Interested in giving back this New Year? Volunteer with us and the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and day of service at our park sites! See the list below:

1/16/20: Dolores Park from 10 a.m. to noon.

1/18/20: Bayview Playground/MLK Pool from 9 a.m. to noon.

1/18/20: La Grande Community Garden with the Mission Continues from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

1/18/20: Visitacion Valley Greenway from 10 a.m. to noon.

To volunteer or for more information, please contact our volunteer division at recparkvolunteer@sfgov.org or by phone at (415) 831-6884.

We invite you to join us for a public meeting to discuss the free online reservation system implemented in April 2019 for tennis and pickleball play at 11 complexes across the city. We will discuss the next steps including the potential availability of more courts to be reserved. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the County Fair Building (1199 19th Avenue and Lincoln Way.) For more information, click here.

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco will dramatically boost the number of park restrooms staffed by trained monitors, part of the City’s commitment to improving quality of life in neighborhoods most in need.

The San Francisco Human Services Commission today green-lit the expansion of San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Department’s Park Stop program to seven new locations and extended the hours of a monitor program already in place at an eighth park. Park Stop is operated in collaboration with the Human Services Agency and Hunters Point Family. It is based on the successful Pit Stop program operated by Public Works since 2014. Pit Stop, which surpassed its 1 millionth flush last fall, now has 25 locations in 12 neighborhoods, including three parks: Victoria Manalo Draves, La Playa, and Boat Playground.  Like Pit Stop, Park Stop will provide safe needle disposal and pet waste bags in addition to universal toilet access.

Park Stop attendants will be placed at Raymond Kimbell Playground, Dolores Park, Portsmouth Square, Rolph Playground, Potrero del Sol, Bayview Playground and Jackson Playground. The program also adds evening staffing to the restroom monitor program at Victoria Manalo Draves park. The parks were prioritized based on number of 311 calls and maintenance and vandalism costs.

This program builds on Mayor London Breed’s recent mandate for street cleaning programs including funds for the Pit Stop program in JC Decaux public restrooms, a rapid response syringe cleanup team, and block sweepers.

“I am focused on making our neighborhoods cleaner and safer for everyone, and our Park Stop program is a great part in this effort,” said Mayor Breed. “I am proud that more parks throughout our city will benefit from the City’s successful partnership with Hunters Point Family, whose employees have been making a real difference in our public spaces.”

Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg said Hunters Point Family has already proven to be an ideal partner for the endeavor, staffing Pit Stop as well as helping transform the troubled Civic Center area into a model public space.

“Hunters Point Family employs men and women who serve as extraordinary ambassadors. Their presence makes the public feel welcome at the same time it deters vandalism and petty crime,” Ginsburg said. In fiscal year 2017-2018, vandalism at parks totaled over $600,000.

The three parks already equipped with restroom monitors have already reaped benefits. Victoria Manalo Draves, La Playa, and Boat Playground have seen dramatic decreases in vandalism, bio-waste incidents, and illegal dumping.

“HSA’s partnership with Hunters Point Family to expand the Park Stop Program is a great example of how we can engage our local communities in meeting the City’s goals toward providing clean and safe public spaces while also providing employment opportunities for San Francisco residents,” said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency.

Restroom monitors will serve as indispensable park stewards while gaining customer service, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.

“Park Stop builds on the success we’ve had with the Pit Stop program and provides people who have a desire and passion for serving the community a place to truly make a difference in our public spaces,” said Hunters Point Family Executive Director Lena Miller.

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The annual winter closure of the Dolores Park northern multi-use field began on Monday, December 17, 2018. It will be closed for rest and turf restoration and will reopen in February of 2019. We look forward to seeing you get out and play on a healthy lawn this coming spring and summer!

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and Recology announced today that the Eco Pop-up at Dolores Park diverted over 42,840 gallons of recyclables and composts from landfill from May through October this year.  That is equivalent to 48.8% of the total waste collected from the entire park for the same time period. The seasonal pop-up recycling and composting spots at Mission Dolores Park, also known as the Eco Pop-ups, have staff stationed onsite to encourage park constituents to recycle and compost waste generated during their visits at the Park.  In 2011, before the Park’s most recent renovation, and the launch of Eco Pop-ups, Dolores Park only recycled and composted 2% of total waste collected.

The Dolores Park Eco Pop-ups operate from 12pm to 7pm on the weekends and special events.  At the pop-ups, staff and volunteers help park constituents to separate beverage containers, pizza boxes and other picnic discards into separate metal bins designated for recycling, compost, and trash.

On a busy weekend, park-goers at Dolores Park generate up to 7,000 gallons of trash.  Prior to the Eco Pop-ups, all of that went to landfill.  It is widely known that proper source separation of materials before collection leads to greater processability of recyclable and compostable items as well as decrease of landfill materials.  As such, SF Rec and Parks in partnership with Recology, have provided the Eco Pop-ups, a staffed, large-scale recycling and compost disposal area, completed with signage, directive for use, and educational material throughout the Park to encourage park visitors to recycle and compost their waste.

The Eco Pop-up Program is one of the many steps that the City and Recology have taken to improve the trash culture at Dolores Park.

In 2016, Dolores Park reopened after a major two-year renovation to better accommodate the thousands of weekly park visitors. Funded by the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks bond, the Park was renovated with modern infrastructure, including ADA-complaint facilities and pathways. New bathrooms increased restroom capacity to 27 toilets; previously, there were only four.  Waste management capacity was expanded from 35,000 gallons weekly to nearly 60,000 gallons per week.  Recycling capacity increased dramatically, to 28,000 gallons per week, up from 1,344 gallons prior to the renovation.

The Love Dolores Campaign was also launched alongside the complete reopening of the Park in 2016. Established on Leave No Trace principals, the campaign aims to promote packing out trash and eliminating the presence of glass in the Park. Ambassadors from the Love Dolores Campaign organize weekend outreach to educate park visitors, and collaborate with local merchants and other stakeholders to promote proper ways to love Dolores Park. This combined effort has produced improvements to the trash situation.

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The south side of Dolores Park officially opened on January 27, 2016 marking the opening of the entire park. Construction on the south side began at the same time of the north side opening in June of last year. The renovation included a new bathroom facility, a pissoir, picnic areas, an off-leash dog play area which were all made possible thanks to the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond.

“The improvements we’ve made from the pathways, to the tennis courts, to the grass, to trash capacity will ensure that Dolores Park will continue to thrive,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec & Park General Manager. “I want to thank the community and all of our partners for their input and for continuing to Love Dolores.”

To learn more about Dolores Park and the Love Dolores campaign click here.

By John Angelico

Mission Dolores Park unveiled a new look on June 18 and one of the improvements is a new bike polo court. Officially it’s a “multi-use court,” but last week the bike polo crew were in control, and it was fun to watch.

The games were three-on-three.  The riders I saw were pretty skilled, able to start and stop quickly, turn in a very tight radius, hop in place if needed, control the ball by weaving over it left and right to shield it from opponents, and have enough coordination to handle the polo mallet to control the ball and occasionally rip off a shot.

See full article here: http://blog.sfgate.com/bicycle/2015/07/01/bike-polo-skills-on-display-in-newly-renovated-mission-dolores-park/

In 2 short weeks, the north side of the park will reopen! It’s time to celebrate!

Please join us for an opening celebration on Thursday June 18th from 3:00pm – 7:00pm. In the spirit of Leave No Trace, the opening celebration will be a Silent Disco Party. Wireless headphones will be loaned to attendees for free. The first hour of the party will be dedicated to the kids, with children’s music broadcast through the headphones. Please join us!

By Elizabeth Creely

Roughly 30 concerned neighbors gathered at the event space 18 Reasons Tuesday for an event hosted by San Francisco’s Department of Recreation and Parks. Among the collection of local employees, neighbors and merchants, was an air of seriousness in the room, which suited the matter under discussion: Dolores Park, and its party problem.

The park, which is nearing the end of its three-year, 20-million dollar upgrade, has seen an upgrade in park attendance, too: at least ten thousand people visit the park on the weekends, and with the amped-up ebullience has come more of everything else, too, including trash which, according to city estimates, costs San Francisco taxpayers $750,000 to clean up.

See full article here: http://blog.sfgate.com/inthemission/2015/04/30/fixing-the-culture-problem-at-dolores-park/

By Jay Barmann

The Rec & Park Department hosted a pair of meetings Tuesday to engage concerned neighbors about their new “action plan” for dealing with the park’s ongoing popularity, and its trash problem. And as Mission Local reports, Sarah Ballard, the department’s director of policy and public affairs, admitted, “We got caught flat-footed. We were really confounded by the park’s popularity.”

It’s an odd thing for her to say at this late date, given the fact that the park has been extremely popular for a number of years, but to her point, its popularity on weekends has only grown with our population.

