Gpn Winter 2005 - 2006

Winter 2006

GLEN PARK NEWS Volume 23, No. 4

Official Newspaper of the Glen Park Association www.glenparkassociation.com

Published Quarterly

Glen Parkʼs Compost Is a Hit With Farmers Americans produce enough waste as a country each year to fill a convoy of garbage trucks long by enough to wrap around Charlotte the Earth six times and Ely then reach halfway to the moon. In 2002, 483 million tons of waste filled these emblematic convoys. Yard trimmings and food residuals made up about a quarter of the load. So whatʼs the problem with throwing out leaves and veggies with Styrofoam and diapers? Well, diverted green waste could reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, promote higher yields of agricultural crops, help facilitate habitat rehabilitation and significantly lessen our landfill-bound loads. Thatʼs why progressive people like San Franciscans are troubled that a material as valuable as green waste is getting thrown out with the trash. So it was with the hope of diverting 75 percent of the cityʼs waste by 2010 (and reaching zero waste by 2020) that the City implemented the “Fantastic Three” curbside recycling program, which introduced the green bin to residents in 1997. Currently about 150,000 San Franciscans and 2,000 businesses compost their green waste. These composting residents and restaurants rescue about 300 tons of food waste a day. Thatʼs 80,000 tons of mostly food scraps diverted each year! Combined with intensified recycling efforts, weʼve now diverted 63 percent of the cityʼs waste from the landfill. However, the 2010 deadline is approaching fast. While a large number of local businesses, which tend to generate large quantities of green waste, are composting, we have a long way to go. More than 5,000 food-related San

Francisco businesses feed our 760,000 residents. We have a lot of people who love to eat a lot of good food. In effect, we produce large quantities of nitrogenrich food waste. In fact, food scraps account for a whopping 19 percent of the cityʼs solid waste. What would happen if all San Franciscans embraced the green bin? Letʼs look at those who already do. The 80,000 tons of mostly food scraps they toss in their green bins are combined with leaves and lawn clippings from Dixon and Vacaville and tons of straw from the University of California at Davis veterinary medicine school. This food-scrap-and-lawn-clippings mixture is important because compost—at least good compost—is a delicate mix of browns and greens. Compost is decaying organic matter: a rich, nutritious soil-like substance comprising both nitrogen-rich and carbonrich materials, decomposed by helpful fungi and bacteria. Food waste from San Francisco and yard waste from Davis and Dixon unite at Norcalʼs Jepson Prairie Organics facility, a massive composting facility outside Vacaville. There, the food/yard waste combination is loaded into 200CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

The Glen Park BART station was the location for a scene from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith. Photo by Michael Waldstein

Hollywood Comes to Glen Park BART riders might have thought theyʼd entered a slight time warp when they caught the train on Sunday, October 16. The ads by Elizabeth on the walls above the Weise tracks were for Betamax & video cameras, the Brooke Bonnee Shields movie The Blue Waldstein Lagoon and cars that havenʼt been produced in the U.S. for more than 20 years. But it was no science fiction event, only the magic of Hollywood. Megastar Will Smith was filming a scene for his upcoming movie The Pursuit of Happyness at our neighborhood station. Smith

Glen Park Association Meeting Notice Tuesday, January 10, 2006 7:30 p.m. St. John’s School, 925 Chenery St. Parking available

All are welcome. Come and meet your neighbors, nibble goodies and get the latest update on the market and library project, the sushi restaurant and more Glen Park happenings. Friends of the Urban Forest will offer a presentation on how neighbors can add and maintain street trees. Staff from the Municipal Transportation Agency will discuss planning underway for “traffic-calming” measures for OʼShaughnessy Boulevard and upper Bosworth Street.

plays a homeless father in San Francisco who goes on to become a wealthy stock broker. The shoot involved legions of production people in addition to the cast. All the actual filming took place underground in the station, which remained open the entire time. Remarkably, people continued to go in and out of the station and hop on trains without even seeming to notice that a movie was being filmed down at the far end of the platform. After taking over the station on a nonrush hour Sunday, the cast and crew were treated to a catered lunch under tents set up in the St. Johnʼs schoolyard. This isnʼt the first time Glen Park has been immortalized on film. Kristin Treiber of the San Francisco Film Commission says at least one episode of the Nash Bridges TV series was filmed at a residence in Glen Park. Playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, now a Berkeley resident, used his former Diamond Street Victorian to film one of his productions. Readers who know of other local film shoots are encouraged to contact the Glen Park News so we can begin keeping track.

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Editorʼs Letter But hearing their reminisces reminds us how much things change and yet how they stay the same. The dry cleaners was once a five-and-dime. Higher Grounds was a café run by a Greek family. In the ʼ70s—back before videos—a house on Chenery was a makeshift movie theater. And few today probably remember when Glen Park had its own stone gates welcoming people to the neighborhood, as some San Francisco neighborhoods still do. But that ing in the neighborhood since the day might yet come again. The City 1940s. Theyʼve linked us up with is considering a plan to put them other Greek families and begun to back as part of the traffic-calming tell stories of what things were like measures for OʼShaughnessy Bouwhen horse-drawn carts rattled down levard and Bosworth Street between the streets and a fish monger went Malta and Elk streets. You can get the door to door selling his wares. Look full scoop at the next Glen Park Assofor their stories next issue, complete ciation meeting (details on page 1). with photos of Sweet Sueʼs back So whatʼs old becomes new when it was a soda fountain. again. And weʼre here to tell you about it. We invite readers to share other stories with us. If not from the ʼ40s, perhaps from last year. Whatʼs The Glen Park News happening in our neighborhood? 2912 Diamond St. #407 What are your memories, thoughts San Francisco, CA 94131 and opinions? And if you have pho(415) 908-6728 tos youʼd like to share, weʼre always [email protected] happy to print them. Please contact us at 908-6728 or [email protected]. Take a moment to look around you next time youʼre in the village. By this time next year, things will be very different. Weʼll have a supermarket by bustling with people, a Elizabeth library spilling light and Weise warmth out onto the street, perhaps a new restaurant across from Tygerʼs and something—no one yet knows what—in the old Dr. Video space. Last issueʼs call for stories about old Glen Park was heeded by one family, the Bagatelos, who have been liv-

Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor Photo Editor Design Editor Copy Editor Advertising

Elizabeth Weise Rachel Gordon Liz Mangelsdorf Mary Mottola Denis Wade Nora Dowley

Reporters

Joanna Pearlstein Miriam Moss Emma Bland Smith Kate Stoia Denis Wade Bonnee Waldstein

Columnists

Photographers

Bill Berry Lori Chaplin Jean Conner Sharon Dezurick Bevan Dufty Dorlan Eargle Tiffany and Paul Farr Carol Maerzke Katey Mulligan Michael Rice Ellen Rosenthal Alex Smith Bonnee Waldstein Michael Waldstein Bill Wilson

Winter 2006

Glen Park Association News Am I the only one who wants that white plastic wrapping on Diamond Street to unfold on December 24, as a big holiday gift to by the neighborhood? At Michael least the apartment winRice dows already look like a real building. The Glen Park Marketplace grocery and library will not, alas, be here this season. At this time of the year, though, think about our great business community in “Downtown” Glen Park. Walk to the Village, drive if you need to and find parking (the parking is there, maybe a half block away. Think of it as much shorter than walking across a parking lot at Stonestown. It is easy to support our local merchants: What other neighborhood in San Francisco has the Cheese Boutique, selling French bread baguettes, fresh several times a day from Destination Bakery. The Cheese Boutique is well-stocked with great cheese, olives, sweets, snacks, pastas and condiments from around world. Go back to Destination for the lemon bars or scones. After youʼre stocked for your parties, look for gifts at Bird & Beckett. The difference between Bird & Beckett and Borderʼs is that Eric has edited the stock to things youʼll want to read or give. San Francisco is rich in indepen-

The mission of the Glen Park Association is to promote the collective interests of all persons living in Glen Park, to inform and educate about neighborhood and citywide issues, to promote sociability and friendships and to support beneficial neighborhood projects.

