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GLEN PARK NEWSGLEN PARK NEWSOfficial Newspaper of the Glen Park Association

www.glenparkassociation.com

Published Quarterly

Winter 2006

Glen Park Association Meeting NoticeTuesday, January 10, 2006

7:30 p.m.

St. Johns School, 925 Chenery St.Parking available

All are welcome. Come and meet your neighbors, nibble goodies and get thelatest update on the market and library project, the sushi restaurant and moreGlen Park happenings. Friends of the Urban Forest will offer a presentationon how neighbors can add and maintain street trees. Staff from the MunicipalTransportation Agency will discuss planning underway for traffic-calmingmeasures for OShaughnessy Boulevard and upper Bosworth Street.

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

Volume 23, No. 4

Americans produce enough waste asa country each year to fill a convoy

of garbage trucks longenough to wrap aroundthe Earth six times andthen reach halfway to the

moon. In 2002, 483 mil-lion tons of waste filled these emblem-atic convoys. Yard trimmings and foodresiduals made up about a quarter ofthe load.

So whats the problem with throw-ing out leaves and veggies with Styro-foam and diapers? Well, diverted greenwaste could reduce the need for chemi-cal fertilizers, promote higher yields ofagricultural crops, help facilitate habitat

rehabilitation and significantly lessenour landfill-bound loads.

Thats why progressive peoplelike San Franciscans are troubled thata material as valuable as green wasteis getting thrown out with the trash.So it was with the hope of diverting 75percent of the citys waste by 2010 (andreaching zero waste by 2020) that theCity implemented the Fantastic Threecurbside recycling program, which

introduced the green bin to residentsin 1997.Currently about 150,000 San Fran-

ciscans and 2,000 businesses composttheir green waste. These compostingresidents and restaurants rescue about300 tons of food waste a day. Thats80,000 tons of mostly food scrapsdiverted each year! Combined withintensified recycling efforts, weve nowdiverted 63 percent of the citys wastefrom the landfill. However, the 2010deadline is approaching fast. Whilea large number of local businesses,which tend to generate large quantitiesof green waste, are composting, wehave a long way to go.

More than 5,000 food-related San

Glen Parks CompostIs a Hit With Farmers

BART riders might have thought theyd

entered a slight time warp when theycaught the train on Sun-day, October 16. The adson the walls above thetracks were for Betamaxvideo cameras, the BrookeShields movie The BlueLagoon and cars thathavent been produced in

the U.S. for more than 20 years.But it was no science fiction event,

only the magic of Hollywood. MegastarWill Smith was filming a scene for hisupcoming movie The Pursuit of Happy-ness at our neighborhood station. Smith

Hollywood Comes to Glen Park

byElizabeth

Weise&

BonneeWaldstein

plays a homeless father in San Francisco

who goes on to become a wealthy stockbroker.

The shoot involved legions of pro-duction people in addition to the cast.All the actual filming took place under-ground in the station, which remainedopen the entire time. Remarkably, peoplecontinued to go in and out of the stationand hop on trains without even seemingto notice that a movie was being filmeddown at the far end of the platform.

After taking over the station on anonrush hour Sunday, the cast and crewwere treated to a catered lunch undertents set up in the St. Johns school-yard.

This isnt the first time Glen Parkhas been immortalized on film. KristinTreiber of the San Francisco Film Com-mission says at least one episode of theNash Bridges TV series was filmed ata residence in Glen Park. PlaywrightPhilip Kan Gotanda, now a Berkeleyresident, used his former DiamondStreet Victorian to film one of his pro-ductions. Readers who know of otherlocal film shoots are encouraged tocontact the Glen Park News so we canbegin keeping track.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

byCharlotte

Ely

Francisco businesses feed our 760,000residents. We have a lot of people wholove to eat a lot of good food. In effect,we produce large quantities of nitrogen-rich food waste. In fact, food scrapsaccount for a whopping 19 percent of

the citys solid waste.What would happen if all San Fran-

ciscans embraced the green bin?Lets look at those who already do.

The 80,000 tons of mostly food scrapsthey toss in their green bins are com-bined with leaves and lawn clippingsfrom Dixon and Vacaville and tons ofstraw from the University of Californiaat Davis veterinary medicine school.

This food-scrap-and-lawn-clip-

pings mixture is important becausecompostat least good compostisa delicate mix of browns and greens.Compost is decaying organic matter: arich, nutritious soil-like substance com-prising both nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials, decomposed by helpfulfungi and bacteria.

Food waste from San Francisco andyard waste from Davis and Dixon uniteat Norcals Jepson Prairie Organics

facility, a massive composting facilityoutside Vacaville. There, the food/yardwaste combination is loaded into 200-

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Glen Park News Page 2 Winter 2006Glen Park News Page 2

The mission of the Glen Park Association is to promote the collectiveinterests of all persons living in Glen Park, to inform and educate aboutneighborhood and citywide issues, to promote sociability and friend-ships and to support beneficial neighborhood projects.

GPA Board of Directors and Officers for 2005

President Michael Rice [email protected]

Vice-President Jeff Britt [email protected]

Treasurer Dennis Mullen 239-8337Recording Secretary Kim Watts 902-4767Corresponding Secretary Tiffany Farr 215-2320Membership Secretary Sharon Dezurick 584-4224Health & Environment Meredith Miller 908-6728Neighborhood Improvement John Walmsley 452-0277Glen Park News Elizabeth Weise 908-6728

[email protected] Safety Volunteer neededRecreation & Park Richard Craib 648-0862Traffic, Parking & Transportation Armando Fox [email protected] & Planning Volunteer needed

Program Volunteer needed

Take a moment to look around you nexttime youre in the village. By this time

next year, things will be very different.We ll have a supermarketbustling with people, alibrary spilling light andwarmth out onto the street,perhaps a new restaurant

across from Tygers and somethingnoone yet knows whatin the old Dr.Video space.

Last issues call for stories about oldGlen Park was heeded by one family,

the Bagatelos, who have been liv-ing in the neighborhood since the1940s. Theyve linked us up withother Greek families and begun totell stories of what things were likewhen horse-drawn carts rattled downthe streets and a fish monger wentdoor to door selling his wares. Lookfor their stories next issue, completewith photos of Sweet Sues backwhen it was a soda fountain.

The Glen Park News2912 Diamond St. #407

San Francisco, CA 94131

(415) 908-6728

[email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Weise

Deputy Editor Rachel GordonPhoto Editor Liz Mangelsdorf

Design Editor Mary Mottola

Copy Editor Denis Wade

Advertising Nora Dowley

Reporters Joanna Pearlstein

Miriam Moss

Emma Bland Smith

Kate Stoia

Denis Wade

Bonnee Waldstein

Columnists Bill Berry

Lori Chaplin

Jean Conner

Sharon Dezurick

Bevan Dufty

Dorlan Eargle

Tiffany and Paul Farr

Carol Maerzke

Katey Mulligan

Michael Rice

Photographers Ellen Rosenthal

Alex Smith

Bonnee Waldstein

Michael Waldstein

Bill Wilson

Glen Park News

The Glen Park News is pub-

lished quarterly by the Glen ParkAssociation. Signed articles arethe opinions of the authors and notnecessarily those of the Glen ParkAssociation. To advertise in theGlen Park News call 908-6728.

Glen Park Association News

Michael Rice is the Glen Park Associa-

tion president.

Am I the only one who wants that whiteplastic wrapping on Diamond Street to

unfold on December 24,as a big holiday gift tothe neighborhood? Atleast the apartment win-dows already look like areal building. The Glen

Park Marketplace grocery and librarywill not, alas, be here this season.

At this time of the year, though,think about our great business com-munity in Downtown Glen Park.

Walk to the Village, drive if you needto and find parking (the parking is there,maybe a half block away. Think of itas much shorter than walking across aparking lot at Stonestown.

It is easy to support our localmerchants: What other neighborhoodin San Francisco has the Cheese Bou-tique, selling French breadbaguettes,fresh several times a day from Destina-tion Bakery. The Cheese Boutiqueis

well-stocked with great cheese, olives,sweets, snacks, pastas and condimentsfrom around world. Go back to Destina-tion for the lemon bars or scones.

