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| May 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 NPC!Friend of NPC Adah Bakalinsky (author of Stairway Walks in San Francisco) has a unique idea to welcome her first great grandchild, Austin, to the world, and to the habit and art of walking. She will co-lead, along with NPC, a “Hidden Waterfront” 10k walk on Saturday, June 6th. We will discover hidden parks and open spaces along the way from Ferry Plaza to Agua Vista Park and back. For those who are making the full loop, we will eat at the Ramp Restaurant or you can bring a bag lunch. Adah has generously offered to donate any pledges made for the walk to NPC. We cordially invite you to join us for the full walk, or a portion of it, or just help us celebrate the arrival of Austin by donating online or writing a check. We are encouraging $1.00 (or more) per kilometer in gifts of support for NPC. Click here for more information including meeting time and location, and to make your donation today! |
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| ACTION ALERT | ||
Rally Your Senators to Support Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Shaheen (D-NH), have joined Senators Burr (R-NC), and Snowe (R-ME) in sponsoring a "Dear Colleague" letter requesting $125 million for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state assistance, $125 million for the Forest Legacy Program, and $325 million for LWCF federal land acquisition in the FY 2010 Interior Appropriations bill. The LWCF state assistance funds help to develop sports fields, neighborhood parks, community gathering places, as well as the acquisition of green space for state and local conservation and park purposes. We are urging you to call your Senators BEFORE May 6th and ask them to sign on to the letter. Click here to find background information and take action TODAY! |
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Annual Park Group Meeting With Mayor Newsom: Wednesday, May 20th  NPC's annual park group meeting with the Mayor will take place on Wednesday, May 20th at 4 PM. With this year's city budget even tighter than ever, it is crucial for NPC to continue our long-standing partnership with the administration in order to maintain funding for our neighborhood parks. Click here for more information and to learn how to RSVP. PLEASE NOTE: This meeting is not open to the general public. Each park group is invited to send two representatives. In addition, we will be having a farewell champagne toast immediately following the meeting to celebrate our Executive Director, Isabel Wade, and her achievements for parks. She will be stepping down July 1st to pursue special projects as a consultant, and to enjoy her garden and some travel. |
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 Kelly Slater, a mom of three who works full time, still finds the time to volunteer at Rolph Nicol Park on a regular basis. Click here to read her ideas for the park’s future, and find out how you can help out too. |
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Blue Greenway Sunday Streets: May 10th  On Sunday May 10th, streets near the Blue Greenway will be closed to traffic for family fun and frolic. Click here to read all about the Sunday Streets event. Golden Lands, Golden Opportunity Back in February, the Chronicle reported on a publication advocating development of the Blue Greenway, among other open space projects. Read the Chronicle article here. Click here to download the complete report, "Golden Lands, Golden Opportunity". Golden Lands, Golden Opportunity is the result of a two-year effort to identify and protect the Bay Area's key natural areas. For additional updates on the Seawall Lot 337/Giants Parking Lot A, Pier 70 and the Potrero Power Plant Environmental Investigation, and information about applying for the 2009 Piero Patri Fellowship in Urban Design, click here. Mayor’s Open Space Task Force The last of twenty open space workshops were held in early April. The workshop series solicited community ideas for a long-term (100 year) Vision Plan for Open Space and collected the public’s views on what open space issues are most important to tackle now, and in what order. The Planning Department will be releasing a draft Open Space Framework in May, which we urge you to review and comment on. Most important, please take a moment to review the Draft Goals and Policies for the ROSE (Recreation and Open Space Element of the General Plan); the ROSE guides the city’s actions on open space and the current version has not been updated in 23 years. Click here to read the draft document. Please send your comments ASAP to Susan Exline at City Planning: susan.exline@sfgov.org. We need to make sure the ROSE has enough “teeth” in it to acquire new parkland, especially in the Eastern Neighborhoods where development is greatest. Playground Initiative Franklin Square Playground To Reopen on May 16th  Thanks to the hard work of the Friends of Franklin Square, the Mission is about to get a new playground! The new Franklin Square Playground will feature a climbing structure for older kids, two sets of swings, and a set of reptilian climbing rocks for children. The Friends of Franklin Square have worked tirelessly over the last three years to raise awareness and funds to get this project from a vision to an actual finished project. The grand opening of the playground will be on Saturday, May 16th from 3:30-6 PM. Please bring the entire family and help us celebrate this great achievement! Franklin Square Playground is located at 17 Street and Bryant.  ParkScan We were proud to announce last month that nearly 1500 observations were submitted to ParkScan last year, as reported in the 2008 Park Scan Annual Report. However, in April, the month after the report was compiled, there were NO parks scanned in Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7! Yes, the state of our parks are improving, as the recent city survey shows, but with no data, it is hard to impress elected officials that parks still need help. If you live in or visit parks in those under-reported districts, we urge you to help improve the parks by submitting at least one ParkScan observation in May! Two big developments for ParkScan this month are the launch of a partnership with the 311 system in San Francisco, and the launch of a ParkScan program in Portland, OR. As of May 1st, all ParkScan observations in San Francisco will now be looped through the 311 system before they go to Rec and Park. This will give city residents an added accountability factor since 311 follows up with calls for any report that is not closed out! It will also simplify public reporting all through one portal, saving time for Rec and Park staff. 