I spent lots of time in high school playing soccer on the fields at Beach Chalet (and sustained a few injuries on the uneven turf!), so I was excited to learn about plans for renovating them.
The City Fields Foundation is holding a community meeting about the proposed renovation for the Beach Chalet Athletic Fields on Monday, December 7 from 7-8:30pm at the GGP Senior Center, 6101 Fulton St. (at 37th Ave.).
With the goal of addressing the shortage of athletic fields in San Francisco and providing equitable facilities across neighborhoods, the City Fields Foundation was created in 2006 in partnership by three brothers, Bob, Bill and John Fisher, who grew up playing sports in San Francisco parks and wanted to make sure other city kids enjoy the same opportunities. They partnered with the SF Recreation & Parks Department and to date, have renovated five facilities in the city.
Beach Chalet is a well-used soccer facility, with more than 1,500 kids and 600 adults playing there each week in the busiest Fall season. But the last time any real work was done to the fields was in 1998, and it’s not unusual for one or more of the four fields to be closed for maintenance. Not to mention the abundance of gopher holes, uneven turf, and wet, oceanside conditions that make it a not-so-pleasant place to play.
The Beach Chalet renovation project calls for major facility improvements including converting the fields to synthetic turf, installing lights for night play, new restrooms, parking lot improvements, better walkways and lighting, and the addition of a designated spectator area.
In its current condition, the fields can host just over 4,000 hours of play in a year. With the renovations in place, the amount of hours for both soccer and lacrosse games to take place would almost be tripled. The current timeline calls for the project to begin construction in July, 2010 and reopen in May, 2011.
See the full Beach Chalet Renovation presentation from City Fields Foundation (PDF, 12MB)
For more information on the Beach Chalet Soccer Fields Renovation project, be sure to attend the public meeting on December 7. But if you can’t, you can also get more information from Dan Mauer, Project Manager for San Francisco Recreation and Parks’ Capital Improvement Division at (415) 581–2542 or visit the City Fields Foundation website.
Sarah B.
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