Castro News Briefs

Eureka Valley Library to Close for Renovations
The Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library, located at 16th and Pond streets, will be closing for renovations towards the end of the year.
“We’re closing sometime after Dec. 1,” said Karen Sundheim, manager of the Eureka Valley branch. According to Sundheim, the library will close its doors for 18 months while renovations are occuring. A bookmobile will service the area two to three days a week.
Some of the branch’s books will be packed while others will be transferred to other branches. Many will be available at the bookmobile.
Voters in San Francisco passed a bond measure in November 2000 that provided for $105.9 million to renovate city libraries. The West Portal and Sunset libraries have already undergone restorations.

Upper Market Workshop Series to Commence on Sept. 11
A subject of discussion at neighborhood meetings for months, the much anticipated Upper Market Community Workshop series will begin on Sept. 11 at the Harvey Milk School, located at 4235 19th St., at Collingwood Street. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to last three hours.
Held in conjunction with Supervisor Bevan Dufty and the SF Planning Department, this will be the first of three workshops being held with the intention of giving the community a voice in shaping the future of the Castro and Upper Market neighborhoods. At the meeting, attendees are encouraged to share their ideas about future land use issues as well as community improvements they would like to see in the area.
According to a press release by the Planning Department, “The workshop results and corresponding reports will be formalized into a Design Plan, which will convey the community’s vision and guide the use, character and design of pending development along the (Upper Market) corridor.”
For more information, contact Sarah Dennis or Abigail Kiefer at the SF Planning Department at 558-6378.

Metro Bar Moves to New Location on Market Street After Losing Lease
The Metro Bar, situated at 1600 16th St. for the last five years, has moved to 2124 Market St. near Church Street.
Co-owners Richard Pearson and Mario Enriquez lost their lease and were forced to move out by the end of August. The owners did not waste any time, reopening their bar in time for Labor Day weekend at the former site of the Expansion bar.
Pearson and Enriquez, who have been domestic partners for 35 years and own four bars, refused to comment on the nature of the dispute that led to their loss of lease pending a confidentiality agreement with the landlord.
Pearson said he did not fear losing business and called the move “serendipitous” since he was able to buy the building where the Metro is now located.
“Everybody dreams about owning a building where they run their business,” said Pearson. “We’ve got a lot of ties to the community so I don’t feel that I’ll be languishing.”
The Metro will keep the same hours and staff. A visit to the new location on a sunny Tuesday afternoon showed a good turnout and a jovial crowd.

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