Soma and Union Square streets close to prepare for Central Subway Line

View of above ground excavations down 4th Street.

By: Amabelle Ocampo

Construction workers prepare the ground for tunneling of the Muni Central Subway line.  Soma and Union Square face street closures until April 8 according to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Closure information will be updated weekly for the seven year project.

The Muni Central Subway line will ease travel to and from Union Square according to a press release.

The Union Square Market Street Station will connect directly to the existing Powell Street Station through an underground, concourse-to-concourse walkway. This efficient link will provide customers quick, easy access to BART and the other Muni Metro lines and improve connections to other Bay Area public transit systems.

The $1.6 billion project will be funded using a variety of federal, state, and local sources, including $942.2 million from the federal New Starts program.  Of the total New Starts investment, $177.4 million has already been awarded to the Central Subway Project.

$210 million is estimated for the Union Square Market Street Station portion.

Construction work will delay travel on the following streets.

In Southern Soma, 4th Street between Harrison and Bryant, launch box construction continues. Two lanes of traffic will remain open. The on-ramp to westbound I-80 may be closed from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weeknights and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Construction work in front of Whole Foods Market on 4th Street.

In Northern Soma, the sidewalk and three traffic lanes will be closed on the eastern side of 4th Street between Market and Stevenson streets, with a temporary pedestrian walkway around the construction zone.  Two lanes of traffic will remain closed on 4th Street between Howard and Folsom.

Crews from Barnard, Impergio, and Healey Contractors prepare 4th Street in front of Children’s Creativity Museum.

In Union Square, Stockton Street between Ellis and Geary Street will be closed to all vehicles.  Ellis Street between Stockton Street and Powell will be closed to westbound traffic. Stockton Street is planned to remain closed throughout the duration of the Central Subway construction around Union Square.

A large crane pulls dirt and pours it into a dump truck at Ellis and Stockton Street.

Close up of construction work between Forever 21, Apple Store, Diesel and Nieman Marcus Stores.

No Central Subway Construction is planned to occur in Chinatown or North Beach at this time.

Access to local businesses, residences and driveways will be maintained. The Central Subway Team continues to work with local business to inform them of construction impacts.  Business owners can access the Central T Subway website for details.

About the Central Subway Project

The Central Subway Project will extend the T Third Line from the 4th Street Caltrain Station to Chinatown, providing a direct, rapid transit link from the Bayshore and Mission Bay areas to SoMa and downtown. Four new stations will be built along the 1.7-mile Central Subway Project alignment – a street-level station at 4th and Brannan streets and three subway stations: Yerba Buena/Moscone Station, Union Square/Market Street Station and Chinatown Station.

During peak hours, current travel between Stockton and Washington streets and 4th and King streets takes more than 20 minutes on the Muni trolleys. Travel times will be reduced to less than 8 minutes with the new subway line.

The Central Subway Project is the second phase of the SFMTA’s Third Street Light Rail Transit Project. The first segment of the T Third Line opened in April 2007, restoring light rail service to a high transit-ridership area of San Francisco for the first time in 50 years.

Future Union Square/ Market Street Station

The Central Subway is expected to open to the public in 2019.

Sources:

1) Union Square-Market Street Station Contract released for bid

2) Union Square-Market Street Station Fact Sheet (SFMTA)

3) Google Maps of Construction Sites

4) Central T Subway Construction Update

5) Central Subway Construction to Resume around Union Square January 2

6) Proposal for Art Work for Central Subway Union Square/ Market Street Station

Upcoming Community Events: SF Park & Recreation

The SOMA/ Gene Friend Recreation Center invites the community to a picnic on April 6, 10-2pm.

Featuring a basketball tournament, obstacle course, arts and crafts and Zumba classes are all part of the fun as well as raffle prizes. Food will be provided and if desired free health and dental screenings by UCSF medical, pharmacy and dental students are available.

The sponsors include Bessie Carmichael Elementary, the Filipino Education Center, SOMA Family Resource Center, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, Mabuhay Health Center and more will have booths set-up for more information.

