President's Message, May 2007
By Laura Gutierrez
Greetings to all!
Spring has begun and with this season, the word
that comes to my mind is “renew.”
There are so many actions that we can associate
with this word. For example: restore, regenerate,
revive, replace, refresh, renovate, and revitalize.
I’m thinking how appropriate
that last word is when I think of Glassell Park.
For the past few years, I’ve been seeing how
Glassell Park is beginning the sometimes slow
process of revitalization. One comes to think
of that old saying, “Good things come to those
who wait.” That’s fine and all, but how long does
it take? Which brings to mind another saying,
“The early bird catches the worm.” Well, I guess
you can call the GPIA an early bird. We’ve been
at this process of renewal and revitalization for
39 years now.
This desire for positive change also applies
to our speaker for this month’s meeting, Gloria
Jeff. Faced with difficult challenges, when hired
for her job, she is looking at the DOT with fresh
eyes and making the changes necessary to meet
its goals.
Also recognizing the need to change is Council
President Garcetti. He has commissioned Kathy
Cerra Associates to create a Streetscape Master
Plan for Eagle Rock Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. In
reaction to a changing landscape in local land use
(both literally and figuratively), Councilmember
Huizar introduced the Hillside Cumulative
Impact Report. The purpose of this report is to
help determine if new polices are needed to address
the negative impacts of rapid development on our
local infrastructure.
Public Safety has always been a priority with
Councilmember Reyes. He first introduced a
motion to place cameras in a much-troubled
MacArthur Park. Today that same park is now
fi lled with families enjoying safe recreation. Reyes
recently introduced a motion in City Council to
place cameras in all parks for CD1, which includes
the new park at Taylor Yard that just opened.
Helene Schpak, our Land Use Liaison, has been
working with others to create the Great Walkabout
for Glassell Park and Cypress Park. This catalog
will provide a comprehensive and valuable tool for
anyone involved in policy or planning changes for
Glassell and Cypress Parks from our communities’
viewpoint.
The GPIA is also changing to better serve this
community. We are dealing with so many new
issues: explosive development and intense interest
in Land Use in Glassell Park; and a new
neighborhood council board that
is pro-development. It’s an odd predicament
that our community has never
faced before, but I am grateful to have a GPIA
board that is willing to step up. Usually we take a
summer hiatus, but keep an eye out for a summer
membership meeting.
We’ve got a list of improvement projects.
We started last month at the Crestmoore Steps.
Improvement Chairs Alfred Marin and Raphael
Guerin are applying for another grant to protect
the steps from vandalism. We’ve adopted the
Washington Irving Middle School and just
completed a volunteer work day to spruce up the
campus. We’ve initiated a Historic Resources
Committee to foster a greater understanding of the
history of Glassell Park. We’ve joined forces with
Friends of Atwater Village on a Mural Project at the
Fletcher Dr. railroad underpass to create a “Sister
Communities” mural about the history of Atwater
Village and Glassell Park. Council District 13 has
slated funds for this project. Most of these ideas
and projects were generated from your input from
our survey. Quality of life, hillside construction,
and infrastructure were the top three concerns.
There are also concerns about the LACC Satellite
College, Home Depot squeezing another store
into the existing Kmart building, and High School
13 at Parcel F. We will continue to monitor each
situation and take actions necessary to protect and
improve our community. Go to our web site at www.
gpia.org for “Breaking News”. Please join us for work
days and volunteer opportunities. Ask your friends
and neighbors to join in the fun. We are active and
we are passionate about our community!
Spring has begun and with this season, the word
that comes to my mind is “renew.”
There are so many actions that we can associate
with this word. For example: restore, regenerate,
revive, replace, refresh, renovate, and revitalize.
I’m thinking how appropriate
that last word is when I think of Glassell Park.
For the past few years, I’ve been seeing how
Glassell Park is beginning the sometimes slow
process of revitalization. One comes to think
of that old saying, “Good things come to those
who wait.” That’s fine and all, but how long does
it take? Which brings to mind another saying,
“The early bird catches the worm.” Well, I guess
you can call the GPIA an early bird. We’ve been
at this process of renewal and revitalization for
39 years now.
This desire for positive change also applies
to our speaker for this month’s meeting, Gloria
Jeff. Faced with difficult challenges, when hired
for her job, she is looking at the DOT with fresh
eyes and making the changes necessary to meet
its goals.
Also recognizing the need to change is Council
President Garcetti. He has commissioned Kathy
Cerra Associates to create a Streetscape Master
Plan for Eagle Rock Blvd. and Fletcher Dr. In
reaction to a changing landscape in local land use
(both literally and figuratively), Councilmember
Huizar introduced the Hillside Cumulative
Impact Report. The purpose of this report is to
help determine if new polices are needed to address
the negative impacts of rapid development on our
local infrastructure.
Public Safety has always been a priority with
Councilmember Reyes. He first introduced a
motion to place cameras in a much-troubled
MacArthur Park. Today that same park is now
fi lled with families enjoying safe recreation. Reyes
recently introduced a motion in City Council to
place cameras in all parks for CD1, which includes
the new park at Taylor Yard that just opened.
Helene Schpak, our Land Use Liaison, has been
working with others to create the Great Walkabout
for Glassell Park and Cypress Park. This catalog
will provide a comprehensive and valuable tool for
anyone involved in policy or planning changes for
Glassell and Cypress Parks from our communities’
viewpoint.
The GPIA is also changing to better serve this
community. We are dealing with so many new
issues: explosive development and intense interest
in Land Use in Glassell Park; and a new
neighborhood council board that
is pro-development. It’s an odd predicament
that our community has never
faced before, but I am grateful to have a GPIA
board that is willing to step up. Usually we take a
summer hiatus, but keep an eye out for a summer
membership meeting.
We’ve got a list of improvement projects.
We started last month at the Crestmoore Steps.
Improvement Chairs Alfred Marin and Raphael
Guerin are applying for another grant to protect
the steps from vandalism. We’ve adopted the
Washington Irving Middle School and just
completed a volunteer work day to spruce up the
campus. We’ve initiated a Historic Resources
Committee to foster a greater understanding of the
history of Glassell Park. We’ve joined forces with
Friends of Atwater Village on a Mural Project at the
Fletcher Dr. railroad underpass to create a “Sister
Communities” mural about the history of Atwater
Village and Glassell Park. Council District 13 has
slated funds for this project. Most of these ideas
and projects were generated from your input from
our survey. Quality of life, hillside construction,
and infrastructure were the top three concerns.
There are also concerns about the LACC Satellite
College, Home Depot squeezing another store
into the existing Kmart building, and High School
13 at Parcel F. We will continue to monitor each
situation and take actions necessary to protect and
improve our community. Go to our web site at www.
gpia.org for “Breaking News”. Please join us for work
days and volunteer opportunities. Ask your friends
and neighbors to join in the fun. We are active and
we are passionate about our community!
| Glassell Park Improvement Association P.O. Box 65881 Glassell Park, CA 90065 gpiaalert@gmail.com |
