• Serving the city of Norwalk • Vol. 4 No 33 • May 20, 2011 • www.loscerritosnews.net
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Serving Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Lakewood, Pico Rivera, and La Palma • 45,000 homes every Friday • May 20, 2011 • Volume 22, No. 2 • www.loscerritosnews.net
Artesia Council sets public hearing on forming underground utility district
Cerritos College students protest possible summer school course reductions
Cerritos survives recession as city economy begins upturn
By Jerry Bernstein
By Jerry Bernstein and Randy Economy
The Artesia City Council will hold a pubic hearing June 13 on forming an underground utility district on South Street extending 100 ft. west to Grayland Avenue centerline to 100 ft. east of Norwalk Boulevard centerline that would remove poles, overhead wires and associated structures and install them underground. According to the Edison Company the cost of the project is estimated at $940,000 with the project taking a 2.5year mortgage on future appropriations totaling $235,399. The City may borrow (mortgage) future under grounding allocations for five years. In her report to the council, City Manager Maria Dadian said the underground program was initiated in 1967 requiring new subdivisions to provide underground service for all new connections and conversions of existing overhead lines to new underground service. It also specified whoever proposes to un-
Speaking at the State of the City luncheon hosted by the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce, City Manager Art Gallucci and Mayor Carol Chen painted a picture of a city that has survived a recession that has devastated the nation’s economy. Chen said Cerritos “has much to be proud of, and we are still one of the best managed cities in all of California.” The Mayor pointed out that in spite of the “tough economic forecasts, Cerritos remains at the forefront in new development” and she predicted better economic times in the future. “Cerritos needs to continue to hold Sacramento accountable” and continue to be fiscally responsible with the “taxpayers” money. She said Cerritos was not immune to fiscal problems and praised the efforts of City Manager Art Gallucci and city staff for always “being on top” of every possible problem in advance. At the end of the luncheon, Chen announced that Gallucci was the first recipient of the “Vision Award” that will honor an individual for his or her dedication to the future of Cerritos. Gallucci, who has been with the city of
[See ARTESIA Page 13]
More than 100 Cerritos College students protested possible summer school course reductions at Wednesday's Board of Trustees Meeting. Due to the states fiscal crisis more than 640 summer school courses could be on the chopping block. Complete story on page 3.
Norwalk City Manager Ernie Garcia retires, Council honors Older American Month By Randy Economy After 17 years as the top executive at Norwalk City Hall, Ernie Garcia has
written statement read into the record on his behalf at the beginning of Tuesday’s City Council meeting by Assistant City Manager Tom Lynch.
Governor’s May budget revise leaves ABCUSD 2011-12 budget up in the air
[See CERRITOS Page 8]
Cerritos Library agreement to provide electronic access to publications
By Jerry Bernstein Facing a $6.8 million deficit ABC Superintendent Dr. Gary Smuts described the governor’s projected May budget revise as not being as bad as it could have been but at the same time it could have been better. The governor’s budget revise earmarks some $3 billion to the state’s schools that otherwise would have been deferred, however, it is dependent on his proposal to extend certain state taxes. In a report to the school board, Chief Finance Officer Toan Nguyen said the District probably would fall back on the proposals discussed by the School Board [See ABCUSD Page 11]
The Norwalk City Council issued a Proclamation on Tuesday celebrating Older Americans Month. Participating in the presentation are Councilman Marcel Rodarte, Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Member Maria Gonzalez, Mayor Mike Mendez, Vice Mayor Cheri Kelley, Community Leader Frank Napolitano, Senior Citizens Committee Chairwoman Caroline Ryan and Councilman Leonard Shryock. officially retired without any fan fare; from the place he “loves the most.” In an unusual move, Garcia had a
In the written correspondence, Garcia reflected on his 30 year career with [See GARCIA Page 7]
By Randy Economy The Cerritos City Council unanimously approved an agreement with Overdrive Media that will allow Cerritos Library member’s access to almost 500,000 titles of books, periodicals and other publications on electronic tab[See LIBRARY Page 13]
www.loscerritosnews.net
TO ADVERTISE CALL 800-901-7211
NORWALK
Continued from page 1 Norwalk and explained his wishes to “move on without fanfare or “recognition.” Garcia did not attend the meeting, and according to many, Garcia wanted
achieve his dream, and to be part of the success we enjoy today.” “I can’t promise you that I will recall all of the difficult situations, but I can promise you that I will remember every individual who brought smiles, laughter, and joy to my life all these years,” said his statement. “I certainly hope that I had a small
COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP • MAY 20, 2011
our town.” Garcia also quoted the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson in his final remarks. “Success is to laugh often and much, to win respect of intelligent people, and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and earn the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, and to find the best in others.”
