Hawthorne Press Tribune Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - February 19, 2015 Environmental Charter High School 9th graders Julian Foster, Junior Torress-Powell, and Kalen Bell with Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles at culmination of ECHS’s “Intersession” program. Student teams were asked to design around the theme, “Quality of Life: Sustainable Design + Urban Planning.” The teams competed for best project in a live forum in front of their classmates, proud parents and teachers. A panel of judges such as Gardena Mayor Paul Tanaka, Inglewood City Councilman Ralph Franklin and Lawndale City Councilman Jim Osborne, as well as LEED-accredited architects and happiness specialists, critiqued and scored the presentations. Photo by David Montejano. Lawndale Authorizes July 4th Fireworks Stand Permits By Nancy Peters The Lawndale City Council met on Tuesday, February 17 in lieu of the third Monday regular Council meeting schedule as the city observed President’s Day on Monday and was closed for business. This meeting schedule change created a conflict for Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Osborne who was absent. Although not the first order of business, the City Council heard from Joe McMahon, Treasurer of the Lawndale Rotary Club, that the application for the July 4th Fireworks Stand for their nonprofit organization was not mentioned as one of the six staff-recommended permits to be issued upon Council approval. He attested to the fact that the club contributed to the betterment of the community and did give back $18,000 to various causes during the last year. Apparently, he, as the new treasurer, was not given all the information needed in order to fully complete Part B of the application and submit by the required deadline. However, the Part B was submitted on January 12. With eight spots available for stands across Lawndale during the designated days in late June and early July 2015, only the six permits were initially approved with a unanimous Council vote (4-0, with Osborne absent) to issue Fireworks Stand Permits to: Christian Heritage Church, Lawndale Chamber of Commerce, Lawndale Little League, Neighborhood Parent Forum/Girl Scouts, Lawndale Football and Cheerleading Association, and the Wesleyan Church of Lawndale. Following consideration of the Lawndale Rotary Club request to evaluate the reasons for their delayed complete application submission in order to qualify for a Fireworks Stand Permit, the Council unanimously approved a motion to consider that due diligence by Lawndale Rotary Club’s new treasurer to submit the completed application be allowed the nonprofit to be issued a permit for a Fireworks Stand for the 2015 July 4th sale days in Lawndale. The agenda consent calendar awarded several contracts to vendors for various projects. The city facility improvements will include an upgrade to the HVAC systems in City Hall, awarded to Pardess Air, Inc., in the amount of $214,000 and will include a guarantee for a spare switch mechanism and a life expectancy for the unit in order for planning to be more efficient in the future for these systems. The maintenance contract for the HVAC systems in all buildings owned by the city is awarded to South Coast Mechanical in the amount of $102,104 for a five-year term. The award for the roof repairs to the City Yard building is awarded to Best Contracting Services, Inc., in the amount of $29,180. Also awarded is a contract to DB Future International for the Hogan Park Expansion Project in the amount of $1,611,269.72 after nine bids were received and examined. Construction is slated to begin in mid-March and be completed in August 2015. The traffic signal upgrade project at 19 intersections is awarded to PTM General Engineering Services, Inc., in the amount of $636,036 and will start in March with completion scheduled for sometime in July 2015. These improvements will include protected left-turn signal installations, pedestrian pushbuttons and countdown signals, yellow thermoplastic ladder-type crosswalk pavement markings, ADA-compliant improved curb ramps, and timed vehicular signal heads. A list of the intersections is available on the city website. A request from Providence-Little Company of Mary Hospital Health & Services was received for the city of Lawndale to support a grant application for a cardiovascular program that ultimately will affect and benefit Lawndale residents. The request was approved by a unanimous vote. The city of Lawndale is not being asked to support the program financially, only to assist with any promotional efforts and public awareness, such as through cable television, use of city facilities for events, and postings on the city website. City Manager Steve Mandoki advised that residents can find several new additions on the city website, such as updates on various road work projects, with maps and dates indicating which streets are scheduled for specific dates. Also available on the city website is a timeline for various projects, such as the Hogan Park Improvement/Expansion Project, opening of DeOro Lane, and the traffic signals improvement project. The Lawndale Library has a new Head Librarian following the transfer of Melissa McCollum to a new location. Donald Gould is now assigned to Lawndale and comes to the city from Manhattan Beach Library, which was recently closed for reconstruction of a new building by the Los Angeles County Library system. The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department Captain Steven Sciacca offered the public safety update reporting that vandalism in 2014 saw a seven percent decrease from the reported 143 vandalism cases in 2013. Also part of the report, Captain Sciacca related the condition of a male transient who was assaulted by several suspects and was hospitalized due to the extent of his injuries from being punched and kicked without provocation. Two suspects were taken into custody following a chase by deputies. In another incident, a suspect was discovered hiding in a house when the homeowner discovered a burglary was in progress and the homeowner, fearing for the safety of his family, fired one shot at the suspect, although the shot missed him, as he attempted to exit the house. Eight hours later a report was received that a suspicious character was loitering in the same neighborhood and deputies apprehended the suspect who matched the description received from the burglary victim. The suspect was arrested and the District Attorney has filed a case against that perpetrator. During public comments the president of the Centinela Valley Unified High School District Secondary Teachers’ Association reported that a recall petition for several members of the school district Board of Trustees has begun to circulate so that the school district may be run more efficiently with the well-being of the students and their education, as well as the treatment of teachers as the priority rather than the private agendas of the elected officials. The next meeting of the Lawndale City Council will be held on Monday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. • Inside This Issue Briefs.....................................2 Classifieds............................2 Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Finance..................................4 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 6-7 Pets........................................5 Police Reports.....................3 Politically Speaking............5 Sports....................................4 Tech Talk...............................3 Weekend Forecast ECHS Tackles Sustainable Urban Planning Friday Partly Cloudy 64˚/54˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 65˚/56˚ Sunday AM Showers 65˚/53˚ The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
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