SFT NEWSLETTER

JUNE/JULY 2005

Use of Concourse Roadways
SFT activists held one remaining hope: that, after the dust and demolition in Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse died down, there was one issue that everyone could agree on: that commuter vehicles racing through the Concourse must not return; that the roadways, reconstructed after the garage construction was finished, must be narrowed and limited in access. SFT believed that only emergency vehicles and MUNI buses should be permitted to pass on Academy Drive and Tea Garden Drive.
We had been through a disastrous series of failures: spent years on a lawsuit that did not successfully challenge the institutions who demanded drop-off at the front doors of the deYoung Museum and the Academy of Sciences; and watched them create a second entrance to the Concourse Garage within the Park, all in opposition to the mandates of Proposition J.
So, last week at the Recreation and Parks Commission, what did we “get”? A policy to let the traffic back in, but somehow curb it gently, by putting up signs that would say “Access for Drop Off ONLY”, plus two new stop signs per roadway at the crosswalks. The Commissioners suggested, but did not require, the use of rumble pavement just before the crosswalks and a 15 mph speed limit with doubled fines. Yet it’s highly wishful that there would be enforcement, a policeman present to give citations.
Several groups protested to the Commission that a true Pedestrian Oasis, an alternative with no vehicular traffic, was never offered, despite the mandate of Prop J. Instead, without opposition, the Commission approved the alternative that lets the traffic back in. We can only ask ourselves why we wasted six years trying to convince the Commissions that Proposition J required a lessening of vehicular traffic in the Park? The Music Concourse Community Partnership have gotten everything they wanted; we citizens know now that “Pedestrian Oasis” was a phrase without meaning.

At SFT's summer picnic each year, members and friends are invited to explore an area in the development news, so that we may be informed as to ”what's happening” there and perhaps offer some sage environmental advice. In the past we have picnicked at Hunters Point Shipyard, the Presidio and Crissy Field, South Beach before the Giants' ballpark was built, Treasure Island, and Golden Gate Park to observe the effects of constructing the new deYoung Museum and the Concourse Garage.

This year, Corinne Woods, the Mission Creek Harbor Association and other environmental friends who live on houseboats on Mission Creek have invited us to their picnic site in the midst of the Mission Bay development. We will meet at Huffaker Park at Sixth and Channel streets, on Saturday, August 20, between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. SFT’s picnic will provide the usual delicious barbecue and guided tours of the area.

Development in the area makes it a bit difficult to get to Sixth and Channel. Muni is not much help and requires a bit of walking.  The No. 15 Third Street bus will require walking west from Third Street to Fourth and Channel, then two blocks southwest on Channel to Sixth.  The N Judah Metro car will take you to the Giants ballpark so you can walk across the Third Street bridge, turn right one block to Fourth and Channel and two blocks southwest to Sixth and Channel.  By automobile, you can go east on 16th Street, then turn left on Owens to Sixth and Channel.
As usual, a donation of $15 or 25 will cover the cost of picnic.  Please call Jane Morrison at 564-1482 to let us know how much food to plan.  We may even be able to give you a ride or a guide from the Muni.   When you call to RSVP, remember that at the bargain rate of $25.00 or $50.00, you’ll be renewing your SFT membership as well as covering the costs of the picnic. SFT members who are paid up through 2005, may pay just $10.00. Bring a summery picnic dish to share, if you wish.

Daly Asks for Significant Tree Protection Legislation
Supervisor Chris Daly has authored an important new piece of legislation which would protect major or “significant” trees in the City. This protection of the City’s mature trees is vital for habitat protection, to counteract global warming, and for flood protection. While endorsing the legislation in concept, SFT transmitted the following suggestions to Supervisor Daly.
First, we are disappointed that this legislation does not improve the process for designating trees as landmarks. The current landmarking procedures have to date resulted in the designation of only four stands of trees, leaving a large number of vitally important trees unprotected. We ask that this legislation include improvements to that process that will result in the timely designation of the most important trees in our City.
Second, this legislation should exempt the Recreations and Parks Department’s recognized Natural Areas. These Areas are already covered by a tree removal policy, and it would not be appropriate to add a second process, which may be duplicative or conflicting, to that policy.
Finally, we’re concerned that this legislation, while establishing protections for significant trees on private property, offers no incentives to property owners to seek designation, and could actually provide a disincentive to protect significant trees. We urge that this legislation include an incentive program to address the concerns of the public about their responsibilities towards significant trees on private property. These measures could take the form of offering advice on tree maintenance, free tree inspections, subsidized tree care for low-income households, or even tax incentives. Such a program is key to the success of this legislation.