After youre stocked for your par-ties, look for gifts at Bird & Beckett.The difference between Bird & Beckettand Borders is that Eric has edited thestock to things youll want to read orgive. San Francisco is rich in indepen-

byMichael

Rice

dent bookstores and Bird & Beckettis among the liveliest. If you need the

perfect frame for your old photographor that special print, Art for Art nextdoor will do exactly, once matching forme a 15-year-old frame.

Then back across Chenery Street toGlen Park Hardware for the tools andhardware to put the pictures up, or fixanything else. Hal and Susan probablyhave what you need and will tell youhow to use it, and theyll send you tothe right place if they dont have it.

You can look for the perfect gift atModernPastsome retro furnishings,or cookware like your mother used tohave, which looks impressive now!

Across the street we have Para-graph, with great window displays ofstylish clothes. How about those GlenPark sweatshirts?

Dont forget the treats for your petat Critter Fritters. At one point, myhousehold was feeding the dog, the

cats, the cockatiel, the guinea pigs anda hermit crab. Well, not all at once.

Look for some decent wines atBuddies Market, or even the single-malt Scotches behind the counter. Thenyou have to wrap and send some gifts?Glen Park Mail Depot across fromBART will take care of you. Buy somebouquets at Glen Park Flowers at theBART plaza, and get off your feet, atCaf Bello, Higher Grounds, Pebbles

or Tygers, or Red Rock or Glen ParkStation for something stronger.

After all your shopping and errandsare done, you deserve some take-outfrom Yong De sushi, La Corneta orHongSing, or reserve a table at Chen-ery Park for a celebration.

Enjoy your holidays in Glen Park!See you in the New Year at the quarterlyGPA meeting on January 10.

Editors Letter

byElizabeth

Weise

But hearing their reminiscesreminds us how much thingschange and yet how they stay thesame. The dry cleaners was once afive-and-dime. Higher Grounds wasa caf run by a Greek family. In the70sback before videosa houseon Chenery was a makeshift movietheater.

And few today probably remem-ber when Glen Park had its ownstone gates welcoming people tothe neighborhood, as some San Fran-

cisco neighborhoods still do. But thatday might yet come again. The Cityis considering a plan to put themback as part of the traffic-calmingmeasures for OShaughnessyBou-levard and Bosworth Street betweenMalta and Elk streets. You can get thefull scoop at the next Glen Park Asso-ciation meeting (details on page 1).

So whats old becomes newagain. And were here to tell you

about it. We invite readers to shareother stories with us. If not from the40s, perhaps from last year. Whatshappening in our neighborhood?What are your memories, thoughtsand opinions? And if you have pho-tos youd like to share, were alwayshappy to print them.

Please contact us at 908-6728 [email protected].

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Winter 2006 Page 3 Glen Park NewsPage 3 Glen Park News

U. S. Representative Tom Lantos

Brings Home the Bacon

It was a glorious Indian summer after-noon on October 15. Glen Park residents

and local politicos, includ-ing Supervisor BevanDufty and BART Boardmember Tom Radulov-ich, gathered at the BART

station plaza. On display were pictorialproposals for neighborhood improve-ments under the Mayors Better Streets

Program.The object of the plan is to solvesome of the transit and traffic issuesthat plague our congested downtownarea and impact the quality of Glen Parklife. Among the plans are to redesign theBART station to better integrate it intothe neighborhood, to provide more effi-cient intermodal transit connections, andto improve pick-up and drop-off pointsto maximize pedestrian safety.

Also addressed is the plaza itself,

byBonnee

Waldstein

introduced, the crowd embraced himwith cheers and applause. They werethere to thank U.S Representative TomLantos for spearheading the allocationof $3.3 million to begin the process ofimplementing the plan.

Lantos was an elegant figure withhis platinum hair and dapper navy bluesuit. His warmth and humor easily

charmed the spectators. Two sentencesinto his remarks he assured them he wasalready halfway finished.

He presented a Certificate of Con-gressional Appreciation to AnMarieRodgers, the planning goddess whoguided the process of developmentof the Glen Park plan, and another toSupervisor Dufty.

which would be made more accessibleand an improved public gathering place.In the surrounding village area, the plancalls for designating the northeast cor-ner of Bosworth and Diamond Streetsand Kern Alley a landmark areaentrance to the Glen Park commercialarea; enhancing the green space alongBosworth from Diamond Street to Elk;and scaling down the San Jose Avenue

corridor.The entire draft plan is available atthe Glen Park Library or online at theCitys Planning Department web site.

Armando Fox, chair of the GlenPark Association Traffic and SafetyCommittee, made note of the fact thatbeginning the funding of improvementsjust two years after the 2003 plan wasquite a coup, and due to the efforts ofSupervisor Dufty.

When the guest of honor was

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

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Notes From District Eight

Ive always loved Dear Abby.Its no surprise that I enjoy respond-

ing to your e-mails,thereby solvingproblems, explain-ing stances on issuesand making our citymore effective andresponsive. E-mail

is instant democracy.Your messages have alerted me to

needed stop signs, graffiti problems andpolice issues in Glen Park. So I want to

highlight and thank you and your neigh-bors who made me aware of problemsand tell you the outcome.

David Angel wrote to me about asafety mirror on Chenery at Natick thathad been knocked off kilter and await-ing repair for months. A few days afterreceiving his letter, the Department ofParking and Traffic (DPT) replaced andreset the mirror. When the mirror gotknocked off again in November fol-

lowing an accident, the good folks atthe DPT got it up again in no time.

Shawn Hallum contacted melate last year earnestly seeking newstop signs on Arlington Street. WhenDPT turned him down, I picked upthe request and pushed it forward atthe Board of Supervisors. I workedclosely with Shawn until the signswere installed. Now, Shawn, his wife,Tina, and their daughter, Keira, are all

crossing much more safely.Bob Micallef contacted me,exasperated with the condition ofOShaughnessy Boulevard. Moham-med Nuru from the Department ofPublic Works intervened, and now Boband his wife have a much cleaner dailystroll down the street.

And if you thought speeding cars,graffiti and trash were bad, the neigh-bors on Chilton Avenue were dealing

with overflowing sewage. MeganOKeefe e-mailed me, and with the

help of colleagues at the Public Utili-ties Commission, Department of PublicWorks and the Department of PublicHealth, the problem was resolved andcleaned up.

In other news, if youve beenconcerned about the increasing graffitiaround the hood, you are not alone. OnDec.19, Ill be taking a graffiti tour,where Ill be joined by representativesfrom the neighborhood and City agen-

cies, such as police and public works,to craft get an action plan for regulargraffiti removal in Glen Park.

Thanks again to David, Shawn,Bob, Megan, Martin and the membersof the city family who have helped fixthese problems and make Glen Parksafer and cleaner. Im always eager tohear from you, so if you have a problemyou cant seem to solve, e-mail me [email protected].

Bevan Dufty is Glen Parks represen-

tative on the San Francisco Board of

Supervisors.

bySupervisor

BevanDufty

Need a Hand?Lend a Hand?

For as long as shes lived in the neigh-borhood, Karen Bagatelos has chattedwith elderly neighborswalking by her house.Those talks have gother wondering if thereare other older folks she

doesnt know, who might be home-bound and in need of assistance nowand then. But she doesnt know how toreach out to them.

Shes wondering if it might bepossible to get a neighborhood groupof people together who would volunteerto help their neighbors out in small andbig ways.

It might be something as simple asrunning to the drug store for a prescrip-tion, or pruning a rose bush once a year.Or just being someone to call if theresa problem and a neighbor needs help.Or it could be as organized as agreeingto drive someone to the doctor or dropin to visit once a week.

It could be really cool to startsomething like that in the neighbor-hood, says Bagatelos.

byElizabeth

Weise

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Glen Park and Diamond Heights resi-dents cheered the newly opened Wal-

ter Haas Playground at aribbon-cutting ceremonyin November. SupervisorBevan Dufty and RobinLee, president of Friends

of Walter Haas Playground, did the

honors.

byJoanna

Pearlstein

Nine Years Later: A Park with a ViewThe park welcomed visitors back

in late October after eight months ofconstruction. The new design featuresan off-leash dog run, a redesigned andrelocated childrens play area with fan-tastic views of downtown San Francisco,a ramp connecting the lower and uppersections of the park, and a remodeled

basketball court.The project to renovate the parkbegan in 1997, when Lee began investi-gating how the community could get thedecrepit childrens play area upgraded.In the following eight years the projectbecame a $1.4 million reconstruc-tion project that drew funds from theMayors Office and the Walter and EliseHaas Foundation, among other donors.

