Dear Friends,

We have excellent news to report! Additional monies were found in the budget allocated for the Junipero Serra Playground renovation to not only award the base contract for the clubhouse and children's play area but to include two important add-ons: resurfacing the tennis courts and adding an enclosure under the ramp.

In addition, the lowest-bidding contractor, KCK Builders, came with good references and complied with all of Rec and Park's requirements.

On Thursday (November 16), the Recreation and Park Commission voted to award the construction contract in the amount of $2,010,000 to KCK Builders.
(FYI, KCK Builders is also the contractor for the renovations currently underway at Commodore Sloat Elementary.)

According to Lizzy Hirsch, our project manager, JSP will close its programs on December 22, 2006, and Rec and Park staff will move out their materials by the end of December. The clubhouse and children's play area will close at the beginning of January 2007, and KCK Builders will begin their work.

It takes two to three weeks for Rec and Park to process all the paperwork and contracts for KCK's signature. Please be aware that we're not quite off the roller coaster ride yet. We face one more worst-case scenario, which is that KCK Builders could decide it doesn't want to do the job and not sign the contract. KCK would be fined by the city for doing so, and it is unlikely that this would happen, but given all the hurdles associated with this project, we wanted to let you know that it is not quite yet time to scream, "Hooray."

We will not go into all the twists and turns this project underwent in the three weeks since we last emailed you, but we do want to acknowledge the incredible support and assistance we received from Lizzy Hirsch, Rhoda Parhams (manager of Rec/Park's Capital Improvement Division), District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and our unsung hero, Jeff Kaplan. Without their help these last three weeks, this project most likely would have been stalled once again. THANK YOU!

Last (but certainly not least), thanks so much to all the members of the Friends of Junipero Serra Playground and the Lakeside and Ingleside Terraces neighborhoods for your continuing support of the JSP renovation. It's certainly taken a village to get us to this point, and what a terrific village we have!

Hopefully, we'll have more good news to report soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kathy Kaplan

Lisa Napoli

James Gross
Co-chairs, Friends of Junipero Serra Playground