Supervisor Joel Engardio and State Senator Scott Weiner’s office announced yesterday, $1.5 million is being invested in revitalizing Sunset Boulevard.
Thanks to new funding from the City and State, 60 acres of San Francisco could get greener.
An “emerald necklace”, that’s Supervisor Joel Engardio’s vision for the two mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard connecting Golden Gate park to Lake Merced.
"If you can't water something, it ain't gonna grow," said Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.
Ginsburg says that Sunset Boulevard has an aging irrigation system.
They plan to put $1 million towards new infrastructure to recycle rainwater. The other $500,000 will go towards a new maintenance and workforce training program.
Through apprenticeships, laborers will learn horticultural skills on the job while taking courses at the City College of San Francisco.
Vince Courtney Jr. of Laborer’s Local 261 has been involved in developing laborer apprenticeship programs for the city since 2005. He says they’re a great way to give San Francisco residents an opportunity to work in their own communities.
"That's what we aim to do, is make sure that people that live in the city, work for the city, spend money in the city," said Courtney. "Talk about an ecosystem, right?"
This particular program is also special for Courtney because he’s a member of the local ecosystem — he grew up in the Sunset.
"I went to high school here and there's nothing that makes me happier than seeing real investment in the community that I grew up in," said Courtney.
Engardio’s office says the irrigation upgrades are expected to take at least two years.