Trash bills to go down, service up in several LA County unincorporated areas Cerritos Island to get new service. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today that the Board had awarded exclusive franchise agreements for residential solid waste handling services for several unincorporated areas of LA County, including those in Carson Park, Oceanview, La Rambla, and Cerritos Island. The new agreements will lead to lower monthly trash bills and improved services, including increased green waste and recyclable collections. The new services will begin on or around September 1, 2011 and the agreements will be in place for seven years.
The Norwalk City Council saluted nearly 80 city workers to call attention to “National Public Works Week.” Mayor Mike Mendez praised the efforts of the Public Works staff for being the “heart and soul and legs and arms” for each and every Norwalk resident. A video presentation highlighted the accomplishments of the department of the past 12 months. to avoid a “public goodbye.” Garcia is considered to be a Norwalk “hometown success story” who rose from the ranks of a park employee to become one of its longest serving city managers in the 55 years since it incorporated in 1956. In his two page statement that was read at the beginning of the meeting Garcia said he wanted to thank all of those who served on past city councils for “letting this kid from Norwalk
measure of success in my tenure here in Norwalk and made a difference for future generations.” Garcia was known as a “people person” at Norwalk City Hall, and someone who had an active management style. He referred to Norwalk as a “city family” on several past occasions. He thanked his management staff for giving “the best and brightest” for many years. “Success did not come easy, and many personal sacrifices were made to insure that the best was always given to
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Memorial Day In
Remembrance
The community is invited to attend the City of Cerritos’ Memorial Day Ceremony in honor of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation’s freedom.
Monday, May 30, 2011, 10 a.m. Prelude music begins at 9:45 a.m.
Cerritos Civic Center
near the Veterans Memorial
18125 Bloomfield Avenue Bloomfield Avenue at 183rd Street This year’s Memorial Day Ceremony will honor Lieutenant Colonel Mario D. Carazo USMC, the first Cerritos hometown hero to be recognized with an inscription on the Cerritos Veterans Memorial in remembrance of his ultimate sacrifice. The event will also feature: Comments by Cerritos City Council
Fallen Marine Battle Cross Remembrance of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion Members Corporal Daane A. Deboer USMC—June 2010 Lance Corporal Arden Joseph Buenagua USMC—November 2010 Corporal Eric M. Torbert, Jr. USMC—December 2010
Memorial Wreath Laying Moment of Silence Patriotic Musical Selections Performed by the Cerritos College Band Light Refreshments Following the Ceremony
For more information please call the City’s Community Participation Division at (562) 865-8101.
7
8 COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP • MAY 20, 2011
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lion sq. ft, which makes it a mega mall. He said the Center rode out the recession very successfully considering the state of the economy. He said the city has cut over the past three year $9 million from the city budget. “We anticipated what was going to happen with the economy and stopped adding onto it. We have also not filled empty positions that have occurred, saving $2.5 million. “ He said the city was not out of the hole yet, but fortunately it has its reserve. Turning to the Redevelopment Agency he said its main source of income is its assets. The state says the cities have to build a number of homes over a specified period, but then turns around and takes the Agency’s money that was earmarked for the homes. Last year the city paid the state $11 million. This year we had to pay another $2 million. Money that was earmarked for the 247 senior apartments “Cuesta Villas.� He added, they did give us an IOU which someday when the state has money we will go to them and cash it in.
