The San Francisco call., 1910-03-26
PROVEMENTS IN.
MISSION PLANNED
Promotion Association Prepares
Tax Budget Report Outlining
Municipal Betterments
By F. ]. CHURCHILL

Encouraged by its success in effecting
the selection of a Mission site for the
state armory and auditorium the Mis-
sion promotion associations committee
on commercial development has out
lined in a tax budget report which viii
be submitted TO the directors of the
association at their next meeting a
series Of necessary improvements, the
realization OF which viii enable the
Mission to keep pace in the line of
municipal betterment with the atten-
tion il is attracting from all portions
Of the state The report has been
compiled with the assistance of the
other standing committees of the asso-
citation.
The personal attention of Mayor Nc
Carthy has been called to the fact that
in the entire Mission there are approxi-
nately only 80 acres Of improved park
and playground area. as compared with
1900 acres north OF Market street, not
Wlthstanoing the fact that there is an
inverse ratio Of children in the two
districts. The mayor has pledged his
assistance TO the association and has
already requested the park commits
sioners 10 proceed at once with the
further Improvement Of Holly park
and Bernal square at Precita avenue
and Folsom street. The report of the
committee recommends that provision
be made in the municipal budget for
the thorough improvement of Franklin
square between Sixteenth and Seven
teenth, Bryant and Hampshire streets:
Buens Vista square. bounded by Twen-
Tieth, TWenty-flrst. Vermont streets and
PotrerO avenue; Jackson park between
Mar.posa, Seventeenth. Carolina and
Arkansas streets; SUnnyside square
bounded by Sussex, Thirty-third Stan
yan streets and Twin Peaks avenue.
MUCH WORK Il NEEDED
The report emphasizes the deplorable
condition Of the streets surrounding
Garfield square between Twenty-fffth.
Twenty sixth, Harrison streets and
Treat avenue. and those bounding the
Mission park between Eighteenth,
Twentieth, Dolores and Church streets.
The Mission park has not even curb
stone around ii, although IT is the
principal and most frequented pleas
ere spot in the entire district Side
walks are also badly needed around
the Mission park and the paving of the
Nineteenth street boulevard bisecting
The park, as well as the paving of
Church, Dolores and Twentieth streets
are necessities. An effort will be made
70 have the budget provide for the per-
formance Of this work and the parking
OF Dolores street from Seventeenth
street southerly, so as TO make it
boulevard in fact as well as in name
The needs of the children in the
outlying quarter of the Mission have
been partially provided fof by the con-
version OF the House of Refuge tract
at san Jose and Ocean avenues into a
park and children's playground After
a determined stand the association was
successful IN having this tract placed
under the jurisdiction of the park COM
missioners. The report recommends
that the fences at present around the
park VIII be removed and that the en-
tire level portion of it be converted
INTO a baseball diamond and play
ground 1t advises that Immediate
steps also be taken to have the county
Jan now on the crest Of the tract
removed TO q location farther down the
peninsula A petition has already been
forwarded to the park commission ask
ing that the grounds be named at once
Balboa park, SO as to give it a distin-
gushing name and one commemorate
ing one Of the principal characters of
our history
BETTER SCHOOL FACILITIES
The committee calls attention 10 the
adYlsabllity Of bettering the school ia
cilities Of the Mission. 1t recommends
ne increase Of playground space in the |
douglass primary school. at Nineteenth
ana Coilingwood streets; the Edison /
primary school, at Church and Hill |
streets; the Hawthorne primary school. /
a.
statistics are given TO show the con-
sested condition Of the Monroe and /
Marshall primary schools and the need /
of grammar school in the section /
pounded by Potrero avenue and Rhode |
Island, Mariposa and Twenty-second |
streets. The aid OF the associations /
committee on schools, school buildings 1
and other public buildings is asked to |
relieve these conditions
Other important matters recon- /
Inendec by the report are an appropri- i
alton OF approximately 500. 600 to com
plete the construction of the Mission
Viaouct; additional appropriations to
the improvement of Fifteenth
avenue south. between San Bruno ave-
nue. and Kentucky street and of San
Bruno avenue south of Twenty-sixth
street; an appropriation to ex-
tend sixteenth street west of Cas-
tro so as to connect bv A direct
route the Mission. Potrero and sunset
and facilitate the starting of work on
the Twin peaks tunnel and the btu
OF Eighteenth street between
Noe and Castro streets, which is the
only block of the principal artery to
the Eureka valley which is paved with
basalt blocks
Following the consideration of the
report by the directors of the associa-
ton, the several matters approved will
be intrusted to the different standing II
of the associa ton and "A
effort will be made TO have
the different projects favorably report
ed upon by the mayor, the board of
supervisors and the different city COM II
missions.
In supplement to the report 1T is
deemed advisable to revive the prof.
ect of widening Army street to 100
.eet between Mission and Kentucky.
conjunction with the campaign in
favor of the India basin act, which will II
be submitted to the voters in Novem-
Der. The widening of Army street
md the readjustment of its grade at Il
Massachusetts street would create a
iirect road from the junction of Van
Ness avenue and Market street through
he Mission to the proposed land
ocked harbor at the mouth of Islais
,reek- 1t has been demonstrated by
actual test that load can be hauled
rom the harbor site to any point
south of Eighth street in shorter time /
han can be done at present from the
umber whaTves at the foot of Powell
street. If Potrero avenue could be
attended through between Twenty
ourth and Army streets, another street L
90 feet wide could be used for traffic
oming from the harbor to the manu- /
acturing quarter of the Mission and
he western Potrero