The San Francisco Recreation & Parks department encourages you to “Get out & Play,” its fairly new Mobile Recreation Program provides activities such as BMX/ skateboarding, and a rock-climbing wall challenge. The program is currently funded by the San Francisco Parks Alliance and the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Teens take-on the rock-climbing challenge at the SOMA recreation center.

The recreation equipment is transported to different facilities every Saturday through out San Francisco, in addition to several after-school enrichment programs for youth on Wednesdays. The knowledgeable staff can assist in safety protocol if needed. The mobile recreation events are hosted from 10-2pm. 

Daily Events Calendar:  http://sfrecpark.org/events/

To download mobile SF Recreation & Parks App:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/city-san-francisco-recreation/id549416838?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

“Better Than a Garage Sale…It’s the Whole House!”

“Better Than a Garage Sale…It’s the Whole House!” By Liz Orozco

Moving Sale store front display of garage sale items.

It’s a beautiful sunny day in San Francisco as I’m walking down Howard Street taking notice of what seems  to be a furniture liquidation sale.

I look on as a man cautiously carries and pushes out several items to display on the sidewalk–clearly a strategy that works to allure passers-by. Dressers, tables, and chairs are the most common items that can be found between the heep of assortments that fill the entire garage.

Within ten minutes of opening, three people stop mid-stride to check out a small cherry wood dresser placed off to the side of the garage entrance, yet no one buys into the $50 price tag.

My curiosity peaks when I behold the massive collection of things that cover the entirety of the walls in the garage from the ground up. Books, carpets, old wall clocks, paintings, chandeliers, a disco ball – a skateboard even– were a part of the random inventory.

Jesus Rodriguez, a resident of San Francisco stops by in search of lucky finds.

I decide to go inside looking for the seller when I hear someone rummaging through the clutter from behind a stack of boxes saying that it will be just a few moments.

Wearing a blue button-up paired with black jeans, Mark Swenson, Moving Sale owner, seems like an ordinary guy.  He definitely did not fulfill my delusion as the neighborhood’s senile-old-war veteran who is fond of collectables. 

“I have no clue– thousands– a lot and it changes all the time!,” said Swenson when asked about totality of the colossal collection.

At the time when Swenson began collecting items he would go out at night and pick-up them off the streets of San Francisco. He would frequent storage locker auctions and he also accepted donations.

Mark Swenson, Moving Sale owner checks out the inventory. 

Swenson greets me and smiles warmly giving the OK to indulge myself with the space and all the garage sale treasures. Jack, his black cat navigates through the open narrow clearing leading into the depths of the garage as I make my way through out.

Swenson rearranges to clear the narrow pathway

“It’s a mix [of people], it’s very eclectic and it spans the entire income level spectrum… I get people from all over, ” said Swenson attempting to describe the diverse customer base.

Howard is a main corridor for residents coming in and out of the city through the 101 freeway. Operated for over ten years at two different locations on Howard Street– his original regulars still come-by.

I start to probe about his past, I wondered just how a garage sale business open five days a week was indeed sustainable.

Swenson rearranges furniture to clear the narrow passage way.

“I hated going to goodwill and things like that as a kid, I thought it was awful,” said Swenson cheerfully laughing about his  past feelings towards used goods.

A 1950s style phone booth- Swenson’s “favorite thing.”

Before opening his business in 1998, Swenson worked at the Union Square Macy’s as a sales associate in the shirt’s and tie department.

He unfortunately slipped on a shopping bag behind the counter and sustained a knee injury that needed surgery. He was unemployed for six months.

During the course of his unemployment Swenson began collecting and refinishing furniture in his spare time. The collection of items eventually swelled and he decided to have a garage sale every Friday. 

 “I was making more money having garage sales on Friday than all week at Macy’s,” said Swenson and he has been in business ever since.

Swenson enjoying the afternoon sun

“It is an all time consuming job, but I love what I do,” said Swenson as we concluded our interview.

Take the virtual tour:

http://www.movingsale.biz/IndexEveryscape.html

Hearts in San Francisco

By: Amabelle Ocampo

Inspired by Tony Bennett’s song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, San Francisco General Hospital Foundation created the Hearts in San Francisco public art installation in 2004.

