Turk & Lyon Closer To A Greener, Friendlier Future

Green Possibilities for Turk Street near Lyon

Image: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Associates

Green Turk & Lyon Fundraiser at Chile Pies Photos: Dale Danley

Jarie Bolander (left), NOPNA President, and with Honoree Michael Helquist

Thanks to everyone who joined the party and fundraiser at Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) last week -- all 60 of you and those unable to attend who also donated to the Green Turk & Lyon project. Your support helped raise $1100 that will bring greener sidewalks, benches and bike racks to the southeast corner of Turk and Lyon.

An occasion like this is always the result of help and contributions from many people. Thank you to everyone and special thanks to

• Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi for designating community member Michael Helquist as District 5 Person of the Month for June and especially for all his efforts to support individuals and groups in this amazing district
• Vallie Brown, Ross's legislative aide, who takes good ideas and guides them to implementation
• Trevor Logan, owner of Green Chile Kitchen and Chile Pies. His generosity and support of the fundraiser has been remarkable
• Kalie Nickless, manager of Chile Pies, who made all arrangements incredibly easy
• James Munden, neighbor and landscape architect with Marta Fry Landscape Architects, whose images of the Green Turk & Lyon project inspire us to create a model for green permeable sidewalks in NOPA
• The members of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, led by Pastor Will Scott, for their ongoing engagement with the community and eagerness to transform the sidewalks along the church property for a green neighborhood respite
• NOPNA, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Sunday Streets, Walk SF, Fix Masonic and NOPA VELO for co-sponsoring the fundraiser

Next steps for the project will be a community meeting in July to review designs, workplans, and a timeline for removing the concrete and enlivening the Turk and Lyon corner. Date and time will be posted here on Green Turk and Lyon. Take a look at the corner this Saturday night, June 4, before a special concert, an Evening of Song, at Cyprian's.

Interested in volunteering or want more information?: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com

To donate to the project: so far we're set up to accept checks made out to St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church; please write on memo line: "Turk & Lyon Project". All donations will go to a separate Turk & Lyon account. Thank you!

Note: A variation of this story is being co-published -- as a time-saver -- with the site BIKE NOPA.