"Eagle Rock: Where land use and planning is a contact sport"

THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION

 

TERA

 

-- e.letter --

November 15, 2001

In this issue:

 

1.  WALGREENS PROPOSAL -- YOUR INPUT IS STILL NEEDED!

 

2.  WALGREENS COMMUNITY MEETING -- NOVEMBER 28

 

3.  SAN PASCUAL STAIRS - ART TILES "GLUE 'N GROUT" EXTRAVAGANZA! -- NOVEMBER 17 AND 18

 

4.  LA CONSERVANCY MODERN COMMITTEE PHOTOGRAPHY EVENT -- NOVEMBER 29

 

5.  OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE'S "RE-ENVISIONING" OF THE LOS ANGELES RIVER NETS NATIONAL AWARD

 

6.  EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY PARENTS: SIGN YOUR CHILD UP FOR CATALINA FIELD TRIP!

 

7.  CHRISTMAS SHOW TO SUPPORT TOY DRIVE FOR CHILDREN AFFECTED BY AIDS -- DECEMBER 12

 

8.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

 

9.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK

 

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1.  WALGREENS PROPOSAL -- YOUR INPUT IS STILL NEEDED!

 

Thanks again to all who have responded to our Walgreens survey.  We've had a wonderful response from a wide variety of community members.  Please read what others have to say about the current proposal by visiting our Web site at http://www.tera90041.org/walgreens-survey.htm.

 

For those of you who wonder what the original Shopping Bag building (currently One Day Paint & Body, threatened with demolition) looked like when it debuted in our community, please see the attachment below labeled ARchrender.JPG.

 

If you haven't yet participated, there is still an opportunity to let our Council member, Walgreens, and the developers know how you feel about the current proposal.  Please view the present site plan attached and answer the four questions below.  Keep in mind that the gray areas on the site plan represent asphalt, the light brown areas are other hardscape (no greenery), and the purple box is the proposed Walgreens store.

 

 

1.  Do you believe that Eagle Rock needs the addition of a large drugstore at this location?

 

2. Do you have any concerns about the addition of Walgreens and other tenants to this area?  To this block?

 

3.  Is there another tenant that you would like to see instead of Walgreens?

 

4.  If you support the proposed project, what if any changes would you like to suggest as improvements to the project such as more extensive landscaping, pedestrian walkways, linkages with other businesses or maintaining the historical facade?

 

 

Send us your survey answers and any other comments you might have as soon as possible by e.mailing them to artburn@earthlink.net.  (Or just press "reply" -- DO NOT press "reply all.")  Your comments will be personally delivered to Council member Nick Pacheco, to Walgreens, and to the developers of this project.  They need to hear from YOU, since you are the ones who would have to live with this project in our town far into the future.

 

DEALINE FOR SURVEY REPONSES: 12 NOON ON NOVEMBER 27.  WE WILL BE POSTING THE RESULTS OF OUR SURVEY IN OUR NOVEMBER 29 E.LETTER.  IMPORTANT: SEE MEETING NOTICE BELOW.

 

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2.  WALGREENS COMMUNITY MEETING -- NOVEMBER 28

 

There will be another meeting regarding the Walgreens proposal on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001, at St. Dominic's Church Parish Hall, 2002 Merton Ave., Eagle Rock, 90041.  The developers will present new renderings at 6:00 p.m., and the meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  We have no idea what these new renderings will show, but we do know that they were developed because of the many concerns expressed by the community at the meeting on October 30.  For further information, please call the Council office @ 323/254-5295.

 

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3.  SAN PASCUAL STAIRS - ART TILES "GLUE 'N GROUT" EXTRAVAGANZA! -- NOVEMBER 17 AND 18

 

IT'S FINALLY TIME!

THE SAN PASCUAL STAIRS WILL SOON BE A PIECE OF ART!

 

More than 1,000 local children & volunteers have made TILES to install on the stairs between San Pascual Elementary School and Avenue 66. HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP!!

 

 

WHEN: Adult volunteers will install the mosaic at our GLUE 'N GROUT EXTRAVAGANZA!

Sat., November 17 & Sun. November 18!

Corner of Avenue 66 and Meridian, or San Pascual Ave & Hough Street!

 

DAY ONE: Glue the tiles in place on the stairs!

SATURDAY, November 17, 8:30 am - 12 noon, OR 12:30 pm - 5 pm

Sign up for a 4-hour shift (or more) and we'll train teams to glue each tile in place on 125 stairs! This is hard, dirty work, so adults only, please! If you have them, please bring such items as hats, gloves, knee-pads, buckets, trowels, caulking guns, etc. Lunch & refreshment provided.

 

DAY TWO: Fill in the gaps with grout!