An international CowParade exhibit, where cow sculptures graced public spaces in the world planted the idea.  Each year, heart sculptures are painted by artists and installed throughout San Francisco, including Union Square and Yerba Buena Gardens.

Since 2009, the foundation raised over $5 million from the project. Tony Bennett, Roy De Forest, Squeak Carnwath, and Alan Chin are some of the notable contributing artists.

Past sculptures can be seen at Golden Gate Park, Crissy Field, the Marina Green, Fort Mason, Civic Center Plaza, AT&T Park, Moscone Center, and San Francisco International Airport.

Mexican museum project moving forward

After more than 15 years in development, construction of San Francisco’s new Mexican Museum at the downtown Yerba Buena Center advanced closer to final approval Thursday when the city’s planning commission certified an environmental report for the project.

The report assessed how a proposed 47-story tower in a vacant lot at 706 Mission street, which could house the museum in addition to 215 residential units, would impact public transit and pedestrians among other factors in the already bustling redevelopment area.

Mexican Museum director, David J. de La Torre, addresses the planning commission during a public comment portion of Thursday’s meeting.

If later approved, the building could provide a new $36 million state-of-the-art home for the Mexican Museum currently located at the Fort Mason Center.

“It’s a significant step forward in the development of the new museum,” director of the museum David J. de la Torre said. “I would say for our supporters and the public to watch the progress in the next several months.”

“This is a project of the people. It is a cultural project that will really make the entire city proud,” said Adrian Bermudez, who was among more than a dozen ardent supporters at the meeting.

Advocates included artists, residents of the community and even government officials.

“The importance of your decision today has implications far beyond San Francisco and into Mexico. As Mexico’s nationals come to San Francisco, the Mexican Museum is and will continue to be a tourist cultural destination,” said Andrew Kluger, one of four honorary consuls of Mexico in the United States, who urged the commission to verify the report.

The museum, which was founded in 1975 in the Mission district, features a 14,000-piece collection that includes a variety of Mexican and Chicano artwork. Officials said several pieces remain in storage unable to be displayed due to lack of space.

Most notably, the museum became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution last year joining one of the largest museum networks in the country.

The larger space would allow the museum expand their programming, offering educational programs for children and adults.

“The educational system in this country is not really educating people in the United States about Latinos,” said Roberto Hernandez, a community activist in the Mission District. “The educational program of the Mexican Museum will not only be for Latinos, but for all people to really learn about who Latinos are.”

Over the past few weeks, museum officials hosted several meetings with members of the community to help garner support for the project.  According to them, the project’s development has been elongated after suffering from various setbacks including funding issues.

“Mexicans built the Contemporary Jewish Museum. We also built the Museum of African Diaspora. Now that we’re done building all your museums, we’re going to build our own,” Hernandez said during a community meeting at the Casa Sanchez restaurant in the Mission District earlier this month.

For Raymond Solomon, a sheetmetal worker involved in constructing the De Young Museum and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, working on the new museum could soon be a reality.

“When I go around the city, I know I’ve done some of that work or I’ve hung from the 14th floor on that basket doing that work. To be part of that would fill me with great pride,” Solomon said.

Some say the museum could even replicate the Mission district’s celebration of Latino culture in another popular area of the city.

However, not all members of the community are ready to welcome the addition of the museum just yet.

Critics argued the report  for the project did not include a complete study of the effects on pedestrians or residents in the area.

Alicia Duke, a disabled senior who lives near the proposed construction site, pleaded to the commission to evaluate how the new building would have considerable repercussions for other disabled individuals and seniors living in the area.

“It would be helpful if people doing the construction took into consideration all of the things as opposed to just saying ‘it will be a benefit to the community’ — It won’t be if you forget us,” Duke said.

Kathrin Moore and Hisashi Sugaya were among the only commissioners reluctant to approve the report.

“Pedestrian safety is about understanding the new shift when it comes to a strong, pro-transit city and a push for an increased network of bicycles in the city. All of these things need to be looked at together,” Moore said. “While the environmental impact report is very thorough, it is still not complete.”

Nevertheless, the commission certified the report in a 4-2 vote allowing the museum to advance to other hearings that will ultimately decide its fate.

“Now that we’ve got this green light we need to capitalize on it and we need to broaden the museum’s base of support,” de La Torre said.

