Richmond Roundup

Final Sunday Streets
The final Sunday Streets event will take place on the Great Highway on Sunday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A similar event was held in August.

The Labor Day weekend event will feature bicycles, joggers, live music, yoga and other outdoor activities, including a display by the "Playland Not at the Beach" organization. There will also be a post Sunday Streets music performance on the stage at the Riptide lounge, located on Taraval Street at 48th Avenue.

For more information, go to the Web site at www.SundayStreetsSF.com.

Intensive Clean Up Program Planned for Clement Street
The SF Department of Public Works (DPW) will perform a series of intensive three-day cleanup efforts called "Super Eco-Blitzes," which bring together various city agencies to steam-clean sidewalks, remove graffiti, pick up debris, repaint curbs, fill potholes, and educate residents and merchants about the importance of recycling.

The blitzes cover 32 blocks on major business thoroughfares on Clement, Mission, Stockton and Geneva streets. All of the three-day Eco-Blitzes will take place Tuesdays through Thursdays through mid-September. The department is working with the SF Department of Parking and Traffic, SF Environment and Recology (formerly Norcal Waste Systems) to sweep, steam clean, repaint curbs, fill potholes, clean tree basins, remove graffiti from storefronts, awnings, rooftops, trash cans and roll-up doors, change street signs, and clean grime and graffiti from news racks.

Also included in the blitzes are inspections from various agencies to check for dirty sidewalks, and unhealthy or unsafe conditions and to ensure proper garbage service exists at all properties. Staff at DPW will offer businesses and residents the opportunity to sign the "zero graffiti pledge", and join the Adopt-A-Street and Graffiti Watch programs so that they can receive free supplies to help maintain sidewalks and areas year round.

The eco-blitz for Clement Street will occur between Arguello Boulevard and 10th Avenue from Tuesday, Sept. 15, to Thursday, Sept. 17, beginning at 1 p.m. both days.

Presidio to Plant 100 New Redwood Trees
One hundred Coast Redwood trees will be planted in the historic Presidio forest thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Feigenbaum-Nii Foundation. The new trees will allow Presidio Trust foresters to complete a solid stand of Redwoods along both sides of Arguello Boulevard, near the Inspiration Point Overlook.

The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

"The new trees will add to the diversity of the forest, which adds to the forest's long-term health. Greater variation in species helps protect the forest in case, for example, disease strikes one particular species," said Peter Ehrlich, a Presidio forester.

Currently, Coast Redwoods make up about five percent of the Presidio's forest. The seedlings, obtained from the nursery at Cal Fire, the state agency formerly known as the California Department of Forestry, will grow up among the older redwoods which were planted in the 1940s. The planting will take place in December, following the removal of 100 non-native Blackwood Acacias in September.

Planted by the Army in the late 1800s, the 300-acre forest is home to more than 250 different species of birds. The Presidio's 40,000 trees provide an important wildlife habitat and contribute to the Presidio's National Historic Landmark status. In the last several years, the Trust has undertaken an ambitious effort to revitalize the historic forest, replacing aging and unhealthy trees with hundreds of young trees, primarily Monterey Cypress, Monterey Pine and Coast Redwoods.

Each year, the Trust's forestry crew replants two to three acres, staggering the planting to create an uneven-aged forest that can be more easily sustained. Since 2002, nearly 2,000 trees have been planted.

Free Shakespeare in the Park at Presidio in September
The 27th annual season of free Shakespeare in the Park opened in the Presidio Aug. 26 with a performance of "Comedy of Errors." The story tells about Antipholus and his servant Dromio setting out from their hometown of Syracuse to find Antipholus's long lost twin brothers. Their arrival in the foreign city of Ephesus sets off a farcical chain of mishaps as the twins are mistaken for each other, resulting in a climax of comedic chaos.

The performances are held at the Main Post Parade Ground lawn are directed by resident director Kenneth Kelleher. The free plays will be held on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, at 2:30 p.m., through Sept. 20. As well, there is a special Labor Day matinee on Monday, Sept. 7, at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 13 there is "family day, with festivities including crafts, a costume sale and a pre-show teen performance, starting at 1 p.m. Fans should arrive about an hour before show time. Pillows and low-back folding chairs are allowed. Snacks and beverages are available for purchase or bring a picnic.

For more information call (415) 865-4434 or visit the Web site at www.presidio.gov/calendar. Free Shakespeare in the Park provides an opportunity for the public to see high-quality, professional theater free of charge.

Students ACT Test in September
Registration is now open for the October 24 ACT achievement test. Students who wish to take the college admission and placement exam must register before Sept. 18. The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam. It tests what students have actually learned in school, not their aptitude for learning. The ACT also measures what students need to know to be ready for entry-level college-credit courses based on ACT College Readiness Standards.

The ACT has four sections - English, mathematics, reading and science - and takes about three hours to complete. Students who take the ACT Plus Writing complete an optional writing test that requires an additional 30 minutes. Unlike other exams, students are not penalized for guessing or answering the questions on each test section.

During registration, students may select up to four universities to receive their score reports. ACT scores are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities across the United States. The cost for the ACT test without writing is $32. When combined with the optional writing test, the total cost is $47.

For more information, go to the ACT's Web site at www.actstudent.org.

Youth program ends on Geary
The SF Department of Public Works (DPW) completed the final project of the Summer Landscaping Apprenticeship Program August 21 with a large landscaping and tree planting project on Geary Boulevard at Stanyan Street.

The six-week program provided 60 youth from San Francisco, between the ages of 16 and 24, with valuable skills that they used to beautify the City. The three-year-old program is part of Mayor Gavin Newsom's efforts to increase youth employment opportunities and to keep the city clean and green.

This year, DPW partnered with community centers in the Mission, Bayview, Western Addition, Chinatown, South of Market and the Outer Sunset and Richmond districts to recruit youth from diverse neighborhoods and provide them with learning opportunities, useful job skills and a chance to improve their neighborhoods. Participants earned $11 per hour while receiving a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction.

The youth performed a variety of tasks, ranging from trash pick up and weeding to planting trees and attending classes on safety and landscaping issues. The program helps DPW fulfill its commitment to keep the city clean and green while promoting landscaping and gardening careers for young people.