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S erving B ixBy K nollS , C alifornia H eigHtS , l oS C erritoS , W rigley Vol. 33 No. 29
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Your Weekly Community Newspaper
December 23, 2011
USPS employees, local residents speak out against possible facility closure Stephanie Raygoza Staff Writer
About 50 people, including post office employees and retirees, city residents and city leader representatives, were on hand at a public meeting at Long Beach City College on Friday, Dec. 15 to voice their opposition to the potential closure of the Long Beach Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), a move that could result in the loss of 686 positions. The purpose of the meeting was to not only collect the public’s input for consideration prior to any final decision making, but to also answer questions people may have had about the Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility study that suggested there was a need to consolidate and move the Long Beach P&DC (the Steve Horn Post Office, 2300 Redondo Ave.) to the Los Angeles P&DC. The proposed closure and changes are in response to the increased competition in the communications marketplace, with electronic bill payment and
email and instant messaging providing alternatives to the use of stamped firstclass mail. As a result, the volume of collection mail has increasingly declined. According to a handout on the study’s findings, the shift to alternate means of communications has resulted in the loss of nearly 50 percent of single-piece, first-class volume since 2000. Santa Ana United States Postal Service (USPS) district manager Gerry Ahern said that the initial results of the study revealed that electronic conversion and the economic downtown were to blame for a 20 percent decline in processed mail. The study went on to state that moving the Long Beach P&DC 21.4 miles away to the Los Angeles P&DC would save the USPS approximately $16,117,522. “Our operational goal is to stay ahead of the cost curve,” Ahern said. “By 2013, our network may consist of fewer than 200 facilities nationwide, which would put us ahead of the cost curve for the remaining decade.” see usps page 14
Stephanie Raygoza/Signal Tribune
Signal Hill Mayor Larry Forester speaks at a Dec. 16 public meeting where he addressed concerns regarding the potential closure of the Long Beach Processing and Distribution Center.
Cafe Bixby reopens after electrical fire Neena Strichart
Celebration of LB Courthouse’s newly erected steel beam highlights partnership CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Publisher
A dozen or so Café Bixby patrons found themselves drinking coffee on the sidewalk last Friday morning after an electrical fire broke out at the popular eatery located at 3900 Atlantic Ave. According to Café Bixby owner Jack Skandalakis, a neighbor walking her dog came into the restaurant around 7:30am and warned those inside of a rooftop fire. “No one believed it until the fire trucks arrived. Customers took their coffee outside and watched as the firefighters worked about ten minutes to extinguish the fire,” reported Skandalakis during a Dec. 16 interview just hours after the fire occurred. During the interview, Skandalakis motioned toward some of his regular customers, who were enjoying free coffee and baked goods, and explained that even though the restaurant was closed until all of the necessary repairs and cleaning had been completed,
Neena Strichart/Signal Tribune
Jack Skandalakis enjoying a beverage just after the Thursday reopening of his restaurant, Cafe Bixby. . he just couldn’t turn away his most was in such good spirits in spite of loyal customers. “I consider them the fire, the Café Bixby owner family,” said Skandalakis. cited the group hug shared by the Immediately following the fire, staff, the support of the commuother employees arrived and phone nity, and his strong faith. calls from locals started pouring in. “God is teaching me. I’m being “We even had a call from a church taught humility and patience, two in the area who offered to come things I need to learn. I thank God help us clean,” said a smiling Skandalakis. When asked why he see cafe bixby page 8
The future Long Beach Courthouse celebrated another milestone with the addition of the first steel beam on Friday, Dec. 12. During the ceremony, former Governor George Deukmejian, who was on hand to autograph the steel that will become a part of the building soon to bear his name, commended the collaborative efforts of the government and businesses who made the project possible. The courthouse is currently on track to finish by the fall of 2013. “You must know that I’m not getting any younger, and I want to be here for the opening and the dedication of the building when it’s completed. So let’s keep it on schedule and ahead of schedule,” said 83-year-old Deukmejian during the ceremony, right before he and others signed the steel beam. Deukmejian served as the governor of California from 1983 until 1991. The boundary lines on the six-acre site follow Maine Avenue, Third Street, Magnolia Avenue and Broadway, and plans indicate that the courthouse building will take up 531,000
square feet. The ceremony highlighted what may prove to be a landmark partnership between government and businesses. According to a statement released by the Judicial Council of California, the Long Beach Courthouse is the first in the state to use a delivery method called the Performance-Based Infrastructure (PBI). The Judicial Council collaborated with a private team that will “finance, design, build, operate and maintain the building.” This team is comprised of a consortium of several companies, including Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC, Clark Design/Build of California, AECOM and Johnson Controls. According to Stephen Reinstein, CEO of Long Beach Judicial Partners, Meridiam Infrastructure organized the consortium. Meridiam Infrastructure owns Long Beach Judicial Partners, the company that leads the consortium. Reinstein described the unusual partnership between the public and private sectors at Friday’s ceremony. “First of all, the state does not have to pay one dollar towards this project until its expected completion date in see courthouse page 14