THE VIEW FROM BLAIR HILLS
The Blair Hills Association June, 2006 Edited by Bobbi Gold
BLAIR HILLS GENERAL MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006 7:00 PM
OHR ELIYAHU ACADEMY
5950 STONEVIEW DRIVE
AGENDA:
1. Brief updates
·
Daniel Cardozo from Karen Bass's office on Assembly
District 47 issues.
·
Mary Ann Greene on the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
2. Continuing discussion of cut-through traffic mitigation and parking problems.
3. Presentation of and vote on proposed by-laws amendments
4. Earthquake preparedness at Ohr Eliyahu school
5. Refreshments!!!
The City of Culver City had traffic counters on Blair Hills streets in May. Danny Price, who lives on Lenawee at the dogleg corner, has been interfacing with CC staff and will present some of the information on volume and speed from the traffic counts and indicate what the next steps may be. The discussion will also include parking problems on some Blair Hills streets and the big rigs on Lenawee.
Our by-laws were originally drafted in the 1950s and need updating. At the April board meeting, a package of changes was drafted for submission to the community at this coming meeting. The draft is attached. We hope that at least some of you will actually read them for discussion and voting purposes.
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
We have some information from Barney Matsumoto, of CA State Parks, regarding the construction of the new visitor center and trails at the overlook. He reports that the project went out to bid early this year. Four bidders submitted bids on March 21, 2006 and one bid came within available budget. They are now in the contract process with that bidder. If it's successfully completed, construction should start by early July 2006.
In addition, someone asked whether the access gate to the park at the top of Wrightcrest Dr would be open during construction and afterwards for our neighborhood to access the park. Barney's answer:
"The Scenic Overlook project does not cover the issue of trail management at Wrightcrest, and generally such items are handled via a trail management study for a park. Until a trail management study can be funded, the trail usage falls on under the responsibility of the Sector or District Superintendent, how they wish to operate the trail/access usage.
As for closure during the construction period, that is a question which we will be discussing at the kick-off meeting for construction phase with the District Supv. and the contractor. As soon as we decide how we will handle the closure/opening of the park during construction, I will share that information with you."
Bus route changes
Bus route #5 has been gutted. Starting June 26, It will make only one morning run to take students to the Junior High/High School complex and one or two afternoon runs to bring them back; the public may ride them, too. Bus route #4 has been modified so that it now will run from Fox Hills Mall up Jefferson Blvd to Rodeo Rd to La Cienega, then north on La Cienega to the bus transportation center on Washington Blvd/Fairfax Avenue beneath the Santa Monica Freeway. There will be bus stops on Jefferson/Holdrege and on Rodeo Rd in front of and opposite Cameo Woods. To get to other parts of town, transfer at Overland, Sepulveda or Washington. This route will operate on a similar schedule as Route 5 did, so you can still travel by bus but will have to walk further from your house to the bus stop.
Neighborhood happenings
Hank and Mim Shapiro of Wrightcrest Drive will celebrate their 60th anniversary on June 22. They are original owners of their Blair Hills home. Way to go, Hank and Mim!
We also have sad news to report. Ike Cohen of Shedd Terrace passed away in January, survived by his wife Bernice. The Cohens are also the original owners of their home.
And on Memorial Day, Joe Carrington of Howardview Court died in a car/motorcycle accident, leaving his wife Sherry and four adult children. Then, adding to the grief, Sherry's mother passed away a few days later. Joe's funeral was held June 10.
BHA Dues Drive
We're in the thick of a BHA dues drive. Dues are voluntary but support a variety of activities and efforts to benefit the neighborhood and residents, so we hope everyone will contribute. Dues are a measly $10/year per home. However, the dues drive is a lot of work, so we don't collect every year. Therefore, we ask that you contribute $20 for two years, 2006 and 2007. When the drive is complete, the neighborhood directory will be updated and printed, and copies will be given to all who paid dues. (That will be sometime in August.)
Block captains are going door-to-door. But if you haven't been home when your block captain came and a notice was left, please bring or send your dues (cash or check payable to Blair Hills Association) to Bobbi Gold. Please include the names of all adults at the home and a phone number. Thanks for contributing!
Please pitch in!
We hope that newer as well as long-time neighborhood residents will be willing to share in some of the effort to keep Blair Hills as pleasant as possible. Yes, everyone's busy, but this is your home. Come to meetings, join one or both of our e-mail lists to be informed and contribute opinions and information, and help out on occasional tasks. You'll get to know your neighbors better that way, and that makes the community stronger, too. To join either the announcement and/or discussion e-mail lists, email your e-mail address to Jon Melvin.
Dog owners: if you walk your dog in the neighborhood, please be considerate of your neighbors by cleaning up after your pet.
Appendix: Proposed new bylaws for the Blair Hills Association (see link on front page of web site for finalized bylaws)