For Immediate Release

March 31, 2010

Contact:  (415) 554-6926     

CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS TEAM UP FOR A CLEAN SWEEP 

Public Works Launches “Super Eco-Blitz” to get South of Market area ready for Giants Opening Day at AT&T Park

SAN FRANCISCO, CA –The Department of Public Works (DPW) and the San Francisco Giants announced today that they will partner on a week-long “Super Eco-blitz” to coincide with and make ready San Francisco’s South of Market area for Opening Day at AT&T Park on April 9.

On Monday, April 5, at 1:00 p.m., DPW and the Giants will kick off the week with a community cleanup to begin at Willie Mays Plaza.  Neighbors and fans are encouraged to volunteer alongside Giants staff to pick up litter, remove graffiti, and plant trees.  The first 100 volunteers will receive a special Giants collectible souvenir.

After the clean up, everyone is invited into the ballpark for Authentic Opening Day, a free season opener viewing party.  The Giants versus Houston Astros telecast from Houston will be shown on the 3,200 Square Foot High Definition Diamond Vision Scoreboard beginning at 4:00 p.m., with Giants Pregame Live preceding it at 3:00 p.m.

“Preparations for Opening Week are well under way throughout the ballpark.  The Giants are excited to partner with DPW to encourage all our neighbors and fans to join us as we tidy up the neighborhood for the beginning of the 2010 season.  A season of much anticipated magic, both inside and outside the park,” said Alfonso Felder, Giants senior vice president of facilities.

During the week of April 5, crews from Public Works, the San Francisco Port, and the SF Municipal Transportation Agency will conduct the “Super Eco Blitz,” an extensive cleaning program that includes litter pick up, graffiti removal, sidewalk steam cleaning, tree basin maintenance, City litter receptacle maintenance, education for merchants about City Codes meant to keep city streets and sidewalks clean, and code enforcement. In addition, DPW will conduct a pothole blitz along major routes into the area and the Port will landscape and weed planted areas and restripe crosswalks, curbs, lanes, stop bars and turn lanes.

 

“The Department of Public Works is strategically focusing its efforts on activities like these Eco-Blitzes because they not only make a big impact to our community spaces, but the partnerships we build along the way ensure that they are kept clean all year round,” said Mohammed Nuru, Deputy Director for Operations for DPW.

The Opening Day Super Eco Blitz is the third in a series of cleanup programs aimed to support important merchant corridors and tourist attractions during these challenging economic times, keeping them clean and inviting for visitors and shoppers. The first cleanup event was held in Union Square before the Christmas shopping season, and the second in Chinatown in preparation for Chinese New Year in February.  The department will launch a Super Ecoblitz, the final in the series, at Fisherman’s Wharf during the summer tourist season.

The Department of Public Works also announced today that it completed its repairs to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety on the Third Street Bridge in advance of Opening Day on schedule. The Third Street Bridge links fans to the ballpark from the south and during games one way of traffic is eliminated to allow pedestrians to walk across the bridge.

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services.

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