Fiona Ma: Fixing Sava Pool; Taking Back the Neighborhood

Sava Pool Renovation Meeting

On Thursday, Oct. 16, Tony Leung, project director of the SF Recreation and Park Department, held a community meeting to give the public an opportunity to participate in discussions regarding alternative designs for Sava Pool. The meeting took place at the Sunset Recreation Center at 2201 Lawton St.

During the meeting, participants were asked to comment, both verbally and via a survey, about the existing building's deficiencies, program and spatial needs, progress to date and proposed design approaches, and to offer support and input to develop alternative design options.

With two public high schools and many private schools in close proximity, Sava Pool is considered one of the most overcrowded and highly-utilized pools in the city and one that badly needs to be renovated or replaced to accommodate the existing demand.

Sava Pool is located on 19th Avenue between Vicente and Wawona streets in the Parkside District (District 4). There is currently one indoor pool that is about 33 meters long, which is not Olympic-sized.

Since 1999, the SF Recreation and Park Department and the community have been working to either renovate the existing pool or replace it with a new swimming pool structure. Past proposals include new shower facilities, offices, locker rooms with improved security, a parking lot and construction of another pool to better accommodate students, families, seniors and disabled swimmers.

Besides San Francisco residents, the Lowell and Lincoln high school swim teams use the pool for practices and meets. In addition, Sava Pool is also used by the SF Unified School District for high school students needing to fulfill their graduation swimming requirement.

The architects at Mark Cavagnero Associates will put together preliminary designs based on input from the participants and surveys received and will present the drawings at a future meeting in two-to-three months. Contact Frances Hsieh at my office at 554-7460 if you'd like to get a survey or if you're interested in attending future meetings.

Taking Back the Neighborhood

Until recently, the Sunset District has been the forgotten neighborhood of San Francisco, especially west of Sunset Boulevard down to the Great Highway.

In June, Java Beach Cafe owners Pat and Buffy Maguire called on my office and on Capt. Keith Sanford of the Taraval Police Station to pay closer attention to the lower Great Highway/Ocean Beach Corridor. Campers and trailers had become accustomed to lining up along the Great Highway and riders of the Muni N Judah streetcar line came at all hours of the day and night, dumping garbage and creating a general nuisance. Pat shared that the N Judah was both "the lifeline of his business and his biggest headache."

I am proud to say that this is no longer true.

As a result of calls from the Maguires and other Great Highway area neighbors, Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) held a series of community meetings. SAFE is a community crime prevention program sponsored in cooperation with the SF Police Department. Two groups have now been formed, including a Neighborhood Watch Group (headed by Pat Maguire) and a Homeless Task Force made up of members of the community and the SF Police Department.

The community has also turned its focus to beautifying and cleaning up the surrounding neighborhood. Three community cleanups have occurred (July 12, Aug. 16, Oct. 11 ) in cooperation with the SF Board of Supervisors, SF Recreation and Park Department, SF Department of Public Works, SF Police Department, and SF Fire Department. We have worked hand-in-hand with neighbors to create an example of private/public partnership. Trees and underbrush were cut back along the Great Highway, litter was picked up and a beautiful garden oasis was created through the vision of contractor Dennis Webb, a Sunset District native.

The local neighborhood has been empowered by these efforts. We are energized and are proudly working together to improve the Sunset, making it a better place for everyone to live and work.

I commend everyone who participated in this project for their vision, dedication and commitment in taking back our neighborhood. Longtime Sunset residents and newfound neighbors are equally enjoying the fruits of their labor and everyone will benefit from our hard work. Thank you all!

If you're concerned about crime or would like to form a Neighborhood Watch Group, contact SAFE at (415) 673-SAFE.

San Francisco Supervisor Fiona Ma represents District 4.