The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 5, No. 47 - November 19, 2015 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................10 Classifieds............................4 Community Briefs...............3 Film Review..........................4 Legals....................................9 Police Reports...................10 Real Estate.........................12 Sports.................................5,6 TerriAnn in Torrance..........8 Weekend Forecast Historical Society Salutes Our Vets Vietnam Veterans Bonifacio G. Griego, 1099 Medium Boat Co. Vietnam ‘66 - ‘77; Ted Jones, Air Force ‘63 - ‘67; and SAC of B-52 bombers, Dick Valot U22 ‘69 -’70, at the Torrance Historical Museum. The Museum and the Torrance Historical Society held a Veterans Day commemoration. For story and more photos, see page 2. Photo by TerriAnn Ferren. • Friday Sunny 79˚/58˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 77˚/56˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 74˚/57˚ Consulting Agreement Approved For Madrona Marsh Nature Improvements By Cristian Vasquez Torrance’s Madrona Marsh will undergo nature improvements and is to be consulted by SAA Associates of Pasadena. Members of the Torrance City Council approved the agreement in the amount of $43,500 during Tuesday’s meeting, in a unanimous 6-0 vote [Councilwoman Heidi Ann Ashcraft was absent]. SAA Associates, with more than 25 years of experience in planning, design, construction management and project management, was not the cheapest bid but registered the highest number in the evaluation score. “Just wanted to point out that there was a Torrance company that actually came in cheaper,” Councilman Tim Goodrich said. “Just wanted to point out that this council has granted concurrence in the past to have staff look at other opportunities to award Torrance businesses more business and I think this would have been an excellent opportunity to do so.” The criteria used to score the bids include: understanding the scope of the project and work as well as completeness of the Request for Proposal, qualifications for the proposed project team, relevant projects of the proposed project team and experience with similar projects, project schedule and cost and cost effectiveness. Of the three RFPs received, SAA Associates scored a 92 out of 100, while COA Architecture and JC Change & Associates scored 86 and 84 respectively. Sitting across from the Madrona Marsh Center located at 3201 Plaza del Amo, the Madrona Marsh is considered one of the last remaining freshwater marshes throughout the County of Los Angeles. The 8,000-squarefoot nature center opened its doors April 28, 2001 and has dedicated to protecting the preserve, as well as educating the community about the wide range of life that thrives in at the Marsh. “The Preserve is situated within the greater El Segundo Sand Dune System,” states the staff report signed by General Services Director Sheryl Ballew. “Each of the Preserve’s habitats, back dune, coastal prairie, alkali margin, vernal pool and vernal marsh, house their own specially adapted native plants species.” Through the Nature Education Facilities Grant Program, under Proposition 84, the city was awarded the grant funds in 2011. “The improvements include, adding and enlarging windows in the classroom on the east side of the Nature Center, which will include installation of microphones and video for observation of wildlife, installation of a moveable roof in the patio area and installation of a split fence at the sump area southeast corner of the marsh for educational panels,” states the staff report. “Due to the available budget and current soil stability, the option to install a deck near the sump will not be pursued.” Council Amends Rules, Regulations of Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market A recommendation by the Community Services Director John Jones that the council See City Council, page 11 School Board Approves CHOICE Program at District’s Secondary Schools By Cristian Vasquez In a unanimous vote, members of the Torrance School Board gave the go-ahead for the district’s middle and high schools to participate in the CHOICE Program during the 2015-2016 school year. “This is actually not a new program; this was done a few years ago through the RAND Corporation,” Senior Director of Secondary Education Dr. Nisha Dugal said. “They did the surveys and underage drinking was identified as one of the issues to address in the South Bay.” Approval by the board had to officially be requested for the students to in the drug prevention program, event though this is not the first time that the district’s students have participated. “For the last few years the program has been exclusively at Jefferson Middle School and at Calle [Mayor Middle School], when the principals there brought the program,” Dr. Dugal said. “I met with a representative a few weeks ago and she would like to expand the program. It was introduced to both the middle and the high school principals and they are all interested in bringing the program to their campuses. “ The CHOICE Program, which is provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, focuses on drug prevention and teaches students ways to make healthy choices. The CHOICE program is made up of 10, one-hour sessions and was developed for school kids between the ages of 11 and 17. See School Board, page 11
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