Culver City Observer -

City Manager's Update

By John Nachbar

Community Development Department

• Parcel B and Town Plaza Project City Council Action Proposed for December 21st – The City of Culver City has been working with Combined, the developer selected to construct a multi-use project at 9300 Culver Boulevard, also known as Parcel B.

The Town Plaza Expansion Improvements on the City Parcel is intended to provide a new venue for art, music, and other public events in the downtown and was created by abandoning the portion of Washington Boulevard that was located between Parcel B, the Culver Hotel, and The Culver Studios. Combined is contracting with a landscape design firm to design the Town Plaza Expansion Improvements.

The Parcel B Project will feature a grand outdoor stairway and elevated public plaza with the proposed Town Plaza Expansion Improvements, which include special paving, seating, planting, performance stage, related infrastructure and other amenities.

Parking

The size and shape of Parcel B and the City Parcel make it infeasible to separate the Parcel B private parking improvements from the City Parcel public parking improvements at the property line as originally contemplated. To meet the parking objectives at the site, Combined proposes to construct a subterranean parking structure with approximately 240 parking spaces (two levels below grade), of which the City will receive 100 spaces located on the lower parking level. The design also reflects agreement with The Culver Studios to provide an access driveway and underground tunnel with ingress and egress on Culver Boulevard beneath the City Parcel to the subterranean parking structure on The Culver Studios lot and the proposed public and private parking on Parcel B.

Fire Department

• Westside Children’s Center Holiday Party – On December 12 members of the Culver City Fire Department hosted foster children and their families for a holiday celebration. For over a decade, the Department has opened the doors of Fire Station 1 to the Westside Children’s Center. The Westside Children’s Center is an organization that provides thousands of at-risk children and their families with critical, high-quality early education programs, family strengthening interventions, foster care, adoption services, and a range of vital, integrated services intended to help at-risk youth.

• Holiday Safety – The Culver City Fire Department wishes you a safe and happy holiday season. Here are a few Christmas Tree Safety tips to consider:

1. Clean the tree stand with a cap full of bleach mixed with water. This reduces the growth of organisms that can block the tree's intake of water.

2. Select a fresh tree with needles that do not pull easily from the branches and do not break when gently bent.

3. Consider having your tree sprayed with a State Fire Marshal approved flame retardant chemical.

4. Re-cut the trunk at least one inch above the old cut as soon as you get home. Put it into water immediately.

5. Check the water level in the stand daily and refill with lukewarm water. Commercial floral preservatives can be added.

6. Locate the tree away from heat sources (including television sets), being careful not to block exit ways with the tree or rearranged furniture.

7. Use only UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approved miniature type tree lights to reduce the drying effect. Do not connect more than 200 midget lights together through one string or cord.

8. Check lights before putting them on the tree. Replace sets if bare wires or bulb filaments are exposed, sockets are cracked or broken, or plugs and connectors have loose or missing inserts.

9. After inspecting the lights, place them on a fireproof surface and let them run for fifteen minutes. Replace any lights which show signs of overheating, such as smoking or melting.

10. Never leave a lighted tree unattended or leave lights on for prolonged periods of time. Turn the lights off and the room heat down when leaving the house or retiring for the night.

11. Remove the tree from the house as soon as possible after Christmas. Never burn a Christmas tree or package wrappings in a fireplace or wood stove.

For more fire safety information, please visit http://www.culvercity.org/fire. (Photo: http://calfire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_holiday)

Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department

• Culver City Senior Citizens Association Holiday Certificate Program – The PRCS Department partners annually with the Culver City Senior Citizens Association Holiday Certificate Program. This program relies solely on community donations for funding, with certificates going to low-income Culver City seniors and families. This year the holiday season will be a little bit brighter for 141 families who received over $7,000 in supermarket food certificates. (Photo: coachingfresh.com)

• The Culver City Senior Center’s “Scene-iors with Matthew” – “Scene-iors with Matthew” is a creative and fun class at the Senior Center, coordinated by volunteer dynamo Matthew Hoffman, in which seniors reenact famous movie scenes “to prove that old is the new young and sometimes the last act is the best,” according to Matthew. “Scene-iors with Matthew” was recently featured on Huffington Post. If you want a day brightener, check out this video of some Scene-iors reenacting “The Notebook”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARPKdehCYUs or visit MatthewHoffman.tv on YouTube.

• The Senior Center – ZUMBA gives back! – The Senior Center’s dedicated ZUMBA instructor, Yvonne Griffin Beraldi, used the proceeds from her November and December Senior Center classes to buy toys for the Culver City Fire Department’s “Spark of Love” Toy Drive. Yvonne was happy to deliver 23 new toys to firefighters Shaun & Ryan on behalf of herself and the ZUMBA classes at the Senior Center.

• Culver City Senior Center New Year’s Eve Party – The Senior Center’s New Year’s Eve Party will be held on Thursday, December 31st at 11:30 a.m. Culver City Senior Citizens Association members can purchase tickets at the Senior Center during business hours. Come ring-in the New Year at the Culver City Senior Center!

• Culver City After School Recreation Program – The Culver City After School Recreation Program (CCARP) students and Teen Center members are preparing for a well-deserved winter break. CCARP will be celebrating the holiday break with Christmas parties on Friday, December 18 the last day of school before the students’ break. Holiday parties will include music, holiday arts and crafts, and gift exchanges.

