A Message from the Director
public murals that came to life in such neighborhoods as Glen Park and Miraloma Park , capturing the spirit of San Francisco ’ s diverse communities .
We delivered our projects and services with a commitment to advance racial equity , an urgency to address climate change and a profound understanding of our role to serve the people of San Francisco .
The swift emergence of COVID in spring 2020 came with a false hope for many of us that locking down for a few weeks would be the end of the global pandemic . Reality set in . Today , we ’ re still dealing with COVID on many fronts – both at work and at home – but we ’ re also making sure the broader San Francisco Public Works portfolio moves forward .
Our work from the past year that we showcase in this Fiscal Year 2021-2022 annual report reflects the breadth of our efforts to make San Francisco a more resilient , welcoming , greener and cleaner city .
Our accomplishments during the year capture the backbone work of a public works agency that often draws the most day-to-day public attention , such as paving roads , cleaning streets , pruning trees and the like . But as important are the newly designed streetscapes and the completion of major new civic buildings and reimagined playgrounds built to serve this generation and the next to come . Those , too , are core to our body of work .
During the year , we forged stronger partnerships with residents to enliven neighborhoods , examples of which can be found in the dynamic Bayview Gateway project and colorful new
As San Francisco ’ s oldest municipal department – created in 1900 as the Board of Public Works – we are ever-evolving , ready to take on the challenges of a changing urban environment .
We have an incredible team at Public Works , some 1,600 people strong , that brings an amazing array of skills and experience . We have architects , street inspectors , engineers , arborists , carpenters , accountants , plumbers , landscape architects , IT technicians , construction managers , asphalt workers , clerks , dispatchers , sheet metal workers , surveyors , street cleaners , gardeners , permit reviewers , communicators , data specialists , truck drivers , outreach workers and many more . Despite the multifariousness of our staff – or perhaps because of it – we are a government organization unified by a mission of public service .
I am so proud of what we have achieved . As you look through this annual report , I hope you come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of who we are and what we do at Public Works to care for San Francisco residents , visitors and workers .
Carla Short Interim Director
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