Final post after ten years of Panhandle Park Stewards

As 2020 approaches, we're celebrating ten years of service and laying down our rake.

As this website is no longer active, visit sfrecpark.org or sign up for the District 5 Insider to stay current with park news and volunteering:

District 5 Insider from SF Recreation and Parks 

https://conta.cc/2Ymgy9b

Exercise equipment coming to the Panhandle

According to postings at the park, "A new outdoor gym will be installed in the Panhandle. The new exercise area is projected to open in January 2020."

The poster shows that the exercise equipment will be placed just west of the basketball courts, which is currently a stretch of unprogrammed asphalt. The Project Manager from Rec and Park, Kelli Rudnick, can be reached at 415.581.2561.

Panhandle Playground opens today!!!!!!!!!!

The park experienced a major step today with the opening of the completely new Panhandle Playground. The new playground was built with taxpayer funds from the 2012 San Francisco Parks Bond. Private donations supported the community input process and design.

 

A tree planting at our August community workday

Our newly planted Kauri Pine

The mature Kauri Pine

Among all the introduced trees seen in the parks of San Francisco, the Queensland Kauri Pine (Agathis robusta) is one of the less common. Kauri Pines have leathery, evergreen leaves, and grow very tall. Like the more commonly seen Norfolk Island Pine, the Queensland Kauri Pine is in the auricariaceae family. The Panhandle has one mature Kauri Pine - located near Cole Street. Nearby are two young Kauri Pines planted in recent years, and now, there's a third, planted just this weekend by the Panhandle Park Stewards under the supervision of SF Rec and Park gardening staff.

In addition to volunteers from the community, the SF Bridgemen joined the work group on Saturday, helping with the other projects of the morning: cutting back sucker growth from the elms and redwoods, raking and pulling weeds, and trimming a few of the large shrubs found near Lyon Street on the south side of the park.

Thank you Bridgemen for your work on Saturday! 

There's an old salvia in here somewhere....

Still recruiting new leader to promote & continue the community workdays at the Panhandle Park

This volunteer position is still open! There is a need for a new community leader to promote monthly community workdays at the Panhandle. We are seeking a new volunteer to assume this role by the end of 2019 when my service will come to a conclusion.

-Dale Danley 

A volunteer job description follows. 

CONTACT -Dale Danley / dale987@gmail.com / panhandlepark.blogspot.com / @4thePanhandle

or 

North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association, Email: board@nopna.org

Panhandle Park Stewards 

 Volunteer leadership position: Director for Community Engagement 

The Director for Community Engagement is responsible for continuation and development of Panhandle Park Stewards, which mobilizes volunteers to take part in a monthly community workday. This volunteer position is accountable to the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA). NOPNA is fiscal sponsor of this project, collecting and managing any funds for the Panhandle Park Stewards. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department provides staff, tools, and management of the community workday.

Basic Responsibilities 

1. Attend the monthly community workday at the Panhandle Park, to greet volunteers from the community and provide a liaison with parks staff 
2. Disseminate information to the public about the community workday by managing a listserv, sending two emails per month 
3. Respond to public inquiries about the community workday by email and telephone 
4. On an annual basis, contact the staff of the parks department to schedule the community workdays and provide statistics of the number of participants during the previous year 

Additional opportunities

• Post photos and written descriptions to the website/blog dedicated to the project 
• Expand promotional efforts to let more people know about the workday by posting in social media, writing articles for neighborhood newsletters, and putting posters on the park bulletin board 
• Enlist other community based groups (e.g.,San Francisco Day School, Bridgemen, One Brick) to bring their volunteers to the monthly workday 
• Raise funds for the project through sponsorships and donations 
• Spend funds collected on items such as volunteer appreciation events 
• Monitor park-related plans and activities undertaken by the Parks Department and other city agencies including SFMTA, SFDPW, and SF Arts Commission 
• In collaboration with other neighbors and local organizations, write grant proposals for park improvements 

If interested, please contact Dale Danley (dale987@gmail.com) or the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association.

Panhandle Park Stewards Panhandlepark.blogspot.com
North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association www.nopna.org

April workday, with major projects underway in the Panhandle

At our workday in the Panhandle on Saturday, April 13, volunteers from the community worked together on one of our most important ongoing projects: caring for the trees in the park. We removed weeds from around the trees so that the park workers can maintain a safe distance from the trees while mowing the park's grassy meadows. 

As part of the morning's work, we also performed some ongoing maintenance work in the rain garden, removing some of the weeds and trimming back some of the most aggressive growth. With the Panhandle Playground project having begun, a fence is now installed right at the very edge of the rain garden, allowing for the removal and eventual rebuilding of the pathway. 

A Groundbreaking event sponsored by Rec and Park and the San Francisco Parks Alliance is planned for tomorrow, Thursday, April 25, from 11 am to noon. All are welcome to attend, meet your neighbors and city officials, and learn more about the Panhandle Playground and other playground renovations.

Demolition of the playground looks complete

The irrigation project was also active on April 13, with some trenching around the southwest corner of Fell & Masonic. 

January workday report; playground project launching this month

Community volunteers gathered last week, on a sunny Saturday morning, to work with our park gardener. We scooped up mountains of eucalyptus bark and branches that have fallen in the recent stormy weather. We also removed weeds (& broken glass) from the rain garden. At the end of the program, we gathered for this snapshot, taking a minute to remember the projects over the past several years that have improved the area around the playground. 

Red-flowering currant is one of the California native perennials that flourished next to the playground. Enjoy their final blooms this weekend before the heavy equipment arrives! 

Big changes are coming to these areas (in the left half of the picture above) as part of the playground project. Starting this coming Tuesday, Jan 22, crews will perform tree work on eucalyptus, cypress, and elms around the Panhandle Playground. Further details are at the department's project webpage.