GPA Board of Directors and Officers for 2005 President

Michael Rice

Vice-President

Jeff Britt

Treasurer Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Membership Secretary Health & Environment Neighborhood Improvement Glen Park News

337-9894 [email protected]

239-4347 [email protected]

Dennis Mullen 239-8337 Kim Watts 902-4767 Tiffany Farr 215-2320 Sharon Dezurick 584-4224 Meredith Miller 908-6728 John Walmsley 452-0277 Elizabeth Weise 908-6728 [email protected] Public Safety Volunteer needed Recreation & Park Richard Craib 648-0862 Traffic, Parking & Transportation Armando Fox [email protected] Zoning & Planning Volunteer needed Program Volunteer needed

dent bookstores and Bird & Beckett is among the liveliest. If you need the perfect frame for your old photograph or that special print, Art for Art next door will do exactly, once matching for me a 15-year-old frame. Then back across Chenery Street to Glen Park Hardware for the tools and hardware to put the pictures up, or fix anything else. Hal and Susan probably have what you need and will tell you how to use it, and theyʼll send you to the right place if they donʼt have it. You can look for the perfect gift at ModernPast—some retro furnishings, or cookware like your mother used to have, which looks impressive now! Across the street we have Paragraph, with great window displays of stylish clothes. How about those “Glen Park” sweatshirts? Donʼt forget the treats for your pet at Critter Fritters. At one point, my household was feeding the dog, the cats, the cockatiel, the guinea pigs and a hermit crab. Well, not all at once. Look for some decent wines at Buddieʼs Market, or even the singlemalt Scotches behind the counter. Then you have to wrap and send some gifts? Glen Park Mail Depot across from BART will take care of you. Buy some bouquets at Glen Park Flowers at the BART plaza, and get off your feet, at Café Bello, Higher Grounds, Pebbles or Tygerʼs, or Red Rock or Glen Park Station for something stronger. After all your shopping and errands are done, you deserve some take-out from Yong De sushi, La Corneta or Hong Sing, or reserve a table at Chenery Park for a celebration. Enjoy your holidays in Glen Park! See you in the New Year at the quarterly GPA meeting on January 10. Michael Rice is the Glen Park Association president.

Glen Park News The Glen Park News is published quarterly by the Glen Park Association. Signed articles are the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Glen Park Association. To advertise in the Glen Park News call 908-6728.

Winter 2006

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U. S. Rep Tom Lantos at the Glen Park BART station.

U. S. Representative Tom Lantos Brings Home the Bacon It was a glorious Indian summer afternoon on October 15. Glen Park residents and local politicos, including Supervisor Bevan by Bonnee Dufty and BART Board Waldstein member Tom Radulovich, gathered at the BART station plaza. On display were pictorial proposals for neighborhood improvements under the Mayorʼs Better Streets Program. The object of the plan is to solve some of the transit and traffic issues that plague our congested downtown area and impact the quality of Glen Park life. Among the plans are to redesign the BART station to better integrate it into the neighborhood, to provide more efficient intermodal transit connections, and to improve pick-up and drop-off points to maximize pedestrian safety. Also addressed is the plaza itself,

which would be made more accessible and an improved public gathering place. In the surrounding village area, the plan calls for designating the northeast corner of Bosworth and Diamond Streets and Kern Alley a “landmark area” entrance to the Glen Park commercial area; enhancing the green space along Bosworth from Diamond Street to Elk; and scaling down the San Jose Avenue corridor. The entire draft plan is available at the Glen Park Library or online at the Cityʼs Planning Department web site. Armando Fox, chair of the Glen Park Association Traffic and Safety Committee, made note of the fact that beginning the funding of improvements just two years after the 2003 plan was quite a coup, and due to the efforts of Supervisor Dufty. When the guest of honor was

introduced, the crowd embraced him with cheers and applause. They were there to thank U.S Representative Tom Lantos for spearheading the allocation of $3.3 million to begin the process of implementing the plan. Lantos was an elegant figure with his platinum hair and dapper navy blue suit. His warmth and humor easily charmed the spectators. Two sentences into his remarks he assured them he was “already halfway finished.” He presented a Certificate of Congressional Appreciation to AnMarie Rodgers, the “planning goddess” who guided the process of development of the Glen Park plan, and another to Supervisor Dufty.

Glen Park News

Glen Park News

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Winter 2006

Notes From District Eight Iʼve always loved Dear Abby. Itʼs no surprise that I enjoy responding to your e-mails, thereby solving by problems, explainSupervisor ing stances on issues Bevan and making our city Dufty more effective and responsive. E-mail is instant democracy. Your messages have alerted me to needed stop signs, graffiti problems and police issues in Glen Park. So I want to highlight and thank you and your neighbors who made me aware of problems and tell you the outcome. David Angel wrote to me about a safety mirror on Chenery at Natick that had been knocked off kilter and awaiting repair for months. A few days after receiving his letter, the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) replaced and reset the mirror. When the mirror got knocked off again in November following an accident, the good folks at the DPT got it up again in no time. Shawn Hallum contacted me late last year earnestly seeking new stop signs on Arlington Street. When DPT turned him down, I picked up the request and pushed it forward at the Board of Supervisors. I worked closely with Shawn until the signs were installed. Now, Shawn, his wife, Tina, and their daughter, Keira, are all crossing much more safely. Bob Micallef contacted me, exasperated with the condition of OʼShaughnessy Boulevard. Mohammed Nuru from the Department of Public Works intervened, and now Bob and his wife have a much cleaner daily stroll down the street. And if you thought speeding cars, graffiti and trash were bad, the neighbors on Chilton Avenue were dealing

with overflowing sewage. Megan OʼKeefe e-mailed me, and with the help of colleagues at the Public Utilities Commission, Department of Public Works and the Department of Public Health, the problem was resolved and cleaned up. In other news, if youʼve been concerned about the increasing graffiti around the ʻhood, you are not alone. On Dec.19, Iʼll be taking a “graffiti tour,ʼʼ where Iʼll be joined by representatives from the neighborhood and City agencies, such as police and public works, to craft get an action plan for regular graffiti removal in Glen Park. Thanks again to David, Shawn, Bob, Megan, Martin and the members of the city family who have helped fix these problems and make Glen Park safer and cleaner. Iʼm always eager to hear from you, so if you have a problem you canʼt seem to solve, e-mail me at [email protected]. Bevan Dufty is Glen Parkʼs representative on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Need a Hand? Lend a Hand? For as long as sheʼs lived in the neighborhood, Karen Bagatelos has chatted with elderly neighbors by walking by her house. Elizabeth Those talks have got Weise her wondering if there are other older folks she doesnʼt know, who might be homebound and in need of assistance now and then. But she doesnʼt know how to reach out to them. Sheʼs wondering if it might be possible to get a neighborhood group of people together who would volunteer to help their neighbors out “in small and big ways.” It might be something as simple as running to the drug store for a prescription, or pruning a rose bush once a year. Or just being someone to call if thereʼs a problem and a neighbor needs help. Or it could be as organized as agreeing to drive someone to the doctor or drop in to visit once a week. “It could be really cool to start something like that in the neighborhood,” says Bagatelos. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Winter 2006

