Culver City Observer -

City Manager's Update

August 17, 2012

Community Development Department

• George Schlatter Productions – A television film production has been issued a permit to renovate a building located at 8476 Stellar Drive.

• HQ Development - Plans have been approved for improvements for office buildings located at 9950 Jefferson Boulevard:

Building 1: Core and shell improvements to existing two-story building to include demolition of existing non-load bearing interior partitions, demolition of existing entry canopy, and new exterior windows. Building 2: Core and shell improvements to existing one-story building to include the demolition of existing non-load bearing interior partitions, new restrooms, electrical rooms, interior stair and ramp, windows and exterior walls. Improvements include a new two-story addition and new exterior stair and ramp. Building 3: Core and shell improvements to existing one-story building to include the demolition of existing non-load bearing interior partitions, partial demo of concrete wall, new restrooms, windows and skylights.

• Smashburger – Has submitted plans for a new restaurant located at 10704 Venice Boulevard.

• Elevate LA One - Has submitted plans for a new restaurant located at 4114 Sepulveda Boulevard.

• Willows Community School – Has submitted plans to build a new parking lot, new sports courts and accessory structures.

• LYFE Kitchen – Has submitted plans for a new restaurant located at 9540 Washington Boulevard.

• Westfield Culver City – Nordstrom Rack has submitted plans for a new retail clothing store. Dippingo, a new chocolate fondue kiosk is now complete.

• LA Fitness / Bally’s - Has submitted plans for a renovation of the gym.

• Smashbox Studios / Cosmetics – Has submitted plans for a renovation of the existing creative office space to allow for a production facility.

• Pho Zone – Has submitted plans for a new restaurant located at 5407 Sepulveda Boulevard.

• Tilden Terrace - Dreyfus Construction will be working over the next two weeks to complete offsite utility connections and erect the first floor walls and columns.

• Southern California Edison (SCE) Work – SCE began installing electrical conduit in Harter Avenue on August 13. The work resulted in the alley between Harter and Tilden being closed to thru traffic. The 2nd Notification to the Residents/Property Owners was mailed on Friday, August 3. Photos and additional information about the project can be found at: http://amjcm.com/construction-updates/tilden-terrace/.

• 4043 Irving Mixed Use project – This project involves the construction of a three-story condominium building containing 28 units (12 affordable units) over a single-level subterranean parking garage. Additionally, approximately 1,500 square foot ground-floor commercial space is part of the project. This project is 24% complete, on schedule and on budget. It is scheduled for completion in April 2013.

• Westfield Culver City - The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) recognized Westfield Culver City with the Gold Award for Renovation or Expansion of an Existing Retail Project over 500,001 square feet. The $180 million investment features 330,000 square feet of new shop space including Target and Best Buy anchor stores and national brands such as H&M, XXI Forever, Coach, G by Guess, and Hollister. For more information visit: http://www.icsc.org/usdesignawards/2011US_D&D_Winners.pdf

• HUMAN Healthy Vending - The country's leading healthy vending machine franchisor, has relocated from Santa Monica to a 9,000 square foot, one-of-a-kind, creative office space in the Hayden Tract.

• The Cunningham Group Architecture Inc. - Has relocated from Los Angeles to 8665 Hayden Place.

Fire Department

· Probationary Firefighters – On August 13, seven new probationary Firefighters began serving the Culver City community. All seven probationary Firefighters recently completed training at the Culver City Fire Department’s training tower and have been assigned to a fire apparatus. Their initial training covered a wide variety of topics including; emergency medical services, wildland/vehicle/structural firefighting, hazardous materials responses, electrical emergencies, vehicle extrication, etc. The probationary Firefighters will continue their intensive training at their assigned stations along with participating in routine activities such as fire prevention, hydrant servicing, pre-fire planning, public education, emergency responses, etc. At the completion of their one-year probation/training, six of the seven Firefighters will be assigned to Paramedic Ambulances as they are already State Certified Paramedics.

· Recruit Firefighters – Starting August 14, Fire Department staff members will once again begin the interview and hiring process for Recruit Firefighters in anticipation of additional vacancies that will occur in December 2012. The goal of the Department is to conduct interviews, select candidates for background investigations, and provide conditional job offers to the top candidates. Once conditional job offers are accepted, the City will conduct medical exams, psychological evaluations, and polygraph tests on each candidate. Candidates who pass each portion of the process will begin Recruit Firefighter training at the Culver City Fire Department’s training tower. The goal is to have the new Recruits start the training tower in November. This will ensure they have completed their required training in time to fill the newly created vacancies due to the December retirements.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department

· Cold War Museum – Staff is meeting and working with representatives of the Wende Museum regarding the use of the former National Guard Armory as a Cold War Museum. While there are many facility improvements that need to be addressed, staff is confident this project will move forward.

· Program Space – the Director is working with representatives of the Willows School to address the continued use of its gymnasium for City programs as well as its continued use of Syd Kronenthal fields for the school’s physical education programs. A Memorandum of Understanding should be finalized before the fall.