Now that the project is complete,Lee says, In my wildest dreams, I neverenvisioned it could be this glorious.Back when she was seeking fundingfor the project, Lee said one potentialdonor asked why she should fund theproject since no one visited the park.

It really is true, if you build it,theyll come, she says.

Neighbors say they expect to use thepark much more often now. This is thebest thing thats happened in this area,said park neighbor Jessica Stevenson.

Thanks to the dog run, now we can sitand have a picnic on the grass and nothave dogs running up to us, and theresno poop on the grass.

Barbara Casey has lived in the areafor 21 years and tracked the parks

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

When a delivery man asked CheneryStreet resident Karen Bagatelos Didyou see the windows? she didnt

have any idea that GlenParks growing graffitiproblem had made her itslatest victim. But whenshe went downstairs onefall morning, she wasconfronted with acid-

etched graffiti tags onher downstairs windows that ended upcosting her $3,000 to replace.

Its money you just have to spendfor nothing, and whats the guaranteethat its not going to happen again?she says. But what really aggravatedme is they told me that theres really nofunding in the city for graffiti or goingafter these people, so even if they catchthem theres nothing they can do.

At the last Glen Park Associationmeeting, SFPD Officer Mike Walshtold neighbors that lately this par-ticularly egregious form of graffiti hasappeared on many homes and busi-nesses. He noted that if a property isgraffitid the owners are responsiblefor the cleanup.

Walsh urged residents hit with graf-fiti to make a police reportits easyto do online at sfgov.org/police. Click

the Online Report icon and you will geta report number that you can use forinsurance purposes. Also take picturesand e-mail them to Christopher Putz,SFPDs graffiti officer, at [email protected] or call 278-9454.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, CaptainPaul Chignell of the SFPDs Ingleside

Graffiti a

Growing

Problem

byBonnee

Waldstein&

ElizabethWeise

Station, and Officer Putz are aware ofthe problem. Other resources for thecommunity include: Cleaning Graffiti in the Park:Joe Padilla, Paint Shop Supervisorfor Recreation and Parks, is respon-sible for cleaning graffiti in the parks.Report new graffiti in Glen CanyonPark to Joe at 242-6377, or at [email protected]. Graffiti Watch: This volunteerprogram is supported by the SFPD andthe Department of Public Works. It hasbeen most successful at fighting graf-fiti. It involves a neighborhood watch,active reporting and graffiti clean-up.The Graffiti Watch program, run byDPW, provides training and cleaningmaterials for volunteers who quickly

and regularly remove new graffiti fromthe neighborhood. This program is runby Merle Goldstone, the DPW publicinformation officer. His office numberis 641-2630; e-mail [email protected].

construction by taking photographs of itsprogress every Friday. I ve been taking mydog over to Christopher Playground, and I mso glad we re back here, she said.

Steve Calahog monitored the parksrejuvenation as he drove his children(Maeve, 7, and Liam, 9) to school. Westopped here as soon as we saw it was

open, Calahog said. Well come heremore often; the kids like it. For herpart, daughter Maeve observed that thepark has a lot of grass. My favoritething 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. UCBerkeleys school of business is alsonamed for him.

Glen Park resident Joanna Pearlstein

is an editor atWired Magazine.

Photo by Bonnee Waldstein

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Glen Park News Page 6 Winter 2006

Glenridge Fosters Nature

Appreciation for Tiny TotsImagine that you are three or four years

old, says Mame Campbell Salin as wesit together on pillows in the brightly

colored and toy-filledGlenridge CooperativeNursery School, hiddendeep within Glen Can-yon Park.

You are small. Every day, you walkto school through a towering forest. Youwalk past a creek that is rushing andfull of water in the winter and you help

build dams and runoffs to channel therainwater back into the creek. You arelearning to understand the principle oferosion and about the physical propertiesof water and dirt and wood and rocks,even though you might not know thescientific words yet. Inside the forest,you roll logs to see what lives beneaththem and discover a whole world downtherebugs and salamanders and differ-ent things growing.

Little by little you get to know theother inhabitants of the forestfrom thesmallest roly poly bug to the owl watch-ing from a nearby stump. You learn notto pick up a banana slug because the saltfrom your hands will hurt it. You learnthat if you want to find a ladybug, youneed to look for aphids, because thoseare what the ladybugs eat. Our settingin the middle of Glen Park is probablythe most important part of attending our

school. We are teaching these childrento be gentle with our planet.Mame has been the Glenridge direc-

tor for eight years, and her love for thepark and its environs is topped only byher love and respect for the childrenwho attend the preschool. Althoughshe is clearly a born educatorboth ofher parents were teachersshe didntimmediately follow in their footsteps.

There was way too much rebel in me,

she explains with a smile. So she spenther early career working in the field ofspace planning and earning not one buttwo bachelors degrees.

Mame stopped working when herfirst child, now 18 years old, was born.His entry into Miraloma Preschoolwas also her entry into the world ofcooperative preschools, in which theparents work alongside the teachers inall aspects of the school, from admin-

istration to teaching. Eventually Mamebecame part of the paid teaching staffat Miraloma and when the position ofdirector at Glenridge was open she sawan opportunity to put her ideas intoaction. As she points out, When yourethe director, youre in charge!

Mame knew from the start that shedidnt want to be the kind of directorwho wears a suit and sits behind a desk,so she knew Glenridge was going to be

the right place for her. Co-ops like Glen-ridge involve the whole family, withthe idea that school shouldnt be thatseparate from family for very youngchildren. In her view this setup benefitsnot only the kids, but also the parents:I was a parent at Miraloma before Iwas a teacher and I was able to learn alot about how to be a better parent bywatching how the teachers interactedwith the kids. Being a teacher at a co-

op is the best it can benot only canI make sure a child has a good day atschool, but when I help parents feelmore competent, I can make sure thatthis whole family will have a lot of gooddays at home too!

Although Glenridge has long beena part of Glen Park (it opened its doorsin 1971) many people who visit thepark dont even know it exists. Its that

byKateStoia

building that looks, in Mames words,like a bunker at the end of the gravelpath, where a couple of bridges crossover Islais Creek. The building is rentedfrom the Recreation and Park Depart-ment, which also uses it for SilvertreeCamp during the summer. The dullbrown exterior of the squat two-storybuilding reveals nothing of the brightlycolored young childs paradise inside.

And the fact that its in a remote loca-tion also adds to its charm for the Glen-ridge families. We dont like people todrive in to school. We encourage all thefamilies to walk in to the park with theirkids, says Mame.

This is another important wayin which our families come together.Because the kids know each others par-ents from the classroom, there is a veryhigh comfort level and you will oftensee one or two parents bringing a wholeherd of kids down the path. And, saysMame, that walk is another importantpart of the kids education: Our kids,and our parents too, learn that we sharethe park with our neighbors who birdwatch, who garden and who walk theirdogs here and we welcome that interac-tion. We acknowledge all the time thatwe are part of a bigger community andthat is very important for us.

The bigger community includes,

of course, all of San Francisco. Mameand the rest of the Glenridge commu-nity take pride in the fact that the schoolreally reflects the whole citykids of alldifferent ethnicities, family structures,physical ability levels and economic

situations are encouraged to apply andare welcomed at the preschool. SaysMame, It is very important for chil-dren to see their families reflected in theschool environment. To that end, theparents do extra fundraising to supportscholarships and recently applied forand received a grant to update the facil-ity to reflect the schools commitment toall forms of diversity. The grant money

went toward everything from new booksabout all different kinds of families forthe bookshelves, to making sure that theplastic food in the kitchen play areaincludes sushi and tacos.