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Glen Park News

Graffiti a Growing Problem When a delivery man asked Chenery Street resident Karen Bagatelos “Did you see the windows?” she didnʼt have any idea that Glen by Parkʼs growing graffiti Bonnee problem had made her its Waldstein latest victim. But when & she went downstairs one Elizabeth fall morning, she was Weise confronted with acidetched graffiti “tags” on her downstairs windows that ended up costing her $3,000 to replace. “Itʼs money you just have to spend for nothing, and whatʼs the guarantee that itʼs not going to happen again?” she says. “But what really aggravated me is they told me that thereʼs really no funding in the city for graffiti or going after these people, so even if they catch them thereʼs nothing they can do.” At the last Glen Park Association meeting, SFPD Officer Mike Walsh told neighbors that lately this particularly egregious form of graffiti has appeared on many homes and businesses. He noted that if a property is graffitiʼd the owners are responsible for the cleanup. Walsh urged residents hit with graffiti to make a police report—itʼs easy to do online at sfgov.org/police. Click the Online Report icon and you will get a report number that you can use for insurance purposes. Also take pictures and e-mail them to Christopher Putz, SFPDʼs graffiti officer, at [email protected] or call 278-9454. Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Captain Paul Chignell of the SFPDʼs Ingleside

Photo by Bonnee Waldstein

Children and their parents at the newly refurbished Walter Haas playground, with what is arguably the best view of any playground in the country. Photo: Ellen Rosenthal

Nine Years Later: A Park with a View Glen Park and Diamond Heights residents cheered the newly opened Walter Haas Playground at a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Joanna in November. Supervisor Pearlstein Bevan Dufty and Robin Lee, president of Friends of Walter Haas Playground, did the honors.

Station, and Officer Putz are aware of the problem. Other resources for the community include: Cleaning Graffiti in the Park: Joe Padilla, Paint Shop Supervisor for Recreation and Parks, is responsible for cleaning graffiti in the parks. Report new graffiti in Glen Canyon Park to Joe at 242-6377, or at Joe_ [email protected]. Graffiti Watch: This volunteer program is supported by the SFPD and the Department of Public Works. It has been most successful at fighting graffiti. It involves a neighborhood watch, active reporting and graffiti clean-up. The Graffiti Watch program, run by DPW, provides training and cleaning materials for volunteers who quickly and regularly remove new graffiti from the neighborhood. This program is run by Merle Goldstone, the DPW public information officer. His office number is 641-2630; e-mail merle.goldstone@ sfdpw.org.

The park welcomed visitors back in late October after eight months of construction. The new design features an off-leash dog run, a redesigned and relocated childrenʼs play area with fantastic views of downtown San Francisco, a ramp connecting the lower and upper sections of the park, and a remodeled basketball court. The project to renovate the park began in 1997, when Lee began investigating how the community could get the decrepit childrenʼs play area upgraded. In the following eight years the project became a $1.4 million reconstruction project that drew funds from the Mayorʼs Office and the Walter and Elise Haas Foundation, among other donors. Now that the project is complete, Lee says, “In my wildest dreams, I never envisioned it could be this glorious.” Back when she was seeking funding for the project, Lee said one potential donor asked why she should fund the project since no one visited the park. “It really is true, if you build it, theyʼll come,” she says. Neighbors say they expect to use the park much more often now. “This is the best thing thatʼs happened in this area,” said park neighbor Jessica Stevenson. “Thanks to the dog run, now we can sit and have a picnic on the grass and not have dogs running up to us, and thereʼs no poop on the grass.” Barbara Casey has lived in the area for 21 years and tracked the parkʼs

construction by taking photographs of its progress every Friday. “Iʼve been taking my dog over to Christopher Playground, and Iʼm so glad weʼre back here,” she said. Steve Calahog monitored the parkʼs rejuvenation as he drove his children (Maeve, 7, and Liam, 9) to school. “We stopped here as soon as we saw it was open,” Calahog said. “Weʼll come here more often; the kids like it.” For her part, daughter Maeve observed that the park “has a lot of grass. My favorite thing is the play wall.” The park is named for Walter Haas, who was president of Levi Strauss & Co. for 27 years and died in 1979. UC Berkeleyʼs school of business is also named for him. Glen Park resident Joanna Pearlstein is an editor at Wired Magazine.

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Winter 2006

Glenridge Fosters Nature Appreciation for Tiny Tots “Imagine that you are three or four years old,” says Mame Campbell Salin as we sit together on pillows in the brightly colored and toy-filled by Glenridge Cooperative Kate Nursery School, hidden Stoia deep within Glen Canyon Park. “You are small. Every day, you walk to school through a towering forest. You walk past a creek that is rushing and full of water in the winter and you help build dams and runoffs to channel the rainwater back into the creek. You are learning to understand the principle of erosion and about the physical properties of water and dirt and wood and rocks, even though you might not know the scientific words yet. Inside the forest, you roll logs to see what lives beneath them and discover a whole world down there—bugs and salamanders and different things growing. “Little by little you get to know the other inhabitants of the forest—from the smallest roly poly bug to the owl watching from a nearby stump. You learn not to pick up a banana slug because the salt from your hands will hurt it. You learn that if you want to find a ladybug, you need to look for aphids, because those are what the ladybugs eat. Our setting in the middle of Glen Park is probably the most important part of attending our school. We are teaching these children to be gentle with our planet.” Mame has been the Glenridge director for eight years, and her love for the park and its environs is topped only by her love and respect for the children who attend the preschool. Although she is clearly a born educator—both of her parents were teachers—she didnʼt immediately follow in their footsteps.

“There was way too much rebel in me,” she explains with a smile. So she spent her early career working in the field of space planning and earning not one but two bachelorsʼ degrees. Mame stopped working when her first child, now 18 years old, was born. His entry into Miraloma Preschool was also her entry into the world of cooperative preschools, in which the parents work alongside the teachers in all aspects of the school, from administration to teaching. Eventually Mame became part of the paid teaching staff at Miraloma and when the position of director at Glenridge was open she saw an opportunity to put her ideas into action. As she points out, “When youʼre the director, youʼre in charge!” Mame knew from the start that she didnʼt want to be the kind of director who wears a suit and sits behind a desk, so she knew Glenridge was going to be the right place for her. Co-ops like Glenridge “involve the whole family, with the idea that school shouldnʼt be that separate from family for very young children.” In her view this setup benefits not only the kids, but also the parents: “I was a parent at Miraloma before I was a teacher and I was able to learn a lot about how to be a better parent by watching how the teachers interacted with the kids. Being a teacher at a coop is the best it can be—not only can I make sure a child has a good day at school, but when I help parents feel more competent, I can make sure that this whole family will have a lot of good days at home too!” Although Glenridge has long been a part of Glen Park (it opened its doors in 1971) many people who visit the park donʼt even know it exists. Itʼs that

