Starr King Open Space Elects Two New Board Members

Two new members were elected to the Starr King Open Space board of directors last month. Justin Briggs and Daniel Rozynski will each serve three-year terms, with the opportunity to run for a second time. Drew Patterson was reelected for a second period.

Briggs is from Massachusetts. He moved to Potrero Hill in 2012, where he lives with his girlfriend, Amy, and their two dogs, Ernie and Percy. 

“I have utilized the Open Space on a near-daily basis for the last 10-plus years, and I feel that I owe it to the space and all who care for it to put in my time,” he said. “Having something like Starr King Open Space here is a massive privilege, so if I can help aid in its longevity in some way, I would like to do that.” 

Rozynski hails from Arlington, Virginia.  He’s lived adjacent to Starr King for seven years, where he takes his springer spaniel, Sadie, multiple times a day. 

“It’s given me a peaceful place in the City to enjoy nature, meditate, stretch, and play with Sadie,” he said. “I wanted to volunteer to give back to a place that I get so much from. What I hope to accomplish is to get younger people in my generation involved in upkeeping parks and public places. I want to energize and rally these folks to get up, volunteer, and give their time to common spaces that we all enjoy in a variety of ways.” 

Patterson and his family have been Hill residents for 11 years. He ran for reelection because, “I appreciate how the Open Space provides an area for our community to come together and I’d like to continue working to see it thrive.”

All Hill residents are eligible to serve on the board. Attendees at a May 15 meeting – neighbors, candidates, and existing board members – voted on who should be on the nine-member board. Board members are required to participate in twice monthly volunteer workdays, help fundraise for a $5,000 to $10,000 annual budget, attend regular meetings, and engage in community outreach. 

The Starr King Open Space Board of Directors governs the open space situated along Carolina Street south of 23rd, extending to De Haro Street at 24th. Its mission is to maintain the 3.5-acre parcel as native species grassland for Hill residents to enjoy. The Open Space is home to such indigenous flora and fauna as the purple spot gilia, yellow mariposa lily, and Acmon blue butterfly. These species are only found in serpentine habitats, which in San Francisco spans a “beltway” from the Presidio to Candlestick Park. 

“The return of these species is a true victory,” said Board of Directors President Sarah Burton. “San Francisco is known in the field of ecology for extirpating certain species out of the county, meaning these plants are regionally extinct. However, at Starr King they were brought back. It is so special to the county that as a result, naturalists and the California Native Plant Society have their eye on the species shared in this beltway.”

Some parts of the beltway have more flora and fauna than others. Hunters Point and Starr King are the only two known places where the yellow mariposa lily is found. 

“It’s literally only 12 plants that popped up last year in Starr King and a handful at Hunters Point,” Burton said. “And that’s it for the rest of the county. It’s what makes Starr King so special; it’s a perfect example of the serpentine habitat.”

The board is further restoring Starr King by removing the U-shaped Coral Road, which has been closed and inoperable for more than 10 years. The street and cement will be replaced by vegetation and an American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk to enable wheelchair access. Most of the work has been done after many years in design, with full completion expected by the end of this year at a cost of $10,000. 

While Starr King’s budget is modest, fundraising is a board priority.  The Open Space doesn’t receive government funding. Money typically comes through grants and resident donations.  In addition to remediation work, funds are used to pay for property taxes, insurance, and general maintenance, including mowing, tree trimming, and graffiti removal.  

“The very cool thing about Starr King is that it is owned by the residents of Potrero Hill,” Burton said. “The City and Recreation and Parks don’t own it, they don’t run it, we do.” 

Second Saturday of the month volunteer days are held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Earlier this year 100 volunteer hours were spent weed whacking the foxtails plant, a weed-type grass known to be dangerous to dogs because if it’s inhaled or impaled it can lead to a serious infection. 

Another board priority is to redraft bylaws to make it clear that the Open Space will never be sold. Presently the rules only state that the Space is a gift, with nothing explicit about not selling the land. 

“We’re formulating language that in perpetuity the land is protected even from the board itself,” Burton said. “As we’re pulled into the urban future, Starr King provides both a small refuge from modernity and a connection with the City as an unbuilt space.” 

For more information on Starr King and to volunteer, visit https://starrkingopenspace.org/