In response, the department has put out a new pair of recycling and compost dumpsters that they’ve dubbed an “eco pop-up,” and they’re calling on neighbors and nearby businesses to do things like encourage proper trash disposal on social media, and put stickers on items indicating that they’re recyclable or compostable. They’re also trying to discourage people from bringing glass to the park, which is where the above video comes in — it’s called the Use the Can “can-paign,” and it makes the stretch of connecting the use of trash cans with bringing canned beer and beverages instead of glass, and “using the can” as in using the bathroom instead of pissing in the bushes. And, because this is San Francisco, they needed to be all steampunk about it and get out the costumes.

See full article here:

http://sfist.com/2015/05/01/rec_parks_produces_goofy_psa_to_enc.php

By Bay City News

A pop-up recycling and composting system was unveiled today in response to an abundance of litter left behind by picnickers at San Francisco’s Dolores Park.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, in partnership with the waste management company Recology, has placed large containers on Dolores Street where picnickers, with the aid of waste-sorting volunteers, will separate discarded items.

Recology spokesman Robert Reed said adding to the compost collected by Recology is one of the best things city residents can do to help conserve water.

Reed said the compost is delivered to more than 300 wineries in Northern California, as well as walnut, almond and pecan orchards, among other farms.

The compost attracts and retains water, allowing farmers to use less water on crops, cultivate nutrient-rich fields and have larger crop yields.

See full article here: http://sfappeal.com/2015/04/waste-sorting-system-unveiled-to-help-dolores-park-picnickers-stop-littering/

The last 2 weeks have shown incredible progress at the park, with large sections of grass sod placed. Our on-site staff and contractors are constantly stopped and asked if it’s artificial turf. To clarify:  it’s real grass!

There is still work to be done in the north half, including finishing the sports courts, paving, and planting. While this work continues, the sod will take root and establish itself. New grass sod is fragile and requires careful maintenance and time to root before it can be used. Until then, here are a few up-close glamour shots to keep you excited:

Today is another big construction milestone at the park – the remaining sections of the north side of the park are receiving grass sod. The contractor should finish the installation this week, and then repair the sections that were damaged by last month’s vandalism. Check out photos and use this link to view a short video of today’s installation:

This past Friday was an exciting day in the construction zone – check out these photos of the clubhouse and bathroom building throughout its demolition, including how the clubhouse looked before, during, and after demolition:

Construction at Mission Dolores Park is still moving ahead, despite the recent vandalism to the construction site during the weekend of February 14. The vandalism caused about $100,000 in damage and will likely delay the reopening of the north side of the park. The majority of the damage was incurred when the vandals hot-wired the construction equipment and drove across the newly installed turf and concrete, damaging the equipment, the new grass lawn, and portions of newly-placed concrete that hadn’t fully cured. The vandals broke portions of the irrigation system, crashed into building and site walls, and started a fire in the new maintenance yard.  Two arrests were made by the San Francisco Police Department. The contractor is still assessing the damage and the ramifications to the project’s schedule.

The project is moving ahead, despite this interruption, and important highlights include:

• The North Restroom is 99% complete – new toilets, sinks, and hand dryers have all be installed. Providing new and larger restrooms was one of the most important goals of the project and we are excited to have realized this.
• The clubhouse started demolition this week, and will last about 1 month. The construction fences have shifted in order to include a safe and secure perimeter around the building during this demolition.
• The Operations Building is complete and the Rec and Park team is moving in.
• The final stretches of pathways will be paved in the next 1-2 weeks.
• The site lighting is almost complete, and site signs and furnishings are starting to be installed.

Below are a few photos showing the recent improvements to the park & the vandalism, including the new multi-use court, newly finished pathways, and how the tire tracks have destroyed the new turf sod.

The sports courts are all well-defined now and the lights are installed. Here are two photos showing the tennis courts and new multi-use court:The central path bisecting the new tennis courts has been paved and soon will receive the same concrete paver bands that are across the entire project:

And finally, a recent photo of the new restroom building.  The orange panels are a waterproofing layer that will be hidden under the final architectural treatment. 

Sadly, Mission Dolores Park has seen a big rise in graffiti and vandalism recently. The Recreation & Park Department has reached out to SFPD’s Mission Station to help control the problem. KTVU captured the vandalism in a recent story – click here to watch.

Dolores Park is beloved park by many San Francisco residents – unfortunately, it only takes a few individuals to create these problems. If you see vandalism occurring in the park, please contact SFPD.

The contractor has been installing the new drainage system throughout the north field of the park. Here are some action shots of the installation:

Curious about what’s going on inside the fence?  Here’s a few photos of the recent progress. This first one shows the contractor getting ready to dig footings for the multi-use court:Plumbing is in at the North Restroom!

The sidewalk on Dolores Street is almost complete. This section is close to 18th Street and will have an expanded “linear plaza” to widen the sidewalk and provide a larger pedestrian entry to the park.The 19th Street promenade is nearly complete – the contractors are putting in the final concrete pavers. These pavers mark the location of the original concrete swales that ran through the promenade. They’ll be used on all the paths throughout the park.

If you were at the park last week, you may have witnessed another amazing construction moment – the transplanting of 2 mature palm trees. Here’s how they did it:

Step 1: The crew, led by palm experts, tie up the palm tree fronds & excavate the root ball:

 Step 2: the palm tree is placed just outside it’s original home & the tree pit is filled in immediately:

Step 3:  the palm tree is then craned to its new location at the top of the 19th Street Liberty Bell Plaza:

Step 4:  And finally, the palm tree is gently placed into a fresh tree pit; its new home:

Due to unforeseen challenges, the first phase of the construction taking place on the north side of the Park is now going to be delayed by as much as four months, and is expected to be completed by early 2015. Shortly after, the second phase of the construction will take place on the south side of the Park. The construction delay costs an additional $2.2 million bringing the total project budget to $20.5 million; the project budget comes from the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, except the additional funding which is provided by the Parks Bond contingency reserve. The construction delay is due to the following:

– During the construction of the new restroom and maintenance building, excessive ground water was uncovered and had to be extracted before the contractor could continue on with the construction;

– After the extraction of the excessive water, soil had to be reinforced in order to stabilize the ground; and

– Soil remediation work was required to be performed and completed.

We want to thank you for your patience during the Mission Dolores Park improvement, and we apologize for any inconvenience this process may have caused. We look forward to celebrating the grand opening of Mission Dolores Park with you in fall 2015. Thank you once again for your patience and support.

We couldn’t be more excited about these construction photos!  The new accessible pathway has been installed, the concrete at the plaza and promenade are almost finished, and the North Restroom has a beautiful cedar ceiling:

Exciting finishes will be installed in the next couple of weeks and we will continue to add more photos as the project progresses.

The Mission Dolores Park contractor will be repairing the sidewalk on 18th Dolores Street between 18th and 19th Streets starting Monday September 8th. The sidewalk will be closed for about 1 week during this process.

In fact, pathways around the entire park are continuing to take form. This photo is of the new accessible path above the North Field, which will receive concrete next week:

At 19th Street, the plaza concrete is almost complete:

And finally, if you were near the site last week, you will have noticed the shotcrete action at the Operations Building.  Here’s a panorama from inside the new building:

The past couple weeks have provided some beautiful construction photos. Above is a view of the north field, where the soil piles are quickly being removed. The new field will soon be leveled and ready for its state-of-the-art drainage system. Below is the new North Restroom during construction of the roof.

Finally, a big reveal happened recently when the formwork was removed behind the Hidalgo statue. Once complete, the new concrete walls and stairs will provide a beautiful backdrop to this important historic resource.

Wondering what’s happening at the park this week?  Check out these great action shots of the tennis court walls coming alive & the Operations Building growing tall.

Check out this great time lapse video of the Mexican Liberty Bell moving into its new home! While on the crane, the bell was weighed and came in at 15,000 pounds. The bell is an important part of the history of the park and will be the central feature of the improved 19th Street Plaza. Curious to know more about its history? Read an excerpt from the Dolores Park Historic Resource Evaluation below.

“In 1966, a replica of the “Mexican Liberty Bell” was installed in the park. Prior to installation of the bell, Adolfo G. Dominguez, Consul General of Mexico, presented the historical background of the Liberty Bell offered to the city, stating, “It was a replica of the bell which had been rung by Father Miguel Hidalgo on the morning of September 16, 1810, in the town of Dolores when the Mexican people were seeking their independence from Spain.” The bell was unveiled on 16 September 1966 and was presented by Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, president of the United Mexican States.”

The Mission Dolores Park contractor will start construction early this Thursday morning, July 10th. Alten Construction will be pouring the concrete foundation for the Operations & Maintenance building near the corner of 18^th and Church Streets. The concrete pour will start at 4:00 am and end at 3:00 pm. There will be warning beeps from concrete trucks and lights facing the work area (away from neighbors).

This is the first and only time the contractor will be working early on this project!

The reason for the timing is to minimize traffic impacts on the surrounding areas and to ensure safety during the work being performed. The contractor will do everything possible to minimize the noise impact.