Mame Campbell Salin has been director of the Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School in Glen Canyon Park for eight years. Photo by Kate Stoia

building that looks, in Mameʼs words, like a “bunker” at the end of the gravel path, where a couple of bridges cross over Islais Creek. The building is rented from the Recreation and Park Department, which also uses it for Silvertree Camp during the summer. The dull brown exterior of the squat two-story building reveals nothing of the brightly colored young childʼs paradise inside. And the fact that itʼs in a remote location also adds to its charm for the Glenridge families. “We donʼt like people to drive in to school. We encourage all the families to walk in to the park with their kids,” says Mame. “This is another important way in which our families come together. Because the kids know each otherʼs parents from the classroom, there is a very high comfort level and you will often see one or two parents bringing a whole herd of kids down the path.” And, says Mame, that walk is another important part of the kidsʼ education: “Our kids, and our parents too, learn that we share the park with our neighbors who bird watch, who garden and who walk their dogs here and we welcome that interaction. We acknowledge all the time that we are part of a bigger community and that is very important for us.” The bigger community includes, of course, all of San Francisco. Mame and the rest of the Glenridge community take pride in the fact that the school really reflects the whole city—kids of all different ethnicities, family structures, physical ability levels and economic

situations are encouraged to apply and are welcomed at the preschool. Says Mame, “It is very important for children to see their families reflected in the school environment.” To that end, the parents do extra fundraising to support scholarships and recently applied for and received a grant to update the facility to reflect the schoolʼs commitment to all forms of diversity. The grant money went toward everything from new books about all different kinds of families for the bookshelves, to making sure that the plastic food in the “kitchen” play area includes sushi and tacos. In the end, however, any conversation about Mameʼs tenure at Glenridge always comes back to the park itself and its importance to her mission at the preschool: “We have families here who live in apartments with no backyards. Out their front windows, all they see are cars racing by on a busy street. But when they come to school here, they enter a different world with a different pace and rhythm to it. Their walk down that path to preschool can take 20, 30, even 40 minutes; they become so engaged by the natural world all around them!” And, of course, at the end of that path is another great day at Glenridge for Mame, her kids and their families. Kate Stoia is a writer and mother in the neighborhood. She and her family have moved to Israel for a year or so but we look forward to more articles upon her return.

Winter 2006

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Glen Park News

Playgroups and Halloween Picnic Keep Glen Park Parents Busy On October 4 the Glen Park Parents Group welcomed its 200th member, Kristie White and her husband Stephen, parents of Delaney White. Moderator Beth Weise by Emma sent out an e-mail to Bland celebrate the event—and Smith to remind us all that the neighborhood is as buzzing with families as ever. At press time, the tally came in at 220 members. That wonʼt come as a surprise to anyone on the Glen Park Parents Yahoo e-mail group. A good handful of messages pop up in membersʼ inboxes every day (prompting one member to politely ask e-mailers to employ the “reply to all” function with discretion). The Yahoo group has become the go-to place to find anything from a used umbrella stroller to the best takeout (Good Frickinʼ Chicken, in the Mission, according to one poster). Members also use the list to sing the praises of services ranging from a good plumber, a venue to help Katrina victims, and, most frequently of all, quality childcare and preschools. So whatʼs new this quarter? Proactive member Barksdale English, father of Lukas, 10 months, set up two online databases, one for recommended pediatricians and one for babysitters. “The online group is such a wealth of parent-

ing wisdom, with word-of-mouth advice flying around all the time,” explained English. “With the databases, I hope to centralize some of this information in a place we can all access anytime.” Stacy Stevenson, mother of TK, followed his lead and set up a similar database for ObGyns and midwives. English hopes more members will add their picks. Another happy happening has been the continued flourishing of playgroups for all ages. An e-mail sent out to the group in November revealed the existence of three established weekly meetings (members take turns hosting). The Active Baby Group, for tots born from January through June 2004, meets Wednesdays at 4 pm. Children born from July through December 2004 meet Thursdays at 11 am. (These two groups, which have about six core members each, overlap occasionally and have been known to take field trips together to the zoo or the new-and-fabulous Walter Haas Playground.) The January through June baby group, which meets Fridays at 1 pm, has swelled to 15 families since its conception with only four last spring. A group for July through December 2005 babies has sadly fizzled, due to most of the moms returning to work, but at least one former member expressed hope for its revival. A weekend play-

Jan-June 2005 playgroup members at the Halloween picnic. Ava Johnson (the kitty), Miles Boushey (the bumblebee), Geoff Boushey (the grown-up), Everett Smith (Charlie Brown). (Geoff is holding Everett.) Photo by Alex Smith

group for working parents and a Spanish-speaking playgroup are two other just-getting-started ideas. One of the most exciting events of the season was the Halloween picnic. Organized by Kristin Byrd, mother of Zachary, six months, the get-together took place on Sunday, October 30 on the tables and grass at the Glen Park Rec Center. Attendees estimated the number of families enjoying the party at more than 40. Guests spread out blankets, let the costumed kids romp, and helped themselves to a groaning buffet table featuring turkey, salads, cupcakes and more. “The picnic exceeded my expec-

tations,” said Byrd, who reserved the tables and provided tablecloths, plates, flatware, cups and juice. “We had such a great turnout, the food and weather were great, and we had so many babies in cute costumes! I also enjoyed putting faces to names I had seen on the e-mail list.” New parents are always welcome. To join, e-mail [email protected] or go to groups.yahoo.com/group/ glenparkparents. Emma Bland Smith is a freelance writer in Glen Park. Her son Everett, 10 months, goes to the Friday playgroup.

COMPOSTING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Higher Grounds owner Manhal Jweinat cooks up a storm, and recycles the restaurantʼs waste. City-wide composting keeps 300 tons of food waste a day out of landfill. Photo by Michael Waldstein

foot-long bags that are aerated for 30–60 days by timed blowers and perforated pipes at temperatures that reach 140 degrees centigrade. After the compost leaves the bags, it is turned for an additional 30 days and then sold. Norcalʼs final rich compost product, Four Course, was approved for use on organic soils by in 2001. It has consistently scored high in nutrient-grade compost, or composts that have sufficient combined nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Californiaʼs farmers love it. As of February 2005, more than 30 vineyards in Northern California were using Four Course compost. San Francisco restaurants like the idea of Four Course too. Big tourist destinations, like Scomaʼs seafood restaurant, save roughly $10,000 a year by composting. Our restaurants like more

than just the fact that Norcal charges 25 percent less to take away meal remains and kitchen trimmings for composting than it does for garbage. For many of the restaurants and business participating in San Franciscoʼs composting program, composting is more than saving money; itʼs saving the planet. So, given this morally and financially beneficial path to sustainability, why arenʼt all San Francisco restaurants composting? One reason might be that like all of us at times, they needed a couple of pushes to start. Jack Macy, organics recycling coordinator for the City and County of San Francisco, said Norcal and its subsidiaries went around to most local restaurants once, and only once, to tell them about the green composting bins. If the proprietor didnʼt CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Glen Park News

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Glen Park Association: Notes From the Fall Meeting

mative features. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for the web site, contact webmaster@glenparkasso ciation.org.

GPA is Online Everything you would want to know about the Glen Park Association, its activities, and how you can get involved in the by Bonnee problem-solving proWaldstein cess in our community is now just a mouse click or two away. At the October GPA meeting, Armando Fox, chairman of the parking and transportation committee and webmaster, unveiled our new web site, www.glenparkassociation.org. It is anticipated that residents will now have an easy means of keeping informed of progress on issues that affect Glen Park, as well as tools to communicate with each other and responsible officials. An exciting feature is the posting of the Glen Park News itself online, beginning with the current and previous issues. Although widely distributed throughout the neighborhood by volunteers, the newspaper online will be a readily accessible resource and a way to extend the reach of the paper outside the neighborhood. On the home page of the web site you will find a news link that will tell

Trust Keeps City Beautiful Ever wonder where the money comes from for some of the ambitious beautification projects in the city? Kearstin Krehbiel, program manager for the San Francisco Parks Trust, provided some answers. Since 1971, the San Francisco Parks Trust (formerly Friends of Park and Rec) has funded capital projects that restore and beautify the parks, as well as providing volunteer support, management oversight, fiscal and fundraising services. The most notable recent project was renovation of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The Trust is currently researching the possibility of renovating the Japanese Tea Garden. Through its Park Partners program, the Trust has helped 50 neighborhood groups who apply for funds dedicated for certain purposes, such as Music in the Parks, Summer Youth Games and Green Schoolyard Alliance. The Parks Trust (sfparkstrust.org) is determined that donations made by private citizens will be spent wisely on specific projects, Krehbiel said.

