 |
| DUBOCE PARK UPDATE – OCTOBER 8, 2015
| |
| (1) 18TH ANNUAL TAG SALE HUGE SUCCESS
Our 18th Annual Tag Sale on Saturday, September 12, was another big success. A special thanks to the 65 volunteers, all the neighbors that donated items to sell, and all the people that shopped. The event was social success as well as neighbors reconnected and mingled.
There was clearly more merchandise to choose from this year, as evidenced by Friends having to store donated items in five difference garages near the park the week before the event. When Friends started the Tag Sale 18 years ago, there was no children’s section since there so few children in the neighborhood, but now the toys and clothes for children are two of the biggest and most popular sections at the sale. Many volunteers noted that children who used to shop at the sale with their parents are now volunteering at the event
| |
| (2) NEXT VOLUNTEER DAY SATURDAY OCTOBER 10
Join the Friends of Duboce Park at our next volunteer day this Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m.-noon. We will be planting at the circle next to the Pierce Street steps. We will be supervised by a Rec & Park gardener with all supplies, plants, tools, and gloves provided.
The September 12 volunteer day was cancelled since it fell on the same day as our annual Tag Sale. A special thanks to the volunteers who helped out at our August volunteer day, who did some weeding and planting. Volunteers from the first block of Pierce St., which dead ends at Duboce Park, had a planting party on their block recently and they are continuing their beautification efforts in the planting circle this Saturday.
Contact rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-255-8370 for more information or with any questions or comments. Our volunteer day is always the second Saturday of every month. 30 minutes or an hour of your time makes a big difference in the appearance of our park. San Franciscan residents contributed more than 184,000 hours in 2014 in volunteer service in San Francisco parks.
City departments, state and federal agencies, community partners, local businesses, philanthropic foundations and individuals, have helped Rec and Park make much needed renovations to city facilities and provided more than 7,000 program scholarships valued at over $1 to San Francisco residents.
| |
| (3) BARK IN THE PARK SATURDAY OCTOBER 10
The 2015 San Francisco Fleet Week’s “Bark at the Park” event is a celebration of working canines that help to improve the lives of the people that they protect and serve. This unique and family-friendly event features heroic dogs from the San Francisco Police Dept., the San Francisco Fire Dept., U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the U.S. Marine Corp, Canine Companions for Independence and many more.
Working canines like the ones you’ll learn about at this event are more than just patrol dogs. These incredible animals have the ability to perform search and rescues, climb ladders, match humans to their scent, and make everyday tasks easier for their owners with access and functional needs.
Floyd of the US Customs and Border Patrol, Dept. of Homeland Security for instance, is a 6-year old beagle that hangs out at SFO and combs luggage for food and plant items being brought into the country that could affect our agricultural system stateside. He’ll be approaching his 10,000th find during Fleet Week. Come out and meet Floyd as well as see many more amazing capabilities by these talented, loving, and intelligent pooches.
| |
|
Many of the lawn areas are brown and some areas around benches are down to dirt. This is the result of state and city mandated water cutbacks and also part of Rec and Park’s new “Brown is the New Green” campaign to remind park users of the very good reason for the dry, brown areas. Rec and Park cut water use by 25% last year through a variety of measures that include a shorter sprinkler schedule, improved irrigation, planting drought-tolerant vegetation and using recycled water on golf courses. On “Water Free Wednesdays,” irrigation is shut off completely. The predicted wet winter season will return most of the brown areas back to green. Overall, San Francisco used 30.5% less water in August.
Sand from the playground sandbox continues to spill onto the pedestrian pathway and MUNI boarding area sidewalk. Part of the problem is sand collects and builds up around the planted areas near the sand box and benches and eventually settles at a higher level than the top of the barrier at the bottom of the fence.
The broken toad stool in the playground has finally been repaired. It had been unusable since January and was covered with an orange construction cone.
