Visitacion Valley Grapevine - Valley News - March 2009

Valley Meets Finalists in Library Artists' Competition Valley residents saw tnew designs of the new neighborhood library during a Feb. 21 meeting. by Betty Parshall On Saturday morning, February 21, about 30 people gathered at the Clubhouse at Visitacion Valley Playground to meet the three finalists in the artists’ competition to be commissioned to provide artwork at the new neighborhood library. The purpose of this meeting was not only to provide some introduction to the community but also to give the competitors an orientation to the library design and an initial introduction to the neighborhood. The artists then have six weeks to design proposed work. The proposals will be on display at the library as well as on-line. Residents can view the proposals and then fill out a survey form to register their opinions about each design. Informational material about the competition and the survey will be sent to the entire community (in English, Chinese and Spanish). Each competitor spoke about his/her work and showed pictures of previous public art works. Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector work as a team and showed several pictures of works which used recycled materials. Their approach is site specific and they strive to engage people in the process of building the work of art. In working this way they have been able to cross cultural, racial, gender and age boundaries and generate a shared ownership in the finished piece. The second competitors also are a team, Fran Martin and Jim Growden. They described their previous work which included studio art as well as public art. Their work in iron can be seen locally at the Greenway gardens. Jim Growden worked at the recycling center and was an early Artist in Residence there, and the couple use recycled materials wherever appropriate. Their approach is to view the totality of the setting when creating the art piece and find additional satisfaction in engaging others in the process. The third competitor, Johanna Poethig, has created public art works since the 1980s. Her approach is to first explore the community where the piece is to be installed, drawing out community highlights, whether historical, cultural or social, and then design a site- specific artwork. She has sometimes incorporated words in a variety of languages or photos in a piece where they reflect the specific flavor of the site. She has created murals, sculptures, and paintings and multi-media pieces. You can Google Mark Grieve and Johanna Poethig for pictures. Visit the Greenway gardens to see Jim Growden and Fran Martin’s work. Further Discussions on Schlage And Sunnydale Redevelopment by Betty Parshall The February 14th meeting of the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance featured presentations about two major developments in Visitacion Valley. First on the agenda was a Mercy Housing presentation on the redevelopment of Sunnydale. Initial community meetings have been held at the Sunnydale Community Center. Organizing efforts are now being made to engage residents in the entire Valley to provide full information about the proposed redevelopment, provide answers to their concerns and needs during the entire demolition and construction period, and solicit what they would like to see in the ultimate “new” Sunnydale. In addition to general community gatherings, Mercy will also work to establish smaller groups of neighbors meeting in homes. Everyone in the 94134 zip code will be receiving notices and updates of meetings and progress in the planning phase. One concern was raised about reentry of current residents when the new housing is completed. Supervisor Maxwell pointed out that Sunnydale residents will be housed on the site during demolition and construction, then moved back into their new housing in phases, so that “reentry” does not apply. However, in response to questions raised about the negative behavior of a small but very potent percentage of people now in Sunnydale, Tonya Boykin responded that lessons learned from the Heritage Homes experience will be applied, working with the Housing Authority to deal with problem individuals. In addition to new housing, Ms. Boykin also emphasized that Mercy will develop a full range of services in conjunction with current providers to address the needs of residents both during and after this major transition of the neighborhood. (Which, by the way, will probably be about twelve years in the doing.) Second on the agenda was a UPC (Universal Paragon Corp.) presentation regarding the imminent demolition of the Schlage Lock buildings. The demolition permit is pending at the Planning Department and will probably be issued within two weeks. Demolition can then commence in March and will take about three months. Remediation of the soil and ground water can then begin in June or July once the State Department of Toxic Substances Control approves the remediation plan. Multilingual monthly updates will be available at several public sites around the Valley: Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley Community Centers, the library, the schools, etc. For those who would like specific and technical information about the remediation, the Citizens Advisory Committee is considering the formation of a Technical Sub-committee, and you can sign up for this. Contact Tom Evans tom.evans@sfgov.org or at 415-749-2539. A phone number for concerns about the remediation is sponsored by the firm doing the work: Brownfield Partners, 415-215-2813. Big Crowd Bids Goodbye to Schlage Lock Neighbors gathered on Feb. 21 to mark the eventual demolition of Schlage Lock. by Betty Parshall On Saturday, February 21 over a hundred people gathered at the “new” Schlage office building at Bayshore and Leland to celebrate the imminent and long-awaited demolition of the Schlage Lock buildings. The date is not set yet but will be coming very soon (see “Demolition” story elsewhere in this paper). Jonathan Sharfman for Universal Paragon Corp., Fred Blackwell from SF Redevelopment, Steve Kendrick, grandson of the founder of Schlage Lock, Ed Niser, who worked for Schlage for 40 years, and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, among others, addressed the crowd. They spoke of the years of negotiations to complete the sale of the site, the involvement of the Planning and Redevelopment agencies, the long and patient work of the Citizens’Advisory Committee, and the support of the community. Steve Kendrick, grandson of the original owner of Schlage Lock, and Ed Niser, who worked for Schlage for forty years, provided some of the history and spoke of the significance of the company in the Valley and across the country. Several former employees of Schlage were present and contributed to a video collection of oral histories that will be part of the historical commemoration of the company. Dozens of people took the tours of the building, and everyone enjoyed the refreshments that were provided. A Special Valentine for VVPA Fran Martin of VVPA displays award from the Board of Supervisors by Betty Parshall A rather special valentine was delivered to the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance on Saturday, February 14, delivered by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell. Her appearance was a surprise to all as she presented a Certificate of Honor issued by the Board of Supervisors to the organization. The certificate reads “In honor and celebration of your 10th Anniversary; and in recognition for your commitment to realizing the community vision for a better Visitacion Valley” and was signed by Supervisor Maxwell. Several other supervisors also signed the certificate but aren’t listed here since their handwriting emulates those of doctors signing prescriptions. Fran Martin extended thanks to the Supervisor and to all the residents who have participated in the VVPA during the ten years of the group’s activities. Valley's Multicultural Event a Hit There was plenty to see and do at Multicultural Day 2009 at Visitacion Valley Middle School. by Betty Parshall Close to a hundred people gathered at Visitacion Valley Middle School to celebrate the diversity of the school and the neighborhood with entertainment and a buffet of a great variety of ethnic food. This reporter arrived a bit late and was only able to admire a young lady’s rap, followed by a fine performance by the Village Dancers. The crowd then dispersed to the second floor hall for food, socializing, music and games. The SB Gurlz provided a lot of fun with challenging games, face painting and sales of stickers, tattoos and cookies. This after school group gets together at the Beacon Center in the school for dancing, volleyball, and doing hair and nails. They also have workshops on a wide range of subjects; one of the most recent was on conflict resolution. The money they earn with their games and sale items will take them to a movie on the next minimum day. And what does SB stand for? A favorite cartoon character, SpongeBob. The evening culminated with a free raffle and more socializing and music, a good time had by all. MLK Middle School Gets Barona Education Grant Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) recently presented teachers and students of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School with a $5,000 Barona Education Grant. MLK Academic Middle School was selected by The Barona Band of Mission Indians to receive the award. “I’m honored to be able to present MLK Academic Middle School with this award,” said Assemblywoman Ma. “Investing in our schools yields high returns for California and I thank the Barona Band of Mission Indians for making that investment.” MLK will use the grant to purchase overhead projectors, camcorder, surveillance camera, and digital cameras. Equipment will provide a safe and secure learning environment for the entire school. Community Day at Herz Playground Please join us for a fun-filled day as we celebrate the eleventh annual Ruth Jackson, Family, Friends and Community Day hosted by Ruth Jackson and Family, Saturday, Mar. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Herz Playground, Hahn Street at Visitacion Avenue. RSVP to (415) 239-4605. Annual Dinner at Visitacion Valley Clubhouse by Katherine Williams On February 20, the Visitacion Valley clubhouse held the annual dinner to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Families filled the clubhouse and there was lots of wonderful food for everyone. The annual event brings people of all ages, tiny-tots to adults, who use the clubhouse together for a meal. Elizabeth Sacha and Junior Tuala, the clubhouse directors, did a great job of preparing a wonderful spread of potatoes, chicken, fried rice, noodles and vegetables and lots of desserts. Everyone left with a full stomach. The SF Recreation and Parks department runs the clubhouse and other parks in Vis Valley including Hertz Playground and maintains parks around the neighborhood. You may not know that because of budget cuts, the staff time at our playgrounds could be greatly reduced. Please help keep the wonderful staff at our playgrounds by contacting our Supervisor and the Rec and Park Commission. Urge them to keep funds for park staff instead of shifting those funds to private organizations. City College Gets Federal Grant for Asian/Pacific Islander Achievement Program City College of San Francisco has received a two-year, $1.23 million federal grant from the Department of Education to help increase the number of underrepresented college students of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The grant specifically targets Asian/Pacific Islanders, but all underrepresented students are eligible to participate. The award to City College of San Francisco is one of only six in the nation. “The students at City College of San Francisco are our nation’s next generation of leaders. With federal grant assistance, the College’s newly created Asian/Pacific Islanders Achievement Program will help increase educational opportunities for students in all areas of study offered by the college and foster a cultural environment that personalizes academic growth,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “Developing these students’ learning skills and widening their potential will create tomorrow’s innovators and keep America competitive in the global economy.” “I am very pleased that the Department of Education awarded this two-year federal grant to expand the College’s capacity to better serve low-income and Asian American and Pacific Islander students,” said City College Board President Milton Marks. “The new Asian/Pacific Islander STEM Achievement Program may well serve as a model for colleges around the nation interested in increasing the number of under-performing and underrepresented students enrolling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” added Board President Marks. “City College of San Francisco is proud of its Asian Pacific American Student Success Program directed by Professor Minh-Hoa Ta. It is as a result of the success of this relatively new program that we have been awarded the federal grant to increase the achievement rates of Asian and Pacific Islander credit students now estimated at 18,000 annually,” said Chancellor Don Q. Griffin. “These and other under-prepared students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be assured completion of degrees and transfers to four-year colleges and universities,” stated Chancellor Griffin. “This is the first grant ever for Asian serving institutions,” says Minh-Hoa Ta, who will also head the Asian/Pacific Islander STEM Achievement Program. She notes that although “Asian Americans students are viewed as math and science gurus — in fact many are placed in basic skill math and science classes.” Ta states that the grant will “stimulate interest that math and science can be fun and interesting and lead