If you have questions prior to the start of this work (prior to Thursday 4am), contact:

• Jacob Gilchrist, Rec & Park Project Manager, 415-581-2561
• Stacy Barton, Superintendent for Alten Construction,  415-565-7153

If you have questions during this work (Thursday 4am – 3pm), contact:

• Peter Dickinson, Project Engineer for Alten Construction, 415-525-2984

.A lot of great progress has happened at Dolores Park over the past couple of weeks.  Here are a few sneak peeks of the site.

Above photo is of the 19th Street promenade with new concrete paving.

The intricate concrete formwork near the bridge – this will be the new concrete stairs & overlook at the east end of the bridge.

Samples of our special pavers for dog play areas & accessible zones.

The Operations Building is getting ready for its concrete slab – the waterproofing layer is complete & utilities are being installed.

At this moment in the construction process, a lot of “ground work” is occurring, including laying down the drainage systems, trenching for utilities, and grading for the new paths and sports courts. In the next couple of weeks, you’ll start to see some exciting above-ground improvements.

A lot of concrete will be poured next week, including the new steps on the park-side of the bridge and the 19^th Street promenade paving. Following those, the contractors will be relocating the Mexican Liberty Bell at the 19^th Street plaza, and the north restroom and operations building walls will be poured. The park’s improvements will start to become increasingly obvious and these milestones will be the first time we’ll see some of the final “above ground” design elements and materials.

Summer is busy at Dolores Park – enjoy the park and all the special events that are happening this summer! Respect your neighbors and respect the park – remember to take your trash with you and follow the posted park rules. Get Out and Play!

Have you stopped by Dolores Park lately and wondered what all of the activity was? Here are a few pictures that show all of the top soil being removed, in order to replace the old irrigation and to correct the grade, so the lawn area will drain properly.

Above is what the view from Dolores Street looks like, go see for yourself and than check out one of the 219 other Parks around the City.

Here is another view, showing the preparation for grading and irrigation replacement.

Please help us keep Dolores clean and “Pack it in, Pack it out.”

The weather is currently stunning, which usually would mean heading to Dolores Park for some picnicking and people-watching. But with big swathes of the park out of commission for construction and renovation, you may be in need of some other park options. Luckily, there are lots of other parks not too far from Dolores that offer everything from views to cafes to tennis courts. We put together a selection of our five favorite alternatives to Dolores Park for your sunbathing pleasure:

One of the most popular parks in the Bay Area is about to get a total makeover.

By the end of the day Friday, the fences will be up and half of San Francisco’s wildly popular Dolores Park will be closed for seven months. After that, the other half will close for seven more months.

The park begins closing down Thursday for its roughly $15 million renovation.

With beautiful weather expected this weekend, that’s not the best news for those who go to the park. But one thing they really do like is that the park is going to get some new bathrooms. The improvements will replace the park’s three bathrooms with 35 new ones.

Watch the story here: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Half-of-Dolores-Park-Closing-Down-for-Renovation-250210661.html

SF Rec and Park Breaks Ground on Mission Dolores Park Improvement

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Recreation and Park Department hosted a groundbreaking ceremony which marked the beginning of the Mission Dolores Park Improvement construction on Saturday, March 1^st.  Among the attendees were District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, SF Rec and Park Commissioner Gloria Bonilla, Robert Brust, founder of Dolores Park Works, Sam Mogannam, owner of Bi-Rite Market, park volunteers, advocates and residents.  In addition, the event also included the SF Rec and Park and Dolores Park Works volunteers clean-up and the launch of Respect Your Park campaign

“Dolores Park is one of our civic treasures, and it’s no wonder that it’s among our most popular parks,” said District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener.  “Hundreds of community members participated in the park design process, and the result will be a renewed park that’s even more usable by our entire community.”

“For nearly a century San Franciscans have enjoyed diverse recreational activities at Mission Dolores Par,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager. “In 2008, thanks to more than 71% of the San Francisco voters who approved the $185 million of Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, now the Department has the funding to provide the much-needed infrastructure improvement for a park that has been loved to death.”

The Mission Dolores Park Improvement design plan was driven by a community planning process that engaged all the existing park steward groups as project leaders through a project steering committee.  There was a series of 13 Steering Committee meetings and public workshops, and an additional of 30-40 informal subcommittee meetings to prepare material and propose design solutions.

“The community planning process was an extraordinary experience. It allowed us to truly participate in the co-design of the renovation. The community, Rec and Park and the architects together are responsible for this renovation,” said Robert Brust, Founder of Dolores Park Works.  “Because of this collaborative process we now have a brave and balanced plan and just as importantly we have given the community a sense of empowerment.”

“As a member of the Steering Committee, I was involved with the planning process from day one.  I applaud the City’s exemplary job crafting a plan we are all proud of. Bi-Rite has coordinated many post-event volunteer cleanups at the Park, so we know first-hand how necessary renovations are to its preservation,” said Sam Mogannam, Founder of Bi-Rite Family Businesses.  “This year is the 50th anniversary of my family owning Bi-Rite Market; I have seen the evolution of Dolores Park since playing here as a child in the 1970s. I am excited for the work to begin so we can continue the Park’s legacy as a neighborhood gathering place for another 50 years.”

The construction will focus on improvements to park facilities, sports areas, and the general infrastructure.  The improvement includes the repair and renovation of the courts, field, and play area; restoration of existing roads and pathways; upgrades to subsurface infrastructure, irrigation and lighting, modifications to the site to remove barriers and improve accessibility; overall reconditioning of the park landscape.  In addition, building changes include removing the existing restroom building and the two storage containers as well as the construction of three new buildings.

The construction will begin March 2014, and an expected reopening of Mission Dolores Park for Spring 2015.  The construction will include partial closure of the Park at each phase of the construction.

Mission Dolores Park’s heavy usage has resulted in the park being “loved to death” by its community. Evidence of this can be found everywhere in the park: trampled plants, constant littering, compacted soil, overused restrooms, inadequate drainage infrastructure, and obsolete irrigation. There are more than 3,700 park users visiting Mission Dolores Park on a typical Saturday.

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By John Wildermuth (Photo via sfgate.com)

The thousands of visitors who cover just about every inch of lawn at Dolores Park on sunny weekends will have to squeeze a little closer for the next 14 months.

The Mission District park, one of the city’s busiest and most popular recreation sites, is closing half of its 16 acres this month as part of a two-phase, $13.2 million makeover designed to bring the park, which was designed in 1905, into the future.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Half-of-S-F-s-Dolores-Park-closing-for-makeover-5279158.php#photo-5955628

Please join Supervisor Scott Wiener, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department GM Phil Ginsburg, Dolores Park Works and park advocates for a groundbreaking ceremony of world-famous Mission Dolores Park, Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 10 a.m.

For nearly a century, San Franciscans have enjoyed the 16 acres of recreational opportunities provided by Mission Dolores Park. To help keep up with the use of the park and make much-needed infrastructure improvements, over 71% of San Francisco voters approved the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, a $185 million general obligation bond that includes $13.2 million to improve Mission Dolores Park. 

When the park is completed, you will find new bathrooms, renovated tennis and basketball courts, a new multi-use court, two improved designated off-leash dog play areas, new bike racks, new pathways, a new overlook in the southeast corner, improved irrigation, and improved ADA access.

For more information on this project, click here.

Hoop the Flow, Invited SF, and Dharam Deep Yoga join forces to present a fun-filled day of hooping, Kundalini yoga, Kirtan, and acoustic jamming in Dolores Park, every second Saturday of the month.

This is a free gathering, but donations are accepted to help out hosts with the costs associated with event. Sliding scale donations ($10-$20) are appreciated.

This event is scheduled every second Saturday of the month:
Please be aware that recurring events like this may occasionally be cancelled or postponed by the promoter – especially on holidays. We always suggest you contact the promoter or venue to confirm for a particular day.

The project team called the February 6^th Open House at the Dolores Park Church once all the design changes had been included in the rehabilitation plan. The 75 community members who attended were happy to see that only three noticeable changes had been made to their plan and even those could be seen as refinements following the spirit of the design that was developed and reviewed during the  Design Workshops in 2011:

1. The South Restroom was moved closer to the Helen Diller Playground to further improve accessibility. It remains hidden under the hillside.
2. The Park Maintenance Building entrance was moved west toward Church St. to further minimize the impact of the new building, placing the visible portions closer to the corner of 18^th and Church Streets that already houses other infrastructure, including the MUNI stop.
3. The treatment of the historic MUNI stop under the 19^th St. Bridge was refined to even more carefully balance preservation while discouraging misuse of the space.  Now rather than bury the station and the steps, the area will be covered by planter boxes, so it can’t be misused, but the historic structure can still be seen.

(Below we have attached all the plans and information shared at the open house if you would like more detail.)

The lack of significant changes after a year of Planning Department Review is a testament to the thoughtfulness and balance of the community’s rehabilitation plan. It is also a testament to the work of the project team, who spent the year balancing the proposal’s potential impact on the existing park with the need to honor the Community’s desires for much needed park improvements. The team successfully explained that changing any part of the plan impacted that balance, so only essential changes should be made—and those changes should be guided by the community’s intent.