In the end, however, any conversa-tion about Mames tenure at Glenridgealways comes back to the park itself andits importance to her mission at the pre-school: We have families here who livein apartments with no backyards. Outtheir front windows, all they see are carsracing by on a busy street. But whenthey come to school here, they enter adifferent world with a different pace andrhythm to it. Their walk down that pathto preschool can take 20, 30, even 40minutes; they become so engaged by thenatural world all around them! And, ofcourse, at the end of that path is anothergreat day at Glenridge for Mame, herkids 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.

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

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Winter 2006 Page 7 Glen Park News

On October 4 the Glen Park ParentsGroup welcomed its 200th member,Kristie White and her husband Stephen,

parents of Delaney White.Moderator Beth Weisesent out an e-mail tocelebrate the eventandto remind us all that theneighborhood is as buzz-

ing with families as ever. At press time,

the tally came in at 220 members.That wont come as a surprise to

anyone on the Glen Park Parents Yahooe-mail group. A good handful of mes-sages pop up in members inboxes everyday (prompting one member to politelyask e-mailers to employ the reply toall function with discretion). The Yahoogroup has become the go-to place to findanything from a used umbrella strollerto the best takeout (Good Frickin

Chicken, in the Mission, according toone poster). Members also use the listto sing the praises of services rangingfrom a good plumber, a venue to helpKatrina victims, and, most frequently ofall, quality childcare and preschools.

So whats new this quarter? Proac-tive member Barksdale English, fatherof Lukas, 10 months, set up two onlinedatabases, one for recommended pedia-tricians and one for babysitters. The

online group is such a wealth of parent-

ing wisdom, with word-of-mouth adviceflying around all the time, explainedEnglish. With the databases, I hope tocentralize some of this information in aplace we can all access anytime. StacyStevenson, mother of TK, followed hislead and set up a similar database forObGyns and midwives. English hopesmore members will add their picks.

Another happy happening has

been the continued flourishing of play-groups for all ages. An e-mail sent outto the group in November revealed theexistence of three established weeklymeetings (members take turns host-ing). The Active Baby Group, for totsborn from January through June 2004,meets Wednesdays at 4 pm. Childrenborn from July through December 2004meet Thursdays at 11 am. (These twogroups, which have about six core mem-

bers each, overlap occasionally and havebeen known to take field trips together tothe zoo or the new-and-fabulous WalterHaas Playground.) The January throughJune baby group, which meets Fridays at1 pm, has swelled to 15 families since itsconception with only four last spring.

A group for July through December2005 babies has sadly fizzled, due tomost of the moms returning to work, butat least one former member expressed

hope for its revival. A weekend play-

byEmmaBlandSmith

group for working parents and a Span-ish-speaking playgroup are two otherjust-getting-started ideas.

One of the most exciting events ofthe season was the Halloween picnic.

Organized by Kristin Byrd, mother ofZachary, six months, the get-togethertook place on Sunday, October 30 onthe tables and grass at the Glen Park RecCenter. Attendees estimated the numberof families enjoying the party at morethan 40. Guests spread out blankets, letthe costumed kids romp, and helpedthemselves to a groaning buffet tablefeaturing turkey, salads, cupcakes andmore.

The picnic exceeded my expec-

Playgroups and Halloween

Picnic Keep Glen Park

Parents Busy

tations, said Byrd, who reserved thetables and provided tablecloths, plates,flatware, cups and juice. We had sucha great turnout, the food and weatherwere great, and we had so many babies

in cute costumes! I also enjoyed puttingfaces to names I had seen on the e-maillist.

New parents are always wel-come. To join, e-mail [email protected] 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.

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

COMPOSTINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

than just the fact that Norcal charges 25percent less to take away meal remainsand kitchen trimmings for compostingthan it does for garbage. For many of therestaurants and business participating inSan Franciscos composting program,composting is more than saving money;its saving the planet.

So, given this morally and finan-cially beneficial path to sustainability,why arent all San Francisco restaurantscomposting? One reason might be thatlike all of us at times, they needed acouple of pushes to start. Jack Macy,organics recycling coordinator for theCity and County of San Francisco, said

Norcal and its subsidiaries went aroundto most local restaurants once, and onlyonce, to tell them about the green com-posting bins. If the proprietor didnt

foot-long bags that are aerated for 3060days by timed blowers and perforatedpipes at temperatures that reach 140degrees centigrade. After the compostleaves the bags, it is turned for an addi-tional 30 days and then sold.

Norcals final rich compost product,Four Course, was approved for use onorganic soils by in 2001. It has consis-tently scored high in nutrient-gradecompost, or composts that have suf-ficient combined nutrients of nitrogen,phosphorus, potassium, calcium andmagnesium. Californias farmers loveit. As of February 2005, more than 30vineyards in Northern California were

using Four Course compost.San Francisco restaurants like the

idea of Four Course too. Big touristdestinations, like Scomas seafood res-taurant, save roughly $10,000 a year bycomposting. Our restaurants like more

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

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Glen Park News Page 8 Winter 2006

GPA is Online

Everything you would want to knowabout the Glen Park Association, its

activities, and how youcan get involved in theproblem-solving pro-cess in our communityis now just a mouse

click or two away. At the October GPAmeeting, Armando Fox, chairman of theparking and transportation committeeand webmaster, unveiled our new web

site, www.glenparkassociation.org. It isanticipated that residents will now havean easy means of keeping informed ofprogress on issues that affect Glen Park,as well as tools to communicate witheach other and responsible officials.

An exciting feature is the postingof the Glen Park News itself online,beginning with the current and previ-ous issues. Although widely distrib-uted throughout the neighborhood by

volunteers, the newspaper online willbe a readily accessible resource and away to extend the reach of the paperoutside the neighborhood.

On the home page of the web siteyou will find a news link that will tell

you the time and agenda for the next

GPA meeting as well as a recap of thediscussion at the previous meeting. Cur-rently there is a detailed summary of thediscussion of traffic and parking issuesthat occurred at the October meeting.There are links to the graffiti hotline,local merchant news (such as Bird andBeckett coming events), City Car Shareat the BART station, and numerous com-munity resources.

To further communication among

Glen Park residents, many of whom areonline frequently throughout the day, wenow have two Yahoo discussion groups,both of which are also linked to the GPAweb site. The glenparkdiscussion Yahoogroup is open to GPA members and pro-vides an informal forum for trading tips,ideas and concerns. In the future, otherfeatures will be activated such as pollingissues and proposals through the group.The glenparkassociation Yahoo group is

open to all Glen Park residents who wantto stay informed of Association news bymail. Right now the activated feature isthe message board.

A few minutes of surfing this sitewill familiarize you with its many infor-

Glen Park Association:

Notes From the Fall Meeting

byBonnee

Waldstein

mative features. If you have questions,comments or suggestions for the website, contact [email protected].

Trust Keeps City Beautiful

Ever wonder where the money comesfrom for some of the ambitious beau-tification projects in the city? KearstinKrehbiel, program manager for the SanFrancisco Parks Trust, provided someanswers. Since 1971, the San FranciscoParks Trust (formerly Friends of Parkand Rec) has funded capital projects thatrestore and beautify the parks, as wellas providing volunteer support, manage-ment oversight, fiscal and fundraising

services. The most notable recent projectwas renovation of the Conservatory ofFlowers in Golden Gate Park. The Trustis currently researching the possibilityof renovating the Japanese Tea Garden.Through its Park Partners program, theTrust has helped 50 neighborhoodgroups who apply for funds dedicatedfor certain purposes, such as Music inthe Parks, Summer Youth Games andGreen Schoolyard Alliance. The Parks

Trust (sfparkstrust.org) is determinedthat donations made by private citizenswill be spent wisely on specific projects,Krehbiel said.

Overview of Crime in Glen Park

SFPD Officer and 22-year Glen Parkresident Mike Walsh provided somestatistics about crime in our neighbor-hood. In the 90 days preceding theOct. 11 GPA meeting 62 crimes were

reported, including 18 cases of larcenyand theft, 14 vehicle thefts and 11 actsof vandalism/graffiti. That compareswith Noe Valley s total of 212 and Ber-nal Heights 277.

