The Excelsior Action Group and Out of Site Youth Arts Center will be starting construction on the first Excelsior public parklet this upcoming Saturday, March 24th and continuing through March 31st. This will be the culmination of a year long community design process and collaboration between EAG, OOS, and Mama Art Cafe.
 
We encourage all interested residents to come out and view the construction effort or, better yet, lend a helping hand! Email or call us to find out volunteer times and sign up to help build the parklet, no experience is necessary. Contact EAG at (415) 585-0110 or Excelsior.AG@gmail.com for more information! 

When: Saturday, March 24th -- Saturday, March 31st. Times will vary day to day but will generally be between 11am - 4pm. 
Where: Parklet installation will be taking place in front of Mama Art Cafe, 35 San Juan Avenue. 

Join the Excelsior Action Group at Mama Art Cafe on February 24th to support the creation of the first Excelsior Parklet and witness the  public unveiling of its design by Out of Site Youth Arts Center

Festivities will include live music, food, and a silent auction

When: Friday, February 24th from 6:30pm -9pm
Where: Mama Art Cafe, 4754 Mission Street

Festive holiday lights line the windows of over 40 storefronts on Mission Street in the Excelsior this season thanks to the efforts of a community organization and its trusty volunteers.  This year, the Excelsior Action Group, an economic and community development organization serving the commercial corridor of Mission Street in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, spent the funding and the volunteer hours to decorate business windows one at a time.  

“I kept hearing Excelsior residents expressing their desire to see the corridor decorated for the holidays,” explained EAG Corridor Manager, Nicole Agbayani.  “Then, EAG was able to repurpose a small amount of funding from the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and we said, let’s make it happen!”

Funding from the City was supplemented by the generosity of local stores, including discounted extension cords from the Excelsior’s Walgreens on Mission Street and half price window suction hooks for hanging the lights from J&J Hardware on Geneva Avenue.  Also instrumental in making this project a reality was the assistance of about a dozen dedicated community volunteers from EAG’s Beautification Committee, the Excelsior District Improvement Association, the New Mission Terrace Improvement Association, and Senator Leland Yee’s office.

“We are getting this neighborhood back to the way it used to be,” said volunteer and long-time Excelsior resident Tod Spediacci, “If you could’ve seen the way they used to decorate it years ago, you wouldn’t believe it!”

EAG and its volunteers distributed LED holiday lighting to businesses and hung the lights in storefronts free of charge.  In January, they will collect the lights and store them for another decorating project next year.  Business owners have been responding with gratitude and excitement at this festive service.  “Next year, I would like to see you put them on the trees,” said Luz Maria of San Vicente’s Restaurant, “But I still think this is a really good idea!”

The Excelsior Action Group is accepting contracting proposals for the Excelsior Facade Improvement Program.  We will be splitting the work into two master contracts: one for signage & awnings, and the other for cleaning, painting, & general repairs.  Qualified bidders may submit proposals for both contracts.  Note that there will be a walk-through featuring 10 facades that have already signed on to the program to give ideas about existing conditions.  

The walk- through will be Friday, December 9, at 10 AM, starting at the EAG Office 4702 Mission Street at Persia Avenue.  It is not mandatory, but bidders are encouraged to attend.  Please confirm your attendance with me.

Awning & Signage RFP
Cleaning, Painting, & General Repairs RFP

_Neighborhood Marketplace Initiative Launches Storefront Beautification Program in Excelsior District

10/14/11—Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced a new storefront beautification program that will provide 20 small businesses in the Excelsior District with storefront “facelifts” to beautify the commercial corridor and attract more visitors and shoppers. The program also includes a mobile parklet.

“Small businesses in San Francisco are the backbone of our economy and we need to support them in these tough economic times,” said Mayor Lee. “These improvements will beautify a substantial number of storefronts along Mission Street and improve the entire neighborhood experience. This is a great example of how the City can partner with the private sector to target resources, boost business and help support the economic recovery in the Excelsior and in other neighborhood commercial corridors in our City.”

In the new program, businesses will receive paint, replacement of signs and awnings, graffiti removal and protection, bird protection equipment, and branding. The parklet will be created in front of Mama Art Café through a partnership with Out of Site, a youth-focused community organization that has partnered with the Excelsior Action Group on many beautification projects.