Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I’m a home owner at Vermont Street, right where the final turn of the Bring Your Own Big Wheel (BYOBW) takes place. I wanted to give an emphatic vote of confidence in support of the event. The people who take it upon themselves to add order and foresight to the fun big wheel ride ensure that the event is safe and in the spirit of San Francisco freedom of expression.
BYOBW’s last two years have resulted in lots of laughs and no discernable injuries to participants, nor damage to the neighborhood. The cleanup after the event has been top notch. In fact, several of my neighbors agreed that Vermont Street looked better and cleaner after the event. The BYOBW organizers took the time to patch potholes and cracks, roped off areas to protect vegetation, cleaned up the litter, and generally spread smiles and goodwill. Many of us on Vermont interacted more during the event and in its aftermath than we do otherwise.
The actual race – more like a fun ride with laughter and peaceful sharing of childlike joy – only lasts two hours, from 4 to 6 p.m. There are pre-event barbeque celebrations open to all starting at about 2:45 p.m. It seems to me that we can all benefit from three hours of community fun, if we all strive to keep it safe with no negative impact to the neighborhood.
Concerns about parking have largely been addressed by neighborhood organizers, including saving parking spots at the top of the park for folks who might need space for in-coming Easter guests. Space at Downtown High School may also be available for additional neighborhood-only parking. Together we can plan to make the event work smoothly for everyone.
Hip, hip, hooray for these positive, respectful people. May they continue to experience cooperation from the community, San Francisco Police Department, the City, and everyone who remembers what childlike joy feels like.
Henry Wimmer
901 Vermont Street
Dear Editor,
Regarding the Easter Sunday visitation by many hundreds of roller derby, skate boarding celebrants, allow me to pour a small dose of cold water on these aspirations. In my view McKinley Park, after quite meticulous cultivation over the past several years, is still returning to a condition that could not yet be described as entirely green. I attended last year’s Bring Your Own Big Wheel event, and in addition to the abundance of joy and happiness exhibited by most of the attendees there was also present, like a swam of locusts, trampled lawns, crushed planting areas, and hillside erosion from the excessive traffic during the day long affair. This was the unintended consequence of thousands of little feet all jousting for the best vantage points as the vehicles careened down the crooked street. In my opinion, no amount of staff monitoring can, or even should, curb this enthusiasm. Please take the event to a more sustainable environment that won’t leave the scars that McKinley is still recovering from after last year’s mayhem. While I did enjoy myself, like inexpensive fast food, there was a hidden price to pay. The park’s plants themselves will corroborate these concerns.
Peter Rudolfi
De Haro Street
Dear Editor,
We all like a little fun, but not at someone else’s expense. Easter Sunday is cherished by many folks as a special day to spend with family and friends. I might not object to the Bring Your Own Big Wheel race if the organizers had picked a day other than a special holiday. Last year the closest place our dinner guest found to park was seven hilly blocks away. Muni has removed the number 53 line, and most folks can’t walk these hills, so that leaves automobile travel as the only alternative. But when the mass of people who have come to play look for parking spots for their cars, there will be nothing.
Pick another day and we might even join you.
Babette Drefke
Kansas Street
Dear Editor,
In the February issue you included a note about the impending demise of the Potrero Power Plant in the “Short Cuts” column. A lot of folks will be happy when the last evil power plant in the City is gone. The Trans Bay Cable will be the cure-all for these folks when it replaces the power currently supplied by the plant, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company cleans up the plant site at historical Pier 70.
What’s going to happen when there are problems with the Trans Bay Cable or other incoming power lines? The Cable has already caused momentary outages during installation testing. While the public won’t have any local power sources if a major blackout occurs, there will be many emergency generators running at hospitals, public facilities, commercial buildings, and computer server farms. How clean will the air be when all these generators are running for a while?
What’s a good use for an old gas station site? A gas station! What’s a good use for a power plant site and former gas manufacturing site? How about a state-of-the-art power plant? I won’t go as far as recommending a nuclear plant at the site, which would have far less harmful effects to the environment than oil, natural gas or coal fueled plants. But a natural gas burning plant using the best available methods and practices should be considered. Excess heat, instead of being put into the bay, could be captured as hot water, pumped to the nearby Mission Bay buildings and used for heating.
A local power plant that has the capacity to provide backup to the City when the out-of-town sources are unavailable makes a lot of sense. The narrow minded thinking by self proclaimed do-gooders prevents a better solution that will achieve the same goals to reduce emissions and avoid wasted energy.
Dan Bosque
San Bruno, California