you the time and agenda for the next GPA meeting as well as a recap of the discussion at the previous meeting. Currently there is a detailed summary of the discussion of traffic and parking issues that occurred at the October meeting. There are links to the graffiti hotline, local merchant news (such as Bird and Beckett coming events), City Car Share at the BART station, and numerous community resources. To further communication among Glen Park residents, many of whom are online frequently throughout the day, we now have two Yahoo discussion groups, both of which are also linked to the GPA web site. The glenparkdiscussion Yahoo group is open to GPA members and provides an informal forum for trading tips, ideas and concerns. In the future, other features will be activated such as polling issues and proposals through the group. The glenparkassociation Yahoo group is open to all Glen Park residents who want to stay informed of Association news by mail. Right now the activated feature is the message board. A few minutes of surfing this site will familiarize you with its many infor-

San Francisco Services Abandoned Cars Building Inspection Info Bus Shelters (repair/clean) District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty Garbage (oversized item pickup) Graffiti Hotline Mobile Assistant Patrol (MAP) (Homeless Outreach/Transportation) Mobile Crisis Team (Mental Health) Muni Information Muni Complaint/Compliment Parking Enforcement Police (non emergency) Potholes Rent Stabilization Board Street Construction Complaints Street Lighting Tree Problems Towed Cars Mayorʼs Office of Neighborhood Services

553-9817 558-6088 882-4949 554-6968 330-1300 28-CLEAN 431-7400 255-3610 673-6864 923-6164 553-1200 553-0123 695-2100 252-4600 554-7222 554-0730 695-2165 553-1235

www.sfgov.org/mons

Overview of Crime in Glen Park SFPD Officer and 22-year Glen Park resident Mike Walsh provided some statistics about crime in our neighborhood. In the 90 days preceding the Oct. 11 GPA meeting 62 crimes were reported, including 18 cases of larceny and theft, 14 vehicle thefts and 11 acts of vandalism/graffiti. That compares with Noe Valleyʼs total of 212 and Bernal Heightsʼ 277. SAFE: Organizing for Protection Pamela Matsuda, program director of the cityʼs SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) Program, described how her agency helps neighborhoods organize themselves into watch programs to prevent crime. Police canʼt be everywhere and they depend on the community to identify and report suspicious activity. Usually the group includes both sides of one block or adjacent blocks. Six groups are starting in the Diamond Heights area. The process begins with calling SF SAFE at 673-SAFE. A crime prevention specialist will be assigned to shepherd your group through the organizing process, providing brochures and invitations and facilitating the initial group planning sessions and the development of crime-prevention strategies tailored to your area. The group must be ongoing and meet at least four times a year. Meeting that requirement

Winter 2006

enables you to obtain the neighborhood watch signs to post in your area. Another valuable service provided by SAFE is an individualized security assessment that makes low-cost recommendations for better security in your home. For full information about these and other programs offered by SF SAFE, log on to www.sfsafe.org. Bonnee Waldstein has lived with her family in Glen Park for over 20 years.

New Glen Park Mural Is Finished The latest project of the Glen Park Advisory Board has been to produce a mural on the wall of the Recreation Center, facing the baseby ball diamond. It depicts Miriam the Canyon by including Moss many of the flowers and animals that flourish in the park. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the painting over the two months it took to complete. Thanks to Rec and Park for their help and cooperation. We are looking for a carpenter to work on the tree seats, for which we have some grant money. Bureaucratic delays have kept us from getting this done and we have lost two carpenters in the process. It is sad but true that there is no money for Glen Park to do capital improvements. That means no new playground or recreation center for many years to come. The current building has a leaking roof, is noncompliant in every way possible and the bathrooms are atrocious. It is near to impossible to get Rec and Park the to do even the smallest improvement. The City is thinking of asking for a bond measure for parks like ours but wonʼt put it on the ballot until 2007 or 2008. In the meantime the Glen Park Advisory Board will continue to try to improve our site. If you have any suggestions you can contact me at [email protected]. Dates of our next meeting and park clean-up are listed in the Community Calendar on page 16. Miriam Moss is the president of the Glen Park Advisory Board.

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The Roar of the Traffic, the Smell of the Exhaust Who hasnʼt awakened about dawn to the roar of Interstate 280? Or, who hasnʼt awakened about dawn on other days only to by look southward toward Dolan shadowy vehicles in the Eargle fog—seeing only shapes floating in a soundless puppet show? Glen Park, especially the Diamond Street valley, is susceptible to echo. Everything is fog in the wind. The clue is the wind. I-280 awakens about 5:30 a.m. and begins to roar with the inbound seekers of the great upsand-downs of the stock market which opens in NYC at their 9 a.m. Along with them are the thousands of persons who support the FD—the cleaners, the office support staff, the store clerks, the nurses and doctors and everyone on a 6 a.m. shift. Then about 15 minutes later, the roar subsides. Then the 9 a.m. rush starts about 8. Well, it does subside a little during the day… It isnʼt only I-280. Muniʼs streetcars begin their exodus from the Geneva barn a little after 5, and the parade continues until the ends of the lines are poised ready for the inbound morning rush. Have you noticed that the overpass across Bosworth Street has a remarkable ability to reverberate? From a long distance you can always tell when a train passes. Day and night, night and day. Well, a heavy fog does muffle all the sound a lot. If it is summer and the fog is rolling, or if we are getting a rainy season souʼwester, then the combined rush echoes up the Diamond Street valley, not to mention around the whole area from Congo to Fairmount. What to do? It is amazing to me that very few vehicles stand out in the noise. I mean, like a motorcycle with its muffler cut out, or a particularly laborious truck. Rather, the prevailing sound is a lot like that continuous sound called “white noise.” White noise is canned on CDs and actually sold to soothe nerves that are especially disturbed by silence. We are talking surf or an oscillating electric fan (which pulsate), like Yosemite Falls (continuous), like certain pieces of repetitive music (no comment), like the clack of rails (the old-style non-welded ones), or the sound of wind in the forest. Aha! That brings me back to the freeway. Our local winds are not continuous. They blow in great gusts, then let up, and you can hear them roar down the

Alemany Fog Gap—first from that tight clutch of eucalyptus high above Glen Park in Dorothy Erskine Park, then as they eddy and whirl, through the tall pines and eucs above Chenery, then into the Monterey pines and eucs and assorted trees above Sussex and Laidley and Randall and then around the hill. Watch the fog replicate the chaos in its whorls... So not all of what you hear roaring is traffic on I-280, but also the wind. You can see it. Comes a gust, the Erskine trees bend and tremble, then the tallest of the Islais Creek valley trees rattle, then the gust divides into eddies, some of which whirl up Diamond, some down Chenery. Each clutch of trees sends its own roar to echo. Wait till we get a north breeze. Look down the Diamond Street valley. About the only thing you hear is either a bravely struggling bus or the clank and clunk of construction. No roar. (The vehicle exhausts follow the wind, but thank Thor, they are so highly dissipated we donʼt really get to smell them.) So what to do when you hear I-280? Think Yosemite Falls and wind in the Sierra. Think of a distant train passing Van Gogh in the south of France. Go back to sleep. Footnote: The Diamond valley dayand-nightingale mockingbird seems to have finally lost his fervor. His songs lasted 4-1/2 months; he is still flitting about. Some neighbors kind of miss his erstwhile calls.

Dolan Eargle is a student of wind and weather.

