The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 4, No. 45 - November 6, 2014 Inside This Issue Calendar...............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................10 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Food.......................................5 Legals....................................9 Letters...................................3 Politically Speaking............7 Real Estate.........................12 Sports.............................. 6,12 TerriAnn in Torrance..........8 Weekend Forecast Assisteens Team up with PTN for Halloween Fundraiser Five classes of Assisteens Members, 8th through 12th grade, donned creative and fun Halloween costumes in anticipation of their favorite fundraising event of the year, the annual PTN Halloween Party. Assisteens is an organization for middle and high schoolers to raise money for philanthropic causes. Photo by Jeannette Tramm. Council Approves Consulting Service Agreement for Street Improvement Project By Cristian Vasquez Upon recommendation from the Public Works Director, the Torrance City Council unanimously agreed to award a consulting services agreement in the amount of $290,191 for the Measure R project, which covers Pacific Coast Highway at Vista Montana/ Anza Avenue. The approved agreement with Onward Engineering of Anaheim will fulfill design services for “potential right-of-way assessments and acquisitions” and project development, which would include obtaining Caltrans permits for the Measure R project F-50. Four different consulting firms submitted bids for the project, all of which were interviewed on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 by the selection committee. After evaluating each company’s understanding of the project’s scope and their ability to perform based on past experience. After close evaluation the committee determined that Onward Engineering was best suited to meet the city’s needs. The other firms included Harris & Associates from Irvine, Anderson Penna from Newport Beach and CivilSource from Irvine. Funding for the project will be 100 percent reimbursed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority, based on the terms of Measure R Highway Program Funding Agreement. The staff report presented to the council indicates that Measure R, which is the one-half cent sales tax that was approved by Los Angeles County in November of 2008, is designed to address the wide range of transportation needs throughout the county. One of the components mentioned in the staff report about Measure R is the South Bay Highway Program, which is tailored to provide and estimated $906 million during a 30-year period (which began in 2008). This money is to fix the much-needed ramp and interchange improvements that will help “improve the operation of access and to the I-405, I-110, I-105 freeways.” Other state routes that are reported to benefit include PCH, Artesia Boulevard, Western Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard, all in the South Bay. Improvements on these roads include signal synchronization, park-and-ride projects. On Oct. 14 the council adopted a resolution that would support the South Bay Measure R Highway Program Project List. According to the staff report, that list identifies “currently funded and proposed Torrance projects to be funded” by the highway measure all the way until the 2020-21 fiscal year. Due to the size of the project and the estimated amount of hours necessary to complete the task at hand, it was determined that design services would be necessary. Engineering staff will be responsible for performing project and construction management as well as administration. Onward Engineering was described in the staff report as having “successfully performed similar services for other public agencies,” as well as having all references checked and in order. Council Approves Funding for 2015 Rose Float Parade Based on the recommendation from the Community Services Director, the Torrance City Council approved an agreement between the City and the Torrance Rose Float Association to provide funds for the 2015 TRPF for $100,000. This one-time approval of funds in the amount of $80,000 is available from the See City Council, page 10 Herald CEO Shares Success Stories With Other Business Mavericks at ShopLocal Gala By Brian Simon Herald Publications CEO/President Heidi Maerker was one of five panelists invited to share some of the secrets of their business success during last Wednesday’s South Bay Business Mavericks Gala and Grant Awards festivities at the Toyota USA Automobile Museum in Torrance. The sold-out program presented by ShopLocal recognized community and independent business leaders, with $3,500 in “Small Business Indie Grants” handed out to John Post Gallery ($2,000), CMS Water Works, LLC ($1,000) and Mixagood, Inc. ($500). The three winners included two-minute video presentations as part of their grant applications. Entrepreneur, author and wine expert Heidi Butzine founded ShopLocal two years ago as a way of “boosting the visibility and profitability of small independent businesses through advocacy and grassroots publicity.” For the second annual event, Butzine said her objective was to “kick it up” and “make it bigger.” One key element in achieving this goal was the debut of the Business Mavericks Panel, which in addition to Maerker also featured Torrance Bakery founder Kirk Rossberg, Body Glove President Russ Lesser, hotelier and restaurateur Michael Zislis, and Tic Time owner Sam Kartounian. Butzine asked the group to reveal lessons learned, challenges faced and risks taken in launching or maintaining an existing business. The businesses above vary greatly in terms of size, age and scope, but each of the owners shared a number of commonalities, including a continued love of what they do even after in some cases See ShopLocal, page 8 Friday Sunny 80˚/59˚ Saturday Sunny 79˚/59˚ Sunday Sunny 75˚/59˚
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