THEVOICE welcomes
your letters to the editor. Write the Noe Valley
Voice, P.O.
Box460249, S.F., CA
94146. Or
email editor@noevalleyvoice.com.Please include your
name and contact information. (Anonymous letters will not be
considered for
publication.) Be aware that letters may be edited for brevity
or clarity. We
look forward to hearing from you.
A Time
and a Place
Editor:
In early September, a friend and I went to a
restaurant on 24th
Street in the early evening. When we were about to order, a
child, at two
tables away from us, let out a prolonged screech, lasting
about 30 seconds.
I went over to the table and said in a calm
voice, “That is not
okay,” at which point the father said, “Did you hear what the
lady said?” The
child stopped.
About 40 minutes later, the child did it again,
and my friend went
over to the table and said, “You need to reprimand your
child,” at which point
the mother got up in our faces, pointing her finger, and began
screaming, “F—-
you, you old hags, you probably don’t even have kids,”
screaming her head off,
with the child in her arms.
She then threatened us with “Do you want to take
this outside?” My
friend and I abruptly left.
At what point does the parent take charge, maybe
simply escorting
the child outside and talking to him, with no prompting? Is
the child’s tantrum
everyone else’s problem?
P.M.
The
Nature of Tree Removal in Glen Canyon
Editor:
In the past week [pre Oct. 9], I’ve received a
number of emails
from constituents concerned about tree removal in Glen Canyon
in connection
with the upcoming project to upgrade and make changes to
recreational
facilities in the area of Glen Canyon near Elk and Chenery.
I’m sending this
response to each of those constituents.
Let me begin by saying that I’m a huge fan of
Glen Canyon. I
wouldn’t exactly call it a hidden gem, but it’s amazing to me
how many people
have never been there. I guess that’s a bonus for those of us
who do go there
and get to experience the canyon’s majesty.
As you also may know, I’ve taken a particular
interest in trees.
Our urban forest—including both street trees and park trees—is
one of our
greatest assets. It gives us beauty, shade, and a cleaner
environment in our
otherwise urban city.…
So I do take seriously the concerns I’ve heard
about removal of
trees in Glen Canyon. I also know that sometimes tree removal
is appropriate in
forest management. Everyone agrees that hazardous trees should
be removed if
they cannot be made safe. And this portion of the canyon is
the active
recreational portion of the canyon, with a rec center,
playground, tennis
courts, and play fields. There are times when trees need to be
removed to
re-work recreational areas. I’m very optimistic about the
future of this area
of the park, with the current project for the tennis courts
and playground and
(if Prop. B passes) the complete rehabilitation of the
dilapidated rec center.
I would also love to address the irrigation system problems at
the playing
field.
In discussing this issue, I believe it’s
important that everyone
have complete and accurate information. That’s why, in June, I
worked with the
Glen Park Association and Diamond Heights Community
Association to convene a
large community meeting with presentations by Rec & Park,
the Forest
Alliance, and others. Discussion and dialogue is the best way
to ensure that
everyone receives accurate information. People then can form
their opinions.
Unfortunately, there does appear to be inaccurate
information
circulating in the community. For example, several people have
asked me why
“most” of the trees in Glen Canyon are being removed. That’s
not accurate,
since the trees being removed—whether you support the removal
or not—constitute
a tiny percentage of the total trees in the canyon and for
each tree removed
several new trees will be planted. A total of 58 trees (not
“hundreds,” as some
have been saying) will be removed, including six that are in
the way of the tennis
court project and 52 that are unhealthy or have structural
defects. Indeed, of
those 52 trees, two recently collapsed. Fortunately, no one
was injured.
The word “deforestation” is also repeatedly used,
which is an
overstatement. Whatever one’s position on the currently
planned project—and I
respect those who don’t want the trees removed—it’s not
deforestation, which
connotes clear-cutting. As we move forward with this debate, I
think it’s
important for accurate terminology to be used. Otherwise, it’s
hard to have a
good debate.
In terms of the project at hand, that project
resulted from an
extensive community process, with numerous meetings over a
number of months.
Community input was received every step of the way, and my
office participated
in the community process. It was a good one. The project was
then approved by
the Recreation and Park Commission, after a public hearing.
The project doesn’t
require Board of Supervisors approval.
One other thing to note. The broader Natural
Areas Plan (NAP) will
likely be coming to the Board of Supervisors next year. We
will hear and decide
that appeal at that time. The issue here is not the broader
NAP issue. Rather
it’s an issue specific to the project around the tennis courts
and rec center.
Thanks for caring about our beautiful canyon.
Scott Wiener
Supervisor, District 8
415-554-6968
Editor’s Note: At press time, the Voice learned
that a resident of Mt. Davidson had filed an appeal in
mid-October, temporarily
halting planned renovations in Glen Canyon. (The $5.8
million project includes
handicap-accessible bathrooms, an expanded playground,
re-positioned tennis
courts, and a wider park entrance with a drop-off zone.) A
hearing on the
appeal has been scheduled for Nov. 14, 5 p.m., in Room 416,
City Hall.
THE NOE
VALLEY VOICE
P.O. Box 460249
San
Francisco, CA 94146
www.noevalleyvoice.com
The Noe Valley Voice is an
independent newspaper
published monthly except in January and August. It is
distributed free in Noe
Valley and vicinity, on or before the first Friday of the
month. Subscriptions
are available at $30 per year ($25 for seniors) by writing to
the above
address.
The Voice welcomes your letters,
photos, and
stories, particularly on topics relating to Noe Valley. All
items should
include your name, address, and phone number, and may be
edited for brevity or
clarity. (Unsigned letters will not be considered for
publication.) Unsolicited
contributions will be returned only if accompanied by a
self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
The Noe Valley Voice is a member
of the San
Francisco Neighborhood Newspaper Association.
Email: editor@noevalleyvoice.com
Editorial: 415-821-3324
Website: www.noevalleyvoice.com
Distribution: Call Misha, 415-752-1726
Display Advertising: Call Pat,
415-608-7634,
or email PatRose@noevalleyvoice.com
Class Ads: See Page 33
Display Advertising Deadline for the
December/January Issue: Nov. 16, 2012
Editorial/Class Ad Deadline: Nov. 15, 2012
CO-PUBLISHERS/EDITORS
Sally Smith, Jack Tipple
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND
EDITORS
Olivia Boler, Other Voices Editor
Corrie M. Anders, Associate Editor
Heather World, Associate Editor
Heidi Anderson, Owen Baker-Flynn, Karol Barske,
Helen Colgan,
Chrissy Elgersma, Jan Goben, Liz Highleyman, Rebecca Huval,
Laura McHale
Holland, Florence Holub, Tim Innes, Jeff Kaliss, Doug Konecky,
Rhiana
Maidenberg, Roger Rubin, Shayna Rubin, Karen Topakian