Glen Park News

Glen Park News

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Winter 2006

Check It Out at the Library! After the successful promotion of Gus Leeʼs China Boy, the library is promoting a book each month through a program called “On by the Same Page: San Sharon Francisco Reads.ʼʼ The Dezurick goal of the program is to encourage reading and to spark a citywide discussion on the monthly pick. The San Francisco Public Library will host events related to the books during the month each is highlighted. Novemberʼs book was Ishi in Two Worlds by Theodora Kroeber. Decemberʼs is Kate Chopinʼs The Awakening and Selected Stories. Januaryʼs book is Jack Kerouacʼs On the Road. The Main Library and each neighborhood branch will be receiving a stack of paperback copies of the monthly selections to help meet the demand. Thereʼs been some added excitement at the Glen Park branch. On Nov. 13, artists involved in a fundraising project for our new building now under construction on Diamond Street installed their works in the present branch on Chenery Street, and local authors Milton Muriyama, Jerry Rosen, Richard Stookey and Nellie Wong read from their works. We even tested the Sunday paramedic response when a member of the audience fainted. He had come to by the time the pros arrived and got a clean bill of health when they checked him out. The donated artwork will be sold through a silent auction, which continues through the end of December. Come see it and bid early, bid often, bid high—remember, all money raised will help buy furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new branch. Artists who graciously made donations include Anna Asebedo, Svetlana Buchli, Almut Busch, Peter Fairfield, Ruth Lasky, Avelina Leanos, Jane Lidz, Alberta Mischke, Roberto Montoya, Jonathan Runcio, Henry Sultan and Jennifer Badger Sultan. The next fund-raising event is a showing of Allie Light and Irving Sarafʼs Academy-award-winning documentary In the Shadow of the Stars,ʼ

which is about the San Francisco Opera chorus. The event will be held Friday, Feb. 10, at the Lick-Wilmerding High School Theater. There will also be a raffle. Mark your calendar and meet your neighbors. Thoughts are turning more and more to the new Glen Park Branch. The construction phase is proceeding and, through Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, weʼre also getting ready to order furniture. But since we will be in our little branch for another year, please help us by having your library card out before you approach the desk to check out. For those of you who find reserves to be such a wonderful service, please donʼt go wild on the computer and reserve more than you can possibly read or watch. Reserves are a great service, and they are labor intensive. Glen Parkʼs staff has not increased commensurately with the workload, so help out by reserving what you truly need or want, but no more. Glen Park Branch 653 Chenery Street San Francisco, CA 94131 (415) 337-4740 Hours Tuesday 10 – 6 Wednesday12 – 8 Thursday 1 – 7 Friday 1 – 6 Saturday 1 – 6

Sharon Dezurick is the Glen Park Branch librarian.

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Glen Park News

On Patrol in Glen Park

San Francisco Banana Slug: a useful native.

Photo

In Glen Canyon Park From mid-September to mid-November I was away from the Friends of Glen Canyon Park events while recovering from by a knee replacement. Jean Conner On Sunday, Nov. 13 I got a ride into the park for our Bird Walk and Pancake Breakfast. It was a lovely fall day and I enjoyed seeing friends and neighbors out on this sunny day in the park. A couple of good rains had washed the dust off the willows and the Canyon was looking fresh and green again. The leader of the Friendsʼ October geology walk, Neil Fahy, was one of the people who came for the Bird Walk and Pancake Breakfast. Neil travels widely and has been studying mollusks for some time. He collects snails and land slugs for the California Academy of Sciences on his trips. His walk with the birders was cut short when he found an injured banana slug and realized it was a species that was new to him. When Richard Craib pointed out three more slugs near the Silver Tree building Neil went home to get his camera to record them. We learned that the banana slugs in Glen Canyon Park are endemic to San Francisco. That is, this particular sub-specie, Ariolimax californicus brachyphallus, is found only in San Francisco and is now found mostly in natural areas such as the Canyon, Mt. Davidson and Twin Peaks. Other species of banana slugs can be found in coastal forest ranging from San Diego to Alaska. Because some of them have the yellow color and the long shape of a banana they have an obvious name: banana slugs. Some are even the size

of a small banana. The adult San Francisco banana slug may grow to be five inches long, half the size of some of the ten-inch giants found elsewhere in California. It varies in color from dull gold to tan to olive green. The banana slug eats dead and decaying plant material. That is why we no longer find it in our gardens. We keep our gardens so clean that the banana slug has nothing to eat. The villains eating your living garden plants are the non-native slugs as well as the European garden snail. The small nonnative slug is usually overlooked. I find them under my flowerpots. They are gray and vary from 1/8 inch to perhaps 1/2 inch in length. The body of the banana slug is covered with a clear slime that keeps it from drying out, serves as protection from predators and aids in movement. The slime makes it possible to glide over a rough surface as well as climb up a vertical windowpane. Near the head of the banana slug is a tough oval covering that protects its vital organs and head. The head has a mouth and two pairs of tentacles. The longer upper pair of tentacles, each tipped with an eye, can be moved and extended separately so that the slug can see in two directions at once. The two lower tentacles are located just above the mouth. They are shorter and are used for smelling and feeling. If you find a banana slug in your garden count yourself lucky to have this native animal. It is helping improve your soil by recycling nutrients from dead and dying plants. The rainy winter months are the time to plant native plants. Planting early in

Late in the evening on Oct. 29, the peacefulness that characterizes Glen Park was momentarily shattered by the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire that by plagues many of our SFPD neighborhoods in San Officer Michael Francisco. Residents were reminded of the Walsh realities of urban life when two teenagers were shot and wounded while in their vehicle near the intersection of Monterey Boulevard and Circular Avenue. My partner, Officer Jenny Marino, and I assisted Inspector John Harold in the investigation of this incident because both victims were students in high schools to which we administer as the Ingleside Police District school patrol officers. The victims had attended a party at the home of one of their classmates in Glen Park and had left the party in search of late-night fast food. Because the investigation is ongoing, I only can report can that this appears to be an isolated, random incident and not a precursor to further “turf”—or neighborhoodbased—gang conflicts. If you have any information regarding the incident you think might be useful, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] and I will forward your information to the inspector assigned to the case. In another matter of interest to the neighborhood, many people have expressed their concerns to me about what they believe to be the increase in graffiti in Glen Park. Graffiti is vandalism, plain and simple, and is a serious property crime, which most often goes unreported. Nevertheless, people I speak to are reluctant to make a police report because of the wait time for an officer to respond to this maddening, but usually non-violent, crime. However, it is important that if you are the victim of graffiti vandalism you make a report. The Police Department funds those areas of need that are most prevalent and quantifiable. If crimes the rainy season gives the plants a good start and they will most likely survive the summer season. Be sure to come out on the Friendsʼ monthly work parties in December and January, listed in the Community Calendar, to help plant. The Friends will also be repairing some of the fencing in the Canyon, and we are looking at purchasing material that will blend in with our rustic fences.

are not reported, resources will not be dedicated. You can now make an online police report for any non-violent property crime for which you have no suspect information. Go to www.sfgov.org/site/police and click “Reports” and the program will walk you through the process. I spoke to Officer Christopher Putz, who is the departmentʼs graffitiabatement officer. He is an expert in deciphering the “tags” these vandals use and has made a number of high-profile arrests by compiling case files of photographs taken by vandalism victims. Officer Putz advises that the sooner you can wash off or paint over the vandalism the better. He informs that these vandals brag to each other via cell phones and text messaging, alerting their cohorts to the places they have tagged so that others may add to the damage. Officer Putz asks that you take a digital photo, if possible, prior to cleaning and e-mail it to [email protected]. You also can mail non-digital photos to his attention at Mission Police Station, 630 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110. He can use these photos in any ongoing investigations as well as evidence of recidivism for those currently on probation for vandalism. Feel free to e-mail me on these or any other issues youʼd like me to address in future columns. Till next time, stay safe and make those reports. SFPD Officer Mike Walsh, a Glen Park resident, is assigned to the Ingleside Police District. He can be contacted by email at [email protected].

