After A Year, Cayuga Staircase And Mural Project Finally Complete

After A Year, Cayuga Staircase And Mural Project Finally CompletePhotos: Patti Spaniak
Will Carruthers
Published on November 11, 2016

After a year of planning and work by both volunteers and city employees, SF Public Works finished the final touches on the Cayuga Staircase improvement project this month. 

The project began in January, when Precita Eyes received a Community Action Grant to paint a mural on a wall along the left side of the staircase. From there, neighbors decided to make improvements on and around the staircase, which stretches from Cayuga Avenue to Alemany Boulevard.

"The DPW crew weeded, laid a weed barrier, staggered large tree logs and added about five feet of mulch. They even trimmed our lone tree," Patti Spaniak, program director for the Cayuga Community Connectors, said in an email. 

The improvements began with a March community design day, at which neighbors planned improvements with with Balboa High School art students. Precita Eyes began painting the mural in April, and city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June. Since then, volunteers have continued to paint sea creatures on the staircase.

Volunteers at a cleanup day on June 1st.
OEWD Deputy Director Joaquin Torres and District 11 Supervisor John Avalos at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June.

The staircase improvements come on the heels of SF Public Works' $9.4 million improvement project for the Cayuga Playground and Clubhouse in 2013, which added stronger lighting, repaired the park's distinctive sculptures, and renovated the basketball and tennis courts. To learn more, check out our profile of Cayuga Playground from August.