FREE
VOLUME LXV ISSUE v
September 2015
ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN HIGH SCHOOL
SERVING RIORDAN SINCE 1949
THE NEWSPAPER OF CRUSADER COUNTRY
Paint-our-School project progresses By Roman Peregrino ‘18
Photo by Chang Liu ’18 At left, Chaminade Courtyard as it looks now. On the right, various areas of the school with the proposed color scheme.
The walk-a-thon. The bake sales
alumni, but with students too. The
what is the hold-up? The only hurdle
sometime in September. At that
at the basketball games. The brick
director of alumni, Marc Rovetti,
left to cross is a mandate from
time we will have a better sense
selling campaign in the Chaminade
reports that “over $125,000 has
the archdiocese office requiring
of the timeline for painting the
Courtyard. What do all of these
been raised. The students alone
the school undergo a seismic
building.
fundraisers have in common? All
raised about $47,000 [from the
evaluation.
requested that we not engage in
the funds raised are going toward
walk-a-thon].” That is a staggering
In a letter to parents,
School
any major maintenance projects
the Paint-our-School project.
sum of money. The money seems
President
wrote,
until the Phase 2 evaluation has
The Paint-our-School project has
to be in place, and the excitement
“Recently a City of San Francisco
been completed.”
been talked about for a long time
is definitely there. So why hasn’t it
ordinance was passed that required
There is another factor holding
and was finally put into action at
happened yet?
all schools in the Archdiocese to
up the project. Karen Politz, member
the beginning of last year because
Everything is pretty much good
complete a multi-phase seismic
of the Paint-our-School committee
it is achievable and could have a
to go. The paint colors have been
evaluation. Phase 1 was completed
and a Riordan parent, said, “What
visible impact.
picked, the contractor has been
in the spring, with the positive
people need to understand is
That’s when fund-raising really
chosen, and most of the small
results that we anticipated, and
that this building is owned by the
took off with not only parents and
details have been ironed out. So
we expect Phase 2 to be finished
archdiocese. So, we can’t move
Joe
Conti
The
Archdiocese
has
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Proposal calls for housing on Balboa Reservoir By John Regidor ‘18 On August 27, 40 San Francisco residents attended a meeting at Lick Wilmerding High School to discuss possible housing on the Balboa Reservoir, a vacant lot adjacent to Archbishop Riordan High School. The reservoir, built in 1957, is a massive basin that can hold up to 450 million gallons of water. To put into perspective how huge it truly is, the daily water consumption of San Francisco is about 60-70 million gallons, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Works. Despite the plan, the reservoir was never used for its original purpose. Instead, it has sat there gathering weeds and serving as an overflow parking lot. Now, the city of San Francisco sees this as an opportunity to address a major problem plaguing
the city: population growth and lack of affordable housing. On Nov. 4, 2014 voters passed Proposition K, whose purpose is to build affordable housing, provide down payment, and help families and individuals stay in affordable homes. This plan calls for 30,000 units to be built by 2020 to meet San Francisco’s rising population. As of now, the plan is 33 percent affordable with a goal of 50 percent affordable. The city searched for prospective properties and the Balboa Reservoir seemed like a solution to the problem. “We have an opportunity to shape a big unknown. We have a blank palette and it’s up to us to do it in the best way possible,” said Kate Favetti, representative of City College of San Francisco, who sits on the board who
will help determine how to best use the unused land. The location is ideal for housing, some members of the board believe, because it is located near public transportation (Balboa BART station and several MUNI lines), stores, and educational facilities, Riordan included. The Balboa Park Station Area Plan calls for apartments and businesses to be built on the reservoir. The reservoir is 27 acres; CCSF owns the upper reservoir, while the city owns the lower 17 acres. Although California is experiencing a severe drought, city officials say other reservoirs such as Lake Merced and Laguna Honda Reservoir, as well as the McLaren Park Blue Tower, can provide San Francisco with more than enough water.
Although other ideas have been tossed around, the main focus of the plan calls for housing. To do this, the city has to sell the land and doing so will only benefit San Franciscan residents. Under California tax law, the housing must be sold at a fair market price value to compensate San Francisco Public Utilities Committee (SFPUC) rate pages. Members near “ground zero,” as it is called, will get priority over residents living elsewhere. Jon Winston, a representative of the mayor who also sits on the board, said, “I want what concerns the whole city. Affordable housing, congestion, parking, and neighborhood character are all problems the city would like to address.” The main topic for the first meeting was affordable housing. Those who
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