2 0 1 9 I M P A C T R E P O R T From The CEO Your support helped Next year, we celebrate and support our shared us bring thousands the 150th anniversary spaces, and to keep of people together of one of the greatest them dynamic and for sing-alongs at urban parks in the world, flexible to the ever- movies in parks they’re Golden Gate Park. changing needs of visiting for the first In doing so, we also our communities. Here’s time, transform celebrate how fortunate to the next 150 years abandoned alleys into we are to be the of keeping our parks welcoming pedestrian beneficiaries of the beautiful, welcoming, and thoroughfares, and visionary leadership and accessible to all. build over 20 miles of investments made by park trails. previous generations of With gratitude, San Franciscans who Dear Parks Alliance All of this doesn’t built an incomparable community, happen by stepping park system. It’s our over the problems our responsibility to Two years ago, San City faces - it happens continue to prioritize Drew Becher, CEO Francisco became the when neighbors first city in the country come together to where every resident improve their shared lives within a 10-minute spaces and shape their walk of a park: an neighborhoods. It amazing feat that you happens when people helped us achieve. Now, like you step up to this is the gold standard make our City a better for cities across the place to live. country - and yet, we know that not every Improving our park public space in our City system isn’t just about currently shines to its making San Francisco full potential. more beautiful, it’s critical to the well-being I’ll admit, reading some of every neighborhood. of the headlines this In the past year, year about the state groundbreaking research of our City has been has shown: just 20 challenging, but the work minutes a week in a you’re supporting is truly park can do wonders inspiring and showing for our mental and real, amazing results. physical health, parks help our cities deal We’ve been working with unprecedented to make sure every environmental neighborhood has not challenges, and as only a park - but a park we know, they that is welcoming, safe strengthen and unite and imaginative. our communities. 2 Cover Photo of Athens Avalon Greenspace in the Excelsior by Peter Gonzales STAFF LIST BOARD LIST Megan April Brian J. Baker Manager, Membership & Caroline Special Events Brinckerhoff Peter Arko Rosemary Cameron Associate Director, Carolyn Feinstein Events Edwards MISSION Julia Ayeni Martha Ehrenfeld Senior Project Manager, S. Osborn (Oz) Parks & Place Erickson The San Francisco Parks Alliance Sonia Gonzalez Liz Farrell Banks Board Chair; Director, External Development champions, transforms, and Affairs, Development Committee Chair & Marketing Sarah Gallo activates parks and public spaces Drew Becher Chief Executive Bob Gamble Officer Mollie Gardner throughout the City. Bonnie Bergeron Hector North Area Manager, Chris Guillard Parks & Place Anne Herrera Mark Bonsignore Communications Senior Project & Marketing Manager, Committee Chair Parks & Place Rick Hutchinson Danyce Camp Treasurer; Finance Project Coordinator, & Investment Parks & Place Committee Chair Susanna Fraker Jaime Jones Project Manager, Audit Committee Parks & Place Chair Steve Fredericks L. Jasmine Kim Deputy Director, Development Courtney Klinge Oscar Garcia Brook Mebrahtu Associate, Louise Mozingo Development Programs Mark Hennon Committee Chair Senior Project Kelly Nice Manager, Parks Governance & Place Committee Chair Uriel Hernandez Jonathan Rewers Southeast Area Manager, Melanie Sengupta Parks & Place Tim Seufert Claude Imbault Deputy Director, Glenn Snyder Parks & Place Strategic Planning Chair Rachel Kovinsky Associate, John H. Ware External Affairs Lee Anne Weldon Kearstin Krehbiel Michael Yarne Director, Research Secretary; Innovation & Development & Advocacy Rebecca Liang Committee Chair Staff Accountant Paula Martin Manager, Development Operations Charlie McCone Manager, Marketing & Communications Neal Nuttbrock Program Liaison & Office Culture Coordinator pg. 4 Reimagining our pg. 8 Celebrating our pg. 12 Golden Gate Park Public Spaces Shared Spaces 150th Anniversary Madeline Porter Grants Manager Hickory Alley Sundown Cinema A Year of Celebrations Tompkins Stairway Garden Due South Everybody’s Park Laurie Poston Stevenson Alley Finance Consultant Justin Probert Director of Finance pg. 6 Building Trails pg. 10 Every Neighborhood pg. 13 Partners & Administration and Community Deserves a Great Park pg. 14 Donors Brooke Ray Smith Connections Citywide Public Space Initiative Director, 17 Mile Crosstown Trail Let’sPlaySF! pg. 15 Financials Parks & Place Phil Arnold Trail India Basin Luke Spray Laguna Honda Trail System Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships Impact Report Design by Erika Lee 3 Reimagining our Hickory Alley Hickory Alley had long have local artist Hueman Public Spaces contended with litter, graffiti, create a mural while listening dumping, and safety issues, to a live performance from but throughout the last year Conservatory