The one concern repeated by many open house attendees was the sensitivity of planning and publicizing construction. Most agreed that the current two phase construction plan was the best alternative because it is simple and shortens the length of the construction period by 4-6 months. Under the two phase plan, the project will take place in two six month stages beginning in March 2014. In the first six months, the portion of the park south of the promenade will be rehabilitated and all the buildings in project will begin construction.  In the second stage, beginning October 2014, the northern half of the park will be rehabilitated and the buildings will be completed. The new playground will remain open throughout construction. Other phasing alternatives had considered more phases to keep more of the park open at any one time, but the result was a longer and more expensive project. Community members agreed that getting the project done quickly, while always having half of the park open, was the right plan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions about the project or the open house, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

Site Plan

Key Changes in Plan Since 2011

Vignettes of Key Elements

Construction Phasing Plan

Project Schedule

Playground Restroom

Court Restroom

Operations and Maintenance Building Plan

O&M Building Section-Elevation 1

O&M Building Section and Elevation 2

Examples of Park Furniture and Lighting

Please join us for a Community Open House this Wednesday, February 6th from 5:30-7:30  at the Dolores Park Church, 455 Dolores St.  The fully accessible entrance is on Dolores between 18th & Dorland.

You may join us at whatever time between 5:30-7:30 that is most convenient for you and quickly get an update on the project and answers to any questions you have.

In addition to the updated designs, the project team will also be sharing the updated construction phasing schedule.  We need your input to ensure that we have the best
schedule possible to minimize disruptions while efficiently completing the improvement of the park.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions about the project or the open house, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

Recology is instituting a new evening trash pickup service at 7 pm that will address the high level of trash generation that occurs as patrons leave the park. In addition, Recology will continue last years program of deploying a roving staff person  to clean up around the heavily impacted ‘street can’ trash stations on the perimeter of the park. This roving clean up service is scheduled for afternoons and evenings on Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Thanks to Recology for this expanded service!

6 porta pottie units are now in place at 19th and Dolores for use throughout the summer. This is  a continuation of last year’s summer service that was effective in reducing restroom lines  during our busy season.

RPD will have its usual complement of  staff on duty Saturdays and Sundays to ensure that morning park clean ups are carried out effectively on the weekends.

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (RPD) announced today the grand opening of Helen Diller Playground in Mission Dolores Park. Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Scott Wiener, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Mrs. Helen Diller and family, San Francisco Parks Alliance, Friends of Dolores Park Playground, and park advocates gathered together for the grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony, music, and entertainment for children and families.

“As we cut the ribbon to officially open Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park today, we celebrate another great example of our City’s commitment to creating jobs and investing in open, clean park spaces for all our residents to enjoy,” said Mayor Ed Lee. “Aptly named after legendary philanthropist Helen Diller, this playground will foster greater community connections for San Francisco families for generations to come.”

“I am grateful to our community advocates and their contribution to making Helen Diller Playground a world-class playground,” said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents District 8, including Dolores Park. “I also applaud the Recreation & Park Department for its efforts to renovate the playground and better serve the children and families in our neighborhoods.”

With the help and generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the Mercer Fund in honor of San Francisco Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller, together with funding from the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond and the City’s General Fund, major renovation of the Dolores Park Playground has been completed. The site now has several unique and exciting features, including: a central play mound that will have an ADA-accessible suspension bridge, built-in slide and climbing nets; custom-made ship wrecked boats; and a 40’ super slide built into the natural hillside behind the playground. And in honor and appreciation of Mrs. Diller’s lifetime philanthropic work and community contributions, the playground is named the Helen Diller Playground.

“This is a perfect example of SF Rec and Park utilizing park advocate donation and support with Parks Bond to create a state of the art playground.” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager. “This project underscores SF Rec and Park’s commitment to provide children and family with healthy recreation in our park system.”

“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate a labor of love, as we unveil the new World Class Playground at Dolores Park. The Friends of Dolores Park Playground community, with its 2500 members, came together with a clear vision combined that with dedication, hard work and collaboration, to actualize a beautiful outdoor space for play,” said, Nancy Gonzalez Madinsky, Chair of the Friends of Dolores Park Playground. “Our continued hope is that children and families for generations to come will be able to share our joy and have fun.”

“The SF Parks Alliance, formerly Neighborhood Park Council and Parks Trust, is proud to have supported the dedicated park stewards who made this playground a reality,” says SFPA Executive Director Matthew O’Grady. “When the community, philanthropy, and City come together, our parks benefit.”

Today, Helen Diller Playground is located in Mission Dolores Park, a 13.37-acre site in the Mission District and bounded by Dolores, Church, 18th and 19th Streets. During the community planning process for the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, strong community involvement through Friends of Dolores Park Playground and San Francisco Parks Alliance expressed support for a world-class playground for the children and families living in the Mission neighborhood.

You are cordially invited to join Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Supervisor Scott Wiener, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg, Mrs. Helen Diller, San Francisco Parks Alliance and Friends of Dolores Park Playground for the grand opening ceremony of Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park on Saturday, March 31st at 2pm. The event will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, music, and entertainment for children and families.

Saturday, March 31, 2012
2:00 p.m. – Celebration Begins

2:30 p.m. – Welcome Remarks
SF Rec and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg welcomes Mayor Ed Lee, Supervisor Scott Wiener, former Supervisor and current Director of HOPE Bevan Dufty, SF Parks Alliance, Mrs. Helen Diller, Friends of Dolores Park Playground, city agencies, and parks advocates.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Mayor Ed Lee leads a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the Helen Diller Playground at Mission Dolores Park.

Feel free to share the invite with you family, friends, and neighbors. You can download the flyer here. 

BACKGROUND

With the help and generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the Mercer Fund in honor of San Francisco Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller, together with funding from the 2008 Parks Bond and the City’s General Fund, major renovation of the Dolores Park Playground has been completed. The site now has several unique and exciting features, including: a central play mound that will have an ADA-accessible suspension bridge, built-in slide and climbing nets; custom-made ship wrecked boats; and a 36’ super slide built into the natural hillside behind the playground. And in honor and appreciation of Mrs. Diller’s lifetime philanthropic work and community contributions, the playground is named the Helen Diller Playground.

Today, Helen Diller Playground is located in Mission Dolores Park, a 13.37-acre site in the Mission District and bounded by Dolores, Church, 18th and 19th Streets. During the community planning process for the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, strong community involvement through Friends of Dolores Park Playground and San Francisco Parks Alliance expressed support for a world-class playground for the children and families living in the Mission neighborhood.

The Mercer Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties; a California nonprofit public benefit corporation.

Yes, almost at the finish line !

In 2011, hundreds of community members worked together in 6 workshops, 9 steering committee meeting and over 30 committee meetings to create the best possible plan for rehabilitating Dolores Park.   At the Open House, the project team shared the final drawings capturing all that deliberation and illustrating the how Dolores Park will be even more beautiful, comfortable and functional when the project is complete.   Below we’ve attached all the drawings shared at the event–including 12 illustrative vignettes showing how key points in the park will look when work is complete.

This meeting also marked the transition from the design phase of the project to the implementation phase.  Department of Public Works landscape architects where on hand to explain how they would take the plan created by the community and turn it into final construction drawings and constructed improvements.   They also shared the project phasing plan and schedule, both attached below.  The rehabilitation will be broken into three phases to assure that at least half of the park is open at all times.  The current schedule calls for construction to begin in September, though that start date is still contingent on the completion of the environmental review and approval process.

To extend the open house to the web, we want to invite you to review the attached plans and send us any comments or questions.  You can contact Jake Gilchrist, project manager, at Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org or 415-581-2561.

SITE PLAN

ILLUSTRATIVE VIGNETTES

ARCHITECTURAL INSPIRATION

MAINTENANCE BUILDING LAYOUT

MAINTENANCE BUILDING

SOUTHERN RESTROOM BUILDNG

NORTHERN RESTROOM

SITE FURNISHINGS

PROJECT SCHEDULE

PHASING PLAN

The plans that will be on display are the result of a full year of collaborative planning involving hundreds of community members in 6 workshops and over 30 meetings.  Since the final workshop in October, the project team has been refining the drawings and descriptions to fully reflect the community’s desires, address technical issues and respond to the comments made by the Civic Design Review Committee of the San Francisco Arts Commission.  As a preview of what will be shared at the Open House, we have included a link below to the packet presented to Civic Design Review Committee.

Also available for review at the open house will be the proposed construction calendar. Like many issues in the planning of the park’s rehabilitation, construction phasing requires careful balancing.  Many people are interested in seeing the rehabilitation completed soon, but at the same time many people are wary of any significant disruption of use of the park.  What is the best balance?  Rehabilitating the park section-by-section?  Only working  in the off-season? Or is it better to do all the work in one stretch to get it done quicker minimizing the time of disruption?  There are also many technical considerations regarding the sequencing of construction.  The proposed construction calendar that will be on display at the Open House attempts to balance all these considerations.

