Frisco Fried has new hours

Bayview's still new eatery is now open longer (11am to 7pm Tuesday through Sunday). The business, from lifelong Bayview resident Marcel Banks and his uncle, Gregory Banks, is located on 3rd Street at Thomas Avenue.

Just look at what Yelpers are saying about Frisco Fried online:

WOW!!! That's all I can say! This place is great! …let me be the first to tell you that [the “burger dog] is off the hook! …the hospitality makes you feel like you're at home!…hands down the best fried chicken… This place has it going on! WARNING: Beware of the food coma…I have had crab all over the world but this place has the best crab by far!

See more about the business of Bayview here

Bayview artist on the rise

Bayview resident Ron Saunders attended a screening of the new short documentary "6" this afternoon, along with a group of friends that included Jerald Joseph, new Chair of the Bayview Opera House Board of Directors. Ron was featured in the documentary.

Ron is also the featured artist for the new Bayview branch library interior and exterior art accents, a founding member of the community arts gallery Art94124, and a respected fine artist working in the photographic medium.

Ross family on the move

The Blue Dolphin Youth Swim Team held a lively gathering today, at Martin Luther King Jr. Pool on 3rd Street and Carroll, to acknowledge the contribution of James Ross, who is moving along with his family to Danville, Kentucky where James is from.

James Ross is credited with growing the Blue Dolphin Youth Swim Team from its infancy. He is also a Co-Founder and Organizer of the Quesada Gardens Initiative.

Between tears and applause, James was celebrated by parents and young swimmers, community volunteers, staff at MLK Pool and Quesada Gardens neighbors for his selflessness, leadership, and countless contributions to the life of our community.

Under the leadership of James and Coach Lane, the Blue Dolphin team was organized to encourage all children who want to learn competitive swimming regardless of economic background or skill level. The team became a national team, recently, and has already moved up in the rankings. It has been a force for good in the lives of hundreds of children since its founding in 2002.

Pictured is Lisa Ross (2nd from left) and James, along with Blue Dolphin Coach Don Lane (standing behind James), and the many well-wishers who gathered to celebrate James.

Residents guard food access

Food Guardians, a new San Francisco Department of Public Health program that emerged from SEFA (Southeast Food Access) is in action. In the past couple of months, the group of BVHP resident health workers (or “promotoras”) has been visiting BVHP community sites to survey parents about their families' grocery shopping experiences and eating habits.

The survey is part of a larger effort to gauge how the Fresh and Easy store anticipated for 3rd Street will affect community members, our neighborhood’s nutritional status, and existing BVHP food retailers.

Coordinated by Sabrina Wu, the Food Guardians have spoken with parents at Southeast Health Center, Bret Harte Elementary School, Burnett Children's Center, Malcolm X Academy, Hunters Point Head Start, Whitney Young Child Development Center, Grace Child Development Center, and MLK Pool. Food Guardians have also assessed healthy food availability and prices at six food retailers in BVHP, and visited Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in the Mission to get ideas about what they want for BVHP.

A first draft of standards for assessing BVHP food retailers was presented to SEFA in March. It focuses on healthy food and fresh produce availability, variety and quality, cleanliness and safety of stores, environmental impact, low-income consumer access, presence of in-store tobacco and alcohol advertising, consumer education, fair labor, and community investment.

Sabrina and all the Food Guardians are very interested in ideas from community members about neighborhood grocery stores. Contact them by email or at 415-581-2444.

Mourning Dr. Davis

All of us at the Quesada Gardens Initiative join with our neighbors in mourning the loss of Dr. George Davis, a community hero and inspirational Bayview Hunters Point figure.

"Through the illnesses and frailty you always saw his spirit," said Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who spent time with Dr. George Davis at the 30th anniversary of Black Cuisine, a soul food festival started by Dr. Davis to connect young African Americans with the culinary side of their cultural roots.

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Pride of Bayview swims home

Bayview Hunters Point’s inspiring swim team organization held the MLK Jr. Blue Dolphin Youth Swim Team Summer League sporting event on June 2nd at Martin Luther King Pool (5701 3rd Street). The swim team held the event as part its membership in USA Swimming.

See more details and RSVP online

Pictured is the 2008 Blue Dolphin team.

Will the T-Third become the B-Brown?

The public hearing to begin evaluation of the renaming of 3rd Street is yet to be scheduled. However, you can tell the Department of Public Works what you think about the idea by end-of-day Monday via email or in writing to:

Department of Public Works
Bureau of Street Use and Mapping
875 Stevenson Street, Suite 460
San Francisco, CA 94103
Attn: Street Renaming Proposal

The City mailed letters to property owners and business owners along Third Street last month. The letter states that the Board of Supervisors introduced a resolution to consider renaming Third Street to Willie L. Brown, Jr. Boulevard, and provides a brief overview of the process that will be undertaken during the consideration of the proposal.