The next planning commission’s meeting to discuss the museum is scheduled for April 4 at 12p.m. at City Hall.

St. Patrick’s Day Drunken Festivities

St. Patrick’s Day weekend was a weekend full of colorful festivities with a side of alcoholic beverages for many San Franciscans.

I was in North Beach on Saturday, the first big day to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday and also the day of the famous St. Patrick’s Day parade. Many are surprised to know that North Beach, although known as “Little Italy,” has many Irish pubs and restaurants that bar hoppers took full advantage of this past weekend.

O’Reilly’s, a crowded Irish pub on Green Street, hosted many St. Patrick’s Day celebrators.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

As the day went on, North Beach seemed to be the neighborhood for those who were at the parade to continue their celebrations. Around 5 p.m., the streets were lined with young partiers and Muni buses were packed. The aroma of beer and food filled the air and the crowds were loud and rowdy.

Washington Square Park was a main hotspot for people to gather.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The sun was shining on the city and Washington Square Park was buzzing with people dressed in green for the holiday. There were groups of people throwing around a frisbee, others were taking a break and grabbing a nap to get their second wind for the night.

It was an uncommonly warm day in North Beach for people to celebrate St. Patricks Day in the park.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

Street performers sometimes line the streets of North Beach. There are so many various performers from cello performances to tap-dancing men in fedoras and army pants.

Even street performers got into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, like this tap-dancing street performer on Columbus Street.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

As the sun went down, North Beach crowds got larger and police cars began to slowly come into the neighborhood to keep the peace. Day one of St. Patrick’s Day weekend slowly comes to an end. But, have no fear, because day two includes the Pub Crawl.

Day Two of St. Patrick’s Day weekend includes the Pub Crawl.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The Shrine of North Beach

When you look down at the view of North Beach from the famous Coit Tower, you immediately see the steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church. However, tucked away on the corner of Vallejo Street, lies the shrine of North Beach: St. Francis of Assisi Church.

This famous church established in June of 1849 is open to the public, but no longer has an active parish. However, people can still go in to say a prayer, light a candle, and sit in the pews in silence.

The church was established when gold was discovered in California. A lot of Catholics came to San Francisco, but the only church for them was three and a half miles away from where they were inhabiting. They wanted a place of their own.

The view from the entrance of the church. Many people, tourists and locals, come to sit in the pews and pay their respects.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

Entering through the tall wooden doors, you don’t expect the inside to look like it does. It is a gorgeous place to admire detailed  architecture.

The windows are sheets of stained glass, with immense amount of detail in each window.

Walking into the church, the silence was eerie. There were many people sitting in the pews, some alone, yet there was no discussion. I was drawn in by the incredible detail and beauty of the church.

Along the aisles, there are images of specific saints: St. Francis of Assisi, Jesus Christ, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, being a few. Next to the statues of saints, there are hassocks, a kneeling pad for people to pray at and a table of candles, some lit and some not, where visitors can donate to the church and light a candle.

A statue of St. Joseph. One of the many tables around the church with candles that visitors can light with a donation.
Photo by Jordan Hunter

The St. Francis of Assisi church was one of the many buildings that was harmed during the April 1906 great San Francisco earthquake. The inside of the church was burned badly but the building remained intact. It was eventually rebuilt, using the original walls.

Although there is no active parish still, the church still has a daily mass Monday- Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

Supervisor Tang Joins Residents in Community Meeting

 

I barely made it to the Taraval Police Station on time for the community meeting last night. Safety dictated that I take my time getting there; it was raining and I was on my bike. Dressed in my finest Conan the Barbarian t-shirt and soaked to the bone, I attracted many stares as I made my way through the crowd toward an empty seat.

After all the formalities and introductions, the forum discussed the issues troubling the residents. Guest speaker John Riley led a discussion about proper trash disposal and litter problems, Supervisor Tang tackled pedestrian fatalities and Captain Curtis Lum addressed the sharp increase in violent crime since the start of the new year. 

“Just the other day a victim was shot in the back as he was running away on 26th Avenue,” said Lum. 

