By John Nachbar

February 17, 2012

Community Development Department

• Westfield Culver City - Plans have been approved for a Tenant Improvement for Foot Locker/Champs Sports. Plans have also been submitted by Angl, Inc. and Footaction, Inc., two new retail stores.

• Harlan Hugh & Shelley Hayduk - Plans have been submitted for a Tenant Improvement located at 11520-11522 Washington Boulevard.

• Washington/Centinela - On February 13 the City Council approved entering into a Commitment Letter with Regency Centers to construct a Market Hall on the northerly corners of the Washington Blvd/Centinela Avenue intersection. Additionally, the City Council approved a contract with International Parking Design to design and prepare construction documents for the Market Hall parking structure.

• Speak Easy - The City of Culver City will present a webcast and cablecast of “My Brazil”, recorded during last fall’s Speak Easy program, starting on February 18. “My Brazil” features performance art icon Rachel Rosenthal, who wrote the piece, and performer/composer Amy Knoles. The webcast may be accessed through the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website at http://www.culvercity.org. The cablecast will air on Channel 35 through Time Warner and on Channel 37 through Verizon FiOS on Saturday evenings at 9 pm from February 18 through April 28, 2012. More information is available by visiting the City’s website or by calling the Cultural Affairs Hotline at (310) 253-5716.

Fire Department

• LA Area Captain’s Academy - The Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association is once again conducting its annual Captains Academy. This is an opportunity for current Fire Captains or aspiring Captains to participate in the one week course, which consists of 21 classes, taught nearly exclusively by Fire Chiefs. This week-long course provides the students insight into 21 different topics that the LA Area Fire Chiefs deem important to their success as a Fire Captain. Chief Sellers and Chief White, both from Culver City Fire Department, are facilitating this year’s Academy along with teaching a few of the classes. Also, two members of the Culver City Fire Department will be students attending the Academy.

• Simulator Training - All Fire Department personnel will be participating in Emergency Operations Simulator training, being provided by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. The training will simulate a major incident, at a variety of high risk or high occupancy buildings, within Culver City. The intent of the training is to enhance our personnel’s ability to properly deploy personnel on a large scale dynamic event, while simultaneously coordinating the integration of outside resources. The training will also familiarize the LAFD personnel, who are likely to respond into Culver City, with our personnel, equipment, resources, and deployment strategies.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

• Parks – Parks staff installed new concrete picnic tables at Vets Pavilion. Playground safety inspections and ongoing repairs are taking place at Culver City parks. Fertilization of the grounds at City Hall is now complete, along with weed-abatement spraying. Weed-abatement spraying continues to take place at various City parks, with the assistance of Public Works.

• Senior and Social Services – The 3rd Annual Intergenerational Writing Project is being is being recapped on the Turning Point School online newsletter. You can read about it at http://www.turningpointschool.org/ThePoint/. For more information about the project or to participate in the next project, contact Jill Thomsen at jill.thomsen@culvercity.org.

More than 20 handmade afghans are created each week at the Senior Center and donated to the Veterans Administration, Project Linus, local hospices and other local service organizations. Volunteer knitters recently received a wonderful Thank You note which is a reminder of the good will they spread in our community: “I am writing to thank all of you who knitted a quilt/afghan for my mother. Our nurse brought it to her last Thursday, and she has been using it ever since. It is very comforting to be wrapped in a quilt that was handmade by caring, giving people. Thank you again and also for the kindness and generosity you have for the hospice patient.” Yarn donations are always welcome and needed. Please contact Jill Thomsen at (310) 253-6722, if you’d like to make a donation.

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Senior and Social Services Specialist Darren Uhl has been appointed to the Los Angeles County Access Transportation Professionals Advisory Committee (TPAC). The TPAC meets each month and provides the Access Board of Directors with advice and feedback on issues relating to public transportation of disabled residents.

