Rec and Park’s complete overhaul of Mission Playground, a $7.5 million  renovation was funded by the 2008 Clean & Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond. It includes the Valencia Street courtyard with new play equipment, water play feature and artist designed fence panels, tennis & basketball courts with fencing, and planting irrigation. The Clubhouse, Pool Building, and interior playground and the 19th Street entrance are scheduled to be completed in fall, 2012.

In addition, City Fields Foundation donated $500,000 for the new synthetic turf playfield. their donation provided funding and installation of the new synthetic turf soccer field and upgrades of fencing, drainage, and lights. The new surface is environmental friendly with water-saving maintenance, and safer for play than tradition field because it provides impact attenuation.

• Mission Playfields Grand Opening
• Tuesday, May 22, 2012
• 9:30 a.m.

• Well thank God we stopped the commercialization of Dolores Park!
  ” Mobile fashion truckat Park. Found my dream handbag here! ”
  

  Mobil Fashion Truck at Dolores Park

• Supervisors tweak preservation rules. New rules are expected to apply to Mission Dolores and the Dolores Street median. (via @rachelgordonsf)
• Don’t fence me in: Dolores Park divided over playground proposal.
  -Heather Knight get’s it right.
• In case you missed it, super video of construction of the Dolores Park Helen Diller Playground.
• Oh, why hello, Dolores Park Shine! (via @JuliaHRhee)
  

  Hello Dolores Park Sunshine!

• BREAKING: Riots in Dolores Park as SF imposes sunblock rationing in response to 3 consecutive days of nice weather (via @bos31337)
• Bubbles Blanket Dolores Park captured in this MissionLocal video.
• Mission Local was also our primo source of the early May Day rally that soon became a violent riot. Lots of clues, but still no one seems sure who these dudes were.

San Francisco Parks Alliance, our partner in Dolores Park advocacy,  along with dozens of our fellow Park Partners are hosting events throughout the city to celebrate Love Your Parks Day.

Hayes Valley Farm

There will be 13 popular activities including Mountain Lake Park Planting and Nature Walk, urban farming at Vis Valley Greenway, and for the food obsessed, edible food demos and education segments on bee-keeping at the Hayes Valley Farm and many more.  With all these different events and locations to choose from the SF Parks Alliance has  definitely spread the Park Love throughout the city.

Come out and enjoy the diverse parks and events which make San Francisco the lively and beautiful city it is!

The Castle on the Park - soon to be a middle school!

The conversion of 601 Dolores, aka the Castle on the Park, aka Hogwarts,  has been approved by the San Francisco Planning Commission for use by Children’s Day School. In a Thursday marathon session that lasted until 10:30pm, neighbors and parents alike lined the aisles to speak both in favor and against the project.

The discussion centered around the planned use of a roof deck as a classroom to teach sustainable urban gardening. Before its unanimous approval, the Commission added some conditions to the plan, including restrictions on any rooftop use after 9pm or any external lighting on the roof. As reported in Curbed SF: the proposal would house students in 5th through 8th grades, and the work for the conversion of the giant spaces is massive, including a complete seismic retrofit, partitions for 10 new classrooms, 7 administrative offices, 3 student and faculty lounges, 2 new interior stairways, one elevator, 5 restrooms, and a full second floor level within the Sunday school wing of the building. The conversion will not harm the historic interior nor will it alter the exterior facades.

Next up for the project is further structural engineering planning. When completed, the new school will house approximately 180 wizards … er … middle schoolers. Welcome to the park, Children’s Day School!