The San Francisco call., 1896-05-28
WORKING FOR THEIR PARK
Eleventh Ward Residents Want
Their Share of Improve
mentS.
Supervisors Will Be Petitioned to
Purchase Two B ocks in
the Mission.

Residents of the Mission are becoming
enthusiastic over the, prospect OF having
park. For years they have had no recreation
grounds nearer than Golden Gate Park,
and they have long watched with a feel
ing of injustice tho extensive improve
ments made in the numerous parks and
squares of the Western Addition, while
the whole Mission district has been left
with but one park, Columbia Square,
which is far from being centrally situated
for Mission people.
Strong efforts are being made to secure
the old Jewish cemetery blocks, bounded
by Eighteenth and Twentieth, Dolores
and Church streets, for park. Toward
this end the members of the Mission I'M
provement Union are circulating a petit
tion, a copy of which has already ap-
peared in THE CALL.
1.-The petition that is now being circu-
lated will soon be presented to the Super
visors," said George Walcom. secretary of
the Mission Improvement Union, yester-
day. 1.-The site in question is conceded to
be the only available one in the Mission.
The representatives of the Eureka Beneyo-
lent Society and the Emanu-El Congreea-
ton, the owners of the property, ask $780,
600 apiece for each OF the two blocks
desired, but it is thought that both NAV
be secured for $3.50, COO which local real
estate experts pronounce fair price,
Judge Van Reynegom is quite enthusi-
astic over the new park. "Just look at
this map" he said, pointing to a wall map
Of the City. "Over there IN the Western
Addition and north of Market street
neighborhood there are no fewer than
eight parks, while in this whole Eleventh
Ward, which is much greater in area, we
have only one or two small squares.
1.-THE site desired is admirably situated
for park. 1t is protected from the wind
by the high hills to the west, which also
break the fog banks into light scattering
clouds. Ii there is ever spot of sunshine
on the whole peninsula you will find it in
this locality.
1.-The price asked for the two blocks is
not exorbitant, when you consider
how large the blocks are ROUGHLY
speaking, these two blocks contain m ore
square feet than five ordinary Western
Addition blocks.
''It is only fair, he continued, THAT the
Eleventh Ward should receive back some
part of what it pays in taxes. The prop.
erty in this ward is assessed at 800 900
600, and pays annually $l,000,OOO taxes.
During the past twenty years less than 1
per cent of the taxes paid by the Eleventh
Ward has come back in the form OF inn
provements."
w Hlle Tue OplnlOn Is pIdctlCdlly unanl-
nous throughout the Mission that this To-
cation should be secured for park, trere
is some difference of opinion as TO the
method of raising the necessary funds for
the purchase of the property. Some of
the more enthusiastic and impatient pro-
moters of the movement are in favor of
providing in Rext years tax levy for the
purchase of the blocks. The CITY and
County Attorney has said that the Super
visors have the power to make such an ad-
dition in the tax rate. Or, il deemed ad-
visable, the payment for the land might
be made by bonds, the epresent owners hav-
ing signified their perfect willingness to
accept in payment per cent City bonds.
Many of the more deliberate and con-
servative property-owners, however, be-
lieve that to increase the tax rate would be
a serious detriment to all interests. They
would prefer to wait until the City could
sell some of its property and thus obtain
the necessary funds. There is a strong
sentiment in favor of the City selling
Buena Vista Park for this purpose.