· Park Preparation – the Parks Division spent the week prepping the Blair Hills Park for the Blair Hills Association’s Annual Picnic, held on August 4. Park crews painted picnic tables, restrooms, railings, benches, detailed the turf and general grounds, and power-washed the pavilion and picnic area in anticipation of the huge turn-out.

· Parks & Playgrounds Programs – Culver West Alexander Park had over 100 people take part in the drop-in activities so far in August. Tennis had 58 participants and arts & crafts had 44.

· Teen Center – Staff is gearing up for another school year. Registration has begun and membership is $100 per child per year. School starts on Tuesday, September 4, which marks the opening day of the Teen Center.

· Camp Program – with just three weeks to go, the Teen Camp is winding down. Campers have gone on excursions and have undertaken cooking projects, arts & crafts, and team building activities.

· Youth Mentoring – 10 students have been placed throughout the City this summer. Students are working in the Fire Department, Human Resources, Accounting and PRCS. They have great mentors and are gaining valuable work experience.

· Summer Day Camp – Just 4 Kids Summer Day Camp celebrated the NFL Play 60 campaign by holding a Punt, Pass & Kick Competition. Former Dallas Cowboy football player Jemeel Powell spoke to the campers about physical fitness, staying active and eating healthy to fight childhood obesity. He also shared his sports skills with the campers, providing a valuable educational experience.

Police Department

· Community Meeting at the King Fahad Mosque - Members of the Police Department were invited to attend a meeting at King Fahad Mosque hosted by the Muslim Youth Symposium in America (MYSA). The purpose of the meeting was to have a special multi-faith discussion on the subject of peaceful coexistence. Present in the meeting were religious leaders of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths, several inner city community activists, as well as members of the LAPD, FBI, and DEA community outreach programs.

· Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Funds - The Police Department has been awarded $251,780 in grant funding of from the Department of Homeland Security. The grant will help fund new equipment and training for emergency preparedness.

· Councilmember ride-along - On August 9 Councilmember Jim Clarke spent an evening on a ride-along with Officers Brent Arney and Geo Lopez. Councilmember Clarke was able to see the officers respond to calls for service, and how they work with the community to ensure public safety.

Public Works Department

· Free Tire Recycling Event - Los Angeles County residents who want to legally dispose of scrap tires cluttering their property can do so for free at the Waste Tire Recycling Event in Culver City on Saturday, August 18. This event is sponsored by the County of Los Angeles and the City. Tires from cars, light-trucks and SUVs will be accepted free of charge. Rims on those tires will also be accepted. The event will take place from 9 am to 3 pm at the Fire Department Training Facility, 9275 Jefferson Boulevard in Culver City. For more information about the County’s Waste Tire Recycling Program and events, call 1(888) CLEAN LA or log ontowww.CleanLA.com.

· Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation Ballona Creek Rain Garden Event– On Saturday, August 25 from 10 am-1 pm, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation (SMBRF) will be hosting an event at the rain garden that the organization installed at the end of Pearson Street off of Jefferson Boulevard. SMBRF is inviting the community to come and learn about the garden while helping remove and control invasive weeds. Tools and gloves will be provided, but staff asks participants to wear sturdy shoes and clothes to get dirty and to bring water and sunscreen. For more information or to RSVP, contact Heather at hburdick79@gmail.com.

· Construction of Sepulveda Boulevard Widening Project (Phase II), Street Lighting Upgrade, P-881 from Slauson Ave to Green Valley Circle– This project consists of the replacement and upgrade of existing streetlight poles within the project limits. The new poles will be marblelite-style standards and the existing energy efficient induction lamps that were put in place last year will be re-installed. In addition, bicycle friendly catch basin grates will be installed and old street name signs on the traffic signal mast arms will be replaced.

The project began on August 13, and is anticipated to be completed by the end of September 2012.

· Construction of Jefferson Boulevard Streetscape and Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Improvement Project (at Hetzler Road), P-956 – This project consists of the following new components:

Construction is anticipated to begin on or around August 20, and will be completed by the end of November 2012. .

Transportation

· EZ Transit Passes Transitioning to TAP cards, beginning September 1 - The EZ transit pass -- the monthly pass good for travel on 25 different public transit carriers throughout Los Angeles County -- will begin the transition from paper to TAP cards Sept. 1, making it easier for customers to travel without transfers, renew their passes each month and replace their cards, should they be lost or stolen.

The EZ transit pass will be electronically loaded onto the familiar blue TAP card for regular riders or the orange Reduced TAP ID card for Senior and or Disabled riders. A stamp with the month, year and zone designation will be affixed to the front of each card so the card can be visually inspected on non-TAP systems.

To help customers with the transition, the new reusable TAP cards will be free with the purchase of an EZ transit pass for a limited time.

Applications can be downloaded from http://www.metro.net/around/fares/senior/. They also are available at all Metro Customer Centers and pass sales outlets.

The new EZ transit passes on TAP will make it easier to renew the passes each month.

EZ transit pass fares are $84 per month, or $35 for Senior/Disabled patrons.