Battle at Laurel Hill over new child care program; old tenant ousted

by Paul Kozakiewicz

A battle erupted on Laurel Hill after the SF Recreation and Park Commission voted to boot a program that has been at the Laurel Hill Playground clubhouse for 40 years.

The Child Observation Program, which is administered by City College of San Francisco, teaches adults about child-rearing in a child's play setting. Parents of children in the program testified that they would pay Rec. and Park for use of the space, but department officials said it was too late.

Testifying on behalf of the Child Observation Program was John Rothman, president of the Laurel Heights Improvement Association and member of the Friends of Laurel Hill Playground. He said two of his children had attended the program and that notification for the proposed leasing of the site was poor.

"We want the Child Observation Program to continue," Rothman said.

The department said it had given the group adequate notice and due diligence with its Request for Qualifications and were told by members of the group that they had no money to pay for rent.

After that, department representatives spent several months negotiating a lease with Language in Action, a Spanish and Mandarin language immersion pre-school program with half- and full-day lessons for youth 2 to 6 years of age.

The Commission listened to testimony from the public for about three hours at its July 15 meeting before making a unanimous decision to lease the clubhouse, located at Euclid Avenue and Laurel Street, to Language in Action, which also rented out the Cow Hollow clubhouse.

Most of the commissioners felt it was unfair to Language in Action to pull its lease consideration out from under them after spending months negotiating in good faith. The Fall program and the hiring of staff for the program needed to be decided, and not delayed.

Commission President Mark Buell said three issues were at play: No one wants the clubhouse to be empty; the department negotiated in good faith to lease the site; and economic factors demand the department earn some money with its facilities.

The total rent paid to Rec. and Park for the Cow Hollow and Laurel Hill sites is approximately $28,000 a year. Although Rec. and Park staff recommended a five-year lease, commissioners modified that condition to be a two-year lease, with three one-year options that can be exercised by the tenant or rejected by Rec. and Park.

The Rec. and Park Commission also directed department staff to assist City College and concerned neighbors to help find another location for the Child Observation Program. Alternative sites mentioned were Julius Kahn Playground and Cabrillo Elementary School.

The move to rent clubhouses and other city facilities is part of a new strategy to raise more than $12 million a year, being led by Rec. and Park Department Director Phil Ginsburg, so the department can earn enough money so that it will be somewhat insulated from budget cuts and a reliance on the city's general fund. It also keeps the clubhouses from "going dark," and sitting empty, during bad budget cycles.