• Culver City Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Event – The 11th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Event will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature a community service fair; a live performance by Gerald C. River as Dr. King; a live dramatic performance by Windy Barnes Farrell and Darryl Reed as Dr. King and his wife; a youth conversation with Culver City Teen Center members; a panel discussion with Robert Farrell; and the movie “Dare Not Walk Alone”, which will be shown at 2:30 p.m. This event is free to the public. More information can be found on the City’s website. (Photo fineartamerica.com)

• Veterans Memorial Complex Rental Operation – The Veterans Memorial Building will be the site of New Year’s Eve events and private parties this year. Please contact the VMC Rental Office at 310-253-6625 or vmc.booking@culvercity.org for room reservations this holiday season.

Public Works Department

• Energy Consumption Reduction Continues in Culver City – In November 2015, City Hall consumed 27% less energy compared to October 2015 and 15% less energy compared to November 2014. The City has been committed to reducing energy use through upgrade projects and participation in savings programs over the past year.

• Recycle Your Christmas Tree – Every year, more than 1 million used Christmas trees end up in California landfills. Nationwide, an estimated 15 million used Christmas trees end up in landfills. Remember to recycle trees locally or turn them into mulch for water conservation and weed control in the garden. Reuse branches to make colorful holiday wreaths and separate the pine needles from tree branches to create tree-scented sachet bags. Or, consider an artificial tree or a “living” tree that can be replanted in the yard.

Multi-Family residents should contact the property manager for more information on how best to dispose of trees after the holiday season at your multifamily complex. The City will provide drop-off services at specific locations: Fox Hills Area, (must call for exact location.)

Remember, it is unlawful and a serious fire hazard to leave unwanted trees at the curb or in the alleys for an extended period of time. Please recycle your Christmas tree in the green waste bins.

For the Culver City Refuse and Recycling Customer Service Office call (310) 253-6400 for more information.

For City of Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling see this website http://www.lacitysan.org/tree-recycle.htm. Residents living in unincorporated communities may call 1 (888) CLEAN LA between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

• Alley Grading Project Complete – The alley grading project was completed just in time before the predicted El Nino storms. The Contractor, Terra Pave, removed 18 truckloads of soil/gravel/asphalt shavings in order to regrade the alleys to the final design elevations for drainage. PX300 was mixed with scarified six inches of soil and compacted 95% as personally directed by manufacturer in the field.

Locations:

1. The North/South and East/West alleys east of Sawtelle Boulevard, west of Globe Avenue, south of 405 freeway ramps, and north of Washington Place. Approximately 1,000 feet in length.

2. The North/South alley east of Bentley Avenue, west of Tilden Avenue, south of Venice Boulevard, and 250 north of Matteson Avenue. Approximately 250 feet in length.

3. The North/South alley west of Sepulveda Boulevard, north of Washington Place, and south of Matteson Avenue. Approximately 350 feet in length.

• Successful Rain Barrel Giveaway Event – This event was a collaboration with the Public Works Environmental Program and Operations, the Rotary Club, The Culver Studios, and the Culver City Police Department. It was a tremendous success as a drive through event, with over 370 cars. Participants drove up by car, truck, and bicycle to haul away 55 gallon barrels to collect rainwater. The event was timed perfectly with the rainfall occurring on Sunday.

To get more information and or register to receive a free rain barrel at West Basin's upcoming January event in Inglewood, visit http://www.sbesc.com or call the South Bay Environmental Services Center at 310-371-4633 and ask about “West Basin’s Rain Barrel Program."

For information about rain barrel rebates offered by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, please visit http://socalwatersmart.com.

• Reminder about Water Conservation in Culver City – Golden State Water Company personnel are monitoring water usage in Culver City on a weekly basis, and they have recently noticed that water usage has increased over the past month. Golden State Water Company has asked the City to assist them in reminding their Culver City customers that we are still in a drought emergency and under state mandated water use restrictions. As we enter the winter period, reducing water use as compared to the same period in 2013 may be more challenging as the percentage of water used for outside irrigation is reduced so more conservation efforts in other areas are required to meet water reduction targets. We appreciate the efforts of all residents and businesses to carefully watch and control water use during this drought. We are counting on your cooperation to improve water conservation in order to ensure that the community can meet its local 16% reduction mandated by the State of California. It is important that we, as a community, do not lose sight of our water conservation objectives and meet the reduction goal to avoid triggering additional restrictions, allocations and penalties. (Photo: http://www.houzz.com/)

• Construction Update:

On Saturday, December 19 the bridge on Duquesne will have new asphalt installed adjacent to the recently installed new expansion plates. Only one lane will be open. The Contractor will direct traffic through the work area at certain intervals in each direction.

Transportation

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• Services - Community Meetings - Access Services, a local public entity, is the Los Angeles County Consolidated Transportation Services Agency and administers the Los Angeles County Coordinated Paratransit Plan on behalf of the County’s 44 public fixed route operators (i.e., bus and rail). Come and hear the latest about Access Services, including an update on the fare system. Free rides will be provided. To request special accommodations including braille or sign language, call Access Services’ Customer Service department at least three (3) business days in advance of your meeting at: 800-827-0829 or TDD 800-827-1359. Information is also available online at http://accessla.org/home/.

The community meetings will take place at the following location in Culver City:

Southern Region

Tuesday, January 5

10 a.m.–12 p.m. (English)

1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. (Spanish)

Veterans Memorial Building

4117 Overland Ave, Culver City