Meeting Date: 12/04/06 06:15 PM
Meeting Type: Regular
Location: LOCATION: WILL & ARIEL DURANT LIBRARY (Conference Room)
ADDRESS: 7140 n. SUNSET BLVD, HOLLYWOOD, CA.
(1 block west of La Brea, southwest corner of Sunset & Detroit St.)
Free parking available behind library-enter in Detroit St.
ADA Compliant
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
Details: EMERGENCY SERVICES POLICE & FIRE COMMITTEE MEETING
HOLLYWOOD HILLS WEST NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 4th, 2006
TIME: 6:15PM – 7:45PM
LOCATION: WILL & ARIEL DURANT LIBRARY (Conference Room)
ADDRESS: 7140 n. SUNSET BLVD, HOLLYWOOD, CA.
(1block west of La Brea, southwest corner of Sunset & Detroit St.)
Free parking available behind library-enter in Detroit St.
ADA Compliant
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
MEETING AGENDA
1. Call to order. Welcome and introductions given by Emergency Services Police & Fire committee chair, Rena Dheming. Information on HHWNC Stakeholder registration.
2. Brief updates on CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training, LAFD RED FLAG/NO PARKING program status for affected Hollywood Hills neighborhoods, and LAPD Neighborhood Watch program.
3. Community feedback forum with HHWNC Area 3 stakeholders regarding pending removal of street intersection bollards, located on Yucca Street, intersecting Las Palmas Ave.- Cherokee Ave. and Whitley Ave. Possible motion and vote.
4. Community forum with residents of Madison Apartments, located at 1746 N. Orange Drive, and Hollywood Biltmore Apartments, located at 1745 N. Orange Drive; regarding resident complaints of excessive noise and health concerns regarding carbon monoxide pollution emanating from Observatory tour buses commuting back and forth from the Orange Court area, next to apartments, and of outdoor equipment transport and noisy set construction, especially during late-night hours, creating a disturbance for tenants carrying on with routine activities, and trying to sleep. There are also speeding problem. Possible motion and vote.
5. Update/Info on current Highland/Franklin street-widening construction project status and any other pending street closures for HHWNC area.
6. Discussion with Nichols Canyon area stakeholders regarding current speeding problem on neighborhood streets. Possible motion and vote.
7. Public comment on non-agenda items. Possible motion and vote.
8. Adjournment
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
EMS POLICE & FIRE Committee Meeting
HOLLYWOOD HILLS WEST NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Date: DECEMBER 4th, 2006
Will & Ariel Durant Library
7140 N. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA.
Committee Chair: RENA DHEMING
MEETING MINUTES
Special Guests:
Council District 13 Senior Deputy Field Representative, Baydsar Thomasian
LAPD West Traffic Division Motor Officer Joe Taylor
Department of Transportation (DOT)Representatives, Lieutenant Melinda Maldonado and Sargeant Marvin Portillo
1. Meeting was called to order at 6:20pm, by EMS Police & Fire commmittee chair, Rena Dheming, who then introduced special guests, and also gave brief info on HHWNC stakeholder registration.
2.Chair mentioned current updates on the latest registration and sign-up/curriculum schedules of the ongoing CERT ( Community Emergency Response Team) classes, sponsored by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and also mentioned that she and another HHWNC Board member, Area 8 Mt. Olympus/Laurel Canyon chair, Kenneth Jones, had both recently participated in, and graduated, the the CERT training course this last summer of 2006, and are now certified CERT-trained volunteers.Rena encouraged stakeholders to consider becoming involved in the program’s training for the sake of contributing to public safety during an actual emergency or actual catastrophe ( e.g.- major earthquake, fire, terrorist attack…)- and to go to the official CERT website at www.cert-la.com ,for more information on upcoming registration, training and schedules. Updates on LAFD RED FLAG/NO PARKING program, and LAPD Neighborhood Watch program were also discussed.