CERRITOS
Continued from page 8 Cerritos for the past 40 years, was presented with a crystal glass etched plague for the recognition. In his talk the city manager said lets take a look at who we are. Our medium age is in the 40’s. The census claims Cerritos population has dropped. “We disagree with that. In the past 10-year we have built several hundred homes. More than 80 percent of our residents own their homes, and work in nearby areas.� He said Cerritos has 33,000 people working in the city. Gallucci described Cerritos as a city that has grown from a community of dairies in the 1980’s to a thriving city in the 21st Century. He said the auto mall
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Longtime Cerritos City Manager Art Gallucci [center] was presented with the First Annual Vision Award for his four decades of service at the Cerritos Chamber of Commerce State of The City Address on Thursday at the Cerritos Center for the We accept Indemnity, PPO & HMO Performing Arts. Joining in the presentation were Vice Mayor Jim Edwards, CounInsurance. Financing Available. cilman Mark Pulido, Mayor Carol Chen, Gallucci, Councilman Joseph Cho and Councilman Bruce Barrows. • White Fillings • Porcelain Veneers 900 cars per week. Then it dropped to is one of the primary income sources, • Bleaching (1 HR. Zoom!) year in and year out. 300 as the recession got deeper. “Now • Crowns & Bridgework we’re climbing up.â€? He said there are 27 Cerritos receives one cent for every • Periodontal Therapy franchises and 14 dealerships spread out dollar earned from the sale of a car, • Dentures & Partials over 100 acres. He said the drop in car “More than $1 million is generated • Root Canal Therapy sales had a major impact on the city, but from the auto mall.â€? He added in the past five months the auto mall has sold people are beginning to trade in their 17906 S. Pioneer Blvd. Suite 100 older cars for new ones. 14,677 cars “That quite a bit of cars,â€? Artesia, Ca. 90701 Gallucci said Japanese car sales Gallucci said before the recession (562)-860-9612 hit, the Auto Square was selling about have dropped due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. On the other hand Korean car sales are going up selling more than 15 cars per week. In addition General Motors car sales are going up. He also noted that retail sales in general nationwide are slowly starting to climb. Any condition that impairs sleeping well at night Gallucci said the city owns much of to the extent that it disturbs daytime functioning, the land Cerritos businesses are located which often manifests as excessive daytime on and receives rent from the developsleepiness, is a sleep disorder. ers. He cited the Cerritos Center which is built on land owned by the city and Some Common Sleep leased to the center’s developer. The Problems: Center is our second largest income • Snoring, breathing disorders stream,â€? he stated. He said the stores in • Sleep Apnea their are doing very very well, He cited • Insomnia • Narcolepsy Apple Computer store as an example. • Restless Leg Syndrome He said the mall has more than 1.5 mil• Sleepwalking
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A free concert will be held Saturday, May 21, at 5:00 p.m. at the ArtesiaCerritos United Methodist Church. The church was established in 1876. Entitled "Conversations: An Offering of Prayerful Songs," it features pianist/soloist Jo Ann Boncato and friends. Jo Ann is the church’s staff accompanist and a church member for many years. During the past several years, Jo Ann has offered her songs in the Sunday worship service and at special events. The theme of the concert showcases a selection of inspirational and heart-warming music. This compilation of contemporary Christian songs has become the hallmark of Jo Ann’s ministry. Joining her are fellow singers Charmaine Aquino, Donna Aquino, Peachy Dumaliang and Frances Lee. The concert will be held in the church sanctuary at Artesia-Cerritos UMC at 18523 Arline Avenue in Artesia, just one block east of Pioneer Boulevard at the corner of 186th Street and Arline Avenue. For more information, please call the church at 562-860-1309.
