor, it’s encouraging to see neighbors keeping "green" on the palette. If you’d like to join in, the next workday for Patricia’s Green is scheduled for Saturday, July 18th. You can also contact green@hayesvalleysf.org for more information. Seeking Contributions of Park News Calling all park groups! Do you have a story about your park that you would like us to convey in our monthly E-news? Submit your text to Lucien Sonder at lsonder@sfnpc.org by the 20th of each month. |
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To read all recent park-related news headlines,