to many job opportunities.” Recruiting of underrepresented students will include City College retention programs targeted to Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (Asian Pacific American Student Success — APASS), African Americans (African American Scholastic Programs — AASP) and Hispanics (Latino Services Network — LSN). Funds will pay for (expanding sections of impacted Chemistry, Biology and Math classes.) and support services including counseling and tutoring as well as for faculty to administer the STEM Center. The overall goal is to encourage more students to develop interest in the STEM careers. This would be accomplished by increasing enrollment in STEM degree programs by 20 percent; improving pass rates in STEM degree programs by 15 percent, increasing the transfer rate by 10 percent and reducing time to program completion and transfer to a four-year university through changes to instruction and curriculum. McLaren Park News and Notes by Betty Parshall Quick Results! Amenity Available at Amphitheater In last month’s column, we reported on certain requests made to our Park District Manager James Threat, and we’re glad to report that within a week the restrooms at the Amphitheater were opened and continue to be so on a daily basis. As long as no serious vandalism is found, this welcome addition to usable park facilities will continue. We also note that the restrooms at Yosemite Marsh are also open. Thank you, Mr. Threat! For the Birders We continue to see a few winter visitors at McNabb Lake and the reservoir (see last month’s column) so I decided to share a couple of other items that may interest those who love to bird-watch. On Saturday, February 7th, a friend and I joined a free birding tour at Heron’s Head Park. The park is located at the very end of Cargo Street (head north on Third Street, turn right on Cargo). Beyond the parking lot (free) at the end of Cargo is an area of restored wetlands. Our tour guides, Lowell High School interns, were equipped with scopes for close-up views and ready to identify the great variety of birds found there. This is a particularly good time of year since there are several migratory birds settled in for a visit. Our list totaled thirty, and we may even have missed a few. Free tours will be given again on Saturday, March 7th, running continuously from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Of course you can go there anytime on your own, it’s easy walking and there are informative signs along the way. Urban Wildness on Display at the San Francisco Main Library Some months ago, I happened to stop and chat with a woman who was photographing a Great Blue Heron that was perched in a tree above the reservoir (Shelley Lake). She described her efforts all over the city to capture images of wildlife in San Francisco, so, fortuitously, I was able to say, “I know where there’s an owl.” Off we went to the eucalyptus grove above the amphitheater, and she was able to take several shots of the Great Horned Owl perched there. Janet Kessler now has a marvelous exhibit showing at the San Francisco Main Library, and our McLaren Park owl is one of the pictures on display. The variety of bird and animal life depicted is truly impressive, and I marvel at the dedication and patience it takes to capture these images. The photo exhibit is titled “Celebrating Our Urban Wildness in San Francisco” and will be on the fifth floor of the Main Library through May 28. As I said elsewhere, the picture of the skunk alone is worth the trip. Janet kindly gave me permission to include one of her owl photos in The Grapevine. New Portola Branch Library Opens The Portola neighborhood came together to celebrate the new Portola Branch Library on Feb. 28. Replacing a leased facility on San Bruno Avenue, the brand-new library at 380 Bacon St. will feature more books and materials, a dedicated teen space, an expanded children’s area, plus a program room accessible after hours for community meetings. A grand opening celebration kicked off with lion dancers and musicians in front of the new branch. Festivities began at 1 p.m. and Library services started at 2 p.m. Goettingen Street was closed between Bacon and Burrows streets to through traffic during the event. City Librarian Luis Herrera, State Senator Leland Yee and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell were among the city and state officials attending the opening celebration. “In this time of economic uncertainty, libraries are providing a haven for information and recreation. We are excited that San Francisco’s Branch Library Improvement Program continues to build and renovate neighborhood libraries,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “A brand new library in the Portola neighborhood will serve a multicultural community of children, teens and seniors for generations to come.” The 6,300-square-foot space occupies a site acquired from the San Francisco Unified School District on a corner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School facility. A beautiful public art display of fused cast glass panels by Dana Zed will welcome patrons into the branch. The light and airy new branch features a new, view garden, an expanded children’s section that will be able to accommodate school visits, a designated teen space and a program room that will allow after-hours access for the community. The branch also includes new furniture and shelving, an expanded collection of books, CDs, DVDS and other materials, a prominent reading area, more computers, Wi-Fi access to the Internet and more functional staff work spaces. Architecture firm Stoner Meek/Noll & Tam designed the new branch library, drawing from a range of inspiration -- the form of books themselves, open to the public, and the rhythm and scale of traditional San Francisco neighborhood bay windows. At the library entrance, the public is welcomed by an airy art-filled Periodical Room. The porch-like quality of this entry continues along the full southern edge of the building, with reading chairs in each of the bay windows. The Department of Public Works managed the project. Portola is the ninth library project to be completed under the Branch Library Improvement Program, which is funded by a $105.9 million bond measure passed by voters in November 2000. The Portola branch is the second of four city branches that were housed in leased facilities and are being replaced by city-owned buildings. Project costs totaled about $3.3 million. Over the past two years, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents and communities to raise funds, awareness and support for the branch improvements. Friends contributed $500,000 towards the Portola Branch renovations, to pay for furnishings, fixtures and equipment—expenses not covered by the bond. Of this, almost $100,000 has been raised by the Portola Library Campaign Committee. For more information on how to support the Portola Library Campaign, please contact Tina Tom, 626-7512 x106. Goettingen Neighbors Group Plant Sale Goettingen Neighbors Group is dedicated to building community in the Portola neighborhood of San Francisco by talking to our neighbors, cleaning and greening our streets, and becoming active in the neighborhood starting with our own Goettingen Street. We are currently restoring the city owned vacant lot at corner of Goettingen and Dwight streets. Recently, many neighbors have cleaned trash, painted over graffiti and cleared the overgrowth. The group has become a Parks Partner with SF Parks Trust and has applied (and received) several grants to maintain and improve the Goettingen Neighborhood Garden. We are excited to announce the second annual GNG Plant Sale, April 4th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 700 Goettingen St. near Olmstead (at the top of the stairway from Dwight Street). Please consider our organization for any unwanted yet healthy plants, as well as other garden related items. Your support will help make this part of the Portola greener and cleaner. We are looking for donations of any size for our plant sale. We want your unwanted plants, starter plants, planting pots, garden tools and garden art for our fund-raising efforts. We look forward to hearing from you. Please call me (Larry) at 415.215.7857 and I'll come to pick up your donations. Two Valley Organizations Receive Funding Two Visitacion Valley organizations received funding from the coveted Community Challenge Grant Program (CCG). The CCG, formerly known as the Neighborhood Beautification Fund, provides matching grants to local residents, businesses, non-profits and other community groups to make physical improvements to their neighborhoods. The CCG focuses on projects that directly engage residents and businesses in working together to create green spaces, gathering places, public art, and other neighborhood amenities. The program provides an important tool for enabling communities to take the lead in conducting small-scale improvements in their own communities. The following groups received grants in January 2009: VVBOOM, sponsored by Visitacion Valley Community Development Corp., was awarded $3,000 for a community art project (mural) at 98 Leland Ave. The Visitacion Valley Greenway Project, sponsored by SF Parks Trust, was awarded $54,000 for physical improvements at The Agriculture Garden on Campbell Avenue. Our neighbors in The Portola also received a grant. The Goettingen Neighbors Group, sponsored by SF Parks Trust was awarded $9,999 for the Goettingen Hill Beautification and Restoration Project. For information about the CCG: www.sfgov.org/ccg Shalom, Shalom “Shalom” is a traditional Jewish greeting or farewell. It’s also the first name of Visitacion Valley Boys and Girls Club site director Shalom Kimble. After years of service working with the youth of the Valley we sadly must say Shalom to Shalom. Shalom made the difficult decision to transfer to the Page Street Boys and Girls club location. Known for her sardonic wit and steely demeanor, Shalom will be missed by the community she helped inspire. Youth of the Valley should not despair however; your Boys and Girls Club memberships allow you to visits sites outside of the neighborhood at no additional charge. Shalom will be happy to see you if you decide to visit her on occasion. Free Tax Help in Visitacion Valley Once again, free tax help is available at locations in Visitacion Valley if household income was less than $45,000. Locations, days and times are: Asian Pacific American Community Center, 2442 Bayshore Blvd. at Leland Avenue, Sundays through Mar. 29, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Burton High School, 400 Mansell St., Monday and Wednesday through Mar. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 7 and Mar. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitacion Valley Beacon Center, 450 Raymond Ave. (Visitacion Valley Middle School, Room 101) Monday-Friday through Apr. 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. (Closed: Mar. 30, Apr. 6 and Apr. 10) Call 211 for more information and other sites. Spelling Bee Champs at VVES Congratulations to Shument Cheng, 5th grader at Visitacion Valley Elementary School (VVES) for winning the school's spelling bee champiobship. She will represent VVES at the upcomingChronicle citywide Spelling Bee Championship. Best of luck! Other winners include:2nd Place: Simon Li, 3rd grade; 3rd Place: Clairanne Flores, 2nd grade; and 4th Place: Tina Kwok, 4th grade. Paving The Way For Healthier Highways by Paul Yarossi More than 46,000 miles of road compose our nation's highway system. They are crumbling. They've been neglected too long, maintained not with vision and foresight but, instead, with short-term fixes. The average American now spends nearly the equivalent of a week each year stuck in traffic. A lack of infrastructure investment is affecting our quality of life, our environment, our economic competitiveness and safety. The time for change is now. Perhaps nothing that happens in the Barack Obama presidency will be more important to the American transportation system than creating a vision for the future. That opportunity comes this fall, when President Obama and Congress can reinvent how the U.S. transportation system is planned, prioritized and funded with the reauthorization of federal transportation funding. The plan must be visionary and bold, and it must answer three basic questions: What is the federal government's role? How do we prioritize a long-term plan? How do we pay for it? Already, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the annual cost of simply maintaining our current highway system is 12 percent more than the government is actually spending. The current administration cannot afford to limit its role in transportation policy but, instead, must prioritize interstate commerce and national security. It must develop a long-term vision, with multimodal infrastructure investments that go beyond the highway system and stretch our imaginations: an increased load of freight rail to minimize highway congestion, a national system of Critical Commerce Corridors as proposed by ARTBA that moves truck freight safely while separating it from passenger traffic, eco-friendly transit lines that ease congestion. It's time to get creative, to reinvent our transportation system and adopt groundbreaking concepts that are part of a strategic approach framed at the federal level. Recent stimulus funding should not be confused, or substituted, for reauthorization and long-term solutions. Discussions about funding mechanisms must be inventive--and plentiful. Potential sources could include the following: Increase the gas tax and tie it to inflation. Create state infrastructure banks. Replace or supplement the gas tax with user fees, which would be tied to vehicle miles traveled, and tolls. Allow public-private partnerships where they make sense. