Supervisor Eric Mar: Two citizens honored

I am honored to be able to recognize two outstanding residents of the Richmond community for their contributions.

February was Black History Month, and on Feb. 15 the SF Board of Supervisors formally recognized Nino Parker with a commendation from the City of San Francisco for his lifelong work with underserved youth.ÊParker's efforts at the Pretrial Diversion Project channel troubled youth to work on positive activities that help the community. The project provides a chance for "first time" misdemeanor offenders of non-violent charges to have their case dismissed by completing a program, such as cleaning up graffiti and other beautification projects throughout San Francisco. Parker was born at Kaiser Hospital and attended Cook Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School and George Washington High School. He lives and raises his 3-year-old son Nino Jr. in the Outer Richmond.

On Feb. 8, the Board of Supervisors also presented a proclamation in-chambers to Major Kurt Lee, a San Francisco-born war hero who fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Major Lee was the first Chinese American officer in the US Marine Corp. He received the Navy Cross and two Purple Hearts for his extraordinary acts of valor as a platoon leader in the Korean War. On Memorial Day, the Smithsonian premiered the documentary "Uncommon Courage: Breakout at Chosin," which recognized Lee's patriotism and bravery. It was a particular honor for me to present the recognition to the major, as he is my uncle.Ê

Neighborhood updates -Fresh & Easy/CVS
The Fresh & Easy folks have signed a first-source hiring agreement with the City that will cover both Fresh & Easy and CVS. During the next few weeks my office will be working with the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development to reach out to community organizations and residents to hire the staff at the new stores. Stay tuned for grand opening dates; construction is on schedule.

St. Peter's Place
Construction is almost finished at St. Peter's Place, a new 20-unit residential facility for disabled adults at the site of the old St. Peter's Episcopal Church on 29th Avenue. I was honored to have been able to participate in the lottery for the units; St. Peter's Place received 97 applications for the 19 available units (one of the units will be for a resident staff person/manager).

Some of you will remember that the church was heavily damaged by the 1989 earthquake, and the former structure could not be salvaged. The church approached the housing services affiliate of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, and they were able to start construction on the project in January of last year with funding from the Mayor's Office of Housing, the State of California and HUD. The new facility will be a much needed addition to the neighborhood.

Legislation
I have scheduled a hearing at the City Operation and Neighborhood Services Committee of the Board of Supervisors on March 14, at 10 a.m., to examine the current use of Segways at Golden Gate Park.

I requested the hearing in response to concerns from seniors, disabled people and other interested neighborhood residents. The Recreation and Park Department entered into a contract with San Francisco Electric Tour Co., which began providing Segway rental tours at the park.Ê

I was able to ride one in November, before the company began offering the rentals to the general public. It was really fun, and we were able to cover a much larger area of the park with very little effort, but I also noticed that it was disconcerting to the pedestrians who we were sharing the paths with.

The hearings will not be focused on whether Segways should or shouldn't be in the park, but rather where it is appropriate for them to be in the park, to insure the safety and enjoyment of all, including pedestrians, bicyclists and users of other recreational vehicles.

Stow Lake
On Feb. 1, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a contract between the Recreation and Park Department and Ortega Enterprises to operate the concession stand at Stow Lake. I sponsored the legislation for the board's approval. Under the contract, the new operator will invest $233,000 to improve the building, as well as replace the entire aging fleet of boats, insuring this neighborhood gem stays in good use for the next generation.

In 2009, Ortega Enterprises won the Marin Conservation Council's Green Business Award for its renovation and rejuvenated operation of the historic Muir Woods concession. They incorporated sustainable construction materials, implemented a trash disposal system that recycles and composts 90 percent of waste, and achieved significant electric and water savings. The new menu offerings will feature locally grown and harvested ingredients, managed by local foodie favorite chef Chad Newton. The pink popcorn will stay on the menu!

Energy efficiency for commercial buildings
On Feb. 18, the Board of Supervisors approved legislation introduced by the mayor, which I co-sponsored, to require owners of commercial properties larger than 10,000 square feet to assess their energy usage by conducting an energy audit every five years. The audits would include a list of steps that would improve energy efficiency, like installing solar panels or sealing windows better. The reports would also include an estimate of energy savings from those steps, the cost of implementing them and their economic value. Under this legislation, property owners would also be required to supply that information to tenants.

Coffee with Eric
Please join me for coffee on Thursday, March 17, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., at the Bazaar Cafe, at 5927 California St. Come meet with me and other Richmond District residents and share what's on your mind.

Please feel free to contact our office anytime at Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org or (415) 554-7410.

San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar represents District 1.