The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 7, No. 4 - January 26, 2017 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Classifieds............................6 Crossword/Sudoku.............6 Community Briefs...............3 Legals....................................7 Police Briefs........................2 Real Estate...........................8 Sports....................................3 TerriAnn in Torrance..........4 Weekend Forecast Torrance Legend Born 100 Years Ago Today – Louis Zamperini Known as the “Torrance Tornado,” the late Louis Zamperini--born 100 years ago today on January 26, 1917--set an American high school mile record of 4:21:02 on May 19, 1934 in Los Angeles. The mark stood for 19 years. The photos show him running the OIympic trials in New York, and wearing a different uniform as a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Photos Provided by the Zamperini Trust Collection. Located at the Torrance Historical Society. • Celebrating 100 Years Torrance High School and Louis Zamperini By Debbie Hays, Torrance High Centennial Committee On September 11, 1917, Torrance High School opened its doors. Over the decades, countless Tartars have walked the iconic halls of Torrance High. One in particular would also be celebrating his 100th birthday this year--Louis Zamperini (Class of 1935). In his youth, he was a juvenile delinquent stealing pies, cigarettes and liquor; ringing church bells in the middle of the night to awaken neighbors; fighting; shooting spit wads at girls in class; and indulging in other countless acts of misbehavior. What began as a “career” of running from the cops got Louis selected to be one of the 334 American athletes to go to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. With his older brother Pete’s (and his paddle’s) encouragement, Louis eventually learned to channel his bad-boy energies into running. While at Torrance High School, he blew the competition away, setting a new interscholastic mile world record of 4:21:02 that stood for 19 years. Louis put Torrance on the map. The rest of the world later came to know him as that incredible person who survived 47 days adrift on a raft in the Pacific during WWII. Floating for 2,000 miles after his plane crashed on a reconnaissance mission, only to be captured by the Japanese military, and taken ashore to See Torrance High School, page 7 Friday Sunny 62˚/43˚ Saturday Sunny 66˚/47˚ Sunday Sunny 69˚/52˚ City Council Authorizes Purchase of Two New Fire Engines By Cristian Vasquez In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, Mayor Patrick J. Furey and members of the Torrance City Council approved the purchase order with Pierce Manufacturing Inc. in the amount of $1,265,799.98 for two fire engines. The approved recommendation made by Torrance Fire Chief Martin Serna and General Services Director Sheryl Ballew will be funded through the City’s Fire Apparatus Replacement Fund, a non-general fund (Facility, Equipment, Automation Plans, FEAP 848). With $1,830,000 in the FEAP 848 fund, the Cty was able to replace one of three fire engines in early 2016 (the purchase that was approved in June of 2015). “These two engines will serve for 15 years as front-line apparatus for the citizens of the City of Torrance and an additional 10 years as reserves--that gives us a life span out of a fire truck of 25, sometimes 30 years out of a fire engine,” Torrance Fire Department Assistant Chief Alec Miller said during the staff presentation. “We are able to project the cost of a fire engine and that includes a three percent annual increase from the manufacturer, which is industry standard.” During the 1998-99 fiscal year, the City Council approved the Fire Apparatus Replacement Fund to keep pace with the ongoing need to update emergency vehicles and equipment, but established a system that would spread the burden of large, one-time expenses throughout several years. That strategy included placing money into a fund based on an approved schedule every year in order to accumulate the necessary reserve for when an apparatus replacement was due for replacement. “Our projections were accurate and we have set aside money out of our operating budget and into our apparatus replacement fund and we have ample funds to cover this expenditure,” Assistant Fire Chief Miller said. “We did buy our last three fire engines and our last two fire trucks from Pierce out of Appleton and we are pleased with the quality, the craftsmanship and competitive prices.” Due to budget restrictions imposed during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the fire engines’ (Pierce 1500 GPM Triple Combination Pumpers) time of front-line service extended from 12 to 15 years to 20 years per fire engine, while the service years for a fire truck increased from 15 to 20 years to 25 years. At the moment the Torrance Fire Department counts on seven front-line engines, as well See City Council, page 6
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