Battle over rooftop cell phone antennae near school

by Paul Kozakiewicz

A fight has erupted between two Jewish organizations over the installation of cell phone antennae.

The Lisa Kampner Hebrew Academy of San Francisco, located at 645 14th Ave., is an orthodox Jewish school with about 250 students, many of them immigrants from Russia and the former Soviet Union. It is located next to the Bureau of Jewish Education, a non-profit group that promotes Jewish education, promotes connections to Israel, and provides student scholarships.

The Bureau of Jewish Education wants to install six AT&T antennae on the roof of its building in fake chimneys to earn extra money and has applied to the SF Planning Commission for a Conditional Use Permit, which is scheduled to be heard Nov. 3.

When teachers, administrators, parents and students got wind of the plan, they organized to fight it.

According to Rabbi Pinchas Lipner, dean at the Hebrew Academy, two meetings with the leadership at the Bureau of Jewish Education failed to produce results. The Bureau claims the antennae are safe because scientists have been unable to make a solid link between electromagnetic radiation from cell phones and cancer or other health-related issues.

On Oct. 26 about 80 concerned people gathered at the Hebrew Academy to plot strategy.

“We’re up against tremendous forces,” Lipner told the crowd. “We have to tell them our lives are in danger.”

Numerous people volunteered to attend the Planning Commis­sion meeting to oppose the antennae and some said they would write letters, sign petitions and contact elected officials.

If the Planning Commission approves the permit, the group plans to take its appeal directly to the SF Board of Permit Appeals and/or the SF Board of Supervisors.

The Planning Commission was originally slated to hear the permit application at its Oct. 13 meeting, but that date was during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which lasts eight days and restricts the ability of Orthodox Jewish people to drive or ride in vehicles.

When Lipner complained about the timing of the hearing, AT&T rescheduled it for early November.

According to David Waksberg, an AT&T representative, there are already two antennae located on the Bureau of Jewish Education and he did not anticipate any problems adding six more.

Lipner said he did not know there were already antennae on the roof of the building or whether or not he will pursue the removal of them. Because the agreement between the Bureau of Jewish Education and AT&T is private, it is unknown what the two parties have agreed to.

Golden Gate Park bicycle lanes get unanimous OK

by Ed Moy

The SF Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously in October to approve the John F. Kennedy Drive Separated Bikeways project for implementation in January 2012.

The Bikeways Project is a joint effort of SFMTA in conjunction with the SF Recreation and Park Department to install cycle lanes on John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park, which would provide a new bikeway separated from moving vehicles.

The project also received approval from the San Francisco Concourse Authority in early October after two community workshops to discuss the design concepts for the new cycle tracks.

According to SFMTA, the goal of the project is to make John F. Kennedy Drive accessible to all users, including pedestrians and cyclists of all abilities, and to support the SF Board of Supervisors’ 2010 resolution to have a goal of 20 percent of trips in San Francisco by bicycle by 2020.

By creating a bikeway that is physically separated from parked and moving vehicles, the project addresses the need for bicycle lanes and creating a buffer between cyclists who are not comfortable riding with cars next to them.

SFMTA also notes that in addition to increasing the comfort level for cyclists, separated bikeways reduce the incidence of having vehicles stopped in the bike lane or having parked cars open their doors into the bike lane.

Paul Rose, SFMTA spokesperson, stated that the project will cost about $425,000, including $40,000 from air quality grants. He said the final design has not been finalized.

“While the project received final approval from the Rec. and Park Commission, the work is not done,” stated Rose. “We are continuing to work with pedestrian safety and disabled advocates (including the Mayor’s Disability Council) to make minor design changes and to collaborate on an education/outreach process to help ensure safety following implementation.”

Some disabled activists testified at the Planning Commission meeting that the current design is unsafe because vehicles with ramps would have to encroach into the buffer zone and possibly into the cycle track to drop off or pick up disabled people.

“I oppose this plan as proposed,” said Bob Planthold, an activist for the disabled community.

Rose also pointed out that although the original estimates in the bicycle plan indicated that about 150 parking spaces would be eliminated, according to estimates in the current plan, there would be a net loss of about 80 parking spaces.

Additional details on the project can be found on the website at http://www.sfmta.com.

Balboa Theater saved, long-term lease signed

The Balboa Theater has been saved.

The theater, which opened at 3630 Balboa St. in 1926, was threatened with closure because it needed a $200,000 investment in digital projection equipment.

But theater operator Gary Meyer worked out a deal with the SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation to preserve the theater’s future as a movie house. A lease was signed to extend operations through 2024.

The theater was built by the Levin family, which operated a network of San Francisco theatres that included the Metro, Coliseum, Coronet and Vogue. The theater was designed by brothers James and Merritt Reid, who designed numerous movie palaces throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.

The Balboa joins the Vogue as the second theater to be rescued by the SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation. The foundation purchased the Vogue in 2007.

“It’s great to be able to save another of San Francisco’s last remaining neighborhood cinemas, said Alfonso Felder, president of the SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation. “Gary Meyer has done an incredible job keeping the Balboa going and providing the Richmond District with an exceptionally well-programmed neighborhood theatre. We’re looking forward to working with Gary to establish a plan to keep the Balboa’s marquee lit for many more years.”

The non-profit Theater Foundation plans to initiate a fundraising campaign immediately to cover the costs of necessary repairs and improvements to the Balboa Theatre.

“Together with the Foundation, I’m looking forward to establishing a plan that will secure the long term survival of the Balboa and its sister theatre, the Vogue,” Meyer said.

The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Found­ation will host an open house at the Balboa Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m., to discuss future plans for the Balboa. Meyer and members of the Theater Foundation’s board of directors will be present to answer questions and solicit input. Fundraising efforts will also be discussed. Donations to support the Balboa Theater can be made to the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation. For more information, go to the website at http://www.sfntf.org.