Please join us at this important event.  Please also help pass the word by sharing the attached announcement.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions about the project, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

Dolores Park_Arts Commission Phase 1 Resubmission_2012-1-23

Dolores Park Open House_8.5×11 Spanish

Dolores Park Open House_8.5×11 English

Play equipment is arriving and is being laid out. Precast boats, crawl tubes are being set in final places. The contractor also poured that last series of concrete  flatwork and electrical site lighting is substantially complete.

Pictures of the bridge and progress below or visit Dolores Park Works’ Flickr Photo Stream of the installation here. 

Photo by Dolores Park Works

In addition to the north field project, selected eroded and bare areas throughout the park will be re-sodded.

As a final note, we have brought back a reduced number of porta potties that will remain in place in the park for the winter season.

After a full year of participatory community design in 2011, the proposed Dolores Park Rehabilitation Plan is ready for commission and environmental review and then implementation.  The Dolores Park community worked intensely through the fall to complete the proposed Rehabilitation Plan.  In the final community design workshops, participants resolved the key remaining issues, including deciding to remove the existing bathroom and maintenance building and devising a creative plan to minimize paths across the park’s defining open lawns.   The proposed plan is attached at the bottom of this post along with a review of the deliberations at the final design workshops.

PLAN REVIEW PROCESS

Now the proposed plan enters the commission and environmental review process.  During 2012, the plan will be reviewed by the Arts Commission, the Planning Department and Commission and the Recreation and Park Commission.

• The Arts Commission will consider the plan several times as specified by the City’s Civic Design Review process.  The Civic Design Review Committee is made up of architects and designers who conduct a three-phase review of new and renovated civic construction projects to ensure design quality of City structures.  More information on Civic Design Review can be found at   http://www.sfartscommission.org/CDR/home/
• The Planning Department will conduct an review of the proposed plans environmental impact at required by CEQA (The California Environmental Quality Act).  “Environmental” review includes consideration of historic resources, which were an important topic in the planning process.  More information on environmental review can be found at http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=1570
• Once the environmental compliance is complete, the Recreation and Parks Commission will conduct a final review of the plan.  More information about the commission can be found at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/Commission.aspx

UPCOMING COMMUNITY MEETING ON PROJECT PHASING AND IMPLEMENTATION

During this review process, the Recereation and Park Department will host a community meeting to discuss the phasing of construction and consider any new issues that have arisen.  The meeting will be widely publicized and all past participants will be directly notified.  The date cannot be set now because the timing of the review process is unpredictable.

Like many issues in the planning of the park’s rehabilitation, construction phasing is going to require careful consideration and balancing–and significant community deliberation.  Many people are interested in seeing the rehabilitation completed soon, but at the same time many people are wary of any significant disruption of use of the park.  What is the best balance?  Rehabilitating the park section-by-section?  Only working  in the off-season? Or is it better to do all the work in one stretch to get it done quicker minimizing the time of disruption?  There are also many technical considerations regarding the sequencing of construction.  These questions will be the focus of the community meeting agenda.  Please watch this blog for updates and attend the meeting when it is announced.

BACKGROUND ON PAST DESIGN WORKSHOPS

Lastly, while it’s old news for the most active participants, we wanted to report on the final design workshops last fall to be sure everyone had all the background information as the project goes forward.  The final two community design workshops were held October 20th and 27th in the Mission High School Cafeteria.   These workshops accomplished two equally important goals:

• resolving the two major outstanding issues–the future of the clubhouse and the design of the paths on the northern half of the park.
• refining the planning and design of all the elements from the 19th St. Entrance Plaza to the new bathroom building architecture.

The project team started the penultimate workshop  by reviewing the first complete draft plan bringing together all the community’s work to date.  Throughout the presentation, the team highlighted the questions remaining: the future of the clubhouse, the paths, the building architecture and important other areas that hadn’t received close review by the whole community: the 19th Street Plaza, the entrances, tree management, benches and trash receptacles.

Recognizing the number and importance of the issues to consider, the session was planned to last 3 hours, rather than the normal 2, to give everyone ample time to deliberate.  Participants broke into 12 small groups to first work on issues related to buildings and then the landscape.   9.5 of the 12 groups voted to remove the clubhouse, resolving one of the key outstanding questions.  All the groups reacted favorably to the building architecture offering complementary refinements. For example, almost all of the groups favored a more traditional “hip” roof on the northern restroom and changes to southern restroom to better integrate it into the landscape.

In the landscape report backs, groups provided qualified support and refinements in each of the remaining areas.  The refined path system without retaining walls was judged to be an improvement, but still not satisfactory to many.  The 19th Street entry plaza was also an improvement, but many thought more could be done.  These report backs set the agenda for the final week of design work and the final workshop.

In the week before the final workshop, the project team worked intensely with eachother and steering committee members to find creative resolutions to the remaining issues and develop plans that fully captured participants’ desires.   This final collective push was a great success,  maybe best exemplified by the resolution to the path discussion.

After the October 20th workshop, a widely supported resolution on paths seemed unlikely.  Then in the days before the last workshop, the project team explored a new solution proposed by a Steering Committee member.  This creative alternative was presented to the final workshop.  After small group deliberation, 8 of 12 groups voted for this alternative path plan and smiles and handshakes were exchanged.  The groups also reported back appreciation for the responsive refinements made to the buildings and landscape.  The session and the community design process closed with everything on the “to do” list checked off and almost everyone in the room agreeing that the process was more productive and congenial than they could have expected.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions about the project, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

Dolores Park 75% Draft Conceptual Rehabilitation Plan

• The Contractor continues to make good strides this week on the concrete flat work. Crews formed and poured the bridge abutments, walls at the sand table, finished pads for the climbing wall, net anchors and slabs this week.
• Work on the irrigation lateral lines and sprinkler head installation is ongoing.  Grading along the ADA path and gravel placement, excavation of electrical trenches and placement of conduit is also continuing.

We apologize for any inconvenience this rescheduling causes. 

We hope to see you Thursday, October 20th and Thursday, October 27th.

 The playground is beginning to take shape, though still somewhat conceptually.  The crews are working quickly to get the all the subsurface infrastructure in place before the rainy days set in.  The outline of the curving entrance drive is now clearly discernible by to the concrete form-work for the retaining wall will bank it to the south.  To the west the dry stacked stone retaining walls that will circle the play area are about half way complete.  We are crossing our fingers that we will see more sun in the coming weeks, and we expect that by halloween the daily progress should become increasingly visible.

Dry stacked boulder wall takes shape.

On Thursday, October 13th, the Project Team will present the first complete draft of the Rehabilitation Plan, including all the proposed improvements.   Community members will then have ample time to work in small groups to review each and every aspect of the plan.  The hope it to collect community members’ final comments on the plan, so then the project team can prepare one last draft for confirmation at the final workshop on October 27th.   Everyone interested in Dolores Park is urged to attend this workshop to assure your voice is reflected in the final plan.

Please watch this blog for more information on the Rehabilitation Plan.

If you have any questions before the workshop, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

If you would like to share ideas or comments before or after the workshop, please visit the project website and download the comment form at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the form, and then email it to the project manager at  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

FRAMEWORK PLAN_med_res

Community members had a wide range of reactions to the draft plan.  Some aspects of the plan were judged to be on target, while others were widely seen as in need of revision.   Thursday’s workshop will be followed by similar sessions in September and October to review and revise successive drafts.  The goal is to collectively create a plan that reflects the community’s desires while also meeting the requirements of accessibility laws and park maintenance. 

At this week’s session, community members from four working committees joined the project team to present the draft plan.   Representatives of the Mayor’s Office on Disability and the Recreation and Parks Department also provided background on accessibility and maintenance requirements.

• The presentation began with a review of the project goals set by the 2008 Clean and Safe Parks Bond and articulated by the community at the first workshop. The bond mandates two objectives: 1) rehabilitating all aspects of the park from the paths to the sports courts to the irrigation and 2) making the park accessible to all visitors.   At the first workshop, community members articulated a clear vision, “fix the problems, but don’t change the park.” The design team has taken the community’s vision as their mission, adding their ideal of long term inclusionary planning—creating a design that will serve all current and future park users.
• The Project Team then presented the proposed universally accessible main path, which sets the framework for other improvements.   The team drew the course of this path by finding the simplest, least intrusive way to connect the key experiences in the park at a slope of no more than 5% (or 1 foot rise over 20’), which is the maximum slope allowable under federal and state accessibility laws.   Then team considered whether to create a separate maintenance route or to combine the two functions—and decided one path would have less impact on the park than two.   The combination of pedestrian and maintenance access set the width of the path—4’ with a 5’ passing/turnaround space every 100’ is mandated by law for pedestrians and between 6’ and 8’ is needed for various maintenance vehicles. The result in a path that ranges from 10-12’ depending on what kind of vehicle access is needed.
• The Team also shared the locations of the bathrooms and picnic areas that were decided by community members at the last workshop.
• The committees of community members then presented the plans for key aspects of the park rehabilitation. The Western Edge Committee, went first, presenting their proposal to improve the safety of the park entrances on Church St. and selectively thin the vegetation surrounding the MUNI tracks to open up views and increase safety.
• The Tennis and Bike Polo Committees then reported their support for the plan to reorganize and improve the tennis and basketball courts and add a multi-use bike polo court. 
• Leaders of the dog community shared their plan to refine the boundaries of the multi-use dog play areas, expanding and improving southern play area and while reducing the area on the north side down to the frontage along Dolores St. between the courts and the promenade and up to the ridge of “hipster hill.”
• The Northern Field Committee reported their plan to improve the condition of the field to make it useable for all activities, including organized sports, but definitely not add any lines, fences or lights.  The workshop participants were them asked by the North Field Committee to vote to support the Committee’s letter to the Recreation and Parks Department asking for a written plan to maintain the field once it is improved.
• Following the committee reports, John Paul Scott , Deputy Director of Physical Access with the Mayor’s Office on Disability, explained the legal requirement of making all the park’s amenities accessible and the City’s “moral obligation” to create a universally accessible park.
• And finally, Park Service Manager Eric Andersen shared the Department’s goal of making maintenance as “invisible and efficient” as possible. 

