Update on the Panhandle Park's Capital Improvement Project

The plan to improve the central area on the Panhandle Park will be realized soon, though city staff have told me that a delay pushes it back to April 2012 at the earliest. Conceived by community members and selected by a review panel in December 2010, the plan is one of several San Francisco park projects funded by the Community Opportunity Fund, a program of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond.

The plan is a commonsense approach to addressing chronic problems near the bathrooms and basketball courts. There'll be better seating, repaired paths, new grass, and native plants. The work should eliminate standing water, improve routing of service vehicles, and rejuvenate grassy areas. It will make the area between the playground, bathrooms, and basketball courts an appealing area for the community to gather.

I previously prepared a video explaining the planned changes and want to summarize the main improvements that are included:

New grass. And of course, drainage and irrigation, are planned for large areas next to the north pathway, marked here as A and C. Mound A, which is closest to the basketball court, will get a low, arching wall, pictured in orange here, to provide some new seating near the court. 

Native plants. Area B will be planted with native plants that can thrive in the local conditions and will be planted and maintained by local residents. The plants will be donated by the HANC Native Plant Nursery. The arrows pointing inward indicate a slight slope downward where water will seep.   

Bike racks are also included in the plan and will be installed near the east gate of the playground.

No more muddy ruts. The plan repairs pathways along the Ashbury cross-over and rationalizes access for the service vehicles that enter the park several times each day. We've  worked closely with park staff to assess which access points are safest and most convenient, and will slightly widen the path in those places while limiting access at other points.

The project will be implemented by the city, either by city staff or by a company selected by and overseen by the parks department.

These changes are coming soon, and are possible due to contributions of time and funds from residents and neighborhood organizations.