San Francisco city agencies are teaming up with local businesses for a weeklong program to beautify Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and other nearby areas of the city, a Department of Public Works spokeswoman said today.
The beautification work, titled “Summer Sweep at the Wharf,” is designed to keep the areas looking good during the peak of San Francisco’s summer tourist season, according to spokeswoman Christine Falvey.
The Department of Public Works is teaming up with other city agencies such as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and business groups like the Fisherman’s Wharf Merchants Association for the cleanup efforts.
Falvey said crews were already busy today making improvements in the area, including the repainting of trash cans and repaving and washing of sidewalks near Jefferson and Hyde streets.
Dozens of volunteers were also removing graffiti in the Stockton Tunnel while SFMTA workers restriped curbs and crosswalks near North Point Street and Van Ness Avenue, she said.
The largest gathering of cleanup workers will take place on Saturday near The Embarcadero and Bay Street, where about 150 volunteers are expected to gather to perform tree maintenance, pick up litter and remove graffiti from the area, according to Falvey.
The Department of Public Works, which is responsible for the care and maintenance of the city’s streets and much of its infrastructure, reached out to the other city agencies and business groups to participate in the cleanup efforts after seeing a need for it in the area, Falvey said.
The department has collaborated in three similar efforts during the past year to support important merchant corridors.
The other cleanup events took place in Union Square during the winter holiday shopping season, in Chinatown before Chinese New Year festivities and around AT&T Park in advance of opening day of the baseball season.
“Now, more than ever, public and private partnerships are key to keeping our city clean and beautiful,” Mayor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
“These cleanup programs make it possible for San Francisco to maintain its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a world-class destination,” Newsom said.