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Perla Batalla with Karen Hammack: Sweet Sierra Night By Glen Creason It is sage advice to live every day like it was your last and in turn write every review like it was your last. If this is to be my swan song then the Perla Batalla concert on a Sierra Night was the perfect way to finish with a flourish. Ms. Batalla is in a small handful of the best singers on earth and to have her at Cerritos was a coup in itself but to have the privilege of getting to hear her test out brand new material for a full house proved to be one of the very best shows here in a long, long time. Co-star Karen Hammack on piano could have faded to gray next to such talent but instead her solos were breathtaking, Technicolor voyages that just lifted the vocals to places you can’t reach alone. There were other delightful surprises and stories from the stage on this night that raised the performance to dizzying heights. La Batalla came right out and bravely tested her voice with a surprising, showopening “Amazing Grace” that morphed from hymn to gospel rouser. As was the pattern for most of the night the next song was a complete change-up with the restrained and gorgeous “Lazy Afternoon” followed by a “Crazy Love” that made you forget Van Morrison. Two gold-plated Leonard Cohen compositions; “Suzanne” and “Dance Me to the Ends of Love” followed familiar ground where Batalla seems to own a franchise. The lovely old Irving Berlin masterpiece “What’ll I Do” caused hankies to be drawn forth and the exotic “Nature Boy” once again celebrated love that was the sweet, central theme of the show. The first half ended with the sensual and evocative “To Love Somebody” that practically made me want to go have a smoke afterwards. The second half was full of fun surprises and a millennium star diamond musical moment at the Cerritos Center. There was a trinity of beauties from the great American songbook including the especially poignant to the singer “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” along with “the Very Thought of You” and “the Nearness of You” that are perfectly suited to the wide-ranging vocal capacity of Perla Batalla and piano melodies that Karen Hammack turned into satin and gold. In the past one would have to say that the signature song of this artist was most certainly “Cu Cu Ru Paloma” and that would be hard to deny on this night, as her stunning rendition
COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP • MAY 20, 2011 11 a la Vida” featuring guitarist Gilberto ther Plan “A” or Plan “B.” We are at the same position we were a few months Gonzalez playing percussion. If this was my last show, at least back when the two plans were sent to the I can go off to paradise humming “Love county. He said the District would move Is Everything” which on this night de- forward with Plan A with “huge” contingencies, adding there probably would be scribed the time and place perfectly. elements from both plans for the Boards review. ABCUSD Dr. Smuts said he would bring back Continued from page 11 a proposal at the June 7 meeting for the Board to review. The Board won’t vote at its Feb. 22 meeting when it sent two re- on a budget until its June 21 meeting. It quested budget plans, Plan “A” and Plan will include pieces of Plan A and B with “B” to the Los Angeles County Board of contingencies.. “ We still are looking at staffing and class size considerations. He Education. Plan “A” was based on the assump- concluded by saying, “In every aspect of tion the governor’s proposed tax exten- the school program. California is second sion would be placed on the ballot and to the last in the nation when it comes to approved by the people, resulting in no school funding,” he asserted. No matter additional cuts in educational funding. what comes out of Sacramento ABC still Plan “B” assumed the proposed tax ex- has a $6.2 million deficit that has to be
www.loscerritosnews.net was deeply emotional and riveting while drawing a passionate response from fans. As a perfect break in the deep emotion there was some family fun when Perla sang “Las Mananitas” to her sisterin-law and then turned the mike over to her very talented comedy writer-actor brother Rick Batalla who sang an impromptu birthday love song to his wife that brought the house down and most importantly greatly pleased the missus. The fairly giddy Perla then returned to the Leonard Cohen treasure chest for a goose-bump raising “Bird on the Wire” that closed with a Minnie Riperton note. As a music lover since my Mom took me to Wallach’s Music City to buy the new Righteous Brother platter way back I have long searched for that song that puts a listener in a “happy place” and makes an album precious. That one song that drives you to be standing in line at the record store the morning that disc is released. Those kinds of songs and live performances are few and far between. When Perla Batalla told the audience they were going to perform a piece she had only found weeks ago you might wonder if there might be some rough edges on such a song. Instead the ladies took the entire room into that “other place” and it was quickly evident that one of those precious gems was found. The song, “Love Is Everything” took an entire room to a place where time stands still and the heart beats one thump at a time. Nothing but music and love can make this kind of miracle. I was still catching my breath and mouthing the words “wow” but the crowd exhaled, then cheered and Perla and Karen gave them encores of “Round Midnight” with guest artist Chris Conner sounding decidedly Mingus-esque on a wonderful bass and a finale of “Gracias