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Winter 2006

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This is the sixth installment of our memoirs in the Glen Park News. We owned Tiffanyʼs Wines & Spirits at 678 Chenery St. from 1976–1997, 21 years. by Our customers and Tiffany and Paul passersby must have thought we spent our Farr days laughing and tasting wine with wine reps. Indeed, we spent many an hour developing our palate as well as finding great wines to purchase for our customersʼ pleasure. But we also had our headaches. First, letʼs focus on the good. In August we spent time in San Luis Obispo, where we rekindled our friendship with Clay Thompson, the owner of Claiborne & Churchill Winery located in the Edna Valley. Twenty five years ago, Clay paid a visit to our store to give us tastes of his delicate dry Muscat, dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Sadly, these wines are underrepresented in the marketplace because of lower public demand. They are delicious with Asian and Asian-fusion food—anything with spice. The Edna Valley is known for growing fine chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. Claiborne & Churchill make these wines exceptionally well. The winery building is constructed of straw bales, which keeps interior temperatures low. Visit Claiborne & Churchill at 2649 Carpenter Canyon Rd. (Highway 227), San Luis Obispo, CA, www.claibornec hurchill.com. And while we enjoyed getting to meet people like Clay, and sharing our love of wine with our customers, running a business wasnʼt always fun. For years, for example, we were plagued by a group of teens and preteens that hung out in front of Buddies Market at the corner of Diamond and Chenery streets. They brought their boom boxes and skateboards with them, and turned off many of our customers who opted to stay away from our shop because of the threatening scene outside. When we complained, the kids would laugh and say they were protecting us. Tiffany went to the monthly Ingleside police community relations meetings. She would talk to the captain in charge about the nuisance caused by the people loitering on the corner. The captain would send officers to cruise by, but the problems persisted. Late one afternoon Tiffany received a call from our employee, Pat. She said a man had walked in and stolen a twogallon bottle of Chivas Regal scotch

and the corner kids were chasing him on their skateboards. Tiffany arrived at the store to be told that an accomplice had the bottle on a Muni bus parked in front of BART. Tiffany asked the driver if she could look for something, and boarded the bus. In the last seat was a boy about 12 with the bottle tucked under his seat. She reached down and with no resistance, grabbed the bottle. She returned to the store with the bottle cradled in her arms. The corner kids, meanwhile, had captured the thief. They had him surrounded inside the store. The police arrived. One officer took Tiffany to the back room. He said, “Lady, what do you want us to do, you have your bottle back.” She said that she wanted him arrested for stealing. The officers read the suspect his rights, handcuffed him and put him in the patrol car. We never heard anything further. The downfall of the loiterers finally came after several of the older boys made rude remarks to two gay men who lived on Chenery Street. One afternoon they followed the men to their house, throwing rocks and shouting slurs. It just so happened that these men were sheriffʼs deputies, and the police finally took action after the Chronicle wrote an article about homophobia in Glen Park. During our time on Chenery Street, we saw the good, and the bad. We are often asked if we miss owning our business. In a word: No.

Questions or comments? E-mail Tiffany at [email protected].

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Glen Park News

Digging the Dirt: News from the Garden Club In winter, we are in the time of endings and beginnings. Out with the old and in with the new applies to our gardens. All of the annuals lovingly planted in the spring have been cleared away. Some of them have left seeds behind as a wonderful surprise for next year. The deciduby ous bushes and trees Carol have lost all their leaves Maerzke after a brilliant showing of color in the fall and are resting through the winter months, displaying their graceful branches and trunks. Plants that are overgrown have been trimmed back and dead materials have been cleared away. Every living thing seems to be waiting in expectation for the holiday season. While we are all waiting it is time to mulch, protect delicate plants from the frosty nights and mull over seed catalogs. This holiday season there are many plants beside the traditional poinsettia to decorate our homes. For a change, try freesia, cyclamen, azaleas, orchids and narcissus. These also make great gifts. After the season is past and the blooms have faded many can be planted outside in the garden. Roses will need pruning in January or

February because the blooms will appear on the new growth. Applying a dormant spray will keep away insects that attack roses. This is the time to buy and plant bare-root roses also. My mother says that digging banana peels into the soil around roses makes them healthy and beautiful. Iʼve taken a lot of teasing over this advice but it seems to work. Some trees need to be trimmed now and others need to wait for spring. An arborist will be able to give the best advice on this matter. I was recently able to save a pine in my backyard with the help of an excellent arborist who was referred by a member of the Glen Park Garden Club. As the New Year approaches, it is time to plant pansies, violas, calendula, primrose, cineraria, cyclamen, azaleas and camellias. It is also the last chance to plant bulbs for spring blooming. Soon there will be new beginnings of life with bulbs and plants beginning to show their green sprouts in the earth with the help of the rain. All of us gardeners can then get a head start on pulling the weeds that seem to also appear like magic. Carol Maerzke is a member of the Glen Park Garden Club.

Glen Parkʼs Own Katrina Benefit: Bird & Beckettʼs Eric Whittington loves jazz, and he loves jazz musicians. So when he heard that New Orleansʼ Jazz Vipers band had been stranded on the West Coast after Hurricane Katrina, he offered them a gig in his store. Then he printed up some posters and some T-shirts and some book bags and got some friends to make gumbo and beans and rice, and before you know it Sept. 21 became a genuine hurricane relief event. The event raised over $2,650 for the band. Photo by Ellen Rosenthal

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Glen Park News

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COMPOSTING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

get the message, that business missed out on the green bin opportunity. And when businesses close, change ownership or change policy, the likelihood of composting at that location is apparently fairly low. A few business owners and managers in Glen Park gave some more creative reasons. One Glen Park restaurant said they didnʼt want to compost. One of the servers explained that they already paid the garbage company to sort through the trash and he was not going to waste his time doing something dirty like separating the trash--the garbage men should do it. Fortunately, several of the restaurants in Glen Park already compost. Both our bakeries, Hong Sing Chinese restaurant, Higher Grounds, Chenery Park and Tygerʼs have been composting ever since the green bins were delivered. But other Glen Park food establishments donʼt. Since the average restaurant may produce about 50 pounds of food waste a day, these non-composting Glen Park businesses could be throwing away as much as 100,000 pounds of compostable material every year. Those garbage-filled convoys that wrap around the earth six times and then reach half way to the moon keep on filling. If you think your favorite Glen Park restaurant might not be composting, ask them if they are and, if theyʼre not, why not? In terms of wildlife and outdoor spaces, transportation, the number of trees on our streets, our politics, etc., Glen Park is already one of the “greenest” neighborhoods in San Francisco. By getting more local restaurants to compost, we can make Glen Park a little greener. Charlotte Ely grew up in Glen Park. Now a student at San Francisco State University, she wrote a version of this article as a paper for a class called The Geography of Garbage. This winter sheʼs working on getting State to compost.

LEND A HAND

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

If you have ideas about how a program like this might be put together, know of neighbors who could use a little help, or would like to get involved, please get in touch with Karen via the newspaper at 908-6728 or news@glenparkassoci ation.org.

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Winter 2006

Winter 2006

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Real Estate in Glen Park Historically, as we reach the end of the year, the real estate market slows, as seen by by fewer sales reported since Bill our last issue. However, Berry Glen Park real estate remains a healthy and competitive market; most of the transactions listed

below sold well over asking price. Bill Berry is a Realtor with Paragon Real Estate Group. For any of your real estate needs, you can reach him at 738-7022, or at [email protected] for a free comparative marketing analsis of your home.

Single Family Homes Date 08/31 09/01 09/15 09/15 10/14 10/18 10/21 10/21 10/26 10/27 10/31 11/01 11/04 11/10 11/18

Address 1720 Sanchez St. 79 Bemis St. 117 Moffitt St. 130 Arlington St. 2555 Diamond St. 64 Surrey St. 40 Mateo St. 57 Sussex St. 176 Randall St. 550 Laidley St. 739 Congo St. 48 Whitney St. 157 Randall St. 221 Mateo St. 49 Everson St.