A group known as “Keep it Third” invites membership online at Facebook.

The Russians came...and helped out!

On Sunday, Quesada Gardens hosted over fifty Stanford students and Russian student delegates who were in the country to attend a conference at the University. After a brief orientation to community-building in Bayview, the students got their hands dirty in the Quesada Garden, Latona Community Garden, and Bridgeview Teaching & Learning Garden. Spring weeds were the only losers!

The day was Большое удовольствие (that's “big fun” for those with rusty Russian).

Overheard...

"I can't believe those guys got the three stumps we've been wrestling with out of the ground!" - James

"Bayview is the most whimsical neighborhood in San Francisco." - Jacob

"Some of us don't understand the concept of American community service, and why people do this for free." - Anda (Russian delegation organizer)

The EcoCenter at Heron’s Head, which Literacy for Environmental Justice says is the Bay Area’s first environmental justice education center, officially opened as part of “People’s Earth Day” environmental justice celebration.

The event included live entertainment with Jaye and Friends, food, interactive tours, raffle prizes, bird tours led by SF Nature, and the unveiling of a signature heron sculpture designed and created by metal artist Daniel Macchiarini.

Footprints congratulates everyone at LEJ for this achievement.

On the same big Bayview day, the Bayview Opera House hosted kid-friendly activities that promoted health and creative expression. “Rock Extinction,” the sculpture garden created by Mexican artist, Porfirio Vazquez was on display.

Organizers at the City’s Sunday Streets program closed parts of Third Street on Sunday to make walking, jogging, skating or biking between activities safe and fun.

Innovative bid policy emerges from library project

Two pieces of legislation potentially relevant to the construction of the new Bayview library were heard by the Board of Supervisors Land Use & Economic Development Committee on April 19th at City Hall.

The new Bayview library was being bid using an Integrated Project Delivery approach, where the city hires a Construction Manager/General Contractor under expanded criteria. Under proposed legislation, bid proposals could be evaluated based on quality, cost, and workforce participation, instead of cost alone.

The second piece of legislation considered would grant bid discounts to small and micro-Local Business Enterprises that joint venture with other firms to bid on construction contracts under the Integrated Project Delivery approach. This change would provide an incentive for larger established contractors to mentor smaller firms.

The agenda is available online, and more information can be obtained from Minday Linetzky - by email or phone (415.557.4662) - at the Branch Library Improvement Program.

Bayview library campaign tells Footprints "Thanks, but no thanks"

In 2009, Bayview Footprints Network members elected to offer our first “Adopt-the-Network” opportunity to the campaign to raise money for furniture and equipment for the new library as a way to provide an existing network of concern to the campaign, and to ensure any future capacity for community-building that we build through the campaign stays in the neighborhood.

The good people at Friends of the San Francisco Public Library considered our offer, and declined it as a complicated change to their existing strategy which has proven so successful in other neighborhoods.

Bayview Footprints thanks the Friends organization for their consideration, and thanks all Bayview Footprints Network members who support the library campaign for their continued involvement. Footprints, too, will continue to support the campaign with occasional updates in Bayview Footprints Local News, though the network will not be a full partner on the campaign.

Bayview Footprints Network member groups should begin considering other “Adopt-the-Network” beneficiaries. Projects chosen would receive regular space in Bayview Footprints Local News, free ads, volunteerism from network members, and the kind of grassroots credibility that comes with the sign of the footprint.

YMCA investment

The YMCA is investing over $65 million in San Francisco where it is renovating or rebuilding four of its 14 locations.

The biggest project under way, and set to finish construction in July, is the $23 million re-creation of the Chinatown Y. An $11 million second-phase renovation to make the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA seismically safe and ADA compliant is also underway, and scheduled to be done this month.

Congratulations to Gina Fromer, Bayview Hunters Point YMCA Executive Director, who received a Jefferson Award!

Bayview Hill group still growing

The Bayview Hill Neighborhood Association, a group of residents at the southernmost section of the City along the northern slope of Candlestick Hill, are reaching out to anyone interested in the group and the concerns it addresses.

Monthly meetings are held at the St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church Library at 3rd and Jamestown (enter on Jennings at Key). In addition to the group's regular meetings, special events are being planned such as candidate forums for supervisor candidates, a block party, and a holiday party and awards dinner.

For more information contact Marsha Pendergrass at 415.468.9168