tensions would not be approved resulting in new education cuts that would force drastic reductions in the ABC school program, including layoffs. Nguyen said the Governor stated schools will get $3 billion from the state, part of the $6.6 billion in unexpected tax revenue” In reality ABC will get no additional funding. He said the $3 billion is deferred funding that the district will receive sometime around February 201112 and not 2012-13 when it was originally scheduled to be paid to the schools... He said that is still dependent on a special tax election in the fall that may or may not happen. The governor is still calling for extension of the vehicle license fee and taxes that end June 30. Nguyen said the governor is not proposing an increase in the income tax this year, but maybe next year. He said the District was hoping it would have had a clearer picture by now and whether we would fall back on ei-
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Valley on May 19. “What we haven’t seen is her ability to work through that [Achilles tendon] injury that she’s had,” said V.C. head coach Jim Snyder. “We gave her a good wrap [before the game] and we’re taking really good care of her and she was able to work through a little bit of discomfort out there.” Goff set the tone on the game’s first batter when she struck out Jocelyn Flattery after getting her to foul off four pitches with a full count. Snyder said that Goff had her off-speed working much better than it had in previous games this season. V.C. senior center fielder Ashley Oxley was also battling in her first at-bat, fouling off seven pitches before walking on the 13th pitch she saw to lead off the bottom of the first. She would steal second, get to third on a two-out infield single from junior designated player Bri Dupuy and scored on an illegal pitch from Kristen Berlo. That would be all of the support Goff needed as she avoided what could have been a big inning for the Royals in the second. She walked Hannah Ball and her .437 batting average, then got Angel Mermis to line back at her. Goff would throw to sophomore first baseman Megan Collier to double up Ball but the play was nullified when Goff was called for an illegal pitch. She still got out of the inning with a strikeout sandwiched around a pair of groundouts. The top four in the San Marcos lineup batted at least .338 in the regular season and combined for 112 hits but picked up only one hit in 11 at-bats against Goff. “That’s a testament of the great job Kenz did,” Snyder said. “In addition to that, they’ve got two of them up there in the front end of the lineup with high
.600 slugging percentages. So they put the bat on the ball and they hit the ball very hard. I think she was quite effective with those two batters in particular.” Goff also picked up two of V.C.’s seven hits. In the bottom of the second, sophomore second baseman Leanne Garrels, Goff and sophomore right fielder Madison Garcia all reached on infield singles, the latter bringing home the second run. V.C. had a chance to blow the game wide open but left the bases loaded in the second and third innings. “We were just adjusting to their defense,” Snyder said. “They were sagging back waiting for a hard contact and we just decided to shorten it up.” Goff was also getting spectacular play from her defense, especially junior left fielder Ashley Snyder who robbed Mermis of a potential home run in the fourth inning when she made the catch while crashing into the temporary outfield fence. She also ended the game when she made a near shoestring catch to deny Flattery of a base hit. The Lady Crusaders, who have been under .500 just once all season, but haven’t been able to win more than two consecutive games, pushed their record above the .500 mark for the 10th time this season. A win over Apple Valley would put the third place representatives from the Olympic League in Tuesday’s second round against the winner of the Rancho Alamitos/Troy game. “In relationship to the preseason, the Olympic League is incredibly competitive,” Jim Snyder said. “Our preseason schedule was tough; we played a lot of D-II and D-III schools. I just think this team is a hair trigger away from really finding a groove and really getting some traction. We’ve already proved what we
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Finish the Job Right! Join your Cerritos neighbors and recycle your used motor oil and oil filters.
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Cerritos Acura
18827 Studebaker Road (562) 924-1414
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Penske Buick GMC of Cerritos
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Please call the FREE Collection Center nearest you to verify hours of operation and the quantities of used motor oil and filters accepted. CONTAMINATED MOTOR OIL IS NOT ACCEPTED. Do not mix oil with any other chemical or material including bleach, paint, solvents, water, or other automotive fluids.
Firestone Store
Carry oil in clean, non-breakable containers; no metal containers, please. Place oil filters in a sealed plastic bag to prevent leaks.
Norm Reeves Honda
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11524 South St (562) 924-5546
18500 Studebaker Road (562) 345-9100
Power Toyota/ Scion Cerritos
18700 Studebaker Road (562) 860-6561
For More Information Call 888 CleanLA (888-253-2652) A recycling reminder from the City of Cerritos. Paid for by a grant from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP • MAY 20, 2011
can do against some extremely tough competition. This team can run the table.”
