Page 2 October 13, 2016 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Letters Wants it Put to a Vote The city council is now in over 15 million dollars in the lap pool and not one spoonful of dirt has been turned. This pool Is being built in the middle of the industrial section of town, on private property, private, meaning land not owned by the city of El Segundo or it’s people. This ridiculous ego project was concocted almost fifteen years ago, except then the cost was four million dollars. The majority people didn’t want it then and voted it down, more than once. The Plunge, located in the residential center of town, continues falling more into disrepair, because the city claims it doesn’t have the funds. The police are crying about not enough money, the Fire Department cries even louder, the city can’t even remain open five days week. On the four days the city is open most calls to the city are automated, what? Can’t afford a full-time telephone receptionist? This city got the short stick on the grocery store parking garage, now this pool, a short stick? Hardly, more like a telephone pole. Maybe the time has come for the people to step up again, put this to a vote and put a stop to this 15 million plus dollar lap pool. – Marc Rener Obituaries Caroline Spear Caroline Spear, (95), of El Segundo, passed away on September 23, 2016 in Laguna Woods, California. Caroline was born in St. Louis Missouri to Charles and Naomi Fry on September 17, 1921. She was married to Roy Arthur Spear, a 25-year veteran of the El Segundo Police Department, for more than 50 years. Roy preceded her in death in 1985. She worked as an inspector for Northrop Grumman for 26 years. She loved to travel and was an active volunteer for numerous philanthropies, most notably El Segundo Meals on Wheels and the Veterans’ Affairs West Los Angeles Medical Center. Her fellow citizens of El Segundo recognized Caroline’s contributions to her community by awarding her the Senior Citizen of the Year Award in 2010. Caroline is survived by her sons Roy Jr. and Robert (Bob), daughter in-law Joyce Spear, former daughters-in-law Karen Spear Gorin and Brooke Maynard- Bordewich, brother Charles Fry Jr., grandchildren Halli (Spear) Tucker, Dan Spear, Jennifer Spear, Shannon (Spear) Carter, and Eric Spear, and great-grandchildren Chad, Jonah, Paige, Isabella, Katie, Lauren and Matthew. The family of Caroline wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the community of El Segundo for embracing her and her family, and making El Segundo her home for more than 70 years. • Michael Fournier (1957-2016) Michael Fournier, 59, died of cancer on September 25, 2016, in Santa Barbara. A graveside service will be held at 11am, Friday, October 21, at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. Mike was born May 2, 1957 in Hawthorne, CA, to Joseph and Helen Fournier of El Segundo. He graduated from El Segundo High School, CSULB, and earned an MBA from Claremont Graduate University. His career focused on cost management and enterprise software implementation. He founded the Society of Cost Management, and was Program Coordinator and Adjunct Instructor for the Accounting and Taxation Program at UC Riverside. Mike married Gina Barry in 1994, and moved to Lompoc in 2014. His faith, his family, and his beloved dogs were central to his life. Mike loved conservatism, blues-rock, John Wayne movies, horse racing and spy thrillers. He wrote articles on accounting, economics and politics. One of his proudest accomplishments was achieving the rank of Eagle Scout as a member of Boy Scout Troop 773. Mike is survived by his loving wife, Gina; daughter and son-inlaw Kseniya and David Bentley, of Fort Meade, Maryland; son Grisha Fournier, of Long Beach, California; and newborn granddaughter Emma Lyn Bentley. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: MD Anderson Cancer Center P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 Please include that the gift is in memory of Michael Fournier and write Fund Designated by family (FDF) • Herald In Yosemite National Park City Looks to Fill Spots on New Technology, Arts Committees By Brian Simon Mayor Suzanne Fuentes refers to them as “the heart and soul” of El Segundo not just for the countless hours of time they devote for the betterment of the community, but also for the valuable input given to the City Council and staff to help inform the decision-making process in many key areas. The volunteers who sit on various local committees, commissions and boards (as well as those representing other service groups) received special recognition in a presentation during last week’s council meeting. While not all of them could be present, dozens of individuals were on-hand for the celebration. And as it happens, the city is still looking for a few more good people. Staff will conduct interviews on Oct.18, to line up applicants for the new Technology Committee as well as the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. The council approved creation of these new entities during the summer to support ongoing community growth in these areas. “We are revitalizing and rebuilding the Technology Committee because we recognize and agree as a Council that we have underinvested in technology—and in some cases, we are falling behind,” Mayor Pro Tem Drew Boyles said. “Technology is one of the enablers that was identified as a priority in our strategic planning workshops that were conducted over several days with all City Council members and department heads during the summer.” According to the Mayor Pro Tem, ideal candidates for the committee will be tech-savvy individuals from El Segundo representing a cross-section of technical architects, network and infrastructure experts, Web designers, enterprise software implementers, and other notable professionals in the realm. The members will help set technology strategy for the city while recommending, evaluating and developing technology solutions for both the present and long term. Similarly, Boyles sees the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee as an opportunity to harness the recent momentum and energy of the local arts community by gathering a “talented group of experts” from different aspects of the arts to provide guidance going forward. “This Council will help shape the role of the arts in our town,” he said. “Clearly, there is a strong affinity towards the arts with our town’s thriving museums, music programs, drama programs, the Library’s Author Fair, the Art Walk and other activities. The Arts Committee will allow us to develop and execute a more cohesive strategy for the role arts will play in our community.” Boyles urged those interested in spots on the new committees to get their applications in as soon as possible, with the interviews set for Tuesday the 18th. Applications must be submitted at least 48 hours prior to interviews. Both groups have five positions open. A first set of interviews for the two committees took place on September 6, though the council did not make any appointments at that time. Once the council members make their final decisions, the Mayor will make an announcement of the appointees at the regularly scheduled public meeting at least two weeks after the interviews. In the meantime, the council has been busy shoring up vacancies on other committees, commissions and boards over the last few months. In July, it appointed one member to the Recreation and Parks Commission and two people to the Environmental Committee. Two more individuals joined the Environmental Committee at the end of August. Also at that time, the Council appointed one member to the Library Board of Trustees, two to the Senior Citizen Housing Corporation and two to the Planning Commission. One position will open up on the Capital Improvement Advisory Council (CIPAC) on Nov. 30, with an interview time to be determined. While most of the above groups now run at full capacity, there have been a few challenges in attracting applicants in certain cases. Last month, the Council decided to dissolve the Community Cable Advisory Committee and instead wrapped it into the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. “The Cable El Segundo resident Eddie Ramos, 14, and his friends climbed Half Dome on Thursday, Oct. 6. From left to right: Rachel McFarland, Christina Guerrero, Alexandra Chavez, Eddie Ramos and Glen Baerenz. • See Committees, page 4
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