A message from an appreciative client of the Home Delivered Meal Program shows the impact the service has: “A Home Delivered Meal is one reason for me to wake up early so I can get dressed and wait for Home Delivered Meal volunteers to come to my door. These are the only people I have contact with during the day Monday through Friday. Also, I really appreciate the phone calls that I received from Telephone Reassurance volunteers.” The Home Delivered Meal program consists of 3 routes, currently with 30 participants. They are served by 15 caring volunteers from Exceptional Children’s Foundation and over 30 additional volunteers.

Police Department

• Low –Cost Pet Vaccination and Free Microchip Clinic - On Saturday, February 25 Culver City Animal Services and SPCA LA are sponsoring a low-cost pet vaccination and free microchip clinic for Culver City residents at Clover Park, located at 2600 Ocean Park Boulevard Santa Monica, California 90405. Your pet must be on a leash, and pet handlers must be at least 18 years old. Services will be offered on a first come, first served basis, and fees are cash only.

• Regional Training Meeting - On February 16 the Police Department hosted the South Bay Regional Training Meeting. The purposes of these regional training meetings are to share new training ideas and current topics facing law enforcement today. Participants included Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Gardena, Signal Hill, El Segundo, Santa Monica, LAX Airport, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach.

Public Works Department

• Plunge Pool Heater Repair Completed - The Plunge heater repair was completed on Friday, February 10. The decision to repair the Plunge heater instead of replacing it, has resulted in over $15,000 in savings to the City.

• Golden State Water Company Repair – On Thursday, February 16, Golden State Water Company (GSWC) began work to repair damage caused by a water line burst at Sepulveda and Jefferson Boulevards. The repair work will include fixing the sidewalk, curb and gutter, street, and traffic signal. The work is expected to require intermittent lane closures of Sepulveda Boulevard and be completed by early March.

• Golden State Water Company Construction for Water Main Line Placement - Golden State Water Company (GSWC) has started work to place a 12-inch water main line at the following locations:

1. Washington Boulevard from Ballona Creek to Fairfax Avenue

2. Blackwelder Street from Ballona Creek to La Cienega Boulevard

3. Fairfax Avenue from Washington Boulevard to La Cienega Boulevard

There will be some traffic and parking impacts associated with this work. In order to minimize daytime traffic congestion through the major intersections along this route, GSWC will be making the intersection crossings at night. The first intersection to be crossed will be Washington Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard. The night work (9 pm to 6 am) at this intersection will occur for two nights during the week of February 20.

These water main placements are scheduled to be finalized by the end of May .

• Caltrans Construction Affecting Sepulveda - Caltrans has informed us that they will need to close Sepulveda Boulevard during the night (10 pm to 6 am) for approximately 13 days beginning on Tuesday, February 21. The purpose of this closure is to conduct construction activities related to replacing the I-405 bridge over Sepulveda that is part of Caltrans’ project to add a northbound lane between La Tijera Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard. Currently, the nighttime closures are planned to occur contiguously (weekdays only) for approximately 13 days.

During the closure nighttime traffic will be detoured from southbound Sepulveda onto Green Valley Circle, to Bristol Parkway, on to Centinela Avenue and then back to Sepulveda Boulevard. Northbound traffic will be detoured in the opposite direction.

The Engineering Division is issuing a permit to Caltrans to do this work. The permit will require, among other things the following:

1. 85 db at 30 meters – Caltrans has indicated they can meet this standard and they will have noise monitoring equipment and personnel in place to enforce this. In addition, noise blankets will be utilized if necessary. This is an important requirement due to the proximity of hotels to this area.

2. Caltrans is required to notify all adjacent businesses (including the aforementioned hotels in the area) and impacted emergency services, transportation agencies, and hospitals. Notification will be hand-delivered tomorrow. The project’s Caltrans Resident Engineer will personally contact Hotel Management.

3. Arrow boards and changeable message signs are required at the points of closure and throughout the detour route.