LIBRARY
Continued from page 1
lets, Nooks, Think Pads, Kindles and I Books. The agreement with Overdrive will result in a multi-year agreement at $25,000 per year for the next three years. Councilman Barrows said that the time has come for the Library to expand their services to keep up with technology. The cities new agreement with Overdrive will result in a “unique partnership” between the two entities. Other local municipalities such as the City of Los Angeles are also using these types of “E-Book” services within their library facilities. Resident Ken Cha said that this was “great news” that the city was going in this “direction” and welcomed the advancement of technology at the Library. Jim Yee, another longtime Cerritos resident said that it was great to see Cerritos at the forefront of technology but with the current budget “crisis” the city should “reevaluate” this project due to
ARTESIA
Continued from page 1
derground the lines bears the cost of the conversion. She said Artesia has banked an annual allotment that was $65,480 in 2007 and is currently $54,605. The city may borrow (mortgage) future underground allocations for five years at the most. It also has not completed a similar project since 1999. In other business the council approved an amendment to the city code regulating fencing materials for residences and mixed commercial/single family residences. It also approved height requirements for front, side and rear yards, retaining the 42 inches maximum height for the first 20 ft. of the front yard area. Fencing beyond the first 20 ft. may be constructed up to a maximum height of six ft. The council also approved a late night early morning permit for Julio’s pizza at 11651 Artesia Blvd. Under the permit, which was approved for five years, the restaurant will stay open from 12 midnight to 2 a.m. and will operate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Applying for the permit was Bhavesh Patel. A contract was awarded in the amount of $149,500 to Republic Electric for the installation of a new traffic control and detection system at the intersections of South Street and Norwalk Boulevard, South Street/Grayland Avenue, South Street/Elaine Avenue and South Street/ Clarkdale Avenue and replacement of the Median Fountain Lighting. Dadian said the existing traffic control and vehicle detection systems on South Street are worn out and require costly constant maintenance. She said the malfunctioned operation of the existing single system also causes unnecessary traffic delay. Cost of the project will be paid out of the city’s Traffic Congestion Relief Fund. Two bids in the amount of $99,000 and $163,000 for the reconstruction of two service roads (alleys) and related improvements located between 183rd and 186th streets was awarded to Nobest Inc. The work will be done between
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the cost involvement. In other business the Council honored four outstanding young people on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and Gold Star. Both awards are the highest ranking one can achieve in the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Those given Proclamations for their accomplishments were Esther Wu (Gold Star) and Jegun Ahn, Ronak Joshi, and Mitchell Kim (Eagle Scouts with Troop #1005). The Council also reviewed a capital improvement project of the San Gabriel River Bicycle Trail located adjacent to the 605 Freeway. When completed by the end of this summer, the popular bike path will be redesigned; widened and new lighting will be installed inside the “underpass” at 183rd Street. The project is being overseen by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and the office of Supervisor Don Knabe. Councilman Joseph Cho, an avid bike enthusiast, said he “welcomes” the improvements to the popular path. “This is really going to help everyone’s safety. I am excited to finally see this take place,” Cho said. Councilman Mark Pulido said that “bike safety” has to be a top priority, and looks forward to completion of this project.
Grayland Avenue and Horst Avenue and Horst Avenue and Ibex Avenue. Both roads were bid independently, but in both cases the same low bidder resulted. Funding for the projects comes from a combination of restricted funds. Tree Maintenance The council approved renewal of its tree maintenance agreement for fiscal year 2010-11 for 10-years with West Coast Arborists. Under the agreement the council can cancel the contract 30 days after each one-year period expires. Maintenance fees come from Artesia’s restricted Gas Tax Funds. An agreement with All City Management Services to provide Crossing Guard Services for the five schools in Artesia for the new fiscal year 2011-12 was also approved by the council. The renewal agreement again will incorporate no rate changes. The city has allocated $95,000 from the city budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. The Crossing Guards are employed directly by All City Management Services and are not employees or agents of Artesia. A request to hold a car show fundraiser at Artesia Park was also approved by the council to be held on Aug. 27. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Melissa Gobas said the show would be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In her report to the council Gobas said two car shows were previously held at the park in 2007 and 2008 in the outfield area of the ball fields. The Artesia Parent Volunteer Group in partnership with the Reflection Car Club wants to reinstate the car show. Proceeds from the past events were donated to the Parks and Recreation Department and the City’s Relay for Life Team. All event expenses will be incurred by the two groups including staff time for Public Works, Recreation (outside regular hours) and the Sheriff’s Department.
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