With all this background, workshop participants then toured the park with the draft plan in hand to experience how the plan felt “on the ground.”   Everyone then returned to Mission High to work in small groups to review the plan in detail.   At the close of the meeting, each group reported its top three or four revisions to the plan and its proposal for the reuse or removal of the clubhouse.  

Groups shared a wide range of proposals and critiques, but clear patterns emerged.   Several aspects of the plan received wide support and seem largely decided:

• Groups thought the location of the bathrooms and picnic areas was on target.
• The sports court renovation plan was nearly universally supported.
• The placement of the maintenance facility under the sports courts was also nearly universally supported, though groups commented on the size and exact placement of the building.

Several aspects of the plan were also widely critiqued.

• Many groups questioned the width of the main circulation path, asking why it couldn’t be narrowed or even removed in certain areas.  Participants were particularly concerned that the connection from the northwest corner of the park (18^th/Church Sts) to the promenade would “ruin” or “breakup” the “wide open lawn… that is such a special part of the Dolores experience.”  
• Several groups questioned the continued placement of an off-leash dog play area along Dolores St. in the area that has become known as “hipster hill.” 

These two topics will be the focus of the Steering Committee, the Path Committee, the Dog Play Area Committee and the Project Team over the coming month.    The Project Team and the Recreation and Parks Department will research all the possible options for the creating a less visible path and then evaluate these options with the committees.  The goal is to have the lowest impact option possible ready for presentation at the September workshop.   The Dog Play Area Committee will meet to consider the critique its plan received and how it can best respond to the community’s concerns.

The final topic of discussion at the session was what to do with the Clubhouse, now that its former uses-bathrooms and maintenance—are being moved to new locations at the edges of the park.   Thursday’s session was just the beginning of this discussion.  7 of 12 groups initially wanted to reuse the Clubhouse for a new function; 5 of 12 initially wanted to remove the Clubhouse.   Reuse advocates proposed a range of options from a youth center to passive adult recreation to a cafe and made the case for preserving a historic park building.  Removal advocates in turn made the case for creating more open space, opening up views across the park and removing a magnet for graffiti and drug use.   Evaluating the alternatives and making a collective decision on the future of the Clubhouse will be a focus of the next workshop.

As Thursday’s session showed, the Dolores Park participatory planning process had made significant progress, but key decisions remain to be made.  Please watch this blog for the announcement of the next workshop and join the community to make these key decisions.  (The date of the workshop has been announced as September 29^th, but that conflicts with the Jewish High Holidays, so a new date is being found.)

If you have any questions before the workshop, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

If you would like to share ideas or comments before or after the workshop, please visit the project website and download the comment form at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the form, and then email it to the project manager at  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

• The Contractor has completed the rough grading, with the exception of the hillside just south of the play area where new irrigation lines connecting the new system to the existing are yet to be installed.
• Excavation for the foundation footings is complete.
• Trenching and installation of subsurface utilities is in progress.

Below is a forecast of construction activities anticipated in the coming one to two weeks:

• A new boulder retaining wall is being mocked-up using an alternative stone material.  The decision to go with a quarried stone, rather than a field stone, was made in order to achieve a tighter more uniform wall assembly.
• The Contractor will begin installation of the rebar for the retaining walls.
• Concrete pours for the footings and retaining walls will begin.
• Active irrigation main-lines running within the area of work will be re-routed to outside the fenced area.
• Trenching for the connection to the City sewer line that runs under Dolores Street will commence.

Grading in progress.

The first draft plan will focus on the elements that establish the framework of the rehabilitation project, including improved paths, bathrooms, sports courts, fields and dog play areas.  Over the last four months, community members have deliberated over the design and placement of these elements in workshops, at steering committee meetings and in working committees.  Thursday night will be the first of several opportunities for the entire Dolores Park community to review and refine the emerging park plan that brings these elements together.  At a 5th and 6th workshop in September and October, successively more detailed versions of the plan will be shared for review and refinement. 

If you are interested in the future of Dolores Park, please attend the workshop.  The universally accessible entrance to the workshop is through the Mission High School Cafeteria door on the west side of Dolores St. just north of 18^th St.  If you have any questions before the workshop, please contact the project manager, Jake Gilchrist,  at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

If you would like to share ideas or comments before or after the workshop, please visit the project website and download the comment form at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the form, and then email it to the project manager at  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

• The Contractor continues to do rough grading of the site.
• Excavation for the foundation footings is underway.
• Trenching and installation of subsurface utilities is in progress.
• Mock-ups of the boulder retaining walls are being constructed for review and approval by the Landscape Architect.

Below is a forecast of construction activities anticipated in the coming one to two weeks:

• Rough grading and trenching will continue.
• The Contractor will begin installation of the rebar for the retaining wall footings.
• Excavation for the new storm drain will commence.
• Active irrigation main-lines running within the area of work will be re-routed to outside the fenced area.  This may result in temporary closure of some of lawn area just outside the current fence lines.
  

  Rough grading in progress at Helen Diller Playground

If you didn’t have a chance to participate in the earlier sessions, these materials will get you all caught up and ready to participate in the August 4th and August 25th sessions.  Particularly interesting are the full results of the initial brainstorm with over 200 suggestions and the 12 different concept plans created by small groups at Workshop 2.

If you did attend the earlier sessions, these materials are still worth reviewing to remember all the ideas and perspectives that lead up to alternatives and draft plans to be considered in the coming sessions.

And as a reminder the third Dolores Park Rehabilitation Project community workshop will be held this Thursday, August 4th at 6:30PM at Everett Middle School, 450 Church St. between 16th and 17th.  See the post below for more details.

If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas, please email Jake Gilchrist, the project manager, at Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org   or call Jake at 415-581-2561. 

You can also submit your ideas using the project comment form, which is available at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the comment form, and then email it to Jake at the address above.

2011-6-2_Meeting Notes Public Workshop #1

2011-6-30_Meeting Notes Public Workshop #2

At this third workshop, we will start making decisions together. Come to the session and vote on where to locate key elements of the park, including the bathrooms, pathways and picnic areas. You will also have a chance design improvements for the park entrances and central promenade.

If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas, please email Jake Gilchrist, the project manager, at Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org   or call Jake at 415-581-2561. 

You can also submit your ideas using the project comment form, which is available at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the comment form, and then email it to Jake at the address above

At the August 4th workshop, community members will work in small groups to consider a range of approaches to designing each aspect of the park.  These alternative approaches will be based on the preliminary plans created by the participants in our June 30^th workshop.  For example one set of alternatives will explore options for the bathrooms: should they be concentrated in the clubhouse as they were in several of the plans created on the 30th? or should they be distributed to two or three locations as was done in other plans created by community members?  After discussing the alternatives, participants will vote to decide their preferred direction for each aspect of the park.

On Thursday, August 25^th, at the final workshop, community members will review and refine a draft rehabilitation plan that brings together all of the community’s preferred approaches selected on the 3^rd. 

After this final workshop, the Dolores Park Rehabilitation Project Steering Committee will continue to meet to assure all the communities of Dolores Park are represented throughout the project.  The Steering Committee is composed of over 40 representatives of diverse community organizations, institutions and constituencies.

If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas, please email Jake Gilchrist, the project manager, at Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org   or call Jake at 415-581-2561. 

You can also submit your ideas using the project comment form, which is available at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the comment form, and then email it to Jake at the address above.

• Contractor commenced surveying and staking of the site last week.
• Tree removal commenced last week and will be completed in 2 to 3 days.
• The fence has been moved so that the Palms are now outside the area of work and are accessible to the public. Tree protection will be installed on existing trees.
• Fence has been enlarged to capture entire project improvements including access road. The temporary road has been activated, the dumpster has been moved to concrete slab adjacent to temp road.

Below is a forecast of construction activities anticipated in the coming one to two weeks:

• Contractor’s construction trailer is scheduled to be delivered sometime during the week of 7/11.
• Contractor is scheduled to remove lawn and perform cut and fill in project area this week.  Site rough grading has commenced and will be on-going for the next 14 days.
• Upon completion of the grading, the Contractor will begin digging  for the foundations for the retaining wall footings and boulders.

