• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Glen Park Association

Up-to-the-minute news from Glen Park

  • Home
  • Glen Park Association
    • About the Glen Park Association
    • Join the GPA
    • GPA Board Contacts
    • GPA Meeting Minutes
    • Bylaws
    • Treasurer Report
    • Neighborhood boundaries
    • Donate
  • Glen Park News
  • Editor’s Picks
  • Greenway
    • Greenway Plan
    • Donate
  • Contact
    • Event Submission
    • Story Submission

Glen Canyon Park improvements — coming soon

April 23, 2012 by BONNEE WALDSTEIN

GLEN PARK GEARS UP FOR NEXT ROUND OF PARKS IMPROVEMENTS

It’s beginning to look as if Glen Park’s wish list for a major overhaul of Glen Canyon Park is getting closer to a dream realized.

Soon the final design will be unveiled, and construction will begin, on the projects approved through the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhoods bond fund.  Glen Canyon Park will see trails improvements, better access on Elk Street, the relocation of the tennis courts to make way for a welcoming entry plaza The bond also provided $3 million to address the most glaring deficiencies in the worn out building:  the gym floor, heating, and restroom facilities.

Now the City is proposing another parks bond issue for the 2012 ballot. One of the proposed neighborhood projects calls for $12 million for a major renovation of the Glen Park Recreation Center.  The other large project in District 8 is $2 million for improvement of George Christopher playground in Diamond Heights.

A series of presentations is going on at the neighborhood level – there have been 45 so far –to introduce the scope of the proposed bond and get initial feedback from the locals.  On April 18, at the Harvey Milk Center for Recreational Arts, Supervisor Scott Wiener, and Dawn Kamalanathan of the Rec and Park Department, outlined the features of the bond issue for District s 5 and 8, as well as the rest of the city.

By way of background, Wiener explained that six years ago the City adopted a ten-year capital plan.  It catalogued all its assets, including schools, roads, parks and the airport; and assessed the capital needs, which run into the tens of billions of dollars.  This results in a realistic view of what is attainable.  The plan is updated every year.

The proposed 2012 bond is part of this ten-year capital plan. The Rec and Park Department, with over 220 properties, has over one billion dollars of capital needs.  The bond would allocate $185 million towards that, the same amount as the 2008 bond. One factor in deciding how to allocate funds is to consider the rating system put out by the Parks Alliance every year.  “Failing” parks and playgrounds get priority. Other factors that are considered are geographic balance and how much the facilities are used.

In order to get the two-thirds vote needed to pass the bond, it must include many diverse projects that will be of interest to the most voters.

One of the lessons learned from previous bonds is the need for funding ongoing maintenance and staffing.  For that reason, projects such as park clubhouse renovation won’t be undertaken.

In addition to $97 million for proposed neighborhood projects such as Glen Canyon Park, the bond would fund waterfront parks and citywide parks projects, including Golden Gate, McLaren and Lake Merced parks.

Another feature of the bond is to continue, and expand to $10 million, the Community Opportunity Fund Program. The program provides funding through grants for smaller projects, spearheaded and applied for at the neighborhood level.  These require a lot of community involvement and sweat equity, and are often supplemented with matching funds.

Rounding out the long to-do list are funds for playground safety in seven to eleven playgrounds ($15.5 million), water conservation ($5 million), forestry ($4 million), and trails ($4 million).

Some might question the fiscal soundness of issuing what feels like a steady stream of bonds.  The city policy is not to raise property taxes beyond the 2006 rate, and to issue new bonds only as old ones are retired.  That way a steady stream of investment in our infrastructure is assured.

Another issue that’s often raised is why the City can’t finance ongoing improvements out of the general fund.  According to Supervisor Wiener, there is over one billion dollars in needs, which is just about the size of the City’s entire discretionary fund.  Decades of deferred maintenance on City assets have turned ongoing maintenance needs into capital projects. A bond issue is the only way to address this overwhelming backlog.

After the neighborhood meetings have been completed, the bond proposal will go to the Rec and Parks Commission, then to the Board of Supervisors, and to the Budget Finance Committee on June 21.

The last truly major investment in the parks was in the 1950’s.  Beginning with the 2000 bond, the city is trying for a renaissance of consistent renewal.  The emphasis is on renovation rather than new building

The 2008 bond issue passed with 71.6% of the vote and the City is hoping for similar support for this year’s bond proposal.  One advantage of the weak economy overall is a positive contract bidding climate – we’re likely to get more bang for our buck.

Information about:

The Parks Bond 2012: http://sfrecpark.org/BondOutreach.aspx

Community Opportunity Fund Program:  http://sfrecpark.org/COF.aspx

 

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

See the Latest Edition of the Glen Park News

Get Involved with the Glen Park Association


Join the Glen Park Association and help promote our community’s interests. Together, we can secure improvement funds, publicize neighborhood concerns and strive to speak as one voice on neighborhood and city issues.

Membership in the Glen Park Association is only $10 annually and can be purchased online.

Current Weather & Air Quality

Sign Up for Email Notifications

* indicates required

Glen Park featured on…

FacebookSF ChronInstagramTwitter

Blog Roll

Bernalwood
Coyote Yipps
Diamond Heights Boulevard Median project
Friends of Monterey Boulevard
Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project
Friends of Noe Valley Rec Center
Open SF History
Sunnyside Conservatory
Sunnyside History
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
Tramps of San Francisco
Upper Noe Neighbors

Join the Glen Park Association on Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Glen Park Association
3 weeks ago
Glen Park Association

👮‍♀️ Join Ingleside Captain Woon, Supervisor Mandelman and a respresentative from the DA's office at a:

Glen Park and Diamond Heights Public Safety Town Hall
February 17th
6:00PM

Register for Zoom information at: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvd-uuqTgoGdEdylqiz2CnKVMiIDXFfkD5.

Our watch via livestream on Supervisor Mandelman's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/rafael.mandelman.
... See MoreSee Less

👮‍♀️ Join Ingleside Captain Woon, Supervisor Mandelman and a respresentative from the DAs office at a:

Glen Park and Diamond Heights Public Safety Town Hall
February 17th
6:00PM

Register for Zoom information at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvd-uuqTgoGdEdylqiz2CnKVMiIDXFfkD5.

Our watch via livestream on Supervisor Mandelmans Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rafael.mandelman.
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Glen Park Association
4 weeks ago
Glen Park Association

Our intrepid reporter Heather World has the story on a new Amos Goldbaum mural coming to Glen Park! Want to know more and find out how you can help? We have all the details at www.glenparkassociation.org/amos-goldbaum-mural-in-gp/ ... See MoreSee Less

Our intrepid reporter Heather World has the story on a new Amos Goldbaum mural coming to Glen Park! Want to know more and find out how you can help? We have all the details at https://www.glenparkassociation.org/amos-goldbaum-mural-in-gp/
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 5
  • Shares: 1
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Glen Park Association Blog Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in