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination. The challenge is here, the time is now. To let your elected officials know your opinion on this or other issues, contact them at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov. Paul Yarossi is president of HNTB Holdings Ltd and co-chairs the SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization Task Force on behalf of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in Washington, D.C. NAPS Joe Leland ... Around the Neighborhood Renew for You: Universal Paragon Corporation (UPC), the owners of the Schlage Lock site, created a new website that is loaded with useful information about the past, present, and future of the site. Check out www.RenewVisValley.com. Nice clean layout and up-to-date information. Two thumbs up. Shillelagh and Greenbacks: In 1991, Congress enacted Public Law 101-418, designating March as Irish-American Heritage Month. Irish-American Heritage Month grew out of annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Lore suggests that St. Patrick’s claim to fame was ridding Ireland of deadly snakes simple by shaking his mighty shillelagh (how often do you use “shillelagh” in a sentence?). In truth he is honored for introducing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1762, in New York City. San Francisco will hold its 158th annual St Patrick’s Day parade on March 14th. To honor the Irish of Visitacion Valley, the Grapevine encourages all readers to reach into their wallets, pockets, and pursues and pull out a few GREENbacks to spend freely around the community. CarShare / Zipcar Ignores VV?: Why are there no car sharing services in Vis Valley (or anywhere else in the South East sector)? Neither CarShare or ZipCar have “pods” that allows the users of the car sharing service to conveniently rent a vehicle only when needed. It has been proven that the car sharing model reduces car ownership in other neighborhoods. Fewer cars equal more parking spaces. More parking makes happier neighbors. Don’t we deserve to be happy? Would not the Bank of America parking lot on Leland or a spot near the Caltrain station work as a car share pod? Any other ideas or locations??? Try calling each company and repeatedly asking why they have forsaken us. CarShare (415) 995-8588. Zipcar 1-866-4ZIPCAR (1-866-494-7227). SFSU on the Case: Many ideas have been proposed over the years regarding the future transformation of the Old Schlage Lock Office Building (The Old S.L.O.B). Some ideas have been very practical, but lacked imagination while other have been wildly imaginative, but patently impractical. The community will weigh in on this issue in the near future, but first we need hard facts about the variety of services already in the community. In preparation for these forthcoming discussions, Universal Paragon Corporation and the SF Redevelopment Agency will be working with three Urban Studies students from SFSU on a project that will help inform the community as we move toward a reuse plan. The students will spend the current semester researching our community based organizations with the goal of cataloging the services they provide. This information will help to identify holes in the community services net and possibly spotlight how best The Old S.L.O.B. can be used in the near future. Oxymorons: Because most people misuse the word “sustainability,” please read the following Wikipedia excerpt and make the effort to correct those that are Oxymoronous: In 1989, the United Nations Brundtland Commission articulated what has now become a widely accepted definition of sustainability: "to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The idea of sustainable development is sometimes viewed as an oxymoron because development inevitably depletes and degrades the environment. Consequently, some definitions either avoid the word “development” and use the term “sustainability” exclusively, or emphasize the environmental component, as in "environmentally sustainable development." Zen Saying of the Month: “The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. They turn to each other and say, we did it ourselves.” El Dorado Elementary School Happenings Celebrating Diversity and Hope by Jennifer Moless and Lori Fetzer Traditionally, February is considered Black History Month. With a large population of African Americans on campus at El Dorado, we, of course, do not wait for February to celebrate and honor that culture and ancestry. However, the community did come together to acknowledge the achievements of civic and social leaders from the African American community as well as representatives from our own campus who have excelled academically. We celebrated with music and poetry and other readings. Marisa Martinez, our VAPA coordinator, reached out to her fellow musician Eric McFadden and, for the second consecutive year, he visited El Dorado. In addition to performing he spoke of the rich Black influence in modern American music. Students, staff and parents were moved to MOVE and enjoyed a full set played by Eric McFadden and his band. Another aspect of our celebration was a reflection on our community’s place in a social justice movement led by Jibraan Lee, Site Support Substitute and Master of Ceremonies for this event. Mr. Lee also invited students to read excerpts from Barack Obama’s victory speech. Some of our students, who were being honored for their academic achievement (see related article “Students Honored”), had an opportunity to act as elders for their younger peers. These fourth and fifth grade students read poetry highlighting our community’s values. Following their lead, teachers brought this poetry back to the classroom for closer study. Students Honored by Lori Fetzer On February 11, the San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators, an organization dedicated to the achievemnt and support of K-12 African American students in SFSUD, sponsored an Academic Pin and Candlelight Ceremony. Several El Dorado students were honored at this event: Destinee Singleton, Isaiah Johnson, Lashirah, Banks, Malik Boykin and Emani Williams. Destinee, a third grader, attended the event accompanied by her parents and her sister. She said she felt happy and excited as she listened to people talk about Martin Luther King and Barack Obama and make other speeches. Her favorite part was the medal she received. Her teacher, Ms. O’Rourke, was most inspired and impressed by students who spoke. She especially noted a young girl who recited the essay she had written that won the MLK speech contest. Events in March at Valley Branch Library Following are events in March at the Visitacion Valley Branch Library, 45 Leland Ave.: Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, Tuesday: Toddler Tales with stories, songs and rhymes for ages 1-1/2 to 3 and their accompanying caregivers at 11:30 a.m. Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, Tuesday: Preschool Storytime for ages 3-5 at 10:30 a.m. Mar. 3, Tuesday: Puppet Art Theater presents Tale of the Dragon's Tail for ages 5-12 at 1 p.m.. Space is limited; call (415) 355-2881 for reservations. Mar. 18, Wednesday: Teen Tech Week Text-A-Thon from 4 to 5 p.m. Think you’ve got the fastest thumbs? Could you text with a blindfold on? Bring your cell phone to the Visitacion Valley Library and battle other teens in competitions rewarding speed, accuracy and creativity! For information or to register, contact Abby Harwood at (415) 355-2848 or aharwood@sfpl.org. …from the desk of the VVBOOM newsroom by Nick Wolff Let’s Go Niners!! First the stucco came off and then the scaffolding went up. Weeks later the new facade of '49er Cleaners (51 Leland Avenue) is revealed. The amazing face lift is crisp and clean, just like your freshly dry cleaned clothing. Another vital investment to a Leland Avenue business to help the commercial corridor and neighborhood look better. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the friendly owners when you drop off you your dry cleaning. We will miss the remains of the old “Jay Vee” signage, but all things must change with the times. '49er Cleaners has been a mainstay on the corner of Leland Avenue and Desmond Street since 1989. They’re open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now. After resolving a technical hitch or hiccup, JB’s The Shop is back on track to get some long overdue exterior upgrades. The project is moving along again at full speed after contractors came out to the barber shop (located at 160A Leland Avenue) in mid-February to bid on the façade work. The general scope of the work involves: structural storefront improvements, new exterior lighting, eye-catching new graphic decals on the door and windows as well as a bona fide barber pole. The project is being completed as part of the City’s SF Shines façade improvement program, which invests in commercial corridors like Leland Avenue through grants, design services and project management. If you’d like more information on SF Shines, contact Nick Wolff @ 415/585.2338 or nwolff@vvboom.org. Look for JB’s new exterior to be on display in approximately six to eight weeks. JB’s The Shop specializes in haircuts and fades. Call 415/239.6709 to schedule an appointment. Art as an Economic Driver. Studies have shown that cultural production in the form of art can be a catalyst for neighborhood economic revitalization. This was a key underlying principle behind the desire to create a ‘Community Mural’ on the Alpha Street side of the Nayarit Taqueria (98 Leland Avenue). When VVBOOM was awarded a Community Challenge Grant at the 2008 Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) awards last November, the desire became a genuine opportunity. Now four months later -- as master muralist Dana Irving and fellow artist (and Boys and Girls Club Art and Technical Director) DanAnh Nguyen finalize the initial design for review, downtown Vis Valley pedestrians are that much closer to enjoying the aesthetic beauty of a symbolic public art piece. Once the initial design is approved by the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Public Art Design Process in early April, wall preparation will immediately begin. From there, DanAnh will engage Boys and Girls Club youth in a four part mural creation workshop. Paint is expected to hit the wall in early to mid May, with the finished ‘Community Mural’ grand unveiled at… you guessed it, the 4th Annual Leland Avenue Street Fair. Visitacion Valley Police Report Police Cases On Jan. 27 at 1 a.m. on the 1700 block of Geneva Avenue, a resident awoke to find a man in her room. He fled upon seeing her. The burglar was described as a black male, 25 to 25 years-old, black hair, 5'11"tall, 170 pounds, wearing a black baseball cap and a black hooded jacket. At 6:17 p.m., officers responded to the 2300 block of San Bruno Avenue regarding a robbery with a gun. Officers spoke with the victim, who stated that the gas station he was working at had just been robbed by two subjects who had a gun. The victim also told officers that the suspects put him in the garage area while they took money from the register. The suspects then fled the area. Bayview plainclothes officers located the suspects who matched the description given by officers. The victim positively identified the suspects. Officers also discovered that the suspects had been arrested previously for possession of a firearm during an incident last year. Robbery inspectors responded and took over the investigation. At1 1:57 p.m. on the 400 block of Argonaut Avenue, a 44 year-old Visitacion Valley man parked his car and was approached by two robbers. One of the pair produced a gun and demanded money. The victim was robbed of his belongings. The robbers were described as black males in their late teens, wearing black clothing. On Jan. 28 at 9:15 p.m. on the 2200 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a passerby called the owner of a tow yard to report a burglar on the premises. The owner and his son arrived and confronted a man as he was breaking into a car in the yard. The burglar was subdued and a witness flagged down an officer and posse, who took a 36 year-old Western Addition man into custody for burglary. On Jan. 31 at 12:30 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 40 year-old Hunters Point man as a suspect in a felony battery case. On Feb. 1 at 2:30 p.m. on the first block of Heritage Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and arrested a 41 year-old Sunnydale man for felony battery. At 5:30 p.m. on the 1600 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and arrested a 20 year-old Bayview District woman for felony battery. At 6:35 p.m. on Felton Street at/San Bruno-CN#090116996: A victim was robbed by two suspects, who threatened the victim by holding a gun to his chest and demanding money. The suspects dragged the victim in between two cars, forcing the victim to give them his cell phone and money. The suspects told the victim to count to 60, while they fled the area. The victim stated that he could not identify the suspects because they had pulled hats down low to cover their faces. The victim was not injured during the robbery. On Feb. 2 at 7 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, SWAT officers served a search warrant for Ingleside Station plain clothes officers. A 25 year-old Sunnydale man was arrested for threats and for violating his parole and released to his parole officer. On Feb. 3 at 9:05 p.m. at Garrison Avenue and Schwerin Street, three people were inspecting a car when shots were fired at them. An 18 year-old OMI District man was shot once in the hip. