Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council’s April 8^th general meeting will feature an informational presentation and discussion on the Skate Board Park that is proposed for the Waller Street cul de sac off of Stanyan Street in Golden Gate Park. The Board of Supervisors, lead by Ross Mirkarimi, unanimously approved the park’s creation and passed an ordinance to that effect. The Planning Commission has approved it and there is $80,000 allocated for its design. Compared to other sports, skateboarding is an underserved sport and a park gives skaters a place to skate off the streets.

A group of neighbors adjacent to the proposed site and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition oppose this use. The Bicycle Coalition presently has developed the site for safe bicycling training and riding for children. A number of neighborhood events are held there including the annual Haight Ashbury Children’s Halloween event. In addition there is the proposed seasonal Ice Skating Rink and the ever elusive Farmers Market, both of which are slated to use the site. The site has also been mandated to provide overflow parking for events with over 5,000 expected attendees at Kezar Pavillion. A number of neighbors feel that the park will create an undue noise pollution burden for them and fear increased traffic congestion in an already congested area.

HANC has invited representatives from San Francisco Rec and Park, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, The San Francisco Skateboarding Association and neighbors opposing and supporting the proposal to come and provide the community with more information and to have a discussion about the proposal.

Also on the agenda for April 8^th will be a presentation from representatives of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission CleanPowerSF program. CleanPowerSF is the City’s program to provide an alternative to PG&E as a source of electrical power under the “community choice aggregation” program. CleanPowerSF must come up with a final plan this year on how to do that and this is an informational presentation. For more information on-line, go to http://www.CleanPowerSF.org