SUNDAY, November 18, 8:30 am - 12 noon, OR 12:30 PM - 5 PM

 

After the glue has had time to dry, we'll train volunteers doing 4-hour shifts (or more) to use grout fill in the gaps between tiles and secure them forever. Adults only, please! If you have them, please bring sponges, floats, putty knives, buckets, hats, gloves & knee-pads. Lunch and refreshments provided.

 

Celebrate your work!  Congratulate your friends and neighbors on a job well done!  You'll be invited to the upcoming STAIRWELL GRAND OPENING!

 

To volunteer, contact Nancy Blaine at (323) 257-9600 x208 or nancyblaine@hotmail.com.

 

A project of the Garvanza Improvement Association, funded by the Neighborhood Matching Fund, City of L.A. Department of Public Works. In partnership with Eagle Rock Community Cultural Association, National Audubon Society, Highland Park Heritage Trust, Hathaway Family Resource Center, LA Bridges After-school Program, Occidental College Community Outreach Partnership Center, and a coalition of community volunteers.

 

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4.  LA CONSERVANCY MODERN COMMITTEE PHOTOGRAPHY EVENT -- NOVEMBER 29

 

3-D LA: Modernism in Three Dimensions

The Stereo Photography of Jack Laxer, 1953-1965

 

Order tickets today! This event will sell out early.

Print out this form:

http://www.laconservancy.org/events/laxerform.html

and mail or fax to the LAC office.

 

Details:

 

Thursday, November 29 @ 7:30 PM

IMAX, California ScienCenter, Downtown

 

LAC Event hotline: 213-430-4219

 

On Thursday, November 29, The Los Angeles Conservancy's Modern Committee and the California Science Center are hosting an evening with legendary 3D photographer Jack Laxer. Since his arrival in Los Angeles in 1950, Laxer has experimented with the latest in photo technology from 3-D to micrography to his recent multimedia travel presentations.

 

This narrated slide show includes never-before-seen images of Southern California's commercial landscape from 1953-1965 -- a lost world of coffee shops, period interiors and sleek office buildings -- all in stunning full color 3-D! You'll see such Armet & Davis Googie masterpieces as The Wich Stand, Pann's, Norms, Penguin and early Denny's. Also featured are the original 1962 Hanna-Barbera Studios and several 'special guest star' Palm Springs locations by architects Paul Williams and William Cody.

 

Projectionists for the evening will be David Starkman and Susan Pinsky who will use a retrofitted 1950s Stereo Realist projector. They are past presidents of the Los Angeles Stereoscopy society -- established in 1955.

 

This virtual reality journey through Modern Southern California takes place on Thursday, November 29 at 7:30 PM at the California Science Center IMAX theater in historic Exposition Park. Special Polarized glasses will be distributed and the 3-D images will be projected on the theater's silver screen (although not at full IMAX size). The program will last about an hour, with an informal question and answer session afterwards. Tickets are $10 for Conservancy members and $15 for non-members and at the door. Parking is $5 in the Science Center parking lot (free street parking also available).

 

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5.  OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE'S "RE-ENVISIONING" OF THE LOS ANGELES RIVER NETS NATIONAL AWARD

 

Occidental College's "Re-Envisioning the Los Angeles River" project has brought top honors to the California Council for the Humanities (CCH), which funded the project as part of its recent three-year Community Heritage initiative.  CCH was awarded the distinguished Schwartz Prize on November 3 during the National Humanities Conference  in Indianapolis.  The prize, given by the Federation, is one of two awards for excellence in public programming awarded annually in the United States and its territories.

 

"The project was a stellar example of how cultural programming can create increased understanding and dynamic changes within communities," said CCH Executive Director Jim Quay. "CCH, which in 1999 gave a $48,000 grant to Occidental's Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, nominated the L.A. River project for the honor because it enabled Californians to hear, see, feel and think through the realities of other people, times and places."

 

The project spurred public exploration into the past, present and future of the often-derided and long-ignored 53-mile waterway.  Occidental, together with Friends of the Los Angeles River and more than four dozen co-sponsors, hosted 40 public humanities programs that explored the history, literature, linguistic and cultural geography related to the L.A. River and its place in Los Angeles. The river runs past 14 cities and through working-class communities of largely Asian American, African American and Latino residents.

 

"I am delighted that our work has won such a prestigious award," said Robert Gottlieb, Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Environmental Studies. "This underlines the value of our effort to produce new ways of looking at critical community and environmental issues and the importance of building a wide range of community and campus partnerships."

 

"This reaffirms the value of our efforts to use the humanities in a public way to strengthen communities," added Quay. "The competition for the Schwartz prize is always keen, and it's a real honor to be recognized."  The CCH is the only organization in California that creates, sponsors and promotes humanities programs for the general public in every region of the state. Since its formation in 1975, the non-profit CCH has sponsored programs that seek to enrich California's cultural life and strengthen its communities by promoting the public's involvement in the humanities.  Some of these programs have included museum exhibits, public forums, live performance and award-winning films.  Additional information on the California Council for the Humanities and its programs may be found at http://www.calhum.org.

