Notes for our meeting last Sunday afternoon:
Sharps discussion
How to address discarded needles as a public health hazard?
- Heat Map of 311 needle reports
Hot spots:
- Minna between 7th and 9th st
- Norfolk between Folsom
- Brady and Colton (west of Van Ness)
- Any resident can request a medical disposal box for their own use at Walgreens – helpful but not for those without homes to put them in
- Sharps containers can be installed on the sidewalk via a program with DPH. Example proposal. We should work to increase the number of these to increase the convenience of safe disposal. In the context of the hot spots above, some candidate locations:
- Minna between 7th and 9th st
- Human services building at 1235 Mission St (Ben)
- Howard Langton Community garden (Gene)
- The Sanctuary – run by Episcopal Community Services 201 8th St
- From an email from Susanna: Ken Reggio from Episcopal Services has appointed one of his staff (Mallory) as our liaison on homeless issues
- 407 9th street (Salvation Army) (Katya)
- Norfolk between Folsom and Harrison
- DNA Lounge (Ben)
- Rainbow Grocery (they have them indoors but could have them outside) (Yan)
- Brady and Colton (west of Van Ness)
- 1650 Mission street is a human services administrative building (Yan)
- Others:
- Deli Board (Ben)
- Atlassian (fiona)
- Minna between 7th and 9th st
VMD Park Matters
- There’s a new Southern Station Police Captain, Daryl Fong
- Contact re. foot patrol VMD (Malik)
- Friends of VMD Park/Western Soma Voice/United Playaz
- We need a contact with the Bessie Carmichael Elementary (Fiona and Patrick)
- Block party / VMD BBQ
- Date possibilities
Sunday is probably best, potentially as a prototype for a Sunday Streets closure and event in
2017 (there isn’t one in Western SOMA). May or June. School’s out the last week in May, and
the Gene Friend Rec Center will be running summer programs.
- Date possibilities
Potential Security Cameras
- We need to investigate costs and locations (e.g. crime, violence)
- We need to discuss privacy concerns, and how to meaningfully address them
Incidental Discussion
- Pit Stop Location Western Soma? discuss here or email discussion? Next meeting topic?
- Behind the honda dealership?
- Funding Possibilities
- Patreon (can it be used for Community organizations?)
- Tilt/Kickstarter (project-focused)
- Membership fee / Business contributions
- Working on a Project Page for the website (Ben)
- Friend of VMD
- Sharps containers
- Streetscape improvements
- Public safety
- Installing warning signs re break ins (Fiona on point)
- Cameras?
- Social events
Plan next dates
- First Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm
Interim Group Officers
- President – Ben
- Vice President 1 – Eric
- Vice President 2 – Fiona
- Secretary – Gen
- Spokesperson – (press/blogs responses) Stephanie?? We need to check with her.
- Treasurer – deferred
- Website Admins (Stephanie, Ben, Jessica) (Gen/Fiona for adding meeting notes)
- SFPD liaison from WSV – Malik
- City Hall liaison from WSV (Patrick/David – from previous discussions)