Community Development Dept.
Transit Oriented Development – The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has approved a work plan to obtain closure for the environmental remediation work at 8801 Washington Blvd. The contractor/consultant is presently performing the tasks required for closure.
Hayden Tract Spur – Construction of the Spur parking lot project, which began a month ago, be completed by June 30.
The south side of Hayden Place has been restriped to convert the parallel parking spaces to diagonal parking spaces. This has resulted in a net increase of 27 additional parking spaces.
200-300 Corporate Pointe – Olive Hill Group, a private investment and development firm has paid $65.6 million for two Culver City office towers at 200-300 Corporate Pointe. The Class A properties total 206,538 square feet. “Our investment strategy is to capitalize on the growth of the tech-centric area of Silicon Beach by transforming this institutional quality office campus into a creative office space,” said Michael Cho, Olive Hill president. He called the project “a value-oriented alternative to offices in Playa Vista. This will allow us to attract emerging technology start-up companies and ancillary service providers.” Built in 1988, the campus was renovated in 2004. Olive Hill plans to complete strategic renovations and lease up the buildings to bring rents to market rate in the buildings that are 87 percent occupied. Vice president Tim Lee said Olive Hill’s vision is “a creative campus environment with similar tenant experiences to the technology company focused buildings in Playa Vista.” Madison Partners represented the buyer in the transaction. The seller, Broadreach Capital Partners, paid $51.25 million for the buildings in 2007.
Opening Day May 20 – The Expo Line light rail extension from Culver City to Santa Monica takes effect on Friday, May 20. The Metro Expo Line Extension Opening Day celebration will be on Saturday, May 21, from 10 to 4 at the Culver City Expo Station.
Fire Dept.
Water First Program – Culver City residents may purchase a 55-gallon water storage system at a discounted price with free delivery to the city’s drill yard, 9275 Jefferson Blvd., for pickup. The system allows you to fill a 55-gallon drum with water, which is good for five years. More Prepared has created a special landing page on their website for Culver City residents to place their orders before Sunday. All orders must be picked up on Sunday, May 22, between 2 o’clock and 5. To place an order: http://ow.ly/4mV9r9
http://www.moreprepared.com/culver-city-residents.html
Disaster Preparedness – The department recently conducted a presentation on Disaster Preparedness on behalf of the French Consulate directed towards French Nationals living in California. City Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells and Deputy Consul General Matthieu Clouvel welcomed 175 participants. Christine Parra from the Fire Dept. and Hélène Rousselle from the American Red Cross gave presentations on what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.
Summer Day Camp – Registration is under way for the camp that opens June 13 and ends Aug. 19. Enrollment must be completed at the Vets Park Registration Office. Camp will feature field trips to Pirate’s Adventure, Raging Waters, Magic Mountain, Soak City and Knott’s Berry Farm.
Volunteer Opportunities –On the list: The L.A. Film Festival; Culver City Rain Garden restoration; L.A. Goal and the Teens & Adults with Disabilities Advancing Autonomy, Advocacy and Awareness; and Food Forward gleanings at the Tuesday Farmers Market. Contact Jill Thomsen in the volunteer office at 310.253.6722 or at jill.thomsen@culvercity.org.
Assistance Resource – The Culver City Senior and Social Services Division has a master of social work intern on-site to assist the public. LaSheryl Hoyd is available for consultation at the Senior Center for the next eight months. Case management is available for Culver City residents only. Office hours vary. To contact Ms. Hoyd call 310.253.6717 or email lasheryl.hoyd@culvercity.org.
Senior of the Year – The city and the Senior Citizens Assn. has recognized Thais Magrane as Senior of the Year. A community volunteer, her involvement includes service at the Culver City Historical Society, and Friends of the Library, St. Augustine’s Church. Ms. Magrane is celebrating 20 years of volunteer service at the Senior Center. She received a commendation at last evening’s City Council meeting. On Friday, May 27, she will be the honored guest at the Older Americans Month party at the Senior Center.
Special Dates – Since May is Older Americans Month, there will be special activities at the Senior Center, including an art show May 23-26.
