Lawndale Tribune AND lAwNDAle News The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - July 24, 2014 Inside This Issue Calendar...............................3 Classifieds............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Hawthorne Happenings....7 Food.......................................5 Legals............................... 2, 6 Sports....................................4 Weekend Forecast Friday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 82˚/67˚ Saturday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 82˚/68˚ Sunday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 83˚/69˚ MAMBAS Bring State Gold Home On July 11-13, the South Bay MAMBAS Basketball Club's 9u team participated in the California State Games and brought State Championship Gold Medals home to the South Bay. Coached by Brandan Aldridge and Jesse Gutierrez, the MAMBAS are proud representatives of the South Bay: all players reside in Inglewood, Lawndale, Redondo Beach, Gardena, El Segundo and Torrance. The mission of the South Bay MAMBAS Basketball Program is to reach, engage and develop the youth of the South Bay using basketball as a vehicle to reinforce the skill sets necessary for success off the court. On Tuesday, the El Segundo Rotary Club hosted the boys at their District Breakfast at the City Club in downtown LA, where Kareem Abdul Jabaar was the keynote speaker. The MAMBAS escorted Kareem in and were allowed to take a group picture with him in honor of their State Championship. Photo by Brandan Aldridge. Widening of Inglewood Avenue To Move Forward By Nancy Peters The Lawndale City Council continues to make the required changes, approve new appointments, and extend a thank you with a plaque to outgoing volunteers on committees and commissions. Monday evening Daniel Reid, the newly appointed Council member was thanked for his time on the Planning Commission and serving as the chair, and Steven Koonz was awarded a plaque for his service on the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee. As approved at the previous City Council meeting, two additional committee members could be appointed to the Senior Citizen group, bringing the members to an even dozen. Three applications were received and two appointments were approved on Monday as Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles receive agreement from his elected colleagues to appoint Doris Hofmann, widow of the former mayor of Lawndale, Harold E. Hofmann, and Arthur Friend to serve with the previously appointed other 10 members as the senior citizens who will advise the Parks, Recreation and Social Services Commission until May 31, 2016. Other items on the agenda that sparked some discussion were the Hogan Park Expansion Project, which will now include the addition of security cameras and a maintenance-free picnic area, changing the scope of the project and adding a need for a consultant for the design amounting to approximately $21,000 in additional costs; and the approval of a waiver for utility undergrounding requested by owners of a property at 4719 West 168th Street where an addition to the structure is in excess of $100,000 and the utility work will be more than 10% of the construction costs, allowing the waiver. The street improvement project on Inglewood Avenue, particularly the portion between Rosecrans Avenue and Marine Avenue, required a staff report by the Public Works Director Nasser Abbaszadeh. He explained that the project includes the addition of a third southbound lane on Inglewood Avenue, resulting in the need for some other work to accommodate the new lane. The project plan includes expansion of the widths of the lanes, especially the lanes on the curbside to make room for wider vehicles, such as trucks. This added width could mean an impediment to the right-of-way for 0.5-mile length between Rosecrans Avenue and Marine Avenue. The project also includes a raised median island. The City Council was requested to weighin on the alternatives being presented. The addition of the median island, the expansion from two to three lanes, and the width required for the adjacent sidewalks, leaves two alternatives: to allow a left-turn pocket lane at 149th Street or disallow this left-turn movement at this juncture of the roadway, as was originally presented when the construction project was presented in the grant application. The project is being paid for with grant funds from the MTA and from leftover Redevelopment Bond dollars. The Inglewood Avenue Lane and Widening Project is the current project needing Council input for approval of these alternatives. South of 147th Street on Inglewood Avenue there may be a need for up to 10 feet of rightof way in order to widen the lanes and add the third lane, and the width of the median island may need to be reduced from 9 feet to 6 feet. The members of the City Council chose alternative marked as number 2, to disallow the left-turn pocket lane and make the median island a continuous deterrent to a turn at 149th Street on Inglewood Avenue, southbound lanes. Other lengths on Inglewood Avenue are part of the overall project: Inglewood Avenue at Marine Avenue, roadway widening, right turn lane pockets and underground modifications, some right-ofway acquisition is required from land owners, the school district, and coordination with the city of Redondo Beach; Inglewood Avenue between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 156th Street requires right-of-way acquisition to accomplish the widening but the property owner is unwilling to negotiate or sell any portion of his property; Inglewood Avenue between 156th Street and the 405 Freeway southbound on-ramp, requires coordination with CalTrans since they own the property in this area that will be effected. Progress reports on the three other portions of the Inglewood Avenue Widening Project will be forthcoming as developments occur with property owners and right-of-way issues are either resolved or continue to hinder the project from completion. The City Manager reminded the public that Los Angeles is being affected by the state-wide drought and information for conservation and 20% reduction of water usage is available on the city website. Lawndale now has a YouTube station and anyone can view various shows on there. The Lawndale Library will have a series of Latin Music concerts each Saturday in August at 12 Noon on the lawn in the Civic Plaza and in front of the library. Performers for the Festival days, in order of appearance, will be: Planet Mariachi; Buyepongo; Brasil Brazil; INCA, the Peruvian Ensemble; and Mojacar Flamenco. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Lawndale Sub-Station, will have another Coffee with a Cop on August 13 at 9 a.m. at McDonald’s on Hawthorne Boulevard, Lawndale. The next meeting of the City Council will be held on Monday, August 4 at 6:30 p.m. •
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