SAFE: Organizing for Protection

Pamela Matsuda, program director ofthe citys SAFE (Safety Awareness forEveryone) Program, described how heragency helps neighborhoods organizethemselves into watch programs to pre-vent crime. Police cant be everywhereand they depend on the community toidentify and report suspicious activity.Usually the group includes both sidesof one block or adjacent blocks. Sixgroups are starting in the DiamondHeights area. The process begins withcalling SF SAFE at 673-SAFE. A crimeprevention specialist will be assigned toshepherd your group through the orga-nizing process, providing brochures

and invitations and facilitating theinitial group planning sessions and thedevelopment of crime-prevention strat-egies tailored to your area. The groupmust be ongoing and meet at least fourtimes a year. Meeting that requirement

enables you to obtain the neighborhoodwatch signs to post in your area. Anothervaluable service provided by SAFE isan individualized security assessmentthat makes low-cost recommendationsfor better security in your home. For

full information about these and otherprograms offered by SF SAFE, log onto www.sfsafe.org.

Bonnee Waldstein has lived with her

family in Glen Park for over 20 years.

San Francisco Services

Abandoned Cars 553-9817Building Inspection Info 558-6088

Bus Shelters (repair/clean) 882-4949

District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty 554-6968

Garbage (oversized item pickup) 330-1300

Graffiti Hotline 28-CLEAN

Mobile Assistant Patrol (MAP) 431-7400

(Homeless Outreach/Transportation)

Mobile Crisis Team 255-3610

(Mental Health)

Muni Information 673-6864

Muni Complaint/Compliment 923-6164

Parking Enforcement 553-1200

Police (non emergency) 553-0123

Potholes 695-2100

Rent Stabilization Board 252-4600

Street Construction Complaints 554-7222

Street Lighting 554-0730

Tree Problems 695-2165

Towed Cars 553-1235

Mayors Office of

Neighborhood Services www.sfgov.org/mons

The latest project of the Glen ParkAdvisory Board has been to producea mural on the wall of the Recreation

Center, facing the base-

ball diamond. It depictsthe Canyon by includingmany of the flowers andanimals that flourish in

the park. Many thanks to all the vol-unteers who helped with the paintingover the two months it took to complete.Thanks to Rec and Park for their helpand cooperation.

We are looking for a carpenter towork on the tree seats, for which we

have some grant money. Bureaucraticdelays have kept us from getting thisdone and we have lost two carpentersin the process.

It is sad but true that there is nomoney for Glen Park to do capitalimprovements. That means no newplayground or recreation center formany years to come. The currentbuilding has a leaking roof, is non-compliant in every way possible andthe bathrooms are atrocious. It is nearto impossible to get Rec and Park theto do even the smallest improvement.

The City is thinking of asking fora bond measure for parks like ours butwont put it on the ballot until 2007 or2008. In the meantime the Glen ParkAdvisory Board will continue to tryto improve our site. If you have anysuggestions you can contact me [email protected].

Dates of our next meeting and park

clean-up are listed in the CommunityCalendar on page 16.

Miriam Moss is the president of the

Glen Park Advisory Board.

New GlenPark Mural

Is Finished

byMiriamMoss
http://www.glenparkassociation.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.sfsafe.org/http://www.sfsafe.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.glenparkassociation.org/

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Winter 2006 Page 9 Glen Park News

Who hasnt awakened about dawn to theroar of Interstate 280? Or, who hasnt

awakened about dawnon other days only tolook southward towardshadowy vehicles in thefogseeing only shapesfloating in a soundless

puppet show? Glen Park, especially theDiamond Street valley, is susceptible toecho. Everything is fog in the wind.

The clue is the wind. I-280 awakensabout 5:30 a.m. and begins to roar withthe inbound seekers of the great ups-and-downs of the stock market whichopens in NYC at their 9 a.m. Alongwith them are the thousands of personswho support the FDthe cleaners, theoffice support staff, the store clerks, thenurses and doctors and everyone on a 6a.m. shift. Then about 15 minutes later,the roar subsides. Then the 9 a.m. rush

starts about 8. Well, it does subside alittle during the day

It isnt only I-280. Munis streetcarsbegin their exodus from the Geneva barna little after 5, and the parade continuesuntil the ends of the lines are poisedready for the inbound morning rush.Have you noticed that the overpassacross Bosworth Street has a remark-able ability to reverberate? From a longdistance you can always tell when a train

passes. Day and night, night and day.Well, a heavy fog does muffle all thesound a lot.

If it is summer and the fog is roll-ing, or if we are getting a rainy seasonsouwester, then the combined rushechoes up the Diamond Street valley, notto mention around the whole area fromCongo to Fairmount. What to do?

It is amazing to me that very fewvehicles stand out in the noise. I mean,like a motorcycle with its muffler cutout, or a particularly laborious truck.Rather, the prevailing sound is a lotlike that continuous sound called whitenoise. White noise is canned on CDsand actually sold to soothe nerves thatare especially disturbed by silence. Weare talking surf or an oscillating elec-tric fan (which pulsate), like YosemiteFalls (continuous), like certain pieces ofrepetitive music (no comment), like theclack of rails (the old-style non-welded

ones), or the sound of wind in the for-est. Aha! That brings me back to thefreeway.

Our local winds are not continuous.They blow in great gusts, then let up,and you can hear them roar down the

The Roar of the Traffic, the

Smell of the Exhaust

Alemany Fog Gapfirst from that tightclutch of eucalyptus high above GlenPark in Dorothy Erskine Park, then asthey eddy and whirl, through the tallpines and eucs above Chenery, theninto the Monterey pines and eucs andassorted trees above Sussex and Laidleyand Randall and then around the hill.Watch the fog replicate the chaos in itswhorls...

So not all of what you hear roaring

is traffic on I-280, but also the wind. Youcan see it. Comes a gust, the Erskinetrees bend and tremble, then the tallestof the Islais Creek valley trees rattle,then the gust divides into eddies, someof which whirl up Diamond, some downChenery. Each clutch of trees sends itsown 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 andclunk of construction. No roar. (Thevehicle exhausts follow the wind, butthank Thor, they are so highly dissipatedwe dont really get to smell them.)

So what to do when you hear I-280?Think Yosemite Falls and wind in theSierra. Think of a distant train passingVan Gogh in the south of France. Goback to sleep.

Footnote: The Diamond valley day-

and-nightingale mockingbird seems tohave finally lost his fervor. His songslasted 4-1/2 months; he is still flittingabout. Some neighbors kind of miss hiserstwhile calls.

Dolan Eargle is a student of wind and

weather.

byDolanEargle

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10/16


After the successful promotion ofGus Lees China Boy, the library ispromoting a book each month through

a program called On

the Same Page: SanFrancisco Reads. Thegoal of the program isto encourage readingand to spark a citywide

discussion on the monthly pick. TheSan Francisco Public Library will hostevents related to the books during themonth each is highlighted.

Novembers book wasIshi in TwoWorlds by Theodora Kroeber. Decem-

bers is Kate Chopins The Awakeningand Selected Stories. Januarys book isJack Kerouacs On the Road. The MainLibrary and each neighborhood branchwill be receiving a stack of paperbackcopies of the monthly selections to helpmeet the demand.

Theres been some added excite-ment at the Glen Park branch. OnNov. 13, artists involved in a fund-raising project for our new buildingnow under construction on DiamondStreet installed their works in thepresent branch on Chenery Street, andlocal authors Milton Muriyama, JerryRosen, Richard Stookey and NellieWong read from their works. We eventested the Sunday paramedic responsewhen a member of the audience fainted.He had come to by the time the prosarrived and got a clean bill of healthwhen they checked him out.

The donated artwork will be soldthrough a silent auction, which con-tinues through the end of December.Come see it and bid early, bid often,bid highremember, all money raisedwill help buy furniture, fixtures andequipment for the new branch. Artistswho graciously made donations includeAnna Asebedo, Svetlana Buchli, AlmutBusch, Peter Fairfield, Ruth Lasky,Avelina Leanos, Jane Lidz, AlbertaMischke, Roberto Montoya, Jonathan

Runcio, Henry Sultan and JenniferBadger Sultan.