students. The In the past year we worked with the Parks Alliance worked result, entitled "What does with neighbors to revitalize music look like?” serves as neighborhoods throughout the City the space. Through the a beautiful backdrop to the to bring challenged public spaces Living Alleys Program, the pedestrian thoroughfare Parks Alliance partnered connecting Hayes Valley and to life with imaginative works with ArtSpan and the SF Civic Center Plaza. Conservatory of Music to of art. From tiled stairways and art installations to expansive murals, BEFORE here are some of the dynamic projects we have completed this year. AFTER 200 Street Parks created in San Francisco to date 4 AFTER Tompkins Stairway Garden Once a trash-covered hillside, Tompkins Stairway Garden is now a safe and welcoming Street Park, featuring a drought-tolerant garden in year- round bloom and a colorful tiled stairway. Dedicated attention from surrounding Bernal We worked for years neighbors transformed “ Heights the site into a community developing our project, greenspace and pedestrian but when we partnered corridor serving the Alemany with the Parks Alliance, Farmers’ Market, nearby schools, things really started and shopping districts. to happen fast. They helped us navigate the BEFORE bureaucratic hoops, and their partnership and guidance have meant everything to the success of this project. VICKY RIDEOUT TOMPKINS STAIRWAY GARDEN COMMUNITY MEMBER ” Stevenson Alley AFTER In 2018, Stevenson Alley a temporary ‘Basketball neighbors came together to Court-Yard.’ This space brings explore ways to mitigate the together SOMA’s diverse issues their Market and 6th community members to Street corridor had been converse, exercise, and learn dealing with for years . Earlier about the area and the ways this year, the Parks Alliance that they can work together partnered with Kultivate to create a more active and Labs and the SoMa Pilipinas beautiful Stevenson Street. community groups to build BEFORE Photo of Tompkins Stairway Garden by Mina Seville 5 17 Mile Building Trails Crosstown Trail and Community Connections Each year the Parks Alliance works with over 200 community groups to improve our collective backyard. This year, their trailblazing efforts led to the creation of an unprecedented From Candlestick Point to the Laguna Honda Trail Lands End, the Crosstown System. The vision for this network of trails! Trail takes you through trail was adopted in 2014 woods, streets, parks, and by the Recreation and Open some hidden gems that our Space Element (ROSE) to park partners built lovingly connect the City’s southeast over the years. Notable and northeast metro green highlights include a major spaces, and was completed trail section completed this this year on National Trails year by SF Urban Riders: Day on June 1. Laguna Honda Trail System In 2016, Laguna Honda neighbors discovered a defunct trail system hidden among the trees. The discovery led to a partnership between the SF Urban Riders and the Laguna Honda Hospital to revive 2.5 miles of this lost trail. Today, these community trails are an active recreation site appreciated by local bikers, runners, and walkers alike! 6 223 active community partners beautifying San Francisco Phil Arnold BEFORE Trail in Golden Gate Park IN MEMORY Home to the oldest coastal OF PHIL ARNOLD live oak trees in San Francisco, (1945-2019) the Oak Woodlands is a remnant forest located in Golden Gate Park’s northeast Phil Arnold was corner. The Friends of Oak AFTER a lifelong advocate Woodlands have been of trails and parks, stewarding this natural and served on area for 25 years. The trail’s construction began in 2018 the Boards of SF and was completed this year, Parks Alliance and connecting trails from Twin Bay Area Ridge Trail Peaks, Mount Sutro, and Council. He left his Golden Gate Park. The scenic imprint throughout path was also dedicated the City and his to Phil Arnold, a longtime advocate of parks and trails legacy lives on in the - and forever a hero of the beauty of the Parks Alliance. Oak Woodlands Trail. 7 Celebrating our Shared Spaces Last year the Parks Alliance explored new ways to bring neighborhoods together around their parks and public spaces, and this year we built Sundown Cinema on that momentum by expanding our traveling movie night series Our movie night series with ‘Film Night in the Park.’ Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Highlights included the and launching a free concert series DoTheBay and SF Rec and original Star Wars at Dolores Parks doubled its dates this Park, The Life Aquatic in Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. year after joining forces with at Pier 70, and yes... Mean SF Neighborhood Theater Girls at Marina Green on Foundation’s long-standing National Mean Girls Day! 8 17,000 people engaged with parks through Sundown Cinema and Due South Due South People“ need celebration in their life. It’s part of what it means to be human. We need magic and bliss and power, myth, and celebration This year, the Parks Alliance launched an initiative many in our lives.