Areas of the Dog Play/Multi-Use Area were recently repaired with new sod, dirt, and seed. The temporary fences that were put up around those heavily worn areas to allow the sod and seed to take hold have been removed (see picture above). The same process may be done for the worn area just west of this area.
Graffiti remains a constant problem and Rec and Park does a good job of removing it within 24-48 hours of receiving a report…new graffiti that regularly appears on the MTA construction barriers and equipment along Duboce Avenue is also usually removed within a few days of being reported.
All of the problems listed above were reported on the SF311 app or in an email report to Rec and Park. You can always also just dial 311 rather than using the app or email.
| |
|
Riding a bicycle on the pedestrian paths in Duboce Park is illegal, according to Sec. 3.05. San Francisco - Park Code 16, which states that “no person shall participate in any athletic activity, including, but not limited to running, jogging, volleyball, baseball, soccer, football, roller skating, bicycle riding, skateboarding, or frisbee. The prohibition contained in this Section applies to running or jogging only when the person running or jogging does not remain on pedestrian paths.” In short, no bike riding or skateboarding is allowed on Duboce Park paths. Numerous printed signs are stenciled on the ground at the park entrances as reminders.
The main reason is the safety of pedestrians using the path, especially near the entrances to the Playground. It is not hard to imagine a child innocently walking out of the playground and being hit by someone going downhill on a bike or skateboard. The number of people riding bicycles across the north-south paths, from Duboce to Carmelita, Pierce, or Steiner, increases dramatically during normal commute hours. Some even use the handicap access ramp to the park at Carmelita as a bike path.
A confrontation between a cyclist and a pedestrian occurred in Duboce Park on Sept 14 at 2 p.m. According to police, a woman was riding her bike down the pedestrian path towards the Steiner/Hermann entrance to the park. A male standing near the Potomac Street entrance apparently yelled something like "no biking" and then pushed her off the bike as she passed. He told police that he was trying to protect his dog (the dog play area is right next to the path), but a witness pointed out to police that his dog was somewhere in the DPA and not close to the pedestrian path. The woman suffered a few scrapes but was otherwise unharmed and wanted to press charges. After talking to everyone, the officers cited and released him for battery and cited her for riding a bike on a sidewalk.
| |
| (6) PANAMA PACIFIC 1915 – CENTENNIAL PHOTO EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION NOVEMBER 12
The Harvey Milk Photo Center invites you to Panama-Pacific 1915 Centennial Photography Exhibit, starting with an opening reception at the Photo Center on Thursday, November 12, from 4-9 p.m. Images contributed from the SFMTA collections were selected from the work of John Henry Mentz, the company photographer for the private, for-profit transit company United Railroads/Market Street Railway, and from San Francisco Board of Public Works photographer Horace Chaffee. They are from 6.5 x 8.5″ and 5x7″ glass plate negatives, which have been scanned and printed digitally.
Current SFMTA Photographer Jeremy Menzies and Photo Archives Aide Katy Guyon collaborated on this project. Jeremy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts working in analog motion picture and still photography and has worked in various media archives with traditional photographic and film materials. Katy is an Academy Certified Archivist with a background in cultural heritage and preservation. SFMTA Photo Archive online at SFMTA.com/photo, as well as on Twitter @sfmtaphoto and a Flickr photostream at SFMTA Photo Archives.
| |
| The SFMTA Photo Dept. & Archive holds over 100,000 prints, negatives, and digital images depicting transportation on the streets of San Francisco from 1903 to present day. The historic collections include negatives on glass of San Francisco’s earliest streetcars and pre-1906 Earthquake network of cable cars, as well as large format film documentation of the development of America’s first publicly operated transportation network—the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni—starting in 1912.