RPD staff are gearing up for a big post- Dyke March clean up effort on Saturday night. A substantial crew of approximately twenty RPD staff and volunteers will be on hand. DPW and Recology will also be on hand for streetscape clean up. The RPD porta pottie units have been removed for the weekend to alleviate congestion in the bell plaza area.

If you witness acts of vandalism to the construction fence, or see people inside the construction zone, please contact Park Patrol at 242-6390. Please help keep Dolores Park safe.

Bauman Landscape Construction will begin disassembling the existing play structures, removing site furnishings and demolishing asphalt as early as tomorrow, June 8.  It is important that the perimeter fence be maintained to provide a safety buffer between park users and the construction activities that will be going on within its boundary.  Just because a fence section is down, or you don’t see construction activities going on at the moment, it does not mean it is safe to enter the site.

If you witness acts of vandalism to the construction fence, or see people inside the construction zone, please contact Park Patrol at 242-6390.  Please help keep Dolores Park safe.

This second workshop follows the resounding success of the kickoff workshop held last night in the same location.  Over 120 people came together to assess the current conditions of the park and brainstorm a comprehensive list of rehabilitation needs.  As the RPD design team explained, this was the first step in a “co-design” process.  Rather than follow the traditional route of presenting ideas and asking for input, co-designing starts with a blank page and asks the community to present ideas and create plans to give the designers direction.

In this spirit, Thursday’s meeting was opened by a team of project Steering Committee members–including Robert Brust of Dolores Park Works, Lisdsay Kefauver of Dolores Park Dogs, Peter Lewis of the Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association, Liz Martinez of Bi-Rite Market and Crystal Vann Wallstrom of the Mission Community Council.  Supervisor Scott Wiener and Meredith Thomas, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Parks Council, then put the night’s work in the context of the community’s and the City’s long term efforts to improve Dolores Park.

To start the co-designing process, Steering Committee members led 12 groups on tours of different sectors of the park to assess current conditions.  Then the entire group came back together for a 40 minute brainstorm.  Dozens of diverse park users and neighbors shared their proposals.  The result was community generated list and map of over 70 rehabilitation ideas.  Importantly, some of the ideas were cautions against changing elements of the park that are beloved as they are.

At the second workshop on the 30^th of June, participants will vote to prioritize this long list of rehabilitation ideas.  This process will both help focus the project’s limited budget and distinguish between widely recognized problems that need to be addressed and items that aren’t “broken,” so don’t need to be “fixed.”

If you didn’t have the chance to join the workshop last night, please visit the project website and download the comment form at https://sstasio.wpengine.com/doloresParkProject.aspx  Just click on the “meeting materials” tab, download and fill out the form, and then email it to our project manager at  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

And please mark your calendars for Thursday, June 30 at 6:30 PM in the Mission High School Cafeteria (enter on the west side of Dolores St. just north of 18^th St.) The entrance and facility are universally accessible, and the meeting will be bi-lingual English/Spanish.

For more information call or email Jake at 415-581-2561  Jacob.Gilchrist@sfgov.org

Contact:

Phone: 415-831-2796
Email: rpdinfo@sfgov.org

SF Rec and Park Hosts First of the Community Workshop Series for Dolores Park Improvement
More than 100 community members participated in the first workshop

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (RPD) hosted the first of community workshop series with Dolores Park Rehabilitation Project Steering Committee at Mission High School’s cafeteria on Tuesday, June 2, 2011.  The community workshop series are scheduled for the coming months to give everyone in the neighborhood an opportunity to voice their opinions on the planning of the park’s rehabilitation.

“We are thrilled that the community planning process has begun” said Phil Ginsburg, RPD General Manager.  “We look forward to working with numerous stake holders interested in bettering Dolores Park.”

For nearly a century San Franciscans have enjoyed the 13.7-acres of recreational opportunities provided by Mission Dolores Park. To help keep up with the use of the park and make much-needed infrastructure improvements, San Francisco voters approved the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, a $163 million general obligation bond that includes $13.2 million to improve Mission Dolores Park.

The well-loved amenities of Dolores Park are in need of significant renovation. From mostly invisible infrastructure such as irrigation and drainage improvements to the more apparent needs for improved tennis courts and playground.

“I am thankful that so many of our community members care about our parks.” said Supervisor Scott Wiener.  “I also applaud SF Rec and Park for their efforts in leading the community process.”

The Dolores Park Rehabilitation Project Steering Committee kicked off the first meeting of the community workshop series with introduction.  After welcome remarks from Supervisor Scott Wiener, and Meredith Thomas, Executive Director of Neighborhood Parks Council, Jacob Gilchrist, RPD Project Manager facilitated the workshop with the support from Steve Cancian, Landscape Architect from RHAA design team.  The group was broken down into smaller groups guided by the RPD staff and the Steer Committee, together headed out to Dolores Park for a walk-through discussion.  The groups identified different amenities needs for Dolores Park, and their visions for improvement.  Later in the evening, the group returned to Mission High School’s cafeteria for further brainstorming.

The Steering Committee includes representatives of over 20 park and neighborhood organizations, local businesses and park user groups—from Dolores Park Works and Dolores Park Dogs to the Mission Dolores and Liberty Hill Neighborhood Associations to Bi-Rite Market and the Dolores Park Cafe to the San Francisco Bike Coalition and San Francisco Mime Troup.

Currently, thanks to the generosity of San Francisco Philanthropist, Helen Diller, the Dolores Park Playground renovation is able to move forward ahead of the overall park rehabilitation, and has been set to begin construction at the beginning of June 2011, and the estimated completion date for the playground renovation is February 2012.

The installation of the temporary access driveway for service vehicles has been delayed.  This work is expected to occur within the next several weeks.  The existing access road will remain open until the temporary road installation is complete.

On Tuesday night, the Steering Committee focused on developing a workshop that would give everyone an opportunity to have a voice in planning the rehabilitation of the park. Members reworked the agenda and materials to ask several key questions:

• What do you love about Dolores Park?
• What do you think works well and should not be changed?
• What do you think should be the top priorities for rehabilitation?

Over the coming week, the committee will be focused on inviting everyone to attend the workshop.  Please pass the word and join the effort.

The workshop will be held Thursday, June 2 from 6:30-8:30 in the Mission High School Cafeteria, just across the street from the park at 3750 18^th St.  Universal access to the meeting room is available through the Cafeteria Entrance located on the west side of Dolores St. just north of 18th St.  This entrance will be clearly marked the night of the gathering.  The workshop will be held in Spanish and English and all materials will be translated. 

For more information please click on the link below, or call Jake Gilchrist, Project Manager, at 415-581-2561 or Steve Rasmussen Cancian, a member of the project design team, at 415-409-1814.

Quick Project Facts:
Contractor: Bauman Landscape Construction, Inc.
Estimated start date: June 1, 2011
Construction duration: 7 months
Target Playground Opening: January 2012

Upcoming activities:
Synergy Construction will be on-site between May 23 and June 10 installing a new temporary access driveway into the park just south of the intersection of Dolores and 19th Street for use by service vehicle while the main driveway is closed for the playground construction project. This construction activity will result in the installation of a temporary safety barricade immediately around the area of work.

Bauman Landscape Construction is expected to begin staging and preforming pre-construction activities during the first week of June. Mobilization activities include the placement of the perimeter construction fencing and the project trailer. The playground, picnic tables and adjacent lawn areas within the designated Areas of Work will be officially closed to the public once the perimeter construction fence is installed and the playground site is handed off to the Contractor. The remainder of Mission Dolores Park will remain open and accessible to the public.

Sketch of the temporary access road

Sketch of the areas of work which will be fenced during the construction phase. The access road is in green and in the top right corner of the map

Please feel free to contact Mary Hobson, playground renovation project manager, 415.581.2575 or mary.hobson@sfgov.org.

Contact:
RPD Info, SF Rec & Park,
Phone: 415-831-2796
Email: rpdinfo@sfgov.org

Nancy Gonzalez Madynski, Chair of Friends of Dolores Park
Phone: 415-828-5772
Email: friendsofdolorespark@gmail.com

SF Rec & Park, NPC and Friends of Dolores Park Playground Partner Up for New Playground
New playground to be named after a SF philanthropist Helen Diller

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (RPD) and Neighborhood Parks Council, and Friends of Dolores Park Playground announced today the renovation of the Mission Dolores Park Playground.  The schedule calls for construction to begin at the beginning of June 2011, and the estimated completion date is February 2012.

“This is a very exciting milestone, which means we are on the brink of realizing our goal of creating a world-class playground at Dolores Park”, said Nancy Gonzalez Madynski, Chair of the Friends of Dolores Park Playground.

The design for the new playground was developed with extensive input from the community.  The playground will have several unique and exciting features, including: a central play mound, that will have an ADA accessible suspension bridge, built-in slide and climbing nets; a custom-made ship wrecked boat; and a 36’ super slide built into the hillside behind the playground.

