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Park vandalism is top gripe posted to online watchdog
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - For the second straight year, acts of vandalism ranked as the top-reported concern about San Francisco parks, according to a study by a city nonprofit that compiled complaints from more than 1,500 San Francisco residents in 2007.
ParkScan, an online data program that allows users to report incidents at public parks, showed that 51 percent of the complaints lodged by San Francisco residents dealt with graffiti, damaged property, litter or dumping.
Launched in 2003 by the Neighborhood Parks Council, this year’s ParkScan compiled data from 1,531 reports on 135 city parks. Incident reports ranged from clogged water fountains, to sloppy field conditions and broken playground equipment.
Every time a complaint is entered into the ParkScan system, an e-mail is automatically sent to a Recreation and Park Department official specifically responsible for addressing the problem, according to Meredith Thomas of the Neighborhood Parks Council.
Recreation and Park spokeswoman Rose Marie Dennis said park patrons abusing public property is a vexing problem, but ParkScan reports have proven to be an effective tool in incident abatement.
“Vandalism continues to be one of the problems for the department because we can’t predict where the fallout will be,” Dennis said. “Through ParkScan, users can direct the department where to go.”
As The City faces a $338 million projected shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, additional funding for more park department workers is likely to be unavailable for the foreseeable future, making community involvement an essential asset in sustaining The City’s parks, Thomas said.
Linda Harte is a frequent contributor to ParkScan, often chronicling incidents at Crocker Amazon Park in the Excelsior district. She said ParkScan reports about graffiti at the park’s playground are treated summarily by Rec and Park workers who are alerted to the problem.
“I think we found that you can complain and sit back and do nothing,” Harte said. “Or you can get involved and have a better quality of life.”
Graffiti tops residents’ worries
ParkScan is an online reporting system that lets residents report maintenance conditions in San Francisco’s parks and playgrounds.
Top five reported concerns (of 1,531 total complaints)
Graffiti.....26%
Turf/lawn.....17%
Trash/litter/dumping.....15%
General.....15%
Playgrounds.....11%
Source: Neighborhood Parks Council
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:04 PM MST on Fri., Aug. 15, 2008 re: "City parks granted millions to rebuild"
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1:06 PM MST on Thu., Aug. 14, 2008
re: "City parks granted millions to rebuild"
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12:50 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 20, 2008
re: "City parks granted millions to rebuild"
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12:04 AM MST on Wed., May. 21, 2008
re: "Improvement funds not being put into play"
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12:09 PM MST on Tue., May. 20, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
Can we get just a few more high-end condos with trendy, expensive shops underneath them, too?
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Rational Thinker said:
Voters errantly passed a measure to landscape SFPORT when the money would have been better spent on neighborhood parks. BTW: This land is already officially considered to be open space, Ms. Puri is hyping the diversion of $$$$$$ to this SFPort property.
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King of the Dynasty said:
Parks are worse than ever. Fire parks GM Agunbiade.
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A.Goodman @ PRO said:
Amazing, as usual the money is put in a leaky sieve and disappears down the drain. Can you say "slush-fund" its sad that the bonds are played in such a manner, that parks are the victims, schools get sold off (see SF Business Times selling of 8 public sites proposal) and the infrastructure crumbles, such as water, waste, and transit. While towers of silver are spun in the city for the wealthy newcomers of the city. The parks are key, green space is key, the loss of this out-door ammenities, and the poorly worded bond measures placing these items on the renter's (see prior PROP-A that placed 50% on tenants, and just proposed 70% bond pass-through on water/infrastructure. Audits are required, common sense is that state funds and local funds are being swindled. Enough is enough, demand citywide accountability for the expenditures, so that a kids playground is maintained, and public open space, and facilities are adequately funded to their completion. A.Goodman @ PRO
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Examiner Reader said:
the resistance to volunteers working in the parks is simple- we don't want scab labor working next to us. it's bad enough that we have to babysit a bunch of martha stewart/politico wannabes with their "projects". the volunteers themselves have good intentions, but they're being mislead by a group of grant mongers who make money while the volunteers work for free. it's scab labor in the guise of advocacy. a parks gardener
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