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.

Lace up your toe shoes and head over to the Balboa Theater this Friday for a one week run of La Danse, a documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet.

Renowned filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us behind the scenes of one of France’s principal cultural institutions and the world’s great ballet companies, showing us how the company functions from administration, technical support, and classes, to the rehearsal and performance.

The film follows the production of seven ballets – Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, The Nutcracker by Rudolf Noureev, Genus by Wayne McGregor, Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek, Romeo and Juliet by Sasha Waltz and Orpheus and Eurydyce by Pina Bausch.

A.O. Scott of the New York Times says La Danse “is one of the finest dance films ever made”.

Scott writes, “In “La Danse” you watch closely as dancers and choreographers break complex movements down into their constituent gestures, a process that is at once tedious and entirely engrossing. Though all the rehearsing culminates in full-dress performance, “La Danse” really has no beginning, middle or end. It is, rather, about two kinds of time that exist outside traditional narrative frameworks: the long, slow, repetitive cycle in which institutions exist, and the fleeting moments of bodily motion and musical expression that make ballet such a singular and elusive art form.”

La Danse opens Friday, December 4 at the Balboa Theater, 3630 Balboa Street, between 37th and 38th Avenues with showtimes daily at 1:00 (bargain matinee), 4:10, and 7:30. This film will only be there for one week so don’t miss it!

Sarah B.

I spoke with longtime Richmond District resident Anna Yartroussis recently about two projects that are happening at Lincoln Park; the renovation of the Lincoln Park Children’s Playground and the restoration of the nearby Lincoln Park Steps at the end of California Street.

Lincoln Park Playground, located at 33rd Avenue and Clement Street is currently closed for a major renovation that will last until March, 2010. The $934,824 project (budget detail) is funded by the San Francisco Recreations & Park Department.

Yartroussis was involved in the initial planning and fundraising for the playground renovation, and says one of her first jobs was to pursue Albertson’s Market for their promised donation of $500,000. Even though the market was on its way out of the neighborhood, it made good on its donation.

The children’s playground is being completely redesigned and will include new play equipment, safety surfacing and new furnishings. The renovation also calls for new seatwalls and landscaping.

Like many modern playgrounds, Lincoln playground will have two distinct sections – one for children age 2-5, the other designed with taller, more complex structures for kids age 5-12.

Project manager Meghan Tiernan of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department told me this summer that “this will be great for the pre-schools in the area that use Lincoln Playground.”

A conceptual drawing of the new Lincoln Park Playground, due to re-open in March, 2010

Yartroussis is also leading the restoration of the Lincoln Park steps at the end of California Street. In use since the 1900s, decades of neglect and disrepair have resulted in cracked steps, damaged concrete and wasted landscaping that attract nighttime loitering, frequent graffiti and dumping of unwanted items.

With her group the Friends of Lincoln Park, Yartroussis’ goal is to raise $300,000 for the project, which will repair the steps and cover portions of it with decorative tiles.

They are well on their way with a recent $51,000 Community Challenge Grant award from the city and a $10,000 donation from adjacent Katherine Delmar Burke School, where Yartroussis’ daughters are enrolled.

The tile designs for the Lincoln steps are inspired by historic photographs of Sutro Baths and buildings of the 1890 World’s Fair in San Francisco, and from the artistic vision of Aileen Barr, a renowned tile artist who has worked on many public projects in San Francisco, including the award-winning 16th Avenue Stairs in Golden Gate heights.

The restoration will be conducted over the next two years to allow for additional fundraising and community input. The first phase will include re-pouring the wall bench at the top of the stairs and tiling the back wall.

For more information about the Lincoln Steps restoration project, visit the Friends of Lincoln Park website. Want to help? Much of the project is being financed with private donations from Richmond District residents. If you would like to contribute, please donate.

Sarah B.

An artist’s rendering of the restored Lincoln Steps.

An artist’s rendering of a bench on the middle landing of the steps.

This Sunday, December 6, the Sharon Art Studio in Golden Gate Park will host their Winter Pottery and Craft Sale from 11am – 5pm.

The handmade pottery and jewelry sale is a fundraiser for the studio; most pieces will range in price from $5 – $25. A great way to kick off (or finish) your holiday shopping!

The Sharon Art Studio is San Francisco’s largest public community art center. They offer affordable classes in ceramics, glass, jewelry, drawing and watercolor for youth (ages 5 and older), adults and seniors. For more information on their upcoming programs and classes, visit their website.

The studio (and Sunday’s sale) is located in the historic Sharon building at the East end of Golden Gate Park, adjacent to Sharon Meadow and the Children’s Playground and Carousel (map).

Sarah B.

This holiday season, the Richmond District YMCA is offering discounted, short-term memberships for colege students that are returning home for the holidays.

For just $30, your college-aged family member can enjoy 30 days of gym membership at the YMCA. The YMCA, located on 18th Avenue between Geary and Clement, offers a full fitness center complete with treadmills, free weights, Cybex machines, spa, sauna and over sixty group exercise classes. The 30-day membership includes unlimited access to all the facilities and classes.

So if your student has that freshman 15 they want to work off, or is just looking to stay in shape while away from campus, this is their chance. I don’t think you’ll find a better deal anywhere in the city.

This promotion is for students only. To sign up, visit the YMCA front desk and bring your current student ID. For more information, call the YMCA at 666-9622.

Sarah B.