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment. On Feb. 4 at 3:42 p.m., a man stated to employees at a charitable organization in the SOMA that his friend was dead. The police were called and a Southern Station officer investigated. He determined that the two men lived together in an encampment in the Ingleside District. An officer found a 62 year-old San Francisco man dead in an encampment at Mansell Street and San Bruno Avenue. The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office took over the case. On Feb. 5 at 11:20 p.m. at Geneva and Brookdale avenues, an 18 year-old Visitacion Valley woman was confronted by a gunman who demanded her purse. She demurred and he struck her over the head with the gun. The robber took her purse and fled in a silver car. The perpetrator was described as a Latin male in his late teens, 5'6" tall, 150 pounds, with black hair, wearing black clothing. On Feb. 7 at 4:18 p.m. on the 2100 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a resident confronted burglar in his home. The burglar, a black male in his late 20s, had kicked in the front door. He fled on foot. On Feb. 8 at 2:15 p.m. at Bayshore Boulevard and Visitacion Avenue, a traffic officer stopped a motorist and arrested the 32 year-old South San Francisco man for possessing marijuana for sale and for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. On Feb. 9 at 1:15 p.m. on the 2200 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a pedestrian chased a Muni bus and pounded on the door in an attempt to gain entry. The bus was moving in traffic and could not stop. The pedestrian fell to ground and had to be taken to SFGH. He was deemed uninjured and very drunk by medical doctors. On Feb. 10 at 12 noon on the 400 block of Mansell Street, a student was booked for possession of a BB gun while at school. The student, who had the gun in his jacket, dropped it on the floor while talking with another student. The suspect picked up the gun and ran out of the school. The suspect’s probation officer was notified and contacted the suspect to have him return to school. The suspect was placed into custody and transported to Y.G.C. On Feb. 11 at 8:15 a.m. at Blythdale Avenue and Santos Street, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 35 year-old Sunnydale man as a suspect in a felony battery case. On Feb. 15 at 10:40 p.m., officers responded to Dwight Street and San Bruno Avenue regarding a shooting. Officers spoke with the victim who stated that he was sitting in his car when he heard a “bang” on the window and saw a suspect with a gun in his hand standing next to his car. Two additional suspects stood behind the man with the gun. The victim stated that the suspect continued to hit the window with the gun until it shattered. The victim jumped out of his car and ran, hearing a gun shot as he left the area. The victim watched as the suspects got into another vehicle and sped off. No one was injured during the incident. No suspects were located. On Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 33 year-old Bayview District man as a suspect in a felony battery case. At 2:15 p.m. in McLaren Park, six teens playing with BB guns near the park's water tower were robbed at gunpoint by four robbers who fled with the victims' belongings. At 7 p.m. at Leland Avenue and Cora Street, an officer and posse detained two men, a 51 year-old San Mateo resident and a 40 year-old Bayview District resident, during a narcotics investigation. A search of the San Mateo man's car revealed a large amount of narcotics (methamphetamine, cocaine and various prescription medicines). Both men were charged with possessing the drugs. On Feb. 17 at 1:33 p.m. on the 1900 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer and posse found a 33 year-old Sunnydale man who had been named in an armed robbery report. The robbery had occurred near Market Street earlier in the month. They arrested the man without incident. He had marijuana packaged for sale inside his car. The man was charged with robbery and with possessing marijuana for sale. At 4:15 p.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 19 year-old Antioch man as a suspect in a felony battery case. On Feb. 19 at 10:42 p.m. at Silver and San Bruno avenues, members of Bayview's plainclothes team were traveling in the area of Silver Avenue and Girard Street when the saw a car parked in front of a liquor store with a known subject leaning into the car window. An officer drove past very slowly and made eye contact with the driver and passenger. The passenger, upon seeing the officers, jumped out of the car and began to walk away. The driver, who remained in the car, was seen placing something from the front seat to the back seat. Officers also recalled an earlier report of this same vehicle, which had taken off at a high rate of speed when officers attempted to pull it over for a traffic violation. Officer searched the vehicle and located a gun and suspected marijuana. The driver was placed under arrest without incident. The gun and suspected marijuana were seized as evidence and the vehicle was towed. On Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. on Mill Street, a homeowner heard his garage door open and found three men inside his garage. He confronted the trio and they fled. There was no loss reported. At 1:55 p.m. on the 1500 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer and posse secured an apartment for a Gang Task Force inspector in order to serve a search warrant. They arrested a 51 year-old Bayview District man for a local felony narcotics warrant and for possessing narcotics (heroin, cocaine, and prescription pills). At 4 p.m. s citizen went into Bayview Station to report that a suspect had taken her backpack when she fell asleep on a Muni bus at Bayshore Boulevard and Blanken Avenue. The victim stated that her ID, paystub, check card and miscellaneous papers were taken. The victim was not injured during the theft. The suspect was not located. On Feb. 20 at 4:50 p.m. on the 100 block of Brookdale Avenue, officers stopped a 32 year-old Sunnydale woman as she drove a stolen car. They arrested her for grand theft and booked her into the County Jail. At 6:30 p.m. on the 400 block of Mansell Street, a police service aid took a report regarding two suspects that sprayed pepper spray at a victim and threatened to kill her after a high school basketball game. The suspects then fled the area. Officers arrived on scene regarding another fight in the area, but did not locate the suspects with the pepper spray. The officers did locate another victim of the pepper spray, but that victim refused medical treatment and left the scene. No suspects were located. No one else was injured during the incidents. On Feb. 21 at 4:10 p.m. on the 1200 block of Brussels Street, a resident followed his dog into a neighbor's yard to keep his dog from fighting with the neighbor's dog. His brother came to his aid and stabbed the neighbor's dog to death. An Animal Care and Control officer investigated and seized the dead dog and the knife as evidence. The resident was cited for violating the Health Code. Police Summaries Jan. 26: 500 block of Carter St., 38 year-old Visitacion Valley man cited for battery. Jan. 26: 200 block of Rutland St., aided case, 48 year-old Visitacion Valley man taken to hospital for evaluation. Jan. 27: McLaren Park, arson, car fire. Jan. 27: 200 block of Santos St., missing person, juvenile. Jan. 28: 12:30 p.m., 3500 block of San Bruno Ave., burglary occurred between Jan. 24 and 27, no forced entry found, television taken, victim suspects former roommate. Jan. 28: First block of Argonaut Ave., '97 Ford SUV recovered. Jan. 28: 100 block of Sunnydale Ave., 14 year-old Sunnydale male arrested on two Juvenile Court warrants. Jan. 29: Blythdale Ave. and Santos St., traffic collision, hit and run, no injuries. Jan. 29: 500 block of Leland Ave., disturbing the peace. Jan. 29: 500 block of Leland Ave., battery, suspect known. Jan. 29: 3700 block of San Bruno Ave., '97 Honda Accord recovered. Jan. 29: 2000 block of Sunnydale Ave., theft from building, six bicycles taken, SFUSD campus. Jan. 30: 200 block of Blythdale Ave., vandalism to building, broken window. Jan. 30: 100 block of Britton St., vandalism to building, broken window, suspect known Jan. 31: 100 block of Leland Ave., '97 Honda Accord recovered. Jan. 31: 300 block of Sawyer St., 44 year-old Daly City man arrested for battery. Feb. 3: 11:15 p.m., First block of Blythdale Ave., burglary occurred between 4 and 11 p.m., forced entry via front door, suspect named in report, no loss reported. Feb. 3: 2200 block of Bayshore Blvd., three teens were cited for vandalizing a Muni bus with graffiti. Feb. 3: 400 block of Raymond Ave., 14 year-old student cited for battery. Feb. 3: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., 22 year-old Hunters Point man arrested on local misdemeanor traffic warrants. Feb. 5: 100 block of Britton St., found persons, adult and juvenile. Feb. 5: 1800 block of Silliman St., missing person, adult. Feb. 5: 1400 block of Somerset St., assault, suspect known. Feb. 6: First block of Brookdale Ave., '91 Toyota Camry recovered. Feb. 6: 600 block of Velasco Ave., vandalism to building, broken window. Feb. 7: 10:15 p.m., First block of Santos St., shots fired, occurred between 5:15 and 9 p.m., rounds pierced window of vacant apartment, no injuries reported. Feb. 7: Heritage Ave., found person, juvenile. Feb. 8: 1200 block of Sunnydale Ave., death case, cause unknown. Feb. 8: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, juvenile. Feb. 9: 500 block of Raymond St., aided case, SFFD personnel revived toddler and took him to SFGH. Feb. 9: 1500 block of Sunnydale Ave., 31 year-old Sunnydale man detained in warrant investigation. Feb. 9: 1800 block of Sunnydale Ave., theft from building, cable boxes stolen, suspect known. Feb. 9: Sunnydale Ave. and Hahn St., 22 year-old Visitacion Valley woman had her purse taken from her presence on Muni bus. Feb. 9: Sunnydale Ave. and Cora St., found person, juvenile. Feb. 9: Visitacion Ave and Schwerin St., 19 year-old Portola District woman had her backpack taken from her presence on Muni bus. Feb. 10: 1:25 p.m., 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., shots fired, occurred between Feb. 6 and 10, employee found gunfire damage to building. Feb. 10: 5:15 p.m., 1000 block of Girard St., burglary oOccurred between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., forced entry via front door, computer, jewelry and cash taken. Feb. 10: First block of Blythdale Ave., found person, juvenile. Feb. 10: 1000 block of Goettingen St., landlord checked abandoned premises and found three sacks of marijuana, Narcotics Division took over case. Feb. 10: First block of Leland Ave., store owner admonished for selling air guns, four weapons seized. Feb. 10: 400 block of Leland Ave., vehicle strip, four wheels and tires taken from parked car. Feb. 11: 200 block of Blythdale Ave., fraud, false bank account opened in victim's name. Feb. 11: 500 block of Raymond Ave., '88 Chevrolet Caprice recovered with its wheels missing. Feb. 11: 1700 block of Sunnydale Ave., missing person, adult. Feb. 13: First block of Blythdale Ave., mental health intervention. Feb. 13: Mansell and Girard Sts., auto burglary. Feb. 13: 100 block of Rey St., '94 Saturn stolen. Feb. 13: 1600 block of Visitacion Ave., vandalism to building, broken window. Feb. 13: 300 block of Wilde Ave., vandalism to building, graffiti. Feb. 14: 1700 block of Felton St., threats, suspect named. Feb. 14: 1300 block of Sunnydale Ave., missing person, juvenile. Feb. 15: 1300 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, juvenile. Feb. 15: 1900 block of Sunnydale Ave., parole search. Feb. 16: First block of Santos St., vandalism to building, broken windows. Feb. 16: 1700 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, adult. Feb. 17: 1:20 p.m., 500 block of Campbell Ave., burglary occurred between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., forced entry via front door, cash, Playstation, computers, gaming system and wallet taken. Feb. 17: 400 block of Sawyer St., '09 dodge Charger recovered. Feb. 17: 200 block of Schwerin St., found property, purse and contents. Feb. 18: 900 block of Goettingen St., 26 year-old Portola District man surrendered on local and San Mateo County felony warrants. Feb. 19: First block of Silliman St., burglary of residence, glass pane in door broken, electronic dictionary stolen. Feb. 19: First block of Schwerin St., found person, juvenile. Feb. 19: 300 block of Schwerin St., batter, suspect unknown. Feb. 20: First block of Blythdale Ave., vandalism to building, broken window. Feb. 20: 400 block of Sawyer St., vandalism to building, broken window. Feb. 20: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., vandalism to building, broken windows. Feb. 21: First block of Blythdale Ave., mental health intervention. Feb. 21: First block of Blythdale Ave., threats, suspect named. Feb. 21: 300 block of Wilde St., '97 BMW 318 stolen. Feb. 22: 100 block of Blythdale Ave., 23 year-old Sunnydale woman arrested on local narcotics warrant. Feb. 22: 1200 block of Sunnydale Ave., '06 VW Passat stolen. Saturdays are Special at Randall Museum The Randall Museum offers drop-in, hands-on art and science workshops every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at 199 Museum Way (off Roosevelt, above the Castro). Workshops are $3 per child; $5 for a parent and child combo. All kids under 8 must be with a paying adult. Call 554-9600 for further information. Mar. 7: Paint your own watercolor scroll to hang on a wall or in a window. Mar. 14: Discover beauty in gravity as you create paintings with your own hand-made paint pendulum! Mar. 21: Create your own special talking stick. Mar. 28: Print and reprint a colorful stencil monoprint (monoprint means one-of-a-kind print; kids love them!). Other regular Saturday activities include: Morning Family Ceramics from 10 to 11:30 a.m. ($5 per person workshop fee) Meet the Animals from 11:15 a.m. to 12 noon. Animal Feeding at 12 noon. *Golden Gate Model Railroad Club Exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Valley Meets Finalists in Library Artists' Competition