List Price $1,195,000 $939,000 $849,000 $769,000 $699,000 $735,000 $849,000 $899,000 $939,000 $599,000 $779,000 $989,000 $1,345,000 $769,000 $1,450,000

Sold Price $1,300,000 $1,205,000 $820,000 $820,000 $775,000 $750,000 $960,000 $1,005,000 $1,275,000 $730,000 $825,000 $1,105,000 $1,450,000 $808,000 $1,500,000

Address 292 Arlington St. 2921⁄2 Arlington St. 130 Arlington St. 131 Randall St. 409 Miguel St. 407 Miguel St. 407A Miguel St. 409A Miguel St.

List Price $649,000 $499,000 $769,000 $1,150,000 $299,000 $229,000 $309,000 $499,000

Sold Price $649,000 $499,000 $820,000 $1,350,000 $310,000 $330,000 $340,000 $510,000

Condos / TICs Date 09/09 09/09 09/15 10/20 10/25 10/25 10/25 10/25

2- 4 Unit Buildings Date 09/15

Address List Price 727-733 Chenery St. $998,000

Sold Price $1,175,000

Glen Park News

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Glen Park News

Page 16

Winter 2006

Community Calendar Glen Park Association

Quarterly meetings are held on the second Tuesday in January, April, July and October at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome, members and non-members alike. Next meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006, 7:30 p.m., St. Johnʼs School, 925

Chenery St. Parking is available in the schoolʼs fenced lot. Agenda includes a presentation on street trees by Friends of the Urban Forest, plus City officials discussing traffic planning for OʼShaughnessy Boulevard and Bosworth Street between Elk and Malta streets.

Glen Park Advisory Board

The Advisory Board works hand in hand with the Recreation and Park Department to make our park the best in the city. If you care about whatʼs happening in Glen Canyon Park, you should attend their meetings and join in the dialog with other interested neighbors. Those who canʼt make the meetings can send concerns or suggestions to, or request information from, Miriam Moss at [email protected]. Next Community Meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Rec Center auditorium. We will be planning our next annual Family Fun Fest and anything else that needs addressing with regard to programming and maintenance. Next Park Clean-up: Saturday Feb. 4, 9 a.m.–noon, rain or shine. Come to help or just to say hello and get acquainted.

Friends of Glen Canyon Park

Meetings and Plant Restoration Work Parties: Third Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.–noon. Next dates: Jan. 21, Feb. 18 and Mar. 18. Meet behind the Recreation Center. Tools, gloves and instruction are provided. Weekly Work Parties: Every Wednesday, 9 a.m.–noon. For the current weekʼs meeting place contact Richard Craib, 648-0862. To join Friends, or for more information about their activities, contact Jean Conner at 584-8576 or Richard Craib at 648-0862.

Glen Park Branch Library

Silent Auction Benefit: Saturday Dec. 31 is the last day to bid on unique artwork at the Chenery Street branch. Get a treasure and help furnish our new library. Movie Benefit: Friday Feb. 10, 7

p.m., Lick Wilmerding auditorium, 755 Ocean Ave. See story on this page. Tuesday Story Time: Weekly, at 10:30 a.m. Donʼt be late for this increasingly popular childrenʼs program presented by our neighborhood librarians.

SFPD Community Forums

Third Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m.: All residents are encouraged to participate in the monthly Community Relations Forum at SFPDʼs Ingleside Police Station, hosted by Captain Paul Chignell. There are refreshments, guest speakers, and the opportunity to ask questions and air your concerns. Drop in and get acquainted with some of the dedicated people whose job is keeping our neighborhood safe. The main station number is 404-4000, or e-mail Captain Chignell at [email protected]. Next dates: Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21.

Light Yoga Classes

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15–7: 15 p.m. (except second Tuesday of each month). Light Yoga classes at the Glen Park Recreation Center are an easy way to begin or continue the study of the Iyengar method of Hatha Yoga. Christine Trost teaches the basic poses, and modifies postures to suit your own physical requirements. This is a free community service (some leave gratuities for the teacher). Wear comfortable pants and top. Bring a Yoga mat or large towel. For more information call Christine at 846-8481 or e-mail her at [email protected].

Bird & Beckett

Bird & Beckett Books & Records, 2788 Diamond St., presents a full calendar of regularly scheduled and special literary and musical events in the heart of Glen Park. All events are free, but donations are encouraged. Remember to buy a book, record, greeting card, T-shirt or membership when you attend these events. Everybodyʼs support is essential to help keep our neighborhood treasure open. Book club meetings and jazz sessions are listed at www.birdbeckett.com, or call 586-3733 for more information. Coming Events: Every Friday, 5:30 p.m.: Jazz in the Bookshop is set to begin its fifth year. These Friday sessions are meant to end at 8 p.m., but this popular neighborhood party is sometimes difficult to bring to a close. Bring a friend, a bottle of wine or

whatever, and be sure to help us pay the musicians! Thatʼs how we keep doing this thing! Longtime leader Chuck Peterson and sidekick Bill Perkins plan to take a break now and then. Look for the Henry Irvin Trio (featuring Bishop Norman Williams and Jimmy Ryan) with vocalist Dorothy Lefkovits to play the fourth Friday of every month in 2006. Other Fridays, enjoy quartets led by bassist Don Prell, drummer Jimmy Ryan or trombonist Rick Elmore. Join us Friday, Dec. 30 for a special session to jazz out the year! First Sunday, 4:30 p.m.: Sunday Jazz: Henry Irvin, with the Bishop, Jimmy and Dorothy will begin this new gig in addition to their fourth-Friday sessions. Next date: Feb. 5, monthly thereafter. First and third Mondays, 7:30 p.m.: Open mic poetry series plus featured poets. Second Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: The Eminent Authors Birthday Reading features an open reading from the works of favorite authors whose birthdays fall during the month. Bring a bit to share

with the group. First Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Bird & Beckett Book Club discusses a book every month. All are welcome. The book for Jan. 4 is Danteʼs Inferno. January participants will choose the February selection. Second Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Political Book Discussion Group. Call the store for title of the book to be discussed on Jan. 12. Tuesday, Dec. 20, 5-7 p.m., 455 Market St.: Free holiday Gallery Exhibition of record jackets from Christmas lps, most supplied by Bird & Beckett, curated from her new home on Kauai by former Surrey Street resident Bonnie Earls-Solari. Gems include an album of carols narrated by Basil Rathbone, one depicting an astonishingly cheery quartet of monks dragging their fir tree trimmings and axe back to the cloister, goofy stuff featuring Barbra Streisand and Jim Nabors (thereʼs a pair!). Best part is, you donʼt have to listen to the records - just gaze and giggle at the jackets, drink free wine and hobnob while a jazz duo plays.

See the Stars, Help the Library On Friday, Feb. 10 Glen Park residents will have the rare opportunity to meet our neighborhoodʼs very own Academy Award-winning filmmakers Irving Saraf and Allie Light for a screening and discussion of their documentary about the San Francisco Opera Chorus, In the Shadow of the Stars. Guests will view their Oscar and hear from the filmmakers, stars of the movie and special opera guests. A sumptuous dessert and champagne reception will follow the film. A raffle will include an “Opera Night on the Town” as grand prize, with opera tickets, dinner and hotel. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lick-Wilmerding High School Auditorium, 755 Ocean Ave. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door. Students and seniors (in advance only): $20. For ticket information call 626-7512, ext. 103. All proceeds will benefit the Glen Park Branch Library Campaign.