Three local artists show their work at the Harvey Milk Photo Center’s monthly Lecture Series, 6:30- 8 p.m., on the third Thursday of each month. The next lecture on October 15 features local photographers Allan Barnes, Ray Cayetano, and Richard Rothman (sample of work shown at left). Each photographer presents for about 30 minutes, shows approximately 25-35 images each, and discusses their approach. The event is free and open to the public. More information is available here.
| |
|
(7) GOPRO, PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES STARTING
Interested in purchasing a Go Pro or want some insight into best practices for the World’s Most Versatile Camera? Join instructor Peggy Fok on Saturday November 7, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Sunday November 8, 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. for this workshop that will be held on site at a location TBA. This class is designed for beginners who are interested in getting to know their GoPro and how to use GoPro Studio.
The workshop will focus on navigating the camera’s user interface, understanding the video resolution options, additional video and image capture settings, and learn the basics of using the GoPro Studio software to enhance your image and assemble a time-lapse. Please note that a fully charged GoPro is required, along with a tripod.
There are lots of other Fall 2015 Classes being offered covering a variety of subjects, including courses in: Darkroom & Hand Made Printing, Digital Shooting & Printing, Lighting & Technique, and Artisitic Development. All Photo Center programs are offered to the public, as classes and workshops are taught by working professionals within the industry in both fine arts and commercial photography.
If you want more information on the courses, times and costs, pickup the catalogue of classes at the Photo Center or visit harveymilkphotocenter.org. Remember, the one-hour Photography Center Orientation is a required course for all potential members of the Photo Center. The next Orientations will be offered from 1-2 p.m. on the Saturday November 14.
The Photo Center is looking for volunteers to help run their wet darkroom and digital lab. Contact the Center at 554-9522 to sign up. Established volunteers are welcome to take a complimentary course of their choosing each season.
| |
|
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the free music festival in Golden Gate Park on October 2-4, featured over 100 musical artists on 7 stages. Now in its 15th year, the annual three-day free concert continued to draw hordes of music fans to the park — an estimated 750,000 over the weekend, according to promoter Dawn Holliday. For those not in the mood to brave the crowds, traffic and natural elements, the performances from several stages were live-streamed on the festival website, www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com, and archived for fans to view later, along with some past years’ performances.
Big crowds also came out to Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park on the weekend of August 7-9. “Over the last eight years, Outside Lands had donated $10 million from ticket sales to park programs,” said General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “This year, $1.2 million will support some 25 park gardeners and custodians as well as fund scholarships to our summer camp and afterschool programs for local kids.”
| |
|
Saturday in the Park McLaren, the free concert series at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park, concludes with their annual Blues Show on Saturday October 17 at 1 p.m. This is the season finale and is a special music tribute to B. B. King and the 44th Anniversary of the Amphitheater.
Funding for Rec and Park has dropped by nearly half over the past 15 years. But a new general fund set-aside, introduced on September 22, could infuse more than $350 million into the department over the next 15 years. The charter amendment by Supervisor Mark Farrell would allot an annual increase of $3 million for park repairs over the first 10 years. It also contains a trigger provision that if the City should fall into a deficit in any given year, the Mayor would have the authority to pause, but not cut, the increase in funding.The charter amendment will appear on the ballot in June 2016 and will not ask for a tax increase, but will rely on a bigger portion of the general fund.
| |
|
The Planning Commission approved a. massive mixed-use development at Fifth and Mission that will transform a 4-acre area (about the size of Duboce Park) with everything from towering luxury condos to low-income senior apartments. There is also 49,000 square feet of open space, including 23,000 square feet of publicly accessible space on top of The Chronicle building, which will be preserved.
The 15th San Francisco City Survey, overseen by the controller’s office and conducted every other year, gave the city government a B-minus grade. 2,179 telephone interviews of city residents were conducted and residents were asked to rate a whole range of city services. The city’s library system received the highest grade of A-minus. The city’s 311 call center and its parks scored just behind the library system. We do love our parks.
| |
| The public has a chance tonight to see and influence the design for the new park at the Presidio to cover the freeway tunnels on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marina. The design presentation at 6:30 will be made before the Presidio Trust Board of Directors. Many have suggested this 13-acre national park area should be maintained in a simple form as possible. Other envision a more highly developed plan.
