Richmond Roundup

Truck Crash Snarls Commute
A big rig, loaded with 23 tons of sand, lost control and crashed into a light pole in the middle of Park Presidio Boulevard, at Fulton Street, felling the pole and spreading 50 gallons of diesel fuel across three traffic lanes. No one was injured in the April 23 accident.

The driver of the vehicle, Singh Kulwane, said his left front tire blew out as he made the sharp turn from Crossover Drive in Golden Gate Park to Park Presidio Boulevard. Kulwane, an independent contractor, was driving northbound to deliver the sand from Pier 94 to the Presidio when the crash occurred at 6:30 a.m.

"I closed my eyes," Kulwane said, recounting his reaction, when the light pole approached.

Northbound traffic on 19th Avenue was halted at Lincoln Way and vehicles were forced to detour until late in the day. Richmond District fire engines from 12th and 26th avenues responded to control the spilt diesel fuel.

A day earlier, on April 22, another truck carrying sand to the Presidio lost control in the Crossover Drive curve and jackknifed, also closing the roadway and snarling the commute.

District Crime Rate Increases
The crime rate is going up in the Richmond District, but it is nothing to be alarmed about, according to Richmond Station Capt. Sandra Tong. Tong made her remarks in a report to the SF Police Commission, which met in the Richmond District April 23.

Part 1 crimes, which include homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto boosting, were up four percent in 2002 from 2001. Nationally, the rate was up seven percent.

Police officers are also trying to capture an elusive burglar, who has hit numerous businesses in the Geary Boulevard and Clement Street corridors. "We've been hit hard," Tong said. Tong also wants to focus on traffic accidents, which are up six percent, with increased traffic enforcement. Traffic collisions with pedestrians were up seven percent last year.

The one bright spot in the report was a reduction in pedestrian and traffic fatalities last year, from seven in 2001 to two last year.

Several citizens and police officers were also honored at the commission meeting (see Capt. Tong's column above) and David Heller, president of the Geary Merchants Association, reported on the merchants' efforts to battle graffiti by pursuing maximum charges against offenders.

Clement Merchants Look at Enlarging Festival

The Clement Street Merchants' Association is working on plans for a bigger and more diverse street festival, which will be held on Clement Street Oct. 18 and Oct. 19.

This year's festival, the third the merchants have sponsored, will encompass three closed blocks of Clement Street (between Third and Sixth avenues) instead of last year's two. To better reflect the various events at the festival, the name has been changed the Clement Street Kids Festival to the Clement Street Festival.

The producer of the event, Steven Restivo, was at a meeting of the association April 23 to discuss upcoming plans.

Irwin Phillips, president of the merchants' association, said the group's annual poster contest would be held again this year, in partnership with local schools. Phillips also reported that Busvan for Bargains, the closed retail store on lower Clement Street, has withdrawn its plans to build a large housing development at the site and would focus on refurbishing instead.

Geary Re-paving Schedule Released

The Department of Public Works has released a schedule for the repaving of Geary Boulevard from Masonic Avenue to10th Avenue.

During the week of April 28, Geary from Masonic to Jordan avenues (westbound lanes) will be paved; the week of May 5, Geary from Jordan to Seventh avenues (westbound lanes) will be paved; the week of May 12, Geary from Seventh to 10th avenues (westbound lanes) and Geary from 10th to Second avenues (eastbound) will be paved; the week of May 19, Geary from Second Avenue to Blake Street (eastbound) will be paved; and the week of May 26, Geary from Blake Street to Masonic Avenue (eastbound) will be paved. For more information, call DPW's Frank Lee at 437-7018.

Cellular Telephone Donations Help Fight Domestic Violence

According to the Wireless Foundation, there are as many as 24 million unused, inactive wireless phones estimated to be laying around in people's homes and businesses.

For owners of broken cell phones, this is an opportunity to turn it in and help victims of domestic violence in the San Francisco community. The "Donate A Phone" campaign, sponsored by Motorola and the SF Federal Credit Union's CommunityShare Program, is a national program that collects and programs the phones with emergency numbers. The phones are then distributed to domestic violence victims so that they can access help with the touch of a button. The cell phone drive is currently in progress.

Donations can be made through Friday, May 23, at any of the city's three credit union branches. For more information, including branch locations and hours, call 775-5377, ext. 4.

66th Annual Stern Grove Festival Kicks Off in June

The Stern Grove Festival celebrates its 66th season with 10 admission-free concerts every Sunday from June 15 through August 17, at 2 p.m., at Sigmund Stern Grove, located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard.

Kicking off the series on June 15 is singer and dancer Daniela Mercury, who will perform samba and salsa routines in the flamboyant style of Carnival; June 22 features a staged opera by Scott Joplin called "Treemonisha;" á June 29 features a concert called "Aloha Lice - Hawaiian All Stars." The audience will sway to the island sounds of famous Hawaiian tunes and watch a blend of traditional and contemporary hula performed by San Francisco's Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu; July 6 features the festival's annual favorite, the SF Symphony, which will play under the conduction of Edwin Outwater; á July 13 features the global sounds of the Afro-Celt Sound System, which will share its blend of traditional West African and Irish music with modern dance rhythms; á July 20 features hot jazz club sounds; á July 27 features a performance by the SF Ballet in its only Bay Area summer appearance; á Aug. 3 features Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtukudzi, who plays African pop and Bembeya Jazz. Mtukudzi uses traditional Guinean music fused with Latin rhythms; á Aug. 10 features a 15-piece band with original Cuban-style dance and big band rhythms; á Aug. 17 the season closes with an afternoon of Latin-influenced funk, jazz, rock and rhythm and blues. Pre-concert talks with the performers will be available on June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6 and July 27.

The free concerts do not require tickets or advance reservations, but attendees are encouraged to arrive early for the best lawn seating. For more information about the festival, call 252-6252.

UCSF Plans Future

There will be a series of public meetings in May to discuss the future role of the UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Heights. New facilities are needed to meet growing demands and seismic standards, according to university officials.

The meetings will be held at: UCSF Millberry Conference Center, 500 Parnassus Ave., Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m.; UCSF Mission Bay Campus - Genetech Hall, 600 16th St., Wednesday, May 14, 7 p.m.; UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Ð Lurie Conference Room, 2356 Sutter St., Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m. For more information, call 476-2557.