The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 105, No. 21 - May 19, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................15 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Film Review..........................6 Legals............................ 13,14 Obituaries.............................3 Police Reports.....................3 Real Estate.....................7-12 Ed! Foundation Gala..........2 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Robotics Team Celebrate their World Championship Title The El Segundo Raytheon-sponsored team became the 2016 FIRST’s Robotics World Champions last weekend in St Louis, beating out 600 teams. The Beach Bots (Team #330) set the record high score this year. The World competition is the ultimate annual goal for approximately 78,500 students on 3,140 FRC teams from 24 countries. Photos Courtesy of Raytheon. • City Council Considers Golf Course Designs, Gets Police Staffing Report By Brian Simon Realizing it was not realistic to get everything See Fellhauer, page 6 Friday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 66˚/57˚ Saturday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 66˚/57˚ Sunday Sunny 68˚/57˚ Fellhauer Looks Back on City Council Term By Brian Simon Though Marie Fellhauer came up short in her bid for a second term on the El Segundo City Council, she emphasized that she has zero regrets. “I stand behind every vote I made over the last four years,” she said. “As I’ve mentioned before, I knew in taking this position that there was no way I could please everyone—and so I had to make some difficult decisions along the way. I always acted on what I thought was best for El Segundo overall.” Fellhauer acknowledged that some of those decisions may have cumulatively taken a toll in the recent election. “I believe some people in town were not pleased that I voted to change mayors a few years ago,” she said. “Even though it was controversial, I truly felt it was best for the City at the time. And because of Bill Fisher, we reinvigorated the EDAC [Economic Development Advisory Council] that has taken flight and helped the City drive forth its public relations campaign and drawn a great deal of development opportunities in El Segundo.” She added that she and other Council members took heat for perceived low morale at City Hall in light of ongoing unresolved union talks—and for supporting tax increases (in particular in 2014 when local voters rejected a proposed ballot measure) as well as various fee hikes. “I am a fiscal it wanted and still maintain safety, the El Segundo City Council on Tuesday night agreed to amend aspects of the due diligence agreement with the developer of the upcoming TopGolf facility concerning the redesign and improvements of the existing nine-hole course. But changes to the so-called “Exhibit D” will result in “something just as good,” according to Councilmember Mike Dugan who is also part of the Golf Course Design Task Force that met multiple times in recent months. Exhibit D originally required a golf shop, starter desk, restrooms, management office, café/ bar, outdoor patio seating, and other amenities. It also called for a nine-hole golf course with the same or better degree of difficulty as currently exists at The Lakes at El Segundo, two par-4 holes and at least the same total play yardage (1,340)--with a preference to reach the 1,500 yards necessary to achieve a United States Golf Association (USGA) slope rating. However, a presentation from golf course architect Jason Straka (from the Fry Straka Group) revealed limitations in accomplishing all the goals set forth in Exhibit D. To retain two par-4s and get to 1,500 yards would entail scrapping the pro shop as well as putting green and short game areas. Straka added that this design would also pose a significant safety risk. An option to keep the par-4s but run short of 1,500 yards also didn’t pass muster because it would squeeze the ninth hole up against the TopGolf driving range facility and require “unsightly” netting as well as reduced parking. After considering over 20 potential designs including an outside-the-box six-hole configuration that would repeat three holes in order to gain the USGA rating, the Task Force recommended “Option B”—which will maintain the nine hoes, but shorten the actual ninth hole (now a par-4) to a long par-3. It will also reconfigure the second and third holes and provide total course yardage in the 1,200 to 1,250 range. Most importantly to the group, this design will provide more than ample space for multigenerational programming with expanded putting green and short game areas—and also eliminate current safety concerns about the ninth hole while maximizing the flow of the facility, patio views and operational efficiencies. The Council also agreed--per City Manager Greg Carpenter’s suggestion--to reach out to West Basin Municipal Water District about possibly leasing 20,000 square feet of land (at a cost of $1 per year) to provide 60-70 additional parking spaces to handle overflow. With a general direction in place, Fry Straka and developer CenterCal will continue to fine-tune the design with a second firm (Architects Orange) also involved in the Clubhouse Building plans. In the meantime, a traffic study is underway and See City Council, page 14
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