Green HAYES GREEN
Neighborhood groups in Hayes Valley have good reason to feel proud. Hayes Green is a new community park that would never have seen the light of day except for the dedicated band of Hayes Valley residents, chief among them Robin Levitt and Patricia Walkup, who insisted that the complete removal of the Central Freeway, damaged by the ’89 earthquake, was the only way to restore their neighborhood after the years of living in the shadow of the overhead freeway., despite predictions of dire traffic jams that would ensue on City streets. SFT joined them in demanding the replacement of the overhead freeway with a surface boulevard. Now we urge you to go out to see the new Octavia Boulevard and a new community park, Hayes Green, that are the by-products of these efforts. Located at the end of the Octavia Boulevard between Fell and Hayes Streets, Hayes Green was dedicated on June 1st, as part of the UN World Environment events.
Work on the Boulevard continues. The center through-lanes are paved as is the east side lane. The west side lane is about half finished. About half of the street lights and some of the special median paving have been installed. Work should be finished by the end of this summer. A fascinating temple/pagoda structure was created in the middle of the new Hayes Green just for the World Environment Day event, and is temporary, so hurry out to see it. Look up and try to remember what Octavia was like a few years ago with the hulking Central Freeway overhead.
The cost of the Boulevard and Hayes Green is being paid for by the sale of the surplus land that will be developed with new housing under and beside the old freeway. Pedestrian and bicycle, transit, signalization and other transportation related improvements will also be paid for from the sale of surplus land.

Regarding the Disc Golf Course in a Golden Gate Park Forest
Q. Who’s ever heard of Disc Golf?
The temporary placement of a Disk Golf Course in the midst of a tall tree forest in Golden Gate Park near 25th Avenue has already caused enough damage to the trees, even after just eighteen months, to arouse park gardeners and arborists. Disc Golf has turned out to be an immensely popular new sport, born from the casual Frisbee-throwing of the 1960’s, but played not by a boy and his dog on an open meadow, but on a course laid out, in this case, amid a forest of mature trees in Golden Gate Park. On any day of the week, from sunup to sundown, the woods west of 25th Avenue are full of people throwing a new breed of Frisbee, hard plastic discs with sharp, thin edges, at baskets on pedestals which are the “goal”. Due to the impact of these hard-edged disks on the tree trunks when the players miss, and due to the exposure of the trees’ roots when soil is removed from the root areas by heavy use, this new use is hurting the Park. Gardeners say the paths are causing erosion. Park arborists don’t want to see the nine-“hole” course, approved for eighteen months, extended for another eighteen. Disc golfers have turned out hundreds of players for the earlier discussion at Rec and Park Commission; they want eventually to extend their game to eighteen holes, or double the area.
On July 21, they will return to the Recreation and Parks Commission to hear whether they have won an eighteen-month extension of their permit. If you have a chance to walk into these woods before then, make up your own mind about the use. Some say that Disc Golf enlivens an area that has seen only the occasional jogger and hiker; others believe that it will take years to reverse the damage to the soil and the trees from even a short-term extension of this use, given the damage already done. Some ask why a forest of trees needs to be “used” for an organized recreational use. If you go and are able to form an opinion, please participate by forwarding your comments to the Recreation and Park Commission or by testifying in person on July 21.
San Francisco Tomorrow’s Board recommends to the Recreation and Parks Commission that it not renew the temporary permit or grant a permanent permit for the Disk Golf Course to remain in Golden Gate Park.  San Francisco Tomorrow recommends to the Recreation and Parks Commission the removal of the Disk Golf Course from Golden Gate Park.  In recognition of the popularity of this new sport, however, the Board encourages its relocation to another property, if possible city-owned, where the impacts of the heavy foot traffic and the hurled disks will not damage the environment or impact public safety. 