311 and ParkScan will be preparing a joint annual report beginning in 2010. Playfields Initiative Cleanup and Garden Project Makes Silver Terrace Shine!  Over 15 volunteers, including little helpers, came out to Silver Terrace on April 22nd to help prepare what will soon be a new plant and flower garden. Two parent groups, both from Portola Family Connections rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty. Despite a stubborn stump, and some tough weeds, they managed to clear the entire area in less than 2 hours. It was just a coincidence that the group came out on Earth Day, but what better way to celebrate the day than to literally dig in and make some improvements? The group plans to return next month to plant, and make a few finishing touches. Come by Silver Terrace Park on Bayshore and Silver this summer to check out their work! In the meantime, look at photos from the day here. |
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 Park Advocates Celebrate Candlestick Point Cleanup An unsightly section of Candlestick Point near the South Basin has recently been cleared, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from The California Integrated Waste Management Board. The area contained rubble and debris dating back to the time of the 1906 earthquake. Click here to read the success story, and about next steps for the project. |
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Isabel Wade Advocacy Fund After 13 years of dedicated and passionate service, Isabel Wade will step down July 1st, as Executive Director of Neighborhood Parks Council. Isabel’s energy has propelled NPC to a leadership role in park organizing and advocacy in San Francisco and the nation. One of Isabel’s greatest contributions to our work has been her leadership on park advocacy, most notably the passage of two parks bonds as well as Proposition C (2003), which ensures park maintenance standards. NPC staff would like to present a special way to honor the advocacy work that she has championed over the years, and which continues to be so central to our mission today. The Isabel Wade Advocacy Fund will support our advocacy work that currently goes largely unfunded. Through this special fund, NPC will be able to continue advocating for a superior, equitable and sustainable park and recreation system. Please help us honor Isabel Wade’s legacy by contributing to the work she has cared for so deeply. You can make an online donation by clicking 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 are also welcome to mail a check to the NPC office--please indicate "IW Advocacy Fund" in the check memo.   Announcing the 2009 Beautification Awards. SF Beautiful's Beautification Awards bring recognition to individuals, organizations, businesses and civic entities that have partnered to improve the quality of life in San Francisco. You are invited to nominate a project in your community that has enhanced the physical environment. Nominations due June 1st. Special consideration will be given to projects that reflect this year's theme, "Saving Our City: Beauty Has a Place". For details, call 415.421.2608, x12 or visit www.sfbeautiful.org. Download a nomination form here. |
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Park Restroom Survey Results Are In; Will Help Prioritize Bond Funds  RPD’s Restroom Task Force recently completed an online survey of 400 SF residents, asking them to rank park bathrooms by condition. Bathroom facilities at some of the City's most popular parks--Alamo Square, Marina Green, Washington Square, and Lafayette Park--were voted worst. Respondents requested that bathrooms be installed at Bernal Hill, Franklin Square, and a number of other parks that presently have no facilities. Additional bathrooms are wanted to supplement those at McLaren Park, Silver Terrace, the Panhandle, and elsewhere.Survey answers will help RPD prioritize restroom spending for the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, which promises $11.4 million for restrooms. Read the complete Examiner article here. First Community Meeting for Sunset Playground Renovation: May 13th The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and Supervisor Carmen Chu will be hosting the first community meeting on May 13th on the renovation of Sunset Playground as part of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. Click here for details. 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. 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. Visit http://www.sfnpc.org/NSAcommunitymeetings for the dates and locations of the May 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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RPD Scores B- in 2009 City Survey The City Survey measures San Franciscans' opinions about public services--streets, parks, MUNI, libraries, public safety, and schools. This year the Rec and Park Department scored a B-, up from a C+ in 2007, and positive ratings for City parks and recreation programs improved in every category measured. This is wonderful news--many congrats to the Department! Another survey highlight that NPC is excited about: Positive ratings for the quality of park grounds rose from 57% in 2007 to 66% in 2009. We already know (through ParkScan) how hard the maintenance staff works to make the parks shine--it's great to see them rewarded with higher ratings! Click here to download the complete report. |
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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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Corbett Heights Neighbors Keeping Busy Seeking Contributions of Park News |
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To read all recent park-related news headlines,