Valley residents saw tnew designs of the new neighborhood library during a Feb. 21 meeting.

by Betty Parshall

On Saturday morning, February 21, about 30 people gathered at the Clubhouse at Visitacion Valley Playground to meet the three finalists in the artists’ competition to be commissioned to provide artwork at the new neighborhood library.

The purpose of this meeting was not only to provide some introduction to the community but also to give the competitors an orientation to the library design and an initial introduction to the neighborhood.

The artists then have six weeks to design proposed work. The proposals will be on display at the library as well as on-line. Residents can view the proposals and then fill out a survey form to register their opinions about each design.

Informational material about the competition and the survey will be sent to the entire community (in English, Chinese and Spanish).

Each competitor spoke about his/her work and showed pictures of previous public art works. Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector work as a team and showed several pictures of works which used recycled materials. Their approach is site specific and they strive to engage people in the process of building the work of art. In working this way they have been able to cross cultural, racial, gender and age boundaries and generate a shared ownership in the finished piece.

The second competitors also are a team, Fran Martin and Jim Growden. They described their previous work which included studio art as well as public art. Their work in iron can be seen locally at the Greenway gardens. Jim Growden worked at the recycling center and was an early Artist in Residence there, and the couple use recycled materials wherever appropriate.

Their approach is to view the totality of the setting when creating the art piece and find additional satisfaction in engaging others in the process.

The third competitor, Johanna Poethig, has created public art works since the 1980s. Her approach is to first explore the community where the piece is to be installed, drawing out community highlights, whether historical, cultural or social, and then design a site- specific artwork. She has sometimes incorporated words in a variety of languages or photos in a piece where they reflect the specific flavor of the site. She has created murals, sculptures, and paintings and multi-media pieces.

You can Google Mark Grieve and Johanna Poethig for pictures. Visit the Greenway gardens to see Jim Growden and Fran Martin’s work.

Further Discussions on Schlage
And Sunnydale Redevelopment

by Betty Parshall

The February 14th meeting of the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance featured presentations about two major developments in Visitacion Valley.

First on the agenda was a Mercy Housing presentation on the redevelopment of Sunnydale. Initial community meetings have been held at the Sunnydale Community Center.

Organizing efforts are now being made to engage residents in the entire Valley to provide full information about the proposed redevelopment, provide answers to their concerns and needs during the entire demolition and construction period, and solicit what they would like to see in the ultimate “new” Sunnydale.

In addition to general community gatherings, Mercy will also work to establish smaller groups of neighbors meeting in homes. Everyone in the 94134 zip code will be receiving notices and updates of meetings and progress in the planning phase.

One concern was raised about reentry of current residents when the new housing is completed. Supervisor Maxwell pointed out that Sunnydale residents will be housed on the site during demolition and construction, then moved back into their new housing in phases, so that “reentry” does not apply. However, in response to questions raised about the negative behavior of a small but very potent percentage of people now in Sunnydale, Tonya Boykin responded that lessons learned from the Heritage Homes experience will be applied, working with the Housing Authority to deal with problem individuals.

In addition to new housing, Ms. Boykin also emphasized that Mercy will develop a full range of services in conjunction with current providers to address the needs of residents both during and after this major transition of the neighborhood. (Which, by the way, will probably be about twelve years in the doing.)

Second on the agenda was a UPC (Universal Paragon Corp.) presentation regarding the imminent demolition of the Schlage Lock buildings. The demolition permit is pending at the Planning Department and will probably be issued within two weeks. Demolition can then commence in March and will take about three months. Remediation of the soil and ground water can then begin in June or July once the State Department of Toxic Substances Control approves the remediation plan.

Multilingual monthly updates will be available at several public sites around the Valley: Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley Community Centers, the library, the schools, etc.
For those who would like specific and technical information about the remediation, the Citizens Advisory Committee is considering the formation of a Technical Sub-committee, and you can sign up for this.

Contact Tom Evans tom.evans@sfgov.org or at 415-749-2539.

A phone number for concerns about the remediation is sponsored by the firm doing the work: Brownfield Partners, 415-215-2813.

Big Crowd Bids Goodbye to Schlage Lock

Neighbors gathered on Feb. 21 to mark the eventual demolition of Schlage Lock.

by Betty Parshall

On Saturday, February 21 over a hundred people gathered at the “new” Schlage office building at Bayshore and Leland to celebrate the imminent and long-awaited demolition of the Schlage Lock buildings. The date is not set yet but will be coming very soon (see “Demolition” story elsewhere in this paper).

Jonathan Sharfman for Universal Paragon Corp., Fred Blackwell from SF Redevelopment, Steve Kendrick, grandson of the founder of Schlage Lock, Ed Niser, who worked for Schlage for 40 years, and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, among others, addressed the crowd. They spoke of the years of negotiations to complete the sale of the site, the involvement of the Planning and Redevelopment agencies, the long and patient work of the Citizens’Advisory Committee, and the support of the community.

Steve Kendrick, grandson of the original owner of Schlage Lock, and Ed Niser, who worked for Schlage for forty years, provided some of the history and spoke of the significance of the company in the Valley and across the country.

Several former employees of Schlage were present and contributed to a video collection of oral histories that will be part of the historical commemoration of the company.
Dozens of people took the tours of the building, and everyone enjoyed the refreshments that were provided.

A Special Valentine for VVPA

Fran Martin of VVPA displays award from the Board of Supervisors

by Betty Parshall

A rather special valentine was delivered to the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance on Saturday, February 14, delivered by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell. Her appearance was a surprise to all as she presented a Certificate of Honor issued by the Board of Supervisors to the organization.

The certificate reads “In honor and celebration of your 10th Anniversary; and in recognition for your commitment to realizing the community vision for a better Visitacion Valley” and was signed by Supervisor Maxwell. Several other supervisors also signed the certificate but aren’t listed here since their handwriting emulates those of doctors signing prescriptions.

Fran Martin extended thanks to the Supervisor and to all the residents who have participated in the VVPA during the ten years of the group’s activities.

Valley's Multicultural Event a Hit

There was plenty to see and do at Multicultural Day 2009 at Visitacion Valley Middle School.

by Betty Parshall

Close to a hundred people gathered at Visitacion Valley Middle School to celebrate the diversity of the school and the neighborhood with entertainment and a buffet of a great variety of ethnic food.

This reporter arrived a bit late and was only able to admire a young lady’s rap, followed by a fine performance by the Village Dancers. The crowd then dispersed to the second floor hall for food, socializing, music and games.

The SB Gurlz provided a lot of fun with challenging games, face painting and sales of stickers, tattoos and cookies. This after school group gets together at the Beacon Center in the school for dancing, volleyball, and doing hair and nails. They also have workshops on a wide range of subjects; one of the most recent was on conflict resolution. The money they earn with their games and sale items will take them to a movie on the next minimum day. And what does SB stand for? A favorite cartoon character, SpongeBob.

The evening culminated with a free raffle and more socializing and music, a good time had by all.

MLK Middle School Gets Barona Education Grant

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) recently presented teachers and students of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School with a $5,000 Barona Education Grant.
MLK Academic Middle School was selected by The Barona Band of Mission Indians to receive the award.

“I’m honored to be able to present MLK Academic Middle School with this award,” said Assemblywoman Ma. “Investing in our schools yields high returns for California and I thank the Barona Band of Mission Indians for making that investment.”

MLK will use the grant to purchase overhead projectors, camcorder, surveillance camera, and digital cameras. Equipment will provide a safe and secure learning environment for the entire school.

Community Day at Herz Playground

Please join us for a fun-filled day as we celebrate the eleventh annual Ruth Jackson, Family, Friends and Community Day hosted by Ruth Jackson and Family, Saturday, Mar. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Herz Playground, Hahn Street at Visitacion Avenue. RSVP to (415) 239-4605.

Annual Dinner at Visitacion Valley Clubhouse

by Katherine Williams

On February 20, the Visitacion Valley clubhouse held the annual dinner to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Families filled the clubhouse and there was lots of wonderful food for everyone.

The annual event brings people of all ages, tiny-tots to adults, who use the clubhouse together for a meal. Elizabeth Sacha and Junior Tuala, the clubhouse directors, did a great job of preparing a wonderful spread of potatoes, chicken, fried rice, noodles and vegetables and lots of desserts. Everyone left with a full stomach.

The SF Recreation and Parks department runs the clubhouse and other parks in Vis Valley including Hertz Playground and maintains parks around the neighborhood.

You may not know that because of budget cuts, the staff time at our playgrounds could be greatly reduced. Please help keep the wonderful staff at our playgrounds by contacting our Supervisor and the Rec and Park Commission. Urge them to keep funds for park staff instead of shifting those funds to private organizations.

City College Gets Federal Grant for
Asian/Pacific Islander Achievement Program

City College of San Francisco has received a two-year, $1.23 million federal grant from the Department of Education to help increase the number of underrepresented college students of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The grant specifically targets Asian/Pacific Islanders, but all underrepresented students are eligible to participate. The award to City College of San Francisco is one of only six in the nation.

“The students at City College of San Francisco are our nation’s next generation of leaders. With federal grant assistance, the College’s newly created Asian/Pacific Islanders
Achievement Program will help increase educational opportunities for students in all areas of study offered by the college and foster a cultural environment that personalizes academic growth,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “Developing these students’ learning skills and widening their potential will create tomorrow’s innovators and keep America competitive in the global economy.”

“I am very pleased that the Department of Education awarded this two-year federal grant to expand the College’s capacity to better serve low-income and Asian American and Pacific Islander students,” said City College Board President Milton Marks. “The new Asian/Pacific Islander STEM Achievement Program may well serve as a model for colleges around the nation interested in increasing the number of under-performing and underrepresented students enrolling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” added Board President Marks.
“City College of San Francisco is proud of its Asian Pacific American Student Success Program directed by Professor Minh-Hoa Ta. It is as a result of the success of this relatively new program that we have been awarded the federal grant to increase the achievement rates of Asian and Pacific Islander credit students now estimated at 18,000 annually,” said Chancellor Don Q. Griffin. “These and other under-prepared students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be assured completion of degrees and transfers to four-year colleges and universities,” stated Chancellor Griffin.

“This is the first grant ever for Asian serving institutions,” says Minh-Hoa Ta, who will also head the Asian/Pacific Islander STEM Achievement Program. She notes that although “Asian Americans students are viewed as math and science gurus — in fact many are placed in basic skill math and science classes.” Ta states that the grant will “stimulate interest that math and science can be fun and interesting and lead to many job opportunities.”

Recruiting of underrepresented students will include City College retention programs targeted to Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (Asian Pacific American Student Success — APASS), African Americans (African American Scholastic Programs — AASP) and Hispanics (Latino Services Network — LSN). Funds will pay for (expanding sections of impacted Chemistry, Biology and Math classes.) and support services including counseling and tutoring as well as for faculty to administer the STEM Center. The overall goal is to encourage more students to develop interest in the STEM careers. This would be accomplished by increasing enrollment in STEM degree programs by 20 percent; improving pass rates in STEM degree programs by 15 percent, increasing the transfer rate by 10 percent and reducing time to program completion and transfer to a four-year university through changes to instruction and curriculum.

McLaren Park News and Notes

by Betty Parshall

Quick Results! Amenity Available at Amphitheater

In last month’s column, we reported on certain requests made to our Park District Manager James Threat, and we’re glad to report that within a week the restrooms at the Amphitheater were opened and continue to be so on a daily basis. As long as no serious vandalism is found, this welcome addition to usable park facilities will continue. We also note that the restrooms at Yosemite Marsh are also open. Thank you, Mr. Threat!