The next fund-raising event isa showing of Allie Light and IrvingSarafs Academy-award-winning doc-umentaryIn the Shadow of the Stars,

which is about the San Francisco Operachorus. The event will be held Friday,Feb. 10, at the Lick-Wilmerding HighSchool Theater. There will also be a

raffle. Mark your calendar and meetyour neighbors.

Thoughts are turning more andmore to the new Glen Park Branch. Theconstruction phase is proceeding and,through Friends of the San FranciscoPublic Library, were also getting readyto order furniture.

But since we will be in our littlebranch for another year, please help usby having your library card out before

you approach the desk to check out. Forthose of you who find reserves to besuch a wonderful service, please dontgo wild on the computer and reservemore than you can possibly read orwatch. Reserves are a great service,and they are labor intensive. GlenParks staff has not increased com-mensurately with the workload, so helpout by reserving what you truly need orwant, but no more.

Glen Park Branch

653 Chenery StreetSan Francisco, CA 94131

(415) 337-4740

Hours

Tuesday 10 6Wednesday12 8

Thursday 1 7Friday 1 6

Saturday 1 6

Sharon Dezurick is the Glen Park

Branch librarian.

bySharonDezurick

Check It Out at the Library!

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Late in the evening on Oct. 29, thepeacefulness that characterizes Glen

Park was momentarily shattered bythe all-too-familiarsound of gunfire thatplagues many of ourneighborhoods in SanFrancisco. Residentswere reminded of therealities of urban life

when two teenagers were shot andwounded while in their vehicle near theintersection of Monterey Boulevard and

Circular Avenue.My partner, Officer Jenny Marino,

and I assisted Inspector John Haroldin the investigation of this incidentbecause both victims were students inhigh schools to which we administeras the Ingleside Police District schoolpatrol officers.

The victims had attended a partyat the home of one of their classmatesin Glen Park and had left the party in

search of late-night fast food. Becausethe investigation is ongoing, I only canreport can that this appears to be an iso-lated, random incident and not a precur-sor to further turfor neighborhood-basedgang conflicts. If you have anyinformation regarding the incident youthink might be useful, feel free to e-mailme at [email protected] andI will forward your information to theinspector assigned to the case.

In another matter of interest tothe neighborhood, many people haveexpressed their concerns to me aboutwhat they believe to be the increase ingraffiti in Glen Park. Graffiti is vandal-ism, plain and simple, and is a seriousproperty crime, which most often goesunreported. Nevertheless, people Ispeak to are reluctant to make a policereport because of the wait time for anofficer to respond to this maddening,but usually non-violent, crime.

However, it is important that if youare the victim of graffiti vandalism youmake a report. The Police Departmentfunds those areas of need that are mostprevalent and quantifiable. If crimes

are not reported, resources will notbe dedicated. You can now make an

online police report for any non-vio-lent property crime for which youhave no suspect information. Go towww.sfgov.org/site/police and clickReports and the program will walkyou through the process.

I spoke to Officer ChristopherPutz, who is the departments graffiti-abatement officer. He is an expert indeciphering the tags these vandals useand has made a number of high-profile

arrests by compiling case files of pho-tographs taken by vandalism victims.Officer Putz advises that the sooner youcan wash off or paint over the vandalismthe better. He informs that these vandalsbrag to each other via cell phones andtext messaging, alerting their cohortsto the places they have tagged so thatothers may add to the damage.

Officer Putz asks that you takea digital photo, if possible, prior to

cleaning and e-mail it to [email protected] . You also canmail non-digital photos to his attentionat Mission Police Station, 630 ValenciaSt., San Francisco, CA 94110. He canuse these photos in any ongoing inves-tigations as well as evidence of recidi-vism for those currently on probationfor vandalism.

Feel free to e-mail me on these orany other issues youd like me to addressin future columns. Till next time, staysafe 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 [email protected].

bySFPDOfficerMichaelWalsh

On Patrol in Glen Park

In Glen Canyon Park

From mid-September to mid-NovemberI was away from the Friends of Glen

Canyon Park events

while recovering froma knee replacement.On Sunday, Nov. 13 Igot a ride into the parkfor our Bird Walk and

Pancake Breakfast. It was a lovely fallday and I enjoyed seeing friends andneighbors out on this sunny day in thepark. A couple of good rains had washedthe dust off the willows and the Canyonwas looking fresh and green again.

The leader of the Friends Octobergeology walk, Neil Fahy, was one of thepeople who came for the Bird Walk andPancake Breakfast. Neil travels widelyand has been studying mollusks forsome time. He collects snails and landslugs for the California Academy of Sci-ences on his trips. His walk with thebirders was cut short when he found aninjured banana slug and realized it wasa species that was new to him. WhenRichard Craib pointed out three more

slugs near the Silver Tree building Neilwent home to get his camera to recordthem.

We learned that the banana slugsin Glen Canyon Park are endemic toSan Francisco. That is, this particularsub-specie, Ariolimax californicusbrachyphallus, is found only in SanFrancisco and is now found mostly innatural areas such as the Canyon, Mt.Davidson and Twin Peaks. Other spe-

cies of banana slugs can be found incoastal forest ranging from San Diegoto Alaska. Because some of them havethe yellow color and the long shape ofa banana they have an obvious name:banana slugs. Some are even the size

of a small banana. The adult San Fran-cisco banana slug may grow to be fiveinches long, half the size of some of

the ten-inch giants found elsewhere inCalifornia. It varies in color from dullgold to tan to olive green.

The banana slug eats dead anddecaying plant material. That is whywe no longer find it in our gardens.We keep our gardens so clean that thebanana slug has nothing to eat. The vil-lains eating your living garden plantsare the non-native slugs as well as theEuropean garden snail. The small non-native slug is usually overlooked. I findthem under my flowerpots. They aregray and vary from 1/8 inch to perhaps1/2 inch in length.

The body of the banana slug iscovered with a clear slime that keepsit from drying out, serves as protectionfrom predators and aids in movement.The slime makes it possible to glideover a rough surface as well as climbup a vertical windowpane.

Near the head of the banana slug is

a tough oval covering that protects itsvital organs and head. The head has amouth and two pairs of tentacles. Thelonger upper pair of tentacles, eachtipped with an eye, can be moved andextended separately so that the slug cansee in two directions at once. The twolower tentacles are located just abovethe mouth. They are shorter and areused for smelling and feeling.

If you find a banana slug in your

garden count yourself lucky to havethis native animal. It is helping improveyour soil by recycling nutrients fromdead and dying plants.

The rainy winter months are the timeto plant native plants. Planting early in

byJean

Conner

San Francisco Banana Slug: a useful native. Photo

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 Friends monthly work parties

in December and January, listed in theCommunity 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.
mailto:[email protected]://www.sfgov.org/site/policemailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.sfgov.org/site/policemailto:[email protected]

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A Glass Half Full

This is the sixth installment of ourmemoirs in the Glen Park News. We

owned Tiffanys Wines & Spirits at678 Chenery St. from19761997, 21 years.Our customers andpassersby must havethought we spent ourdays laughing and tast-

ing wine with wine reps. Indeed, wespent many an hour developing ourpalate as well as finding great wines topurchase for our customers pleasure.

But we also had our headaches.First, lets focus on the good. In

August we spent time in San LuisObispo, where we rekindled our friend-ship with Clay Thompson, the owner ofClaiborne & Churchill Winery locatedin the Edna Valley. Twenty five yearsago, Clay paid a visit to our store to giveus tastes of his delicate dry Muscat, dryRiesling and Gewrztraminer.

Sadly, these wines are underrep-

resented in the marketplace becauseof lower public demand. They aredelicious with Asian and Asian-fusionfoodanything with spice. The EdnaValley is known for growing finechardonnay and pinot noir grapes.Claiborne & Churchill make thesewines exceptionally well. The winerybuilding is constructed of straw bales,which keeps interior temperatures low.Visit Claiborne & Churchill at 2649Carpenter Canyon Rd. (Highway 227),San Luis Obispo, CA, www.claibornechurchill.com.

And while we enjoyed getting tomeet people like Clay, and sharing ourlove of wine with our customers, run-ning a business wasnt always fun. Foryears, for example, we were plaguedby a group of teens and preteens thathung out in front of Buddies Marketat the corner of Diamond and Chenerystreets. They brought their boom boxes

and skateboards with them, and turnedoff many of our customers who optedto stay away from our shop because ofthe threatening scene outside. When wecomplained, the kids would laugh andsay they were protecting us.