Vets Rental Operation – The Vets Auditorium is available for rent, and Saturday, the Angel City Derby Girls will return. http://angelcityderby.com/
Performing Arts Grant Program – The Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound presents sound on Sunday at 4 at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. The free concert features experimental guitarist Bobb Bruno, trumpeter Dan Clucas, and the performance of a seminal work by Simone Forti. http://sassas.org/.
Water Safety Month – During May, the Culver City Aquatics team will be performing water safety presentations. Parents and their children can learn water safety tips to prepare for a safe summer. Contact Diego Cevallos at diego.cavallos@culvercity.org or at 310.253.6680.
Unique Plunge Event – The Coast2Coast Swim Challenge comes to The Plunge on Sunday, May 22, from 6 a.m. to 4. It was created to heighten awareness regarding the risk of drowning and to combat this problem locally. This is a one-of-a-kind fundraiser with all funds raised by swimmers providing free lessons to underserved youth in Culver City and the surrounding area. Registration is required. http://coast2coastswim.com/.
Public Works Dept.
Water Use Reduced – Potable water use in Culver City was reduced by 17.7 percent in March and by 16.6 percent from last June 2015 through March when compared to the same period in 2013:
Plans Approved – The Enhanced Watershed Management Program plans for both Marina Del Rey Harbor and Ballona Creek watersheds have been approved by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The plans outline the city’s compliance strategies with stormwater regulations. Listed are regional projects that will infiltrate or capture, treat, and reuse urban runoff and stormwater. The plans also include green street retrofits, low impact development strategies, rainwater harvesting, water conservation, and smart gardens. The cost to Culver City for implementation of these plans is estimated at $125 million because the city must comply with strict numerical standards of specific pollutants (i.e., copper, zinc, lead, bacteria, trash, and toxicity) between now and 2021.
Utility Work – Southern California Edison will continue working on Culver Boulevard between Elenda Street and Mentone Avenue and on northbound Overland Boulevard between Culver Boulevard and Washington Boulevard to complete the upgrades to their power infrastructure. There will be lane closures. This work should last an additional month. Golden State Water will continue working on Playa Street between Hannum Avenue and Stevens Street installing a new replacement water main. Lane closures will affect westbound traffic on Playa. This work should also last an additional month.
Cash for Kitchens (C4K) – Public Works Environmental Programs and Operations strongly supports C4K, developed by West Basin Municipal Water District to provide restaurants and other food service facilities with water-use assessments to assist them in saving water. In 2015, the Water District expanded C4K to include Culver City, Malibu, and West Hollywood with the help of Hastings & Co. C4K promotes water education and positive behavior changes for both restaurant staff and customers through staff training manuals, educational posters, and children’s activity placemats. In Culver City, C4K has worked with 15 restaurants to identify leaks, upgrade to free low-flow devices and learn about potential rebates for more water-efficient equipment. They will be recognized at the May 23 City Council meeting. The restaurants:
- Akasha
- Bella Vista Pizza
- Café Vida
- City Tavern
- El Abajeño
- EK Valley
- enjoEat Classico
- Golden China
- Kay ‘n Dave’s
- Metro Café
- Public School 310
- Rush Street
- S&W Country Diner
- Tub’s Fine Chili
- Ugo Cafe
Transportation Dept.
On TAP – Department staff recently hosted a workshop at the Senior Center as part of the series “Public Transit is for Everyone.” The session provided an overview of the Transit Access Pass (TAP) card. Participants were given step-by-step instructions for sign-up and usage, provided with materials to take home, and given tools and resources to find out more information about the program. Twenty participants were allowed to apply for their TAP Card on site to join the program.
Transportation Nomination – The Division was recognized at the ACT (Advanced Clean Transportation) Expo fleet awards dinner last week. The team was nominated for a clean transportation fleet award from NGV America for long-term work using technology and deployment of natural gas vehicles. The nomination puts the team in an exclusive group of organizations and individuals whose efforts pave the way for widespread adoption of new technologies and practices. The Culver City Fleet received first place in 2009.
Mr. Nachbar, the city manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org
