San Francisco Waterfront Partners, LLC (SFWP) has announced that Aperture Group, LLC, a San Francisco-based investment firm, has signed a 10-year lease with SFWP’s historic rehabilitation development.
Published: March, 2006
Piers 1½, 3 & 5
San Francisco Waterfront Partners, LLC (SFWP) has announced that Aperture Group, LLC, a San Francisco-based investment firm, has signed a 10-year lease with SFWP’s historic rehabilitation development. Aperture, currently in the Ferry Building, is the first office lease to be signed on The Piers, which is not yet officially on the market. SFWP will be offering high-tech waterfront office space, after a complete repair and seismic upgrade of the substructure. The Piers, are located at piers 1½, 3 and 5, just north of the Ferry Building. For more information about The Piers 1½, 3 & 5 Historic Rehabilitation Project, go to www.The PiersSF.com
WTA Expands Staff
The WTA is off and running in 2006 and project delivery is definitely on the horizon. Planning for new terminals and service in South San Francisco and Berkeley/Albany, the design of two new ferry boats and development of an operating plan for the WTA’s first ferry service is moving full speed ahead. The WTA is pleased to announce the addition of three staff members that bring the added experience and skills to the WTA team to make project delivery a reality: Shirley Douglas, Manager of Community Relations; Keith Stahnke, Operations Manager; Nina Rannells, Grants Manager
High-tech Windmills at Pier 80
The Port of San Francisco continues to diversify its break bulk cargo mix with the arrival of the Rickmers-Hamburg, laden with windmill blades from Europe. GE Energy, importer of the blades, is one of the world’s leading wind turbine suppliers. The windmill blades, were transported by Rickmers-Linie, and were destined for enXco, Inc.’s project to partially re-power an existing wind project near Rio Vista, CA, where 90 smaller wind turbines will be replaced by six 1.5 megawatt (MW) turbines. The project construction, expected to be completed in March, will result in nine MWs of wind energy, enough to provide approximately 2,700 homes with electricity for a year.
Vallejo Ferry Busy
Ridership on the Vallejo Baylink Ferry has increased by 30 percent, according to a recent report on KCBS, and comments by Mark Mazzaferro, Vallejo city spokesman. In response to the increase in ridership, the number of vessels has increased by one, and there are four additional ferry runs per day. In addition, there is a plan to increase the amount of parking spaces for commuters at the ferry terminal.
St. Pat’s Potluck at the YC
Master Mariners Benevolent Association host a St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and cabbage feed at Pt. San Pablo Yacht Club, Richmond, CA. Please bring a dish or dessert to share. Corned beef and cabbage provided. This is a great event for those interested in learning more about Master Mariners and membership, so bring a friend. Call (415) 364-1656 for details or visit: www.mastermariners.org
Barkitechture III
Benicia Vallejo Humane Society is holding the 3rd annual Barkitecture competition. Fun, fantastic, futuristic and just plain functional dog, cat and bird abodes will be on display at the Vallejo Historical and Naval Museum on Fri., Mar. 24 from 5:30-8PM. Come vote for your favorite in the People’s Choice Awards. All entries, plus much more, will be auctioned on Fri., Mar. 31 at the Barkitecture Gala at the USA Classics Museum in Vallejo. Email plepley@bvhumane.org
Whale of a Ship Found
The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society (SFMHS) recently announced plans to house the stern section of Candace, in its future history museum, located in the City’s Old Mint. This is the first ship, found under San Francisco’s streets that will not be destroyed or buried. The 309-ton, three-masted ship was carrying 400 barrels of whale oil and 2,000 pounds of whalebone, when it made an emergency stop at the Port City of San Francisco on July 4, 1855. For more information about SFMHS, visit www.sfhistory.org
Navigable Water Analysis
The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting a Waterways Analysis Management System (WAMS) study of existing aids to navigation on the navigable waterways in the San Francisco Bay Area, to determine the degree to which they facilitate safe commercial and recreational navigation. The study will continue through Mar. 24, and focuses on three specific waterways: Southern Approach to San Francisco, Gulf of Farallones and Approach to San Francisco. Additional waterways will be studied in the coming months. Any mariner interested in providing recommendations or comments can contact Chief Warrant Officer, Andrea Currie at USCG Sector San Francisco at (415) 399-3458 or Andrea.F.Currie@uscg.mil User Surveys are available to mariners on the new USCG Web page: http://homeport.uscg.mil.
Richmond Bay Trail
2005 was a very good year for Richmond’s Bay Trail. Not only did construction begin on three trail segments totaling 2.7 miles, but $500,000 in new grants and appropriations were obtained for planning and designing three miles of trail in 2006. And, 33 new exhibit panels designed during 2005 will appear along the trail early this year. Richmond has 24 miles of completed Bay Trail and 17 miles of gaps remaining in the planned route. Planning and design work is still needed to fill three major gaps, including a gap of almost seven miles between The Plunge and the Pt. San Pablo Yacht Harbor. The Bay Trail report and the new Jan. 2006 Richmond Bay Trail map are available online. Please visit http://rcvb-ca.com/baytrail.htm or for more information, phone/fax (510) 235-2835.
Movement in a Sustainable Region
Whether you are new to the Transportation And Land Use Coalition (TALC) or a longtime supporter, whether you are a citizen activist, a transit or planning professional or an elected leader, TALC’s 9th Annual Summit is a great place to learn about key issues, hone your advocacy skills and take part in the movement for a sustainable region. This year’s summit will feature strategy sessions to tap the power of planning and working together and training sessions to deepen and broaden your knowledge and effectiveness. This year’s Summit is Sat., Apr. 1, 9:30AM-2:30PM at the First Unitarian Church (685 14th St.) in downtown Oakland, convenient to BART and many AC Transit routes. Pre-registration is $10 ($20 at the door), and includes breakfast, lunch, materials and free valet bike parking. http://www.transcoalition.org/