For the Birders

We continue to see a few winter visitors at McNabb Lake and the reservoir (see last month’s column) so I decided to share a couple of other items that may interest those who love to bird-watch. On Saturday, February 7th, a friend and I joined a free birding tour at Heron’s Head Park. The park is located at the very end of Cargo Street (head north on Third Street, turn right on Cargo). Beyond the parking lot (free) at the end of Cargo is an area of restored wetlands. Our tour guides, Lowell High School interns, were equipped with scopes for close-up views and ready to identify the great variety of birds found there. This is a particularly good time of year since there are several migratory birds settled in for a visit. Our list totaled thirty, and we may even have missed a few.

Free tours will be given again on Saturday, March 7th, running continuously from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Of course you can go there anytime on your own, it’s easy walking and there are informative signs along the way.

Urban Wildness on Display at the San Francisco Main Library

Some months ago, I happened to stop and chat with a woman who was photographing a Great Blue Heron that was perched in a tree above the reservoir (Shelley Lake). She described her efforts all over the city to capture images of wildlife in San Francisco, so, fortuitously, I was able to say, “I know where there’s an owl.”

Off we went to the eucalyptus grove above the amphitheater, and she was able to take several shots of the Great Horned Owl perched there. Janet Kessler now has a marvelous exhibit showing at the San Francisco Main Library, and our McLaren Park owl is one of the pictures on display. The variety of bird and animal life depicted is truly impressive, and I marvel at the dedication and patience it takes to capture these images.

The photo exhibit is titled “Celebrating Our Urban Wildness in San Francisco” and will be on the fifth floor of the Main Library through May 28. As I said elsewhere, the picture of the skunk alone is worth the trip. Janet kindly gave me permission to include one of her owl photos in The Grapevine.

New Portola Branch Library Opens

The Portola neighborhood came together to celebrate the new Portola Branch Library on Feb. 28. Replacing a leased facility on San Bruno Avenue, the brand-new library at 380 Bacon St. will feature more books and materials, a dedicated teen space, an expanded children’s area, plus a program room accessible after hours for community meetings.

A grand opening celebration kicked off with lion dancers and musicians in front of the new branch. Festivities began at 1 p.m. and Library services started at 2 p.m. Goettingen Street was closed between Bacon and Burrows streets to through traffic during the event.
City Librarian Luis Herrera, State Senator Leland Yee and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell were among the city and state officials attending the opening celebration.

“In this time of economic uncertainty, libraries are providing a haven for information and recreation. We are excited that San Francisco’s Branch Library Improvement Program continues to build and renovate neighborhood libraries,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “A brand new library in the Portola neighborhood will serve a multicultural community of children, teens and seniors for generations to come.”

The 6,300-square-foot space occupies a site acquired from the San Francisco Unified School District on a corner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School facility. A beautiful public art display of fused cast glass panels by Dana Zed will welcome patrons into the branch.

The light and airy new branch features a new, view garden, an expanded children’s section that will be able to accommodate school visits, a designated teen space and a program room that will allow after-hours access for the community. The branch also includes new furniture and shelving, an expanded collection of books, CDs, DVDS and other materials, a prominent reading area, more computers, Wi-Fi access to the Internet and more functional staff work spaces.

Architecture firm Stoner Meek/Noll & Tam designed the new branch library, drawing from a range of inspiration -- the form of books themselves, open to the public, and the rhythm and scale of traditional San Francisco neighborhood bay windows.

At the library entrance, the public is welcomed by an airy art-filled Periodical Room. The porch-like quality of this entry continues along the full southern edge of the building, with reading chairs in each of the bay windows. The Department of Public Works managed the project.

Portola is the ninth library project to be completed under the Branch Library Improvement Program, which is funded by a $105.9 million bond measure passed by voters in November 2000. The Portola branch is the second of four city branches that were housed in leased facilities and are being replaced by city-owned buildings. Project costs totaled about $3.3 million.

Over the past two years, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents and communities to raise funds, awareness and support for the branch improvements. Friends contributed $500,000 towards the Portola Branch renovations, to pay for furnishings, fixtures and equipment—expenses not covered by the bond. Of this, almost $100,000 has been raised by the Portola Library Campaign Committee.

For more information on how to support the Portola Library Campaign, please contact Tina Tom, 626-7512 x106.

Goettingen Neighbors Group Plant Sale

Goettingen Neighbors Group is dedicated to building community in the Portola neighborhood of San Francisco by talking to our neighbors, cleaning and greening our streets, and becoming active in the neighborhood starting with our own Goettingen Street.

We are currently restoring the city owned vacant lot at corner of Goettingen and Dwight streets. Recently, many neighbors have cleaned trash, painted over graffiti and cleared the overgrowth. The group has become a Parks Partner with SF Parks Trust and has applied (and received) several grants to maintain and improve the Goettingen Neighborhood Garden.

We are excited to announce the second annual GNG Plant Sale, April 4th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at 700 Goettingen St. near Olmstead (at the top of the stairway from Dwight Street).

Please consider our organization for any unwanted yet healthy plants, as well as other garden related items. Your support will help make this part of the Portola greener and cleaner.

We are looking for donations of any size for our plant sale. We want your unwanted plants, starter plants, planting pots, garden tools and garden art for our fund-raising efforts. We look forward to hearing from you. Please call me (Larry) at 415.215.7857 and I'll come to pick up your donations.

Two Valley Organizations Receive Funding

Two Visitacion Valley organizations received funding from the coveted Community Challenge Grant Program (CCG). The CCG, formerly known as the Neighborhood Beautification Fund, provides matching grants to local residents, businesses, non-profits and other community groups to make physical improvements to their neighborhoods.

The CCG focuses on projects that directly engage residents and businesses in working together to create green spaces, gathering places, public art, and other neighborhood amenities. The program provides an important tool for enabling communities to take the lead in conducting small-scale improvements in their own communities.

The following groups received grants in January 2009:

*VVBOOM, sponsored by Visitacion Valley Community Development Corp., was awarded $3,000 for a community art project (mural) at 98 Leland Ave.

*The Visitacion Valley Greenway Project, sponsored by SF Parks Trust, was awarded $54,000 for physical improvements at The Agriculture Garden on Campbell Avenue.

Our neighbors in The Portola also received a grant. The Goettingen Neighbors Group, sponsored by SF Parks Trust was awarded $9,999 for the Goettingen Hill Beautification and Restoration Project.

For information about the CCG: www.sfgov.org/ccg

Shalom, Shalom

“Shalom” is a traditional Jewish greeting or farewell. It’s also the first name of Visitacion Valley Boys and Girls Club site director Shalom Kimble.

After years of service working with the youth of the Valley we sadly must say Shalom to Shalom. Shalom made the difficult decision to transfer to the Page Street Boys and Girls club location.

Known for her sardonic wit and steely demeanor, Shalom will be missed by the community she helped inspire. Youth of the Valley should not despair however; your Boys and Girls Club memberships allow you to visits sites outside of the neighborhood at no additional charge.

Shalom will be happy to see you if you decide to visit her on occasion.

Free Tax Help in Visitacion Valley

Once again, free tax help is available at locations in Visitacion Valley if household income was less than $45,000. Locations, days and times are:

*Asian Pacific American Community Center, 2442 Bayshore Blvd. at Leland Avenue, Sundays through Mar. 29, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

*Burton High School, 400 Mansell St., Monday and Wednesday through Mar. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 7 and Mar. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visitacion Valley Beacon Center, 450 Raymond Ave. (Visitacion Valley Middle School, Room 101) Monday-Friday through Apr. 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. (Closed: Mar. 30, Apr. 6 and Apr. 10)

Call 211 for more information and other sites.

Spelling Bee Champs at VVES

Congratulations to Shument Cheng, 5th grader at Visitacion Valley
Elementary School (VVES) for winning the school's spelling bee
champiobship. She will represent VVES at the upcomingChronicle
citywide Spelling Bee Championship. Best of luck! Other winners
include:2nd Place: Simon Li, 3rd grade; 3rd Place: Clairanne Flores,
2nd grade; and 4th Place: Tina Kwok, 4th grade.

Paving The Way For Healthier Highways

by Paul Yarossi

More than 46,000 miles of road compose our nation's highway system. They are crumbling. They've been neglected too long, maintained not with vision and foresight but, instead, with short-term fixes. The average American now spends nearly the equivalent of a week each year stuck in traffic. A lack of infrastructure investment is affecting our quality of life, our environment, our economic competitiveness and safety.

The time for change is now.

Perhaps nothing that happens in the Barack Obama presidency will be more important to the American transportation system than creating a vision for the future.

That opportunity comes this fall, when President Obama and Congress can reinvent how the U.S. transportation system is planned, prioritized and funded with the reauthorization of federal transportation funding.

The plan must be visionary and bold, and it must answer three basic questions:

*What is the federal government's role?

*How do we prioritize a long-term plan?

*How do we pay for it?

Already, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the annual cost of simply maintaining our current highway system is 12 percent more than the government is actually spending. The current administration cannot afford to limit its role in transportation policy but, instead, must prioritize interstate commerce and national security.

It must develop a long-term vision, with multimodal infrastructure investments that go beyond the highway system and stretch our imaginations: an increased load of freight rail to minimize highway congestion, a national system of Critical Commerce Corridors as proposed by ARTBA that moves truck freight safely while separating it from passenger traffic, eco-friendly transit lines that ease congestion.

It's time to get creative, to reinvent our transportation system and adopt groundbreaking concepts that are part of a strategic approach framed at the federal level. Recent stimulus funding should not be confused, or substituted, for reauthorization and long-term solutions.
Discussions about funding mechanisms must be inventive--and plentiful. Potential sources could include the following:

Increase the gas tax and tie it to inflation. Create state infrastructure banks. Replace or supplement the gas tax with user fees, which would be tied to vehicle miles traveled, and tolls. Allow public-private partnerships where they make sense.

The possibilities are limited only by the imagination. The challenge is here, the time is now.
To let your elected officials know your opinion on this or other issues, contact them at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.

Paul Yarossi is president of HNTB Holdings Ltd and co-chairs the SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization Task Force on behalf of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in Washington, D.C. NAPS

Joe Leland ... Around the Neighborhood

*Renew for You: Universal Paragon Corporation (UPC), the owners of the Schlage Lock site, created a new website that is loaded with useful information about the past, present, and future of the site. Check out www.RenewVisValley.com. Nice clean layout and up-to-date information. Two thumbs up.

*Shillelagh and Greenbacks: In 1991, Congress enacted Public Law 101-418, designating March as Irish-American Heritage Month. Irish-American Heritage Month grew out of annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Lore suggests that St. Patrick’s claim to fame was ridding Ireland of deadly snakes simple by shaking his mighty shillelagh (how often do you use “shillelagh” in a sentence?). In truth he is honored for introducing Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1762, in New York City. San Francisco will hold its 158th annual St Patrick’s Day parade on March 14th. To honor the Irish of Visitacion Valley, the Grapevine encourages all readers to reach into their wallets, pockets, and pursues and pull out a few GREENbacks to spend freely around the community.

*CarShare / Zipcar Ignores VV?: Why are there no car sharing services in Vis Valley (or anywhere else in the South East sector)? Neither CarShare or ZipCar have “pods” that allows the users of the car sharing service to conveniently rent a vehicle only when needed. It has been proven that the car sharing model reduces car ownership in other neighborhoods. Fewer cars equal more parking spaces. More parking makes happier neighbors. Don’t we deserve to be happy? Would not the Bank of America parking lot on Leland or a spot near the Caltrain station work as a car share pod? Any other ideas or locations??? Try calling each company and repeatedly asking why they have forsaken us. CarShare (415) 995-8588. Zipcar 1-866-4ZIPCAR (1-866-494-7227).