Landmark Designation Approved for 900 Innes in the Bayview
San Francisco Tomorrow supported the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board’s decision to approve an 1870’s Shipwrights House at 900 Innes Avenue, as Landmark #250. The structure has a unique location and history that more than qualify it for landmark status. This part of San Francisco has a colorful past that is reflected in the varied uses of this structure through the years.
This building is also unique for what it isn’t. Many of the buildings along San Francisco’s waterfront were built to accommodate large-scale maritime industrial uses. The Union Ironworks building and the pier-sheds and bulkheads on the northern waterfront are unique and distinct in their own right, and San Francisco Tomorrow has actively supported their designation as landmarks. This little building at 900 Innes, however, tells a small story of San Francisco’s maritime history not found elsewhere in San Francisco.
The preservation of this humble building, which located in Hunters Point India Basin, is in an area that is under-represented by Landmarks. The 900 Innes building has a long history of association with boat building - what started with this home became a village which built scow schooners for transporting supplies around the Bay Area. The village subsequently became a thriving boat building community: boats such as Jack London's adventure boat the Snark, the barges that were used to build the Bay Bridge, San Francisco's first police boat, United States naval ships (tugs & mine sweepers), fishing trawlers, salmon boats, and even a Chinese junk or two. Unlike the waterfront districts of other neighborhoods this area was characterized by small family-run businesses with the specific purpose to build wooden boats.

The Promise of PGA Golf Courses at Harding Park
It was billed as a "Waterfall of Benefits" when the Rec and Park Commission and the Board of Supervisors were presented with the "schemes" by the Rec and Park Department's staff for rebuilding the Harding Fleming Park golf courses. They would rebuild the courses to conform to the standards of the Professional Golf Association (PGA) with expectations of holding one of the association's major golf matches at the park. Not only would the city benefit from the thousands of golf fans and their spending dollars attending the "PGA Tour Championships" that are rotationally held every three years under contract with PGA, but also the revenues received directly from PGA to hold the matches at the golf courses would have other benefits, such as for parks adjacent to Harding Park. But, to realize this "Waterfall of Benefits", the City had to find and spend an estimated $13 million to redo the golf courses that are not up to snuff by PGA standards. Furthermore, the courses have to be maintained throughout the term of the contract with PGA (nine years) to those same standards. Thus it began, the road to the promised joys of PGA golf and the $13 million dollars to set up a fund to maintain the golf courses to PGA standards, rebuild the courses and prepare for the promised days of Tour Championships. The first event is October 6-9, 2005 "The American Express World Champions of Golf."
In addition to capturing the State Grant Funds and appropriating local Open Space Funds which were intended for acquisition of open space and renovation of park and recreation centers, the "Golf Fund” has a financially disabling influence on the Rec and Park Department's future budgeting process.
Much wrangling occurred during the deliberation on the creation of the "Golf Fund" sponsored in 2002 by Supervisor Tony Hall. Citizen open space/park and recreation supporters did not consider golf courses as their top priority for recreational facilities especially when there are insufficient funds for renovations of hazardous (arsenic laden) children playgrounds, leaking swimming pools, rundown recreation centers, dilapidated neighborhood parks, all crying for money for their renovation. Golf was suppose to be a revenue producing sport to support other needed recreational offerings, a dictum established by the 1977 Board of Supervisors. Instead of being a source of revenues to support other recreational needs, it now will support only itself and has taken away $23.9 million of both State and local open space money for redoing golf courses for the PGA.
Wanted: Historian (just someone with a good memory or a garage full of records) who can pass along detailed information about the ferry service to Treasure Island during the Golden Gate International Exposition.  You can provide valuable information for planning future ferry service to the island. Contact SFT or Ruth Gravanis (gravanis@earthlink.net)