Tiffany went to the monthly Ingle-side police community relations meet-ings. She would talk to the captain incharge about the nuisance caused bythe people loitering on the corner. The

captain would send officers to cruiseby, but the problems persisted.

Late one afternoon Tiffany receiveda call from our employee, Pat. She saida man had walked in and stolen a two-gallon bottle of Chivas Regal scotch

and the corner kids were chasing himon their skateboards. Tiffany arrived at

the store to be told that an accomplicehad the bottle on a Muni bus parked infront of BART. Tiffany asked the driverif she could look for something, andboarded the bus. In the last seat wasa boy about 12 with the bottle tuckedunder his seat. She reached down andwith no resistance, grabbed the bottle.She returned to the store with the bottlecradled in her arms.

The corner kids, meanwhile, had

captured the thief. They had him sur-rounded inside the store. The policearrived. One officer took Tiffany tothe back room. He said, Lady, whatdo you want us to do, you have yourbottle back. She said that she wantedhim arrested for stealing. The officersread the suspect his rights, handcuffedhim and put him in the patrol car. Wenever heard anything further.

The downfall of the loiterers finally

came after several of the older boysmade rude remarks to two gay men wholived on Chenery Street. One afternoonthey followed the men to their house,throwing rocks and shouting slurs. Itjust so happened that these men weresheriffs deputies, and the police finallytook action after the Chronicle wrotean article about homophobia in GlenPark.

During our time on Chenery Street,we saw the good, and the bad. We areoften asked if we miss owning our busi-ness. In a word: No.

Questions or comments? E-mail Tiffany

at [email protected].

byTiffany

and PaulFarr

Quality Care,Close to Home

at St. Lukes offers the latest advancesin orthopedics to patients suffering from arthritis, spinal problems,

joint pain and sports injuries.

With the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques, we can repair

joints, spinal discs and brittle bones without large incisions, so that

recovery is faster and less painful.

In addition to state-of-the-art surgery, we offer an array of treatment

options to reduce pain and improve mobilityincluding medications

and physical rehabilitation, as well as complete joint replacement.

For osteoporosis and compression fractures, we are one of the few

centers to offer kyphoplasty, a surgery that strengthens bones

by inserting bone cement within, often with minimally-invasive

arthroscopic surgery.

For more information on the Orthopedic Center at St. Lukes

and to receive a free copy of our medical staff directory,

including our highly trained orthopedic surgeons, call

(415) 641-6657.

Major surgery.Minimal pain.

The Orthopedic Center

at St. Lukes

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In winter, we are in the time of endingsand 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 decidu-

ous bushes and trees

have lost all their leaves

after a brilliant showing

of color in the fall andare resting through the

winter months, displaying their grace-

ful 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

Digging the Dirt:News from the Garden Club

byCarol

Maerzke

Lynn

Antiques & Beautiful Things

Original. Handmade. Fun. Gorgeous.

Gifts for the One-of-a-Kind.

Italian Pewter by Match

Original Pottery by Giorgos Nikolaou

Handmade Journals, Cards, Baby Books, Scarves

Hand-Colored Photographs

Culti Bath Gels and Doux French Soaps

Antiques, Artwork, China

1478-A Church Street @ 27th Street

Hours: Wed Sat, noon to 7pm; Sun., noon to 6pm

Glen Parks Own Katrina Benefit: Bird & Becketts Eric Whittington loves jazz, andhe loves jazz musicians. So when he heard that New Orleans Jazz Vipers band hadbeen stranded on the West Coast after Hurricane Katrina, he offered them a gig inhis store. Then he printed up some posters and some T-shirts and some book bagsand got some friends to make gumbo and beans and rice, and before you know itSept. 21 became a genuine hurricane relief event. The event raised over $2,650 forthe band. Photo by Ellen Rosenthal

February because the blooms will appearon 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.

Ive 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 bestadvice 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 beginningsof life with bulbs and plants beginning

to show their green sprouts in the earth

with the help of the rain. All of us gar-

deners can then get a head start on pull-

ing the weeds that seem to also appear

like magic.

Carol Maerzke is a member of the Glen

Park Garden Club.

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get the message, that business missedout on the green bin opportunity. Andwhen businesses close, change owner-

ship or change policy, the likelihood ofcomposting at that location is apparentlyfairly low.

A few business owners and manag-ers in Glen Park gave some more cre-ative reasons. One Glen Park restaurantsaid they didnt want to compost. One ofthe servers explained that they alreadypaid the garbage company to sortthrough the trash and he was not goingto waste his time doing something dirty

like separating the trash--the garbagemen should do it.

Fortunately, several of the restau-rants in Glen Park already compost.Both our bakeries, Hong Sing Chineserestaurant, Higher Grounds, CheneryPark and Tygers have been compostingever since the green bins were delivered.But other Glen Park food establishmentsdont. Since the average restaurant mayproduce about 50 pounds of food waste

a day, these non-composting Glen Parkbusinesses could be throwing away asmuch as 100,000 pounds of composta-ble material every year.

Those garbage-filled convoys thatwrap around the earth six times and thenreach half way to the moon keep on fill-ing. If you think your favorite Glen Parkrestaurant might not be composting, askthem if they are and, if theyre not, whynot?

In terms of wildlife and outdoorspaces, transportation, the number oftrees on our streets, our politics, etc.,Glen Park is already one of the green-est neighborhoods in San Francisco.By getting more local restaurants tocompost, we can make Glen Park alittle greener.

Charlotte Ely grew up in Glen Park.

Now a student at San Francisco State

University, she wrote a version of thisarticle as a paper for a class called

The Geography of Garbage. This

winter shes working on getting State

to compost.

Classifieds

Computer repairs, mainte-nance and user education (tutor-

ing). Hardware and software:

installation, configuration, and

upgrades. Broadband installation,

and network (wired and wireless)

setup. Virus, Trojan, and spyware

removal (Flat rateguaranteed).

Website construction. Competi-

tive rates, house calls, small to

large jobs and can work with non-

technical individuals. References.John 415-586-2333

End Homework Hassles

Family times better spent!

www.mystudybuddy.org

Jane Radcliffe 415-586-4577.

Charlie the Phone Guy:

Residence/Business/home

office phone wiring. FAX/

Modem/DSL. Dead jacks madelive! Remodel Planning. Free

estimates. On-time appoint-

ments. 20 years experience. 641-

8654, [email protected].

August Moon Massage

Jana Hutcheson. Swedish, Shi-

atsu, LomiLomi, Deep Tissue,

Sports Massage. Office space

on Diamond Street and house

calls available. Gift certificates.

$70/hour. Author of Healing

Alternatives. Call 415-647-7517

for appt. today.

Stereo Repair House Calls/

Home Theater Setup

Heres a service thats very

convenient at a reasonable

price. Genes Sound Service

offers personalized in-home

repair of stereo components;

and installation of audio, video,and home theater systems with

day, evening and Saturday

appointments available. Serving

S. F. and Bay Area since 1983.

Genes honest and knows his

stuff. Give him a try, says Bobby

McFerrin. Genes Sound Service.

415-377-1258.

Garage For Rent

On a lane in Glen Park that isnot suitable for everyday, so

motorcycle or storage use only.

11 x 16, $200, month to month.

Call 841-9313.

COMPOSTINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

LEND A HANDCONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

If you have ideas about how a program

like this might be put together, know ofneighbors who could use a little help, orwould like to get involved, please getin touch with Karen via the newspaperat 908-6728 or [email protected].

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Historically, as we reach the end ofthe year, the real estate

market slows, as seen byfewer sales reported sinceour last issue. However,Glen Park real estate

remains a healthy and competitivemarket; most of the transactions listed

below sold well over asking price.