 

In "re-envisioning" projects that lasted through fall 2000, Occidental and its co-sponsors used traditional and innovative formats to engage the public in the humanities. There were walks, bike rides and historical and public policy discussions concerning such issues as the proposed Cornfield warehouse development adjacent to Chinatown. The ensuing media attention and political debate helped facilitate an "alternative greening" - and community-oriented - plan to be developed for one of the last open spaces in downtown Los Angeles.

 

The re-envisioning project also commissioned river-related poetry, sponsored art installations, and produced a film documentary based on how Hollywood films have used the L.A. River for landscape and thematic purposes. The final project report is posted at http://www.lariver.oxy.edu/publications/index.htm#finalreport. A second phase of the Re-Envisioning the L.A. River program has now been launched, focusing on the Arroyo Seco corridor between Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles. Similar to the re-envisioning program, this project, entitled "Arroyofest," will also bring together community, government, business, and academic partners to identify a new vision of the Arroyo and its transportation, watershed, and community issues. 

 

A statement issued by a panel of Schwartz Prize judges said the Occidental/CCH Re-Envisioning the L.A. River project was singled out because of its "genuine policy impact, its nontraditional use of humanities formats and ideas, and its involvement of a large and varied group of participants."

 

The statement continued: "The judges were deeply affected by the way the project was able to incorporate the humanities into the discourse about a divisive public policy issue, with the results (being) that public officials, private citizens, developers, the media, environmental activists and residents of frequently unheard and overlooked communities were able to see and talk about the issues in a new way."

 

The Schwartz Prize is made possible by former Federation of State Humanities Councils board member Martin Schwartz and his wife, Helen. The couple established an endowment fund in 1981.

 

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6.  EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY PARENTS: SIGN YOUR CHILD UP FOR CATALINA FIELD TRIP!

 

There is still space left (approximately nine slots) for kids at Eagle Rock Elementary School to participate in the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) field trip coming up in the beginning months of 2002!  I attended with my older son earlier this year, and it was a terrific program.  It costs $180 for the three-day field trip, with a $20 down payment.  Please contact teacher Joyce Jerome at Eagle Rock Elementary to find out more.  We'll have more information later.

 

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7.  CHRISTMAS SHOW TO SUPPORT TOY DRIVE FOR CHILDREN AFFECTED BY AIDS -- DECEMBER 12

 

A message from Craig Richey, musician and friend of friends:

 

This is the 5th year I have been presenting this Christmas show. The set list features ten original songs which focus on the theme of mother and child, the heart of the Christmas story which can be celebrated by those of all faiths: the divinity of birth, of every child. In keeping with that theme, we have used the event to support different organizations which help women and children. This year we will be collecting toys for children affected by AIDS. The toys will be donated to the AIDS Project Los Angeles Toy Drive.

 

I promise an evening full of spirit and sincerely hope you will be able to join us.  Invite friends. Many friends! Forward this on to others.  Thanks.

 

Please make a reservation at the # below or rsvp to craigetty@aol.com as seating is limited.  Be sure to leave your full name and the number of people in your party.  A second show may be added.

 

MOTHER&CHILD

' ...the writing so pure....no words.'

        (Sheeba recording artist Jane Siberry in response to Craig's work.)

 

Wednesday December 12

7:30 pm

Sacred Fools Theater

660 N. Heliotrope

(Several blocks west of Vermont, half a block south of Melrose.)

$10 at door plus a toy for a child: infant-16 years old.

 

With Ned Farr, Christine Mourad, Jon Ossman, Craig Richey, Dreya Weber, Denny Weston Jr, Jamie Weston.

 

RESERVATIONS: 323-669-2815 or rsvp to: craigetty@aol.com

 

mary had a dream, saw a baby meek and mild

mary heard a voice, 'will you carry this little child?'

then she heard herself give an answer

'soon i will be...mother and child...

mother and child...mother and child.'

                                       craig richey

 

peace. Craig

 

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8.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

 

"I really appreciate all the work you guys do. I wouldn't have known about the [October 30 Walgreens] meeting unless you guys had sent me the e-mail.  I regret that I didn't make the Shopping Bag meeting on the morning it was scheduled; I was working. 

 

Keep up the good work. You all have a vision that makes and shall make all the difference.

 

Thanks --"

 

-- C. Flores, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member

 

 

"Keep up the good work!"

 

-- Ursula El-Tawansy, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member

 

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9.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK

 

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for."

 

-- Maureen Dowd

 

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We welcome your comments.  Please include your name.

 

Please encourage interested friends to send their Email addresses to us at artburn@earthlink.net so we can keep them informed, too.

 

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Joanne Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>

President, The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)