*SFSU on the Case: Many ideas have been proposed over the years regarding the future transformation of the Old Schlage Lock Office Building (The Old S.L.O.B). Some ideas have been very practical, but lacked imagination while other have been wildly imaginative, but patently impractical. The community will weigh in on this issue in the near future, but first we need hard facts about the variety of services already in the community. In preparation for these forthcoming discussions, Universal Paragon Corporation and the SF Redevelopment Agency will be working with three Urban Studies students from SFSU on a project that will help inform the community as we move toward a reuse plan. The students will spend the current semester researching our community based organizations with the goal of cataloging the services they provide. This information will help to identify holes in the community services net and possibly spotlight how best The Old S.L.O.B. can be used in the near future.

*Oxymorons: Because most people misuse the word “sustainability,” please read the following Wikipedia excerpt and make the effort to correct those that are Oxymoronous: In 1989, the United Nations Brundtland Commission articulated what has now become a widely accepted definition of sustainability: "to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The idea of sustainable development is sometimes viewed as an oxymoron because development inevitably depletes and degrades the environment. Consequently, some definitions either avoid the word “development” and use the term “sustainability” exclusively, or emphasize the environmental component, as in "environmentally sustainable development."

*Zen Saying of the Month: “The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. They turn to each other and say, we did it ourselves.”

El Dorado Elementary School Happenings

Celebrating Diversity and Hope

by Jennifer Moless and Lori Fetzer

Traditionally, February is considered Black History Month. With a large population of African Americans on campus at El Dorado, we, of course, do not wait for February to celebrate and honor that culture and ancestry. However, the community did come together to acknowledge the achievements of civic and social leaders from the African American community as well as representatives from our own campus who have excelled academically.

We celebrated with music and poetry and other readings. Marisa Martinez, our VAPA coordinator, reached out to her fellow musician Eric McFadden and, for the second consecutive year, he visited El Dorado. In addition to performing he spoke of the rich Black influence in modern American music. Students, staff and parents were moved to MOVE and enjoyed a full set played by Eric McFadden and his band. Another aspect of our celebration was a reflection on our community’s place in a social justice movement led by Jibraan Lee, Site Support Substitute and Master of Ceremonies for this event. Mr. Lee also invited students to read excerpts from Barack Obama’s victory speech. Some of our students, who were being honored for their academic achievement (see related article “Students Honored”), had an opportunity to act as elders for their younger peers. These fourth and fifth grade students read poetry highlighting our community’s values. Following their lead, teachers brought this poetry back to the classroom for closer study.

Students Honored

by Lori Fetzer

On February 11, the San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators, an organization dedicated to the achievemnt and support of K-12 African American students in SFSUD, sponsored an Academic Pin and Candlelight Ceremony. Several El Dorado students were honored at this event: Destinee Singleton, Isaiah Johnson, Lashirah, Banks, Malik Boykin and Emani Williams.

Destinee, a third grader, attended the event accompanied by her parents and her sister. She said she felt happy and excited as she listened to people talk about Martin Luther King and Barack Obama and make other speeches. Her favorite part was the medal she received. Her teacher, Ms. O’Rourke, was most inspired and impressed by students who spoke. She especially noted a young girl who recited the essay she had written that won the MLK speech contest.

Events in March at Valley Branch Library

Following are events in March at the Visitacion Valley Branch Library, 45 Leland Ave.:

*Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, Tuesday: Toddler Tales with stories, songs and rhymes for ages 1-1/2 to 3 and their accompanying caregivers at 11:30 a.m.

*Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, Tuesday: Preschool Storytime for ages 3-5 at 10:30 a.m.

*Mar. 3, Tuesday: Puppet Art Theater presents Tale of the Dragon's Tail for ages 5-12 at 1 p.m.. Space is limited; call (415) 355-2881 for reservations.

*Mar. 18, Wednesday: Teen Tech Week Text-A-Thon from 4 to 5 p.m. Think you’ve got the fastest thumbs? Could you text with a blindfold on? Bring your cell phone to the Visitacion Valley Library and battle other teens in competitions rewarding speed, accuracy and creativity! For information or to register, contact Abby Harwood at (415) 355-2848 or aharwood@sfpl.org.

…from the desk of the VVBOOM newsroom

by Nick Wolff

Let’s Go Niners!! First the stucco came off and then the scaffolding went up. Weeks later the new facade of '49er Cleaners (51 Leland Avenue) is revealed. The amazing face lift is crisp and clean, just like your freshly dry cleaned clothing. Another vital investment to a Leland Avenue business to help the commercial corridor and neighborhood look better. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the friendly owners when you drop off you your dry cleaning. We will miss the remains of the old “Jay Vee” signage, but all things must change with the times. '49er Cleaners has been a mainstay on the corner of Leland Avenue and Desmond Street since 1989. They’re open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now. After resolving a technical hitch or hiccup, JB’s The Shop is back on track to get some long overdue exterior upgrades. The project is moving along again at full speed after contractors came out to the barber shop (located at 160A Leland Avenue) in mid-February to bid on the façade work. The general scope of the work involves: structural storefront improvements, new exterior lighting, eye-catching new graphic decals on the door and windows as well as a bona fide barber pole. The project is being completed as part of the City’s SF Shines façade improvement program, which invests in commercial corridors like Leland Avenue through grants, design services and project management. If you’d like more information on SF Shines, contact Nick Wolff @ 415/585.2338 or nwolff@vvboom.org. Look for JB’s new exterior to be on display in approximately six to eight weeks. JB’s The Shop specializes in haircuts and fades. Call 415/239.6709 to schedule an appointment.

Art as an Economic Driver. Studies have shown that cultural production in the form of art can be a catalyst for neighborhood economic revitalization. This was a key underlying principle behind the desire to create a ‘Community Mural’ on the Alpha Street side of the Nayarit Taqueria (98 Leland Avenue). When VVBOOM was awarded a Community Challenge Grant at the 2008 Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) awards last November, the desire became a genuine opportunity. Now four months later -- as master muralist Dana Irving and fellow artist (and Boys and Girls Club Art and Technical Director) DanAnh Nguyen finalize the initial design for review, downtown Vis Valley pedestrians are that much closer to enjoying the aesthetic beauty of a symbolic public art piece. Once the initial design is approved by the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Public Art Design Process in early April, wall preparation will immediately begin. From there, DanAnh will engage Boys and Girls Club youth in a four part mural creation workshop. Paint is expected to hit the wall in early to mid May, with the finished ‘Community Mural’ grand unveiled at… you guessed it, the 4th Annual Leland Avenue Street Fair.

Visitacion Valley Police Report

Police Cases

*On Jan. 27 at 1 a.m. on the 1700 block of Geneva Avenue, a resident awoke to find a man in her room. He fled upon seeing her. The burglar was described as a black male, 25 to 25 years-old, black hair, 5'11"tall, 170 pounds, wearing a black baseball cap and a black hooded jacket. At 6:17 p.m., officers responded to the 2300 block of San Bruno Avenue regarding a robbery with a gun. Officers spoke with the victim, who stated that the gas station he was working at had just been robbed by two subjects who had a gun. The victim also told officers that the suspects put him in the garage area while they took money from the register. The suspects then fled the area. Bayview plainclothes officers located the suspects who matched the description given by officers. The victim positively identified the suspects. Officers also discovered that the suspects had been arrested previously for possession of a firearm during an incident last year. Robbery inspectors responded and took over the investigation. At1 1:57 p.m. on the 400 block of Argonaut Avenue, a 44 year-old Visitacion Valley man parked his car and was approached by two robbers. One of the pair produced a gun and demanded money. The victim was robbed of his belongings. The robbers were described as black males in their late teens, wearing black clothing.

*On Jan. 28 at 9:15 p.m. on the 2200 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a passerby called the owner of a tow yard to report a burglar on the premises. The owner and his son arrived and confronted a man as he was breaking into a car in the yard. The burglar was subdued and a witness flagged down an officer and posse, who took a 36 year-old Western Addition man into custody for burglary.

*On Jan. 31 at 12:30 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 40 year-old Hunters Point man as a suspect in a felony battery case.

*On Feb. 1 at 2:30 p.m. on the first block of Heritage Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and arrested a 41 year-old Sunnydale man for felony battery. At 5:30 p.m. on the 1600 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and arrested a 20 year-old Bayview District woman for felony battery. At 6:35 p.m. on Felton Street at/San Bruno-CN#090116996: A victim was robbed by two suspects, who threatened the victim by holding a gun to his chest and demanding money. The suspects dragged the victim in between two cars, forcing the victim to give them his cell phone and money. The suspects told the victim to count to 60, while they fled the area. The victim stated that he could not identify the suspects because they had pulled hats down low to cover their faces. The victim was not injured during the robbery.

*On Feb. 2 at 7 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, SWAT officers served a search warrant for Ingleside Station plain clothes officers. A 25 year-old Sunnydale man was arrested for threats and for violating his parole and released to his parole officer.

*On Feb. 3 at 9:05 p.m. at Garrison Avenue and Schwerin Street, three people were inspecting a car when shots were fired at them. An 18 year-old OMI District man was shot once in the hip. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment.

*On Feb. 4 at 3:42 p.m., a man stated to employees at a charitable organization in the SOMA that his friend was dead. The police were called and a Southern Station officer investigated. He determined that the two men lived together in an encampment in the Ingleside District. An officer found a 62 year-old San Francisco man dead in an encampment at Mansell Street and San Bruno Avenue. The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office took over the case.

*On Feb. 5 at 11:20 p.m. at Geneva and Brookdale avenues, an 18 year-old Visitacion Valley woman was confronted by a gunman who demanded her purse. She demurred and he struck her over the head with the gun. The robber took her purse and fled in a silver car. The perpetrator was described as a Latin male in his late teens, 5'6" tall, 150 pounds, with black hair, wearing black clothing.

*On Feb. 7 at 4:18 p.m. on the 2100 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a resident confronted burglar in his home. The burglar, a black male in his late 20s, had kicked in the front door. He fled on foot.

*On Feb. 8 at 2:15 p.m. at Bayshore Boulevard and Visitacion Avenue, a traffic officer stopped a motorist and arrested the 32 year-old South San Francisco man for possessing marijuana for sale and for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

*On Feb. 9 at 1:15 p.m. on the 2200 block of Bayshore Boulevard, a pedestrian chased a Muni bus and pounded on the door in an attempt to gain entry. The bus was moving in traffic and could not stop. The pedestrian fell to ground and had to be taken to SFGH. He was deemed uninjured and very drunk by medical doctors.

*On Feb. 10 at 12 noon on the 400 block of Mansell Street, a student was booked for possession of a BB gun while at school. The student, who had the gun in his jacket, dropped it on the floor while talking with another student. The suspect picked up the gun and ran out of the school. The suspect’s probation officer was notified and contacted the suspect to have him return to school. The suspect was placed into custody and transported to Y.G.C.

*On Feb. 11 at 8:15 a.m. at Blythdale Avenue and Santos Street, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 35 year-old Sunnydale man as a suspect in a felony battery case.