“This is a perfect example of community advocates, generous individual donors and a city agency coming together to create a state of the art playground.” said Phil Ginsburg, RPD General Manager.  “This project underscores our Department’s strong commitment to provide children and families with healthy recreation activities in our parks system.”

The new playground will be named the Helen Diller Playground at Dolores Park in recognition of a $1.5 million donation to the project from the Mercer Fund, a donor-advised fund of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation.  Mrs. Diller and her family are long-time residents of the San Francisco Bay Area who are committed to the advancement of education, science and the arts.

“We had a couple of overarching goals—first, to create a truly unique, artisan playground and second, to help keep families living in and enjoying San Francisco”, said Jackie Safier, Helen Diller’s daughter.

On April 21, 2011 the Recreation and Parks Commission awarded Bauman Landscape & Construction the contract to renovate the playground in Mission Dolores Park. Construction workers will be on-site between May 23rd and June 1st installing a new temporary access driveway into the park just south of the intersection of Dolores and 19th Street for use by service vehicles while the main driveway is closed for the playground construction project.  This construction activity will result in the installation of a temporary safety barricade immediately around the area of work.

Bauman Landscape Construction is expected to begin staging and performing pre-construction activities during the first week of June.  Mobilization activities include the placement of the perimeter construction fencing and the project trailer.   The playground, picnic tables and adjacent lawn areas within the designated Areas of Work will be officially closed to the public once the perimeter construction fence is installed and the playground site is handed off to the Contractor.  The remainder of Mission Dolores Park will remain open and accessible to the public.

As a result of the playground renovation, 23 trees are scheduled to be removed, including five Gaudalupe Palms that are in poor health and possess structural defects.  48 new trees are to be planted including a mix of tree species of Guadeloupe Palm, Eastern Redbud, Blue Italian Cypress, Bronze Loquat, Black Tea Tree, Saucer Magnolia, Chinese Windmill Palm, and Mexican Fan Palm.

For regular updates on the Dolores Park Playground construction progress, please visit San Francisco Recreation and Park Department website: https://sstasio.wpengine.com/HellenDillerPgProject.aspx

About Friends of Dolores Park Playground: A volunteer community organization that advocates for clean and safe playgrounds, specifically a world-class playground at Dolores Park. We also sponsor social, educational and advocacy events in support of this mission. www.friendsofdolorespark.org

via Dolores Park Works.

Supervisor Scott Wiener, SF Rec & Park and Recology Launch Improved Recycling and Waste Services at Dolores Park
Program Supports San Francisco’s Goals Towards Zero Waste and Provides Local Jobs While Keeping Park Clean for Visitors

Supervisor Scott Wiener, Dolores Park PSA Manager Eric Anderse, and Recology's Public Affairs and Business Manager Paul Giusti at Dolores Park

SAN FRANCISCO — Supervisor Scott Wiener, SF Recreation and Park Department (RPD), Recology and Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. today kicked off the start of increased waste and recycling services at Dolores Park in San Francisco.  RPD has been dealing with large numbers of visitors to San Francisco’s Dolores Park, especially on holidays and weekends, which has caused an increased amount of liter to be placed in and around park trash bins.

With the help of Supervisor Wiener, RPD, Recology and Mission Neighborhood Centers, an extra park attendant will be added during peak park visitor hours to monitor and empty trash bins that have reach capacity.  The program will add 386 clean up hours at Dolores Park on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through the summer months and ending in September 2011.

The attendant will help with initial sorting of recyclable items from waste products and will be on hand to answer questions from park goers about proper disposal of liter.  Made possible through a grant from Recology—San Francisco’s waste and recycling collection company—the program works with Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. to identify and hire a local resident for the position.

San Francisco currently has a 77% landfill diversion rate, due in large part to the advanced recycling and composting programs implemented in the City. The City encourages residents to help do their part in keeping our parks clean and supporting the City’s goal of zero waste.

6:30-8:30pm

Mission High School Cafeteria

On Thursday, June 2nd at 6:30, the community will gather for the first of a series of workshops to plan the renovation of Dolores Park.  Everyone is invited to participate.  At this first workshop, community members will brainstorm a wish list for park improvements and tour the park to create a shared analysis of what needs to be improved.  The June 2nd workshop will be followed by 3 additional participatory design sessions in which the community will decide the priorities of the project, create a conceptual plan and then refine the details of the plan. The project is also forming a Community Steering Committee composed of representative local leaders to guide the planning effort and assure the project addresses the community’s priorities.  For the location of the meeting and more information please click on the link below, or call Jake Gilchrist, Project Manager, at 415-581-2561 or Steve Rasmussen Cancian, a member of the project design team, at 415-409-1814.

Also, the schedule and the FAQ were updated recently. Click on the links above for more info!

Also, we have almost nailed down our Community Meeting Schedule for the next several months. Next week we will announce the dates!

Jake

1. What has been done so far

In November 2008, Mission Dolores Park was identified as a priority site for funding under the 2008 Clean and Safety Neighborhood Park Bond.  Also that year, the Friends of Dolores Park Playground (FDPP), a volunteer community organization, joined forces with the Mercer Foundation and hired the firm of Koch Landscape Architecture to develop a conceptual plan for the project, and entered into an agreement with the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) to act as their fiscal agent

In April 2009 the Recreation and Park Commission approved a Memorandum of Understanding between RPD and NPC, acting on behalf of the Friends of Dolores Park Playground, which establishes the framework for the joint planning, funding and construction of the playground at Mission Dolores Park. The general terms of the agreement include contributions of bond and other City funding by RPD, and a gift of services/materials/funds from FDPP.  In recognition of the girt, the renovated playground will be renamed the “Helen Diller Playground”.

The scope of this project includes: demolition of the existing children’s play area and adjacent asphalt picnic area; construction of a new, highly customized children’s play area; a new access driveway and accessible parking space; and a new storm water collection system, irrigation and lighting within the play area.  Three community meetings were held to present the project plan and collect feedback from park stakeholders [4/4/08, 6/26/08, and 5/14/09].  The Recreation and Park Commission approved the conceptual plan for the project in June 2009.

2. Where are we now

In February 2011 RPD advertised the project and is currently reviewing the bids submitted within the budgeted funds of $2.5M.  The target to begin construction is late May and complete construction in December 2011.

In the meantime, I have continued meeting with neighbors and park advocates. I’ve received several great ideas for the improvements and will be sharing these ideas with the design team prior to the next meeting. As always, feel free to contact me at 415-581-2561 or jacob.gilchrist@sfgov.org if you’d like to contribute your ideas to the project at this time.

Also, due to the delay in scheduling meetings, I have kept the park user survey online until at least the end of November. In the last month we’ve collected an additional 80 responses! Please continue to spread the word! It can be found at:

surveymonkey.com/s/dolorespark

Thanks also to our panelists. Crystal, Meredith, Peter, Jill, and Andrew all did a wonderful job representing their respective groups and providing an overview of their concerns with the park’s needs. As I said at the meeting, right now our goal is to collect feedback about the current use of the park and ideas for improvements. We will then hand that information over to the design team before our next meeting which will hopefully be in early December. Please check back here for schedule updates and meeting dates.

Also, the online survey is still available at surveymonkey.com/s/dolorespark
We’ve collected over 150 surveys to this point (up from 60 just a week ago!) and the feedback mirrors what I heard at last week’s meeting: while there are several areas of the park that could use some improvement, generally everyone loves the layout of the park and would like to see no major shifts in where things are located in the park.

As always, feel free to contact me at jacob.gilchrist@sfgov.org or 581-2561 with questions.

One idea that came up recently is to include a Dolores Park history section on the website. Soon we will be looking into our archives to tell the story of the park and I invite you all to contribute to this effort. Please contact me if you’d like to help! Also, our interns are working on a park user survey that is about ready for distribution and within the next couple weeks we’ll solidify the date of our next community meeting!

The playground project continues to move forward. The drawings are finished, the project is out to bid, and we expect to break ground in August. For more info on the playground, visit: www.friendsofdolorespark.org.

As always, please feel free to contact me with specific questions. Content updates around here will likely be fairly sparse until we dig deeper into the process this fall. I can be reached at jacob.gilchrist@sfgov.org.

First and foremost, I’d like to mention that RPD is not planning to close the park for two years. We do have a 21-month construction schedule for the completion of all improvements. We intend to close areas of the park as needed for construction. Part of the reason the schedule appears to be so long is that the clubhouse/restroom building renovation will take longer than the general landscape/park improvements. As we develop the improvement plan with the community, we will be able to fully articulate the phased closure and improvement plan.

Over the next couple of months I plan to meet with local groups, visit the park frequently, and get up to speed while we assemble our design team and develop our overall plan for the project. We plan to have our first community meeting some time in early July.

Next week, on Saturday May 1, I’ll be in the park for Dolores Park Work’s 72 Degrees, (http://www.doloresparkworks.org/2010/04/72-degrees-the-dolores-park-summer-warm-up/), their event to welcome summer to the park! Come on out!

We’re looking forward to a great 2010 for Dolores Park!