Despite six community meetings, neighbors are still debating the use of Francis Scott Key Annex school at 1360 – 43rd Avenue. Turning the one-acre underutilized chunk of asphalt into a park, called Playland Park, was an idea many considered to be a slam dunk. Many residents favor refurbishing the basketball court and adding an adult fitness area, an artists’ courtyard, a community garden, and other features. However, implementing ramps for skateboarding and the potential for live music has sparked concerns among hundreds of neighbors.
| |
|
(9) SCAREGROVE EVENT, SEWING CLASS FOR KIDS IN OCTOBER
Bring the kids to Scaregrove, Rec & Park’s annual wild Halloween event at Sigmund Stern Grove, on Friday, October 23, from 3 to 9 p.m. This family-friendly event features carnival rides, a haunted house, costume parade, live entertainment, food for sale and more! Cost is $8 per person; children under 2 are free. Generously sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Zynga.org, with support from Recology and the Stern Grove Festival.
| |
|
You can also explore color, texture, pattern and basic sewing skills together with your young one by taking Sewing Together – Ages 4-7, starting on October 17 and ending on November 14. This class has been split into two mini sessions with new projects each session. The first session is 10:30-11:30 a.m. followed by another from 12-1 p.m. Classes can be
Classes can be taken independently or sequentially.
Children and parent will work together to complete a project each week. Both kids and adults will enjoy this hands-on class. Using basic sewing stitches and kid-safe sewing tools, children will be introduced to the fun and creative world of textiles. All materials are provided. Adult participation required. For more information, please contact melissa.kessor@sfgov.org.
You can register at sfreconline.org or in person at the Harvey Milk Recreation Center. You can also pickup the Activities Guide in the Recreation lobby. The catalogue offers course descriptions, times, and costs. There are always courses for everyone: tots; youth, tweens & teens; adults; and, adults 55 and older. Sign up for Winter classes begins in December, visit sfreconline.org for details. We’ll let you know more in our next newsletter.
Recreation and Parks offers Recreation Scholarships to eligible individuals and families. More than $1 million in scholarships in Rec and Parks programs has been provided. Ongoing eligibility is dependent on attendance record. Please call Lillian Bautista, Scholarship Coordinator, at 831-2717 for information on how to qualify.
(10) JOIN FRIENDS OF DUBOCE PARK
Annual Membership dues for a Supporting Member are $25 per person and entitle you to voting privileges and participation in the governance of the organization. Your dues help cover the few costs we have, such as our website, newsletter, movie nights, and insurance.
Your tax deductible membership is gratefully accepted and should be sent to Friends of Duboce Park, 71 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94117. Friends of Duboce Park are a 501(c) (3) organization. General Membership is still available at no cost but does not carry any voting privileges. Another way to show your support is by getting involved. If you are interested, please contact President Doug Woo at doug@friendsofdubocepark.org.
Our Mission Statement includes the following: "to organize and represent the collective interests regarding Duboce Park; to beautify and promote safety within Duboce Park; and, to initiate and/or support beneficial neighborhood projects on behalf of Duboce Park."
(11) OCTOBER-NOVEMBER CALENDAR
Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact Rose at rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-55-8370.
Monday, October 12, 7-9 p.m. Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association General Meeting. Gazebo at CPMC Davies. Visit dtna.org.
Thursday, October 15, 6:30-8 p.m. Photo Lecture Series. Harvey Milk Photo Center. Visit harveymilkphotocenter.org.
Friday, October 23, 3-9 p.m. Scaregrove. Sigmund Stern Grove. Visit sfrecpark.org.
Thursday, November 12, 4-9 p.m. Opening Reception: Panama-Pacific 1915 Centennial Photography Exhibit. Visit harveymilkphotocenter.org.
Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m.-noon. Friends of Duboce Park Volunteer Day. Contact Rose at rose@friendsofdubocepark.org or 415-55-8370.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