*On Feb. 15 at 10:40 p.m., officers responded to Dwight Street and San Bruno Avenue regarding a shooting. Officers spoke with the victim who stated that he was sitting in his car when he heard a “bang” on the window and saw a suspect with a gun in his hand standing next to his car. Two additional suspects stood behind the man with the gun. The victim stated that the suspect continued to hit the window with the gun until it shattered. The victim jumped out of his car and ran, hearing a gun shot as he left the area. The victim watched as the suspects got into another vehicle and sped off. No one was injured during the incident. No suspects were located.

*On Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 33 year-old Bayview District man as a suspect in a felony battery case. At 2:15 p.m. in McLaren Park, six teens playing with BB guns near the park's water tower were robbed at gunpoint by four robbers who fled with the victims' belongings. At 7 p.m. at Leland Avenue and Cora Street, an officer and posse detained two men, a 51 year-old San Mateo resident and a 40 year-old Bayview District resident, during a narcotics investigation. A search of the San Mateo man's car revealed a large amount of narcotics (methamphetamine, cocaine and various prescription medicines). Both men were charged with possessing the drugs.

*On Feb. 17 at 1:33 p.m. on the 1900 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer and posse found a 33 year-old Sunnydale man who had been named in an armed robbery report. The robbery had occurred near Market Street earlier in the month. They arrested the man without incident. He had marijuana packaged for sale inside his car. The man was charged with robbery and with possessing marijuana for sale. At 4:15 p.m. on the first block of Blythdale Avenue, an officer investigated a Domestic Violence incident and named a 19 year-old Antioch man as a suspect in a felony battery case.

*On Feb. 19 at 10:42 p.m. at Silver and San Bruno avenues, members of Bayview's plainclothes team were traveling in the area of Silver Avenue and Girard Street when the saw a car parked in front of a liquor store with a known subject leaning into the car window. An officer drove past very slowly and made eye contact with the driver and passenger. The passenger, upon seeing the officers, jumped out of the car and began to walk away. The driver, who remained in the car, was seen placing something from the front seat to the back seat. Officers also recalled an earlier report of this same vehicle, which had taken off at a high rate of speed when officers attempted to pull it over for a traffic violation. Officer searched the vehicle and located a gun and suspected marijuana. The driver was placed under arrest without incident. The gun and suspected marijuana were seized as evidence and the vehicle was towed.

*On Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. on Mill Street, a homeowner heard his garage door open and found three men inside his garage. He confronted the trio and they fled. There was no loss reported. At 1:55 p.m. on the 1500 block of Sunnydale Avenue, an officer and posse secured an apartment for a Gang Task Force inspector in order to serve a search warrant. They arrested a 51 year-old Bayview District man for a local felony narcotics warrant and for possessing narcotics (heroin, cocaine, and prescription pills). At 4 p.m. s citizen went into Bayview Station to report that a suspect had taken her backpack when she fell asleep on a Muni bus at Bayshore Boulevard and Blanken Avenue. The victim stated that her ID, paystub, check card and miscellaneous papers were taken. The victim was not injured during the theft. The suspect was not located.

*On Feb. 20 at 4:50 p.m. on the 100 block of Brookdale Avenue, officers stopped a 32 year-old Sunnydale woman as she drove a stolen car. They arrested her for grand theft and booked her into the County Jail. At 6:30 p.m. on the 400 block of Mansell Street, a police service aid took a report regarding two suspects that sprayed pepper spray at a victim and threatened to kill her after a high school basketball game. The suspects then fled the area. Officers arrived on scene regarding another fight in the area, but did not locate the suspects with the pepper spray. The officers did locate another victim of the pepper spray, but that victim refused medical treatment and left the scene. No suspects were located. No one else was injured during the incidents.

*On Feb. 21 at 4:10 p.m. on the 1200 block of Brussels Street, a resident followed his dog into a neighbor's yard to keep his dog from fighting with the neighbor's dog. His brother came to his aid and stabbed the neighbor's dog to death. An Animal Care and Control officer investigated and seized the dead dog and the knife as evidence. The resident was cited for violating the Health Code.

Police Summaries

*Jan. 26: 500 block of Carter St., 38 year-old Visitacion Valley man cited for battery.

*Jan. 26: 200 block of Rutland St., aided case, 48 year-old Visitacion Valley man taken to hospital for evaluation.

*Jan. 27: McLaren Park, arson, car fire.

*Jan. 27: 200 block of Santos St., missing person, juvenile.

*Jan. 28: 12:30 p.m., 3500 block of San Bruno Ave., burglary occurred between Jan. 24 and 27, no forced entry found, television taken, victim suspects former roommate.

*Jan. 28: First block of Argonaut Ave., '97 Ford SUV recovered.

*Jan. 28: 100 block of Sunnydale Ave., 14 year-old Sunnydale male arrested on two Juvenile Court warrants.

*Jan. 29: Blythdale Ave. and Santos St., traffic collision, hit and run, no injuries.

*Jan. 29: 500 block of Leland Ave., disturbing the peace.

*Jan. 29: 500 block of Leland Ave., battery, suspect known.

*Jan. 29: 3700 block of San Bruno Ave., '97 Honda Accord recovered.

*Jan. 29: 2000 block of Sunnydale Ave., theft from building, six bicycles taken, SFUSD campus.

*Jan. 30: 200 block of Blythdale Ave., vandalism to building, broken window.

*Jan. 30: 100 block of Britton St., vandalism to building, broken window, suspect known

*Jan. 31: 100 block of Leland Ave., '97 Honda Accord recovered.

*Jan. 31: 300 block of Sawyer St., 44 year-old Daly City man arrested for battery.

*Feb. 3: 11:15 p.m., First block of Blythdale Ave., burglary occurred between 4 and 11 p.m., forced entry via front door, suspect named in report, no loss reported.

*Feb. 3: 2200 block of Bayshore Blvd., three teens were cited for vandalizing a Muni bus with graffiti.

*Feb. 3: 400 block of Raymond Ave., 14 year-old student cited for battery.

*Feb. 3: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., 22 year-old Hunters Point man arrested on local misdemeanor traffic warrants.

*Feb. 5: 100 block of Britton St., found persons, adult and juvenile.

*Feb. 5: 1800 block of Silliman St., missing person, adult.

*Feb. 5: 1400 block of Somerset St., assault, suspect known.

*Feb. 6: First block of Brookdale Ave., '91 Toyota Camry recovered.

*Feb. 6: 600 block of Velasco Ave., vandalism to building, broken window.

*Feb. 7: 10:15 p.m., First block of Santos St., shots fired, occurred between 5:15 and 9 p.m., rounds pierced window of vacant apartment, no injuries reported.

*Feb. 7: Heritage Ave., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 8: 1200 block of Sunnydale Ave., death case, cause unknown.

*Feb. 8: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 9: 500 block of Raymond St., aided case, SFFD personnel revived toddler and took him to SFGH.

*Feb. 9: 1500 block of Sunnydale Ave., 31 year-old Sunnydale man detained in warrant investigation.

*Feb. 9: 1800 block of Sunnydale Ave., theft from building, cable boxes stolen, suspect known.

*Feb. 9: Sunnydale Ave. and Hahn St., 22 year-old Visitacion Valley woman had her purse taken from her presence on Muni bus.

*Feb. 9: Sunnydale Ave. and Cora St., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 9: Visitacion Ave and Schwerin St., 19 year-old Portola District woman had her
backpack taken from her presence on Muni bus.

*Feb. 10: 1:25 p.m., 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., shots fired, occurred between Feb. 6 and 10, employee found gunfire damage to building.

*Feb. 10: 5:15 p.m., 1000 block of Girard St., burglary oOccurred between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., forced entry via front door, computer, jewelry and cash taken.

*Feb. 10: First block of Blythdale Ave., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 10: 1000 block of Goettingen St., landlord checked abandoned premises and found three sacks of marijuana, Narcotics Division took over case.

*Feb. 10: First block of Leland Ave., store owner admonished for selling air guns, four weapons seized.

*Feb. 10: 400 block of Leland Ave., vehicle strip, four wheels and tires taken from parked car.

*Feb. 11: 200 block of Blythdale Ave., fraud, false bank account opened in victim's name.

*Feb. 11: 500 block of Raymond Ave., '88 Chevrolet Caprice recovered with its wheels missing.

*Feb. 11: 1700 block of Sunnydale Ave., missing person, adult.

*Feb. 13: First block of Blythdale Ave., mental health intervention.

*Feb. 13: Mansell and Girard Sts., auto burglary.

*Feb. 13: 100 block of Rey St., '94 Saturn stolen.

*Feb. 13: 1600 block of Visitacion Ave., vandalism to building, broken window.

*Feb. 13: 300 block of Wilde Ave., vandalism to building, graffiti.

*Feb. 14: 1700 block of Felton St., threats, suspect named.

*Feb. 14: 1300 block of Sunnydale Ave., missing person, juvenile.

*Feb. 15: 1300 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 15: 1900 block of Sunnydale Ave., parole search.

*Feb. 16: First block of Santos St., vandalism to building, broken windows.

*Feb. 16: 1700 block of Sunnydale Ave., found person, adult.

*Feb. 17: 1:20 p.m., 500 block of Campbell Ave., burglary occurred between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., forced entry via front door, cash, Playstation, computers, gaming system and wallet taken.

*Feb. 17: 400 block of Sawyer St., '09 dodge Charger recovered.

*Feb. 17: 200 block of Schwerin St., found property, purse and contents.

*Feb. 18: 900 block of Goettingen St., 26 year-old Portola District man surrendered on local and San Mateo County felony warrants.

*Feb. 19: First block of Silliman St., burglary of residence, glass pane in door broken, electronic dictionary stolen.

*Feb. 19: First block of Schwerin St., found person, juvenile.

*Feb. 19: 300 block of Schwerin St., batter, suspect unknown.

*Feb. 20: First block of Blythdale Ave., vandalism to building, broken window.

*Feb. 20: 400 block of Sawyer St., vandalism to building, broken window.

*Feb. 20: 1600 block of Sunnydale Ave., vandalism to building, broken windows.

*Feb. 21: First block of Blythdale Ave., mental health intervention.

*Feb. 21: First block of Blythdale Ave., threats, suspect named.

*Feb. 21: 300 block of Wilde St., '97 BMW 318 stolen.

*Feb. 22: 100 block of Blythdale Ave., 23 year-old Sunnydale woman arrested on local narcotics warrant.

*Feb. 22: 1200 block of Sunnydale Ave., '06 VW Passat stolen.

Saturdays are Special at Randall Museum

The Randall Museum offers drop-in, hands-on art and science workshops every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at 199 Museum Way (off Roosevelt, above the Castro). Workshops are $3 per child; $5 for a parent and child combo. All kids under 8 must be with a paying adult. Call 554-9600 for further information.

*Mar. 7: Paint your own watercolor scroll to hang on a wall or in a window.

*Mar. 14: Discover beauty in gravity as you create paintings with your own hand-made paint pendulum!

*Mar. 21: Create your own special talking stick.

*Mar. 28: Print and reprint a colorful stencil monoprint (monoprint means one-of-a-kind print; kids love them!).

Other regular Saturday activities include:

*Morning Family Ceramics from 10 to 11:30 a.m. ($5 per person workshop fee)

*Meet the Animals from 11:15 a.m. to 12 noon.

*Animal Feeding at 12 noon.

*Golden Gate Model Railroad Club Exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.