Lake Merced boathouse upgrade stalled

Two years after closure, building is ‘beyond repair'

By J.K. Dineen
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, July 5, 2005 12:21 AM PDT

Lake Merced is looking spiffy for the international scrutiny it will receive when the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship comes to Harding Park in October, according to neighbor Mona Cereghino.

Lake Merced Boulevard has been repaved, homeless encampments cleared out and the lake's water level has been raised about five feet since its low point of 18 feet a few years ago.

"We're for lots and lots of big golf tournaments if that's what it takes to get things done here," Cereghino said.

But one part of the Lake Merced landscape will remain an eyesore even after the best golfers in the world have come and gone: the boathouse.

Two years after the Boathouse Restaurant closed and the building was shuttered, the Lake Merced boathouse has fallen "beyond repair," and The City has yet to settle on a plan to revive it, according to neighbors and public officials.

The boathouse renovation has been held up, in part, because stakeholders have been unable to agree on what a renovated boathouse would be. While many would like to see a new waterfront restaurant open up, other residents say the building should be reinvented as a community center with meeting rooms and exhibits exploring Lake Merced's history, flora and fauna. Still other residents argue it should become a recreation center or gym, according to Olivia Scanlon, an aide to District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and Lake Merced resident.

Cereghino said a number of neighbors are concerned that an eatery would not add to the freshwater lake's unique history and beauty.

But Scanlon said The City does not have money to rebuild the structure, so it would be up to the future tenant to pay for the new boathouse.

"Who is going to invest in a recreation center — there is no money in it," Scanlon said. "You have to give somebody the incentive to take it."

Scanlon said The City would work with neighbors over the next few months to come up with a request for a proposal that will ensure that the future tenant is community-minded. She said she is looking forward to being able to eat brunch overlooking the lake.

"We're not thinking a Burger King or a Denny's," she said. "We're thinking of something of a nice standard and family-operated. We think that is important."

The boathouse is currently owned by the Recreation and Park Department, but may not be for much longer. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is in the process of looking into taking over the area as a watershed management area. SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said the SFPUC's message to any restaurant operator would be simple: "Don't dump grease."

"We would work with whomever runs that operation to make sure they are not discharging into the lake," he said.

E-mail: jdineen@examiner.com