June 15, 2010:  Community Challenge Grant Program Begins!  This year we will be sponsoring the Vermont Street Neighborhood Association (VSNA) in the Community Challenge Grant program (CCG).  VSNA will be applying for 50K grant towards beautification, native gardens and new gathering spaces.  Stay tuned for more updates coming from VSNA.

June 9, 2010:  Community SAFE Meeting 6:00pm

May 28, 2010:  Vermont Street Art Installation Kick-Off Begins!  Come down and celebrate the great efforts of the Downtown High School Students and Southern Exposure.  Enjoy a BBQ and music this weekend.

May 25, 2010:  Potrero Hill Booster Association Annual Dinner! Congratulations to the new Booster President, Audrey Cole!  

April 15, 2010:  Vermont Street Neighborhood Group (VSNA): After many months of SAFE neighborhood watch meetings and project planning with both DPW and neighbors; VSNA is ready to begin exploring funding options for the surrounding areas that directly impact their homes along the 800-900 blocks of Vermont, 21st, 22nd and Kansas Streets.  

March 4, 2010:  McKinley Square Park Foundation (MSPF) - Meet & Greet hosted by San Francisco Parks Trust- Joyce Book along with DB Spahn, Chairman, MSCA attended an informal  "Meet and Greet" with MSPF's fiscal sponsor; San Francisco Park Trusts. The goal of the meeting was to provide a brief overview of how SFPT and MSPF work together towards park advocacy and in facilitating the funding process on behalf of individuals or neighborhood groups like MSCA.  

March 2, 2010:  Multi-Agency Landscape Meeting- Identify existing conditions and property lines to be used for community outreach during the Master Planning Process under the direction of Recreation and Parks Department. [Re-Scheduled due to Weather Conditions].

March 1, 2010:  McKinley Square Park Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting- Overview of Goals, Strategy and Master Schedule for 2010. Update on Landscape Architect meeting and master planning process from RPD.

February 3, 2010:  McKinley Square Park Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting- The Board of Trustees for the McKinley Square Park Foundation hosted a "Meet & Greet" for the members of MSCA.  The purpose of the meeting was to provide a brief overview of our Foundations qualifications, goals and 2010 funding strategy outlined under our joint partnership with both Recreation and Parks and San Francisco Parks Trust [May 2009].  Discussions related to our board's stellar history with previous park funding experience [i.e. Franklin Square, Potrero De Sol] as well as identifying positive ways to partner with individual neighborhood groups like MSCA when facilitating funding for McKinley Square projects.  

January 26, 2010: Vermont Street Neighborhood Group (VSNA) SAFE Meeting- Formalize partnership with SAFE and the individual neighbors living on the 800-900 blocks of Vermont.  Discussed Kansas and 22^nd Street neighbors. Overview VSNA goals, boundaries and public safety projects related to the unimproved DPW areas (e.g. "Enclave") managed by the Department of Public Works.  Overview of 2010 beautification and project planning process related to coordinating agencies and funding options. Meeting Begins at 6:30 at Downtown High School.

January 18, 2010:  McKinley Square Park Foundation Board of Trustee Meeting- Identify Annual Goals and Scheduling for 2010 Funding Process under the direction of Recreation and Parks Department.  

January 19, 2010: Multi-Agency Landscape Meeting- Identify existing conditions and property lines to be used for community outreach during the Master Planning Process under the direction of Recreation and Parks Department. [Re-Scheduled due to Weather Conditions].

January 18, 2010:  McKinley Square Park Foundation Board of Trustee Meeting-   Explore the Master Planning Process under the direction of Recreation and Parks Department as it relates to 2010 Funding Process and Capital Improvements.

December 31, 2010: Next Year's Meetings: Beginning in January, we will meet again with the various agencies before hosting a community wide meeting for everyone to attend and review the status of the short and long-term solutions identified.

December 15, 2009: Vermont Street Neighborhood Association (VSNA) Short-Term Results are Happening! The best reflection of the swift response we are seeing from the Vermont Street Neighborhood Association (VSNA) and our local agencies (e.g. SFPD, RPD, DPW and Caltrans) can be seen by visiting the “enclave” located at the base of Vermont Street.  Both VSNA SAFE Group Co-Captains; Jennifer King and Henry Wimmer and the members have moved forward quickly when expressing their support for making short-term public safety improvements.  

Look for more updates from the VSNA SAFE Crime Watch Group in January 2010 after they host their first planning meeting.

December 14, 2009:  DPW and the Vermont Street Neighborhood Association (VSNA) SAFE Block Captains from the 900 Block of Vermont Street participated in a walk-through of the area which has resulted in a week long clean-up and 250K renovation project this week.  These efforts will be ongoing and are focusing on beautification and public safety projects surrounding the 900 block of Vermont (e.g. “Enclave”)

December 1, 2009:  Multi Agency Board Meeting- (10) Potrero Hill Neighborhood community groups (e.g. Potrero Hill Boosters Association, Potrero Hill Parents Association, Kansas Street Neighborhood Association, Vermont Street Neighborhood Association, San Bruno Avenue 

Together with (10) community group leaders and local press representatives from the Potrero View, the multi-agency meeting and partnership coordination was a great success.  The goal was to discuss and identify areas that needed both short and long-term solutions.  The meeting was designed to create a solid working relationship between our neighborhood and these park partners.  We had 100% attendance and the support of Mayor Gavin Newsom based on his personal visit to McKinley Square back 11/20/09. This was a very successful meeting for all!

November 20, 2009: Mayor Gavin Newsom Meets with Downtown High School Students and Faculty!  Joyce Book was invited to attend the meeting between Mayor Gavin Newsom and the students of Downtown High School (DHS).  The goal was to learn more about the ongoing efforts with DHS and creating new ways of getting these students more active in community events.

After the DHS meeting, MGN agreed to an impromptu one-on-one meeting related to ongoing public safety issues identified in the areas surrounding McKinley Square Park.  MGN and Joyce met afterwards at the base of Vermont Street (e.g. “Enclave”) and briefly reviewed some of the well documented community concerns related to the (3) properties located there (e.g. DPW, Caltrans, RPD) and agenda items related to previous SAFE Crime Watch meetings.  

MGN expressed strong support towards any efforts increasing public safety surrounding McKinley Square and immediately followed up by sending out multiple text messages to the related department heads at both city and state agencies (e.g. SFPD, RPD, DPW, SFMTA, Caltrans, District Attorney).  This was a game changing moment for all of our efforts to date related to funding and agency support.   Items discussed related to well documented, long standing issues related to homeless encampments, gang activity, speeding, crime and our neighborhoods overall concerns on maintenance and repairs.

November 15, 2009:  SAFE Neighborhood Watch Captains-  We have (2) new SAFE Neighborhood Crime Watch Captains! Let's welcome

MSPF will continue to host annual public safety community outreach meetings related with SAFE Neighborhood Crime Watch with the goal of creating a larger, SAFE neighborhood for all.