3. Next item on the agenda was a community forum for residents of North Orange Drive, north of Hollywood Blvd.- in the heart of the Hollywood area. HHWNC Area 4 stakeholder, Bert Hickson, stated that he is the resident manager of the Madison Apartments located at 1746 N. Orange Drive, just north of Hollywood Blvd.- and has been receiving numerous complaints from his tenants at the Madison Apts. regarding loud noise going into the wee hours of the morning, coming from behind the Kodak Theatre, and the ongoing Griffith Park Observatory shuttle buses emitting toxic fumes from the shuttle’s engines, into the air which seep inside windows of adjoining apartments units facing the side of the Orange Court, where they port and dock continuously from morning until almost midnight,and expressed that something needs to be done by the City, or someone, to abait this noise nuisance for his tenants and other affected residents, who are having sleep loss due to these unacceptable disturbances. Area 4 stakeholder, Ty Jones, resident of the Hollywood Biltmore Apartments at 1745 N. Orange Drive, also voiced that the city has a responsibility to the community, to make sure that these kinds of disturbances are prevented from adversely affecting the health and well-being of the community residents, especially when children are babies’ health were being affected.Chair agreed that the accumulated inhalation of poisonous toxic fumes, can gradually cause health ailments, especially respiratory, and that nearby residents being affected this way was not acceptable. She also mentioned that there are noise-abatement ordinances in effect, which information she would look into and pass onto concerned residents.
4. A community feedback forum for affected stakeholders of the Area 3 Yucca Corridor area, was held to hear input from concerned stakeholders regarding the possible pending removal of the “YUCCA Ave. bollards”- which are located on Yucca Ave.- at the intersections of Las Palmas Ave.- Cherokee Ave. and Whitley Ave. Chair Dheming stated that the issue had been previously discussed, and that a motion had been made and passed at a prior HHWNC Area 3 meeting that the bollards remain intact and not be removed, for the sake of public safety and traffic mitigation issues. Rena introduced the chair of the Area 3 committee, Paul Woolsey, who stated that the Area 3 committee had passed a motion that HHWNC Area 3 committe support the overwelming requests by committee Area 3 members, that the city not remove the bollards from Yucca Ave, and that the bollards had been originally erected by DOT and LAPD, many years ago, to stop drug trafficking in the area. Area 3 stakeholder, Leslie Perez, introduced herself, and stated that she is the superintendant of the Yucca Community cCter, located at 6671 Yucca Ave.- between Las Palmas Ave. and Cherokke Ave.- and has strong safety concerns about the bollards being removed, as there is a youth soccer court that has just been finished, which is right acroos the street from the Yucca Center, and that the removal of the bollards would greatly increase the motor traffic on Yucca Ave.- and fears that this would be a potential safety hazard for children participating all day long near the center. CD 13 Senior Field Deputy, Baydsar Thomasian, mentioned that she would take all this input back to Mr. Eric Garcetti, CD 13 District rep. After more discussion on the issue, a motion was made by Chair Dheming stating the follwing:
“The EMS committee makes a motion that FOR THE SAKE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRAFFIC MITIGATION issues, a request is made to the City, and all concerned, that the bollards on Yucca Ave.-located at the intersections of Las Palmas Ave, Cherokee Ave.- and Whitley remain intact, and not be removed”.Motion was then seconded by Area 3 Chair, Paul Woolsey. Motion passed, 11 for the motion, 1 against, and 0 abstentions.
5.Chair gave update on curent street-widening construction on Highland Ave.- and mentioned that she is part of the Highland/Franklin Task Force, chaired by Council District 4 Director of Financial Operations, Jeanne Chang, and that they meet once a month to discuss the ongoing developments of the project.
6. LAPD West Traffic Motor Officer Joe Taylor, responded to stakeholders inquiries, especially on the issues of speedbumps, and stated that there are 2 different kinds of speedbumps and that the implementation of speed bumps, and explained how they work. DOT representatives, Lieutenant Melinda Maldonado and Sargeant Marvin Portillo, also took questions, noted stakeholders’ concerns, and gave detailed explanations on how DOT works in the community.
7. After brief public comment period, Chair, Rena Dheming, thanked stakeholders and special guests for their attendance and input, and after wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season, adjourned meeting at 7:55pm.