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Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista
November
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Incumbents keep their seats on Neighborhood Council board The Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa held its elections on Sunday, October 28. While 16 of the board’s 31 seats were up for re-election, only six seats were contested. Of those six seats, which included residential seats and the Community Organization Director, all of the incumbents–John Loizeau, Denny Schneider, Alex Eychis, Nora Maclellan, David Voss– kept their positions. New members voted on to the board include Gregory Heffernan, a local high school teacher; Alexandra Bissonnette, a teacher and local volunteer; Matthew Parrish, a college student and Heal the Bay and Upward Bound House
volunteer and Scott Carni, a real estate agent and president of the Westchester Park Advisory Board. While elections for many neighborhood councils throughout the city were held over the weekend, the turnout was not great in any particular precinct by voters. In the Del Rey Neighborhood Council election, one seat only had three votes cast. The person won their seat with only two votes. Said Westchester/Playa Neighborhood Council President Cyndi Hench, “Our voter turnout was less than we have seen in the past and I attribute that to a couple of things. What I believe drives people to vote is
when they are unhappy with the job that is being done by their electeds. In the case of the NCWP election this year, all of the incumbents who ran won. This tells me that people are happy with the job that we are doing. We do not currently have big contentious issues, aside from LAX, or dissatisfaction with the NC. I think this is a good thing.” Hench also points out that historically elections have been held on multiple days and at multiple locations, while this year’s election was held on a Sunday at the Westchester Community Room. This is not convenient to many who may want to vote, but are unable to due to work or family obligations.
“More than having more voters, I would like to see more folks involved with our neighborhood council and its committees. I would like to see the community more engaged in the NC and providing feedback about what is important to them,” said Hench. “This would help to steer how we prioritize our efforts... Neighborhood Councils are made up of volunteers from the community and it works best when that is a good mix of non-board members along with board members”. For more info on the new Neighborhood Council of Westchester/ Playa board members, please view page 24.
YMCA hopes to build momentum for remodel with welcome center Construction has begun at the Westchester Family YMCA in hopes of giving the more than fifty year old building, located at 8015 S. Sepulveda Blvd., some new life. The construction is part of a complete renovation being done to the facility’s lobby, which is being transformed into a welcome center. The previous space was often crowded and overflowing with members waiting to enter the YMCA for classes, swimming and to workout. The original lobby was only 450 square feet, while the new welcome center will be more than double that size at 1,035 square feet and will also hold three offices. The offices will be used by healthy lifestyle coordinators and membership directors, who will be readily available to assist members. Said YMCA Director of Development and Communications, Blair McBirney, “We hope the welcome center provides a community gathering place. We want it to look welcoming and open. We want to see this place shine and we want to put our best face forward.” When the welcome center is completed in December of this year,
it will also contain a juice bar. The juice bar will be yet another addition to help enforce and promote healthy lifestyles at the YMCA. The plan is to name the juice bar “Ella’s Place,” after Ella Drollinger. Drollinger is the grandmother of Karen Dial, whose family has been a longtime supporter of the Westchester Family YMCA. A donation by the Drollinger family enabled the YMCA to pay off the debt for acquiring the Woman’s Building, now know as the YMCA annex. The welcome center is just the first of many upgrades that the YMCA hopes to make to its facility in the coming years. Other plans in the pipeline include knocking down the stone wall in the front of the building to create a more open and welcome atmosphere. McBirney states that the YMCA hopes that the first major remodel to the building will “create a buzz for the grander vision” of improvements to the building. McBirney points to longtime supporters Bernie and Jim Horst as the catalysts needed to kick-off the (continued on page 4)
At left: A rendering of what the front of the YMCA will look like with new seating, landscaping and the brick wall taken down. RENDERING COURTESY PETER M. MITSAKOS & ASSOCIATES.
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