Real Estate in Glen Park

Bill Berry is a Realtor with ParagonReal Estate Group. For any of your

real estate needs, you can reach him at

738-7022, or at bberry@paragon-

re.com for a free comparative market-

ing analsis of your home.

byBill

Berry

Single Family Homes

Date Address List Price Sold Price

08/31 1720 Sanchez St. $1,195,000 $1,300,000

09/01 79 Bemis St. $939,000 $1,205,00009/15 117 Moffitt St. $849,000 $820,000

09/15 130 Arlington St. $769,000 $820,000

10/14 2555 Diamond St. $699,000 $775,000

10/18 64 Surrey St. $735,000 $750,000

10/21 40 Mateo St. $849,000 $960,000

10/21 57 Sussex St. $899,000 $1,005,000

10/26 176 Randall St. $939,000 $1,275,000

10/27 550 Laidley St. $599,000 $730,000

10/31 739 Congo St. $779,000 $825,000

11/01 48 Whitney St. $989,000 $1,105,00011/04 157 Randall St. $1,345,000 $1,450,000

11/10 221 Mateo St. $769,000 $808,000

11/18 49 Everson St. $1,450,000 $1,500,000

Condos / TICs


09/09 292 Arlington St. $649,000 $649,000

09/09 292 Arlington St. $499,000 $499,000

09/15 130 Arlington St. $769,000 $820,000

10/20 131 Randall St. $1,150,000 $1,350,00010/25 409 Miguel St. $299,000 $310,000

10/25 407 Miguel St. $229,000 $330,000

10/25 407A Miguel St. $309,000 $340,000

10/25 409A Miguel St. $499,000 $510,000

2- 4 Unit Buildings


09/15 727-733 Chenery St. $998,000 $1,175,000

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Community Calendar

Glen Park AssociationQuarterly meetings are held on the

second Tuesday in January, April, Julyand October at 7:30 p.m. Everyone iswelcome, members and non-membersalike.

Next meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 10,

2006, 7:30 p.m., St. Johns School, 925Chenery St. Parking is available in theschools fenced lot. Agenda includes apresentation on street trees by Friendsof the Urban Forest, plus City offi-cials discussing traffic planning for

OShaughnessy Boulevard and Bos-worth Street between Elk and Maltastreets.

Glen Park Advisory BoardThe Advisory Board works hand in handwith the Recreation and Park Depart-ment to make our park the best in thecity. If you care about whats happen-ing in Glen Canyon Park, you shouldattend their meetings and join in the

dialog with other interested neighbors.Those who cant make the meetingscan send concerns or suggestions to, orrequest information from, Miriam Mossat [email protected].

Next Community Meeting:Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m. at theRec Center auditorium. We will be plan-ning our next annual Family Fun Festand anything else that needs addressingwith regard to programming and main-tenance. Next Park Clean-up: SaturdayFeb. 4, 9 a.m.noon, rain or shine.Come to help or just to say hello andget acquainted.

Friends of Glen Canyon Park Meetings and Plant RestorationWork Parties: Third Saturday of eachmonth, 9 a.m.noon. Next dates: Jan.21, Feb. 18 and Mar. 18. Meet behindthe Recreation Center.Tools, gloves and

instruction are provided. Weekly Work Parties: EveryWednesday, 9 a.m.noon. For thecurrent weeks meeting place contactRichard Craib, 648-0862.

To join Friends, or for more infor-mation about their activities, contactJean Conner at 584-8576 or RichardCraib at 648-0862.

Glen Park Branch Library

Silent Auction Benefit: SaturdayDec. 31 is the last day to bid on uniqueartwork at the Chenery Street branch.Get a treasure and help furnish our newlibrary. Movie Benefit: Friday Feb. 10, 7

p.m., Lick Wilmerding auditorium, 755Ocean Ave. See story on this page.

Tuesday Story Time: Weekly, at10:30 a.m. Dont be late for this increas-ingly popular childrens program pre-sented by our neighborhood librarians.

SFPD Community ForumsThird Tuesday of each month, 7

p.m.: All residents are encouraged toparticipate in the monthly CommunityRelations Forum at SFPD s InglesidePolice Station, hosted by Captain Paul

Chignell. There are refreshments, guestspeakers, and the opportunity to askquestions and air your concerns. Dropin and get acquainted with some of thededicated people whose job is keepingour neighborhood safe. The main stationnumber is 404-4000, or e-mail CaptainChignell at [email protected].

Next dates: Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar.21.

Light Yoga ClassesTuesdays and Thursdays, 6:157:15 p.m. (except second Tuesday ofeach month). Light Yoga classes at theGlen Park Recreation Center are an easyway to begin or continue the study of theIyengar method of Hatha Yoga.

Christine Trost teaches the basicposes, and modifies postures to suityour own physical requirements. Thisis a free community service (some leavegratuities for the teacher). Wear com-fortable pants and top. Bring a Yoga mator large towel. For more information callChristine at 846-8481 or e-mail her [email protected].

Bird & BeckettBird & Beckett Books & Records,

2788 Diamond St., presents a full cal-endar of regularly scheduled and specialliterary and musical events in the heartof Glen Park. All events are free, but

donations are encouraged. Remember tobuy a book, record, greeting card, T-shirtor membership when you attend theseevents. Everybodys support is essentialto help keep our neighborhood treasureopen.

Book club meetings and jazzsessions are listed at www.bird-beckett.com, or call 586-3733 for moreinformation. Coming Events:

Every Friday, 5:30 p.m.: Jazz in theBookshop is set to begin its fifth year.These Friday sessions are meant to endat 8 p.m., but this popular neighborhoodparty is sometimes difficult to bring to aclose. Bring a friend, a bottle of wine or

whatever, and be sure to help us pay themusicians! Thats how we keep doing

this thing! Longtime leader ChuckPeterson and sidekick Bill Perkins planto take a break now and then. Look forthe Henry Irvin Trio (featuring BishopNorman Williams and Jimmy Ryan)with vocalist Dorothy Lefkovits to playthe fourth Friday of every month in2006. Other Fridays, enjoy quartets ledby bassist Don Prell, drummer JimmyRyan or trombonist Rick Elmore. Joinus Friday, Dec. 30 for a special session

to jazz out the year!First Sunday, 4:30 p.m.: SundayJazz: Henry Irvin, with the Bishop,Jimmy and Dorothy will begin thisnew gig in addition to their fourth-Fri-day sessions. Next date: Feb. 5, monthlythereafter.

First and third Mondays, 7:30 p.m.:Open mic poetry series plus featuredpoets.

Second Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: The

Eminent Authors Birthday Readingfeatures an open reading from the worksof favorite authors whose birthdays fallduring the month. Bring a bit to share

with the group.First Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Bird &

Beckett Book Club discusses a bookevery month. All are welcome. Thebook for Jan. 4 isDantes Inferno. Janu-ary participants will choose the Februaryselection.

Second Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Politi-cal Book Discussion Group. Call thestore for title of the book to be discussedon Jan. 12.

Tuesday, Dec. 20, 5-7 p.m., 455Market St.: Free holiday Gallery Exhi-

bition of record jackets from Christmaslps, most supplied by Bird & Beckett,curated from her new home on Kauaiby former Surrey Street resident Bon-nie Earls-Solari. Gems include an albumof carols narrated by Basil Rathbone,one depicting an astonishingly cheeryquartet of monks dragging their fir treetrimmings and axe back to the cloister,goofy stuff featuring Barbra Streisandand Jim Nabors (theres a pair!). Best

part is, you dont have to listen to therecords - just gaze and giggle at the jack-ets, drink free wine and hobnob while ajazz duo plays.

See the Stars, Help the Library

On Friday, Feb. 10 Glen Park residents will have the rare opportunity to meetour neighborhoods very own Academy Award-winning filmmakers IrvingSaraf and Allie Light for a screening and discussion of their documentaryabout the San Francisco Opera Chorus,In the Shadow of the Stars.

Guests will view their Oscar and hear from the filmmakers, stars of themovie and special opera guests. A sumptuous dessert and champagne recep-tion will follow the film. A raffle will include an Opera Night on the Townas grand prize, with opera tickets, dinner and hotel.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lick-Wilmerding High School Audi-torium, 755 Ocean Ave. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door. Studentsand seniors (in advance only): $20. For ticket information call 626-7512, ext.103. All proceeds will benefit the Glen Park Branch Library Campaign.

GPN Winter 2005 - 2006

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