The Week That Was: September 29 - October 4
Sunday, October 4, 2009Posted by
Reflindo
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Tuesday, September 29
Today I visited Brooks Park with Recreation and Park Commissioners Larry Martin and Tom Harrison. Brooks Park is located in the OMI (Oceanview-Ingleside-Merced Heights) District at Ramsell and Shields Streets. Acquired in 1966 and expanded in 1994, this three-acre hilltop park contains a play area, BBQ area, restored natural area and multi-purpose asphalt paving. The southwest corner of Brooks Park is the site of a popular community garden.
Wednesday, September 30
Today I had the great honor of speaking at the Greater Mission Rotary Club luncheon. The Rotary Club is an accomplished group of community leaders and professionals whose common goal is to improve and provide support for their communities. I was invited by Rec and Park Commissioner Gloria Bonilla, who has been a leader in the Mission District community for more than 33 years.
At the lunch I spoke at length about the capital park projects we’ve completed in the area during the past several years, thanks to Propositions A and C in 2000, as well as upcoming Mission District projects that are slated to happen as a result of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. But I also stressed to them the importance of developing ongoing partnerships with the City that would be beneficial to the Mission and the city as a whole.
After lunch, I met with the Trust for Public Land (TPL)’s Tim Wirth and Jennifer Worth, and our very own NSA 4 Manager Steve Cismowski, to offer some input on design plans for Boedekker Park. As part of their Parks for People program, TPL is, over the next three years, helping to revitalize three urban parks in neighborhoods that need it the most.
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On the list of parks to be renovated are Hayes Valley Playground in the Western Addition, Balboa Park in the Excelsior, and Boeddeker Park in the Tenderloin. Boeddeker is smack dab in the middle of one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city, where the fight against drugs, violence and other crimes is a constant battle. Despite all of the negatives that surround the park, neighborhood children still rely on this one-acre park and make the trek here to play and spend their free time. We are ever so thankful to TPL for their commitment. And while I will leave the professional design process to others, my input was simple…. Make it clean, safe and fun.From there, I went out to Harding Park to check on course conditions with District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, Presidents Cup Executive Director Tom Clark and members of my staff. We have less than a week to go to the big event and, while my staff has done a superb job, we could use a little more sun right now....
My evening ended at the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) headquarters where I attended a quarterly steering committee meeting. NPC is led by its new Executive Director, Meredith Thomas and its Board President, Jim Sutton. Founded by long time park champion Isabel Wade, NPC is a valuable community organization that advocates for improved and expanded neighborhood parks in the city. At the meeting, I shared with them my vision for our department, answered questions and discussed with steering committee members how we can best work together. Within the next week or two, I will be working with NPC and the Parks Trust to select the winners of our "Simple Things Campaign."
Thursday, October 1-Friday, October 2
I concluded the week by leading a senior staff planning and goal-setting retreat at Angler's Lodge in Golden Gate Park. The Angler’s Lodge is the perfect getaway for a meeting like this. It’s a small outpost by the popular casting pools near the east end of the park that’s seemingly from another era. Once inside the rustic log building, you are transported to another time and place far away from the city hustle and bustle.
Friday-Sunday, October 2-4
It seems as if there’s a cultural and musical renaissance in our parks lately. With the popular Outside Lands concert earlier this summer, Opera in the Park and the Now & Zen Fest last week, some of the biggest names in music have passed through the City in recent months. To add to the excitement, this weekend marked the ninth annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, a free, popular concert series in Golden Gate Park featuring 60 great and varied musical acts, including Boz Scaggs and the Blue Velvet Band, Emmylou Harris, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the Wronglers, featuring concert founder and philanthropist Warren Hellman. What a great event. If you’ve never been out to the park for this concert, make sure you’re there next year; you won’t be disappointed. The vibe is relaxing, the park is a beautiful backdrop and the weather is perfect this time of year.
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