The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 109, No. 42 - October 15, 2020
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................11
Classifieds............................6
Crossword/Sudoku.............6
Election 2020.................... 3-4
Neighborhood Therapist.....4
Legals....................................9
Letters...................................2
Pets......................................11
Real Estate..................7-8,12
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
81˚/63˚
Saturday
Sunny
81˚/62˚
Sunday
Mostly
Sunny
75˚/62˚
Thank You South Bay Strike
Team For All Your Hard Work
After 11 days on the Creek Fire, South Bay Strike Team XLG1363A has returned home. Strike Team XLG1361A is comprised of Engines from El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and
LA County Fire. Thank you to Manhattan Beach Fire, Redondo Beach Firefighters and Torrance Fire Department for such a great working relationship. The apparatus is currently being serviced and prepped
for the next Strike Team deployment. Photo courtesy El Segundo Fire Department.
The Plunge Redesign Starts Now
By Rob McCarthy
The doors are locked, the lights are off, and
The Plunge is quiet these days. El Segundo’s
public indoor swimming venue is in mothballs,
put there by COVID-19. For recreational and
competitive swimmers and water polo teams,
the Wiseburn Aquatic Center across town
is the only public swimming pool currently
open. The rebuilding of The Plunge has been
anticipated since the Wiseburn swim complex
opened in early 2019 on the eastern outskirts
of El Segundo. The city paid $1.8 million
toward the building of the aquatics center.
The Wiseburn district and private donors paid
$6 million each to make the project happen.
As public-construction projects go, pools are
expensive, and maintenance is costly.
Almost three years later, El Segundo is
making good on its promise to rehabilitate
The Plunge. The swimming community has
waited patiently for the city’s next big capitalimprovement
project, which involves a deep
dive into the inner workings of the 80-year-old
venue. That will include the boilers that heat
the water, the ventilation, bleacher seating, the
pool deck, and everything from the windows
to the changing rooms. Before any decisions
are made, and blueprints are drawn, the city
is asking the swimming community, residents,
and even non-residents this question: What do
you want? El Segundo has posted a survey
link on its website to gather responses and
ideas for the design team hired by the city.
Interest in the project - tentatively scheduled
to be completed near the end of 2023 - is
running high, based on the responses so far
to the 11-question survey. Within 72 hours
of posting the link, 500 people had filled out
surveys, according to spokeswoman Martha
Guzman-Hurtado. The comment period closed
on October 7. The survey is a first step to
balance what swimmers and families want
and what El Segundo can afford, especially
since this project is happening in a sluggish
economy. Over the summer, the city awarded
the Mithun design firm a $130,000 contract
for preliminary work to renovate the Urho
Saari art-deco swim stadium. The Plunge was
built in the 1940s and needed mechanical and
structural repairs to meet current standards.
The City Council a year ago set aside $1
million toward the project, which could cost
between $5 million and $10 million to finish.
Mithun’s team drafted the community-wants
survey and will collect the feedback and come
back to the City Council with the results. The
Mithun design group has a 40-year history
in Los Angeles County, refurbishing the
historic Robert Frost Auditorium in Culver
City and the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
The team is experienced at modernizing pool
and recreational venues and will partner
with the Aquatic Design Group to usher The
Plunge into a new era. Together, they have
reimagined community pools in Northern
California and Tacoma, Wash., according
to their proposal submitted to El Segundo
Parks and Recreation officials.
The Plunge remodel is expected to take 18
to 24 months. The $1 million earmarked to
get the project started involved a trade-off.
Instead of spending the money on the pool at
Acacia Park, the council decided the money
could be better spent on The Plunge. The city’s
new Public Works Director, Elias Sassoon,
will oversee the capital improvements at the
indoor swim stadium. Chevron has donated
$500,000, and once El Segundo officials
see the new designs and know the project’s
cost, they’ll have a better idea of how much
See The Plunge, page 5
Chef Hannes Brings
Fine-Dining to Main St.
Story and Photos by Chase Maser
It may seem like a whirlwind—the everchanging
lineup of restaurants throughout
El Segundo—but Main St. has always been
resolute with a few favorites. For the past
20 years, Chef Hannes has endured as
one of the town’s main culinary pioneers.
Hannes and Lisa Kraschitzer are the owners
of Chef Hannes at 411 Main St. From his
Austrian roots, Hannes delivers a barrage of
world flavors that blend delectable, savory
entrees with exquisite wines—a combination
guaranteed to create a memorable experience
for guests. And keeping that tradition
alive, Chef Hannes has appointed a new
Head Chef to re-introduce the concept of
fine-dining back to the community.
Chef Jesus Liberato—a protege of Chef
Hannes—has taken over management on
the Main St. location since the beginning
of October. After working closely with
Hannes as a waiter, a short-order cook,
and working at a slew of other restaurants
in the South Bay, Liberato was thrilled
to receive the offer to revamp the space,
even amid the challenges of COVID-19.
“I’ve known Hannes since he was an
Executive Chef working in Beverly Hills,
and at the time, I was working with him
one or two days a week. Then Hannes
bought Blue Butterfly Coffee Shop before
the previous owners took over. He
asked me to work over there, and I’ve
See Chef Hannes, page 5