Sunland-Tujunga
Neighborhood Council
Regular
Meeting of 04/11/2001
The
meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. by Jane Fanganiello. There were
about 50 people in attendance. George Sheahan led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes
The
minutes of the March 14 meeting were approved as printed.
Treasurerâs
Report
The
balance as of April 11, 2001 is $713.97.
Communication
Program
Jim
Davis, a real estate manager for Arco, gave a presentation on the companyâs
plans to put an Arco station at the former Sunrise Ford site at Commerce
and Foothill in Tujunga. The company-owned facility would replace the franchise
location at McVine and Foothill in Sunland. The plans include an AM/PM
store, 16 pumping stations, and a car wash. The presentation was followed
by a time of questions from the membership.
Featured
Topic
Nina
Royal introduced Officer Bobby Royal, who is interim Senior Lead Officer
for Sunland-Tujunga. The previous SLO, Bob Muniz, has been transferred.
Officer Royal gave some crime statistics for Tujunga. When compared to
the first quarter of 2000, most crimes are down substantially in the first
quarter of 2001. Several dangerous intersections in Sunland-Tujunga are
being targeted for increased enforcement by LAPD.
Neighborhood
Watch --The Departmentâs goal is
to have a block captain on every block. Anyone interested in forming a
neighborhood watch should find other people to join the watch, contact
the Senior Lead Officer, and set up a meeting for the Officer and the residents
to begin organizing the watch. Officer Royalâs voice mail is (213) 509-0256
and his pager is (818) 608-4100. Signups were taken at the back of the
room.
Chairmanâs
Comments
Jane
Fanganiello stated that once the bylaws are adopted, the next election
of officers would not be held until January 2002. She asked the membership
whether they would like to elect new officers now, or continue with the
current officeholders. The group decided by consensus to hold elections
next year.
Reports
Easter
Carnival:Brenda
McAlpine passed out a signup list for volunteers to work the NC carnival
booth.
SunlandTujunga.org:Ken
McAlpine gave some background information on the project, and reported
that the team plans to advertise the site at the Easter Carnival. There
will be a preview after Easter, with a full launch on July 4.
Valley
VOTE:Elaine
Brown reported that the secession group is seeking volunteers to hand out
flyers and other information. There will probably be a secession bill on
the November 2002 ballot. Anyone interested in joining Valley VOTE can
contact Elaine for a membership form.
Chinatown:Elaine
Brown gave background information on the strip club issue and mentioned
that some City Council members changed their votes because they received
so many comments opposing the development. The key to success is communication.
Chatsworth
Horse Property Zoning:Elaine
Brown reported that a developer of some horse property in Chatsworth is
seeking to change the zoning in order to build 21 houses on this property
which is presently zoned for 16 horse keeping homes.It
is anticipated that this zoning change will eventually affect the entire
area.The Planning Commission has
approved the change and Mayor Riordan has vetoed their approval, sending
the matter to the City Council.
Sunland
Park:Roberta
Cole reported on the latest park committee meeting. The focus was on the
proposal for a skateboard park at Sunland Park. Elaine Brown and other
residents are trying to acquire grants for the city to buy a 9-acre property
at Oro Vista Avenue and Big Tujunga Canyon in Sunland. Kevin Regan, superintendent
of Parks and Recreation, extended the grant application deadline. The selling
price is $1,795,000, and an additional $200,000 would be needed for irrigation.
The
first project to begin at Sunland Park is the paving of the parking lot
at the senior citizen center. It should start around the end of June.
There
is a new 30-minute show on VHTV on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m., which features
interviews with youth and adults in a discussion forum.
Community
Beautification:Tomi
Lyn Bowling reported that she sent letters to the ãcorrugated steel guyä
and the used book store, asking them to clean up their properties. She
also sent thank-you letters to Ralphs and Antique Depot.
Safety:Nina
Royal reported that the North Valley LAPD station has broken ground. The
next CERT training course begins on May 8. The Fire Dept. cut the CERT
budget, so there is no money for vests, syllabus copies, etc. Nina requested
that the community contact the City Council and ask them to reinstate the
money.
Planning:(reported
by Penny Blackwell)
Albertsons:They
are waiting for their final permits. Their plans were mistakenly seen as
ãnew,ä which would have caused significant delays. Dale Thrush of Joel
Wachsâ office intervened and cleared up the misunderstanding.
Marisolâs
Nursery:The
auto mall was denied by the Planning Commission. The new plan is for storage
in the rear, with 6 retail stores in front.
Sav-On
(Gas. Co.):They
are waiting for their final permits.
1-800-Autopsy:Meiling Dai
reported that there has been no notice of the next Planning and Land Use Commission
hearing. Informational flyers are available.
Mt.
Gleason/Foothill:No
news on the proposed strip mall.
Kmart:The
store is planning to double its size.
Mekhitarist
Fathersâ School:George
Sheahan reported that there has been no movement. He gave some background
information on the issue. He will have addresses next month for letters
to be written.
Golf
Course:Jane
Fanganiello reported that construction will not start until Fall 2001.
La
Tuna Canyon:Steve
Crouch gave some background information on the Scenic Corridor issue. He
reported that he attended a workshop which included representatives from
La Tuna Canyon, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, Canyon Area Preservation,
and the Neighborhood Council. The group decided to submit the originalScenic
Corridor Plan, with amendments to clarify language, as an alternative to
the developer-amended Plan. For more information, please contact Steve
for a newsletter. The next meeting is scheduled for April 18 at 3 p.m.
at the Municipal Building.
Cell
Towers:Michelle
Sahfran reported that a public forum was held on March 20. The Sprint representatives
said that the cell towers would not be put next to the homes. At the April
7 meeting, Sprint cancelled one hour before the meeting was scheduled to
start. The next meeting will be in about 2 weeks. Interested parties can
sign up to receive more information from Michelleâs email tree. Groups
in other communities, such as Woodland Hills, Studio City, and Encino,
are fighting the cell tower companies also.
Old
Business
Bylaws:The
bylaws vote was tabled until next month.
New
Business
Brenda
McAlpine moved that the Neighborhood Council enter a float in the Fourth
of July parade. Seconded. Passed.
Community
Concerns/Announcements
Jane
Fanganiello is running for honorary mayor. There will be an event supporting
her candidacy on June 2 at the Elks Lodge. Contact Nina Royal for more
information or to suggest event ideas.
ABC
is casting young actors for a new series. Contact marisacasting@aol.com
for more information.
There
will be a dinner honoring Officers Harold Egger and Don Muniz on May 19
at the Elks Lodge at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 presale, $20 at the door.
The
Valley Fair will be held at Hansen Dam June 5-9. It was suggested that
the Council may want to have a booth there.
Congressman
Adam Schiff will be hosting a town hall meeting on Monday, April 23 at
the YMCA, from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
The
Alex Theater is hosting a Spring Arts Festival on May 7. The VHHS Band
will be performing there.
The
next Neighborhood Council meeting will be on Wednesday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
at the Elks Lodge. The next agenda meeting will be on Saturday, May 5 at
3 p.m. at the Century 21 Crest office in La Crescenta (corner of Foothill
and Lowell).
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
___________________________________________________________________
Chairman Pro TemDateSecretary Pro TemDate