After the meeting concluded, those in attendance casually walked to their cars while I darted towards my bike in a futile attempt to not get too wet as I made my way back to Park Merced. 

On the bright side, at least my bike wasn’t stolen. 

On street safety in the Tenderloin

By Amabelle Ocampo and Elizabeth Orozco

It’s 5:39 p.m. a line of 2^nd and 3^rd graders skip behind their Boys and Girls Club leader.  The shuffle of little feet haul cartoon backpacks and a yellow netting of toys to the playground across from the San Francisco library walking through Jones and Eddy Street, a block marked with a yellow brick road as a safety zone for children.

The children rush by the police station where Supervisor Jane Kim, Captain Joseph Garrity and their staff prepare to hear grievances on public safety and crime displacement. Sixty community activists, local leaders, and residents chime in on the packed community meeting on Monday night.

Supervisor Jane Kim and Captain Joseph Garrity listen to a levy of concerns from residents on public safety and crime displacement in the Tenderloin Community Meeting held Monday.

Dominated with concerns on how to stop the drug dealers and prostitutes from overwhelming the streets with illegal activity, the conversation turns into a frenzied debate. Mandatory installation of bright floodlights in alleyways, the removal of broken parking meters on Turk, the expansion of Sergeant Macaulay Park into the alley and improvement of local quality of life for seniors dotted the wish list.

Alan Cohen shares with police his opinion on the Anti-violence working group.

Last year with budget cuts, the Board of Supervisors limited funding to one police academy class for the City of San Francisco.  In July of 2010, there were 91 San Francisco police officers assigned to patrol throughout the city.   On March 2013, the number declines to 69 and seven police recruits.  These numbers create an imbalance in areas with high crime rate.  Crime in the Tenderloin dwarfs the number of officers who can respond to triage calls.  Priority is given to shootings or neighborhood disturbance.  Drug deals, a daily staple for the displaced people who live in the streets become less of a priority.

As the economy recovers, the Board approved funding for police academy by three. However more officers on the street doesn’t guarantee that the Tenderloin will benefit. Supervisor Kim urged concerned District 6 residents to come to Board meetings at City Hall to convince the 10 district constituents of this need.

Nine-year Tenderloin veteran, Steven Tennis voiced another alternative.

“If you are familiar with O’Farrell Street and Larkin.  Any given day or night there will be six dealers dealing crack on that corner. Two months ago there was a black and white parked. There was only one dealer all night.  I didn’t stay there all night but there was also not a uniform there.  I could see just the presence of the vehicle curved the activity.  I don’t think it cost a lot to park a black and white on Turk Street. It works. The dealers took two or three hours until they figured out an officer is not coming.  You can have all the dealers but if there are no buyers, there aren’t going to be dealers,” Tennis said.

Apparently, the police tried the tactic on Ellis Street but the cop car’s window was smashed. “Maybe, we can park an old car,” Captain Joseph Garrity said to which the crowd laughed. The problem is not about patrols but the frustration after a full sweep.  There is no way to stop the dealers in conducting their business activity.

“The drug dealers will find a way to operate, even if it’s a block over,” Captain Joseph Garrity said.

The key is to manage the blocks so drugs can be distanced from the kids.  The kids deserve a safe zone in their neighborhood.  It will take not only the cops but for everyone involved to care enough to stop.

Smart phone robberies remain major issue in Ingleside

About 43 percent of robberies in Ingleside this month have been for smart phones, Capt. Tim Falvey said at the community meeting  Tuesday night.

“Most of these kinds of robberies are happening on the bus or near transit areas,” Falvey said. “People are on the muni with their phone in their hand and their headphones on and we’ve gotten clear shots of the person right behind them reaching out to grab it during a bus stop.”

Falvey also added that from the last six months, more than 63 percent of all robberies have occurred during the second half of the month.

“In January we had eight robberies in the first two weeks of the month, 38 in the second half of the month,” Falvey said.

On a positive note, Falvey said that the arrests for robberies have gone up compared to last year. “We made an arrest this morning, two guys on Mission and Potter beat up some guy and robbed him,” Falvey said. “Now I wouldn’t want to say they weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed but they were hiding in a bush, splitting what they robbed when the cops got there. Yay us.”