By STUART MULLER Special to the Palisadian-Post County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s name is prominently displayed on the big sign at the Temescal Canyon entrance to Will Rogers State Beach. In fact, his name is almost as big as Ol’ Will’s! I guess he takes credit for the rehab job along the beach. This means he also deserves credit for its current problems: the project is still not complete and the costs continue. Last Saturday morning, after the first significant rainfall since spring, the area west of the Temescal Canyon entrance, around the parking attendant booth, was flooded with six inches of water over an area of about a half acre. I propose we call this Lake Yaroslavsky, in his honor! Last year, when his deputy, Maria Chong Castillo, and the county’s Project Manager Gilberto Garcia appeared before the Palisades Community Council to explain the long delay in completing the project and the massive cost overrun, they vowed to have the project completed before summer began. It would require a major push, they said. I expressed my great concerns that, in the rush to completion, the quality of the work would be compromised. I also demanded accountability for any problems. Now, it seems that my fears were well founded. In addition to the parking lot drainage problems, there are myriad other problems: the outdoor showers don’t drain; the layout of the exit restricts egress to PCH; there is no vehicle access from the east parking lot to the west parking lot; there are landscaping issues (dead trees, sprinklers spraying away after the rainstorm, during a period of drought); a concession stand that never opened; poor workmanship in the building’s finish work; an incomplete bike path; and haphazard wiring to public telephones. I’m sure if you asked the county’s Garcia about these problems he’d give the standard bureaucratic reply: ‘We’re working on it.’ Does that mean just getting paid or does it mean accomplishing tasks in an efficient, competent and professional manner? I wish Will Rogers could give us his thoughts on this! I don’t feel that I’m looking at a ‘half-empty glass.’ I think the glass is at least two-thirds full. It’s just that we paid for a full glass and the waiter’s gone home. And don’t expect to get a full glass at the beach snack bar. It’s closed! Zev, whom are you going to hold accountable for this mess? And who’s going to fix it? Can you point your finger and tell us your intentions, Mr. Supervisor? (Muller is a member of the Palisades Community Council and a past Citizen of the Year. The county has spent more than $13 million renovating the beach. The county awarded Gonzales Construction, Inc. the contract in November 2005, and work began a month later.) County Responds to Queries About Will Rogers Project (Editor’s Note: In response to Stuart Muller’s Viewpoint, the Palisadian-Post asked Maria Chong Castillo, Deputy to L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, why flooding occurred at the entrance to the new parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach last weekend; why travel between the east and west parking lots is restricted; why the concession stand is still closed; why there are drainage problems with the new showers; and when the parking lot north of Gladstone’s will be complete. Castillo oversaw construction of the Public Works project for the county. Gonzales Construction was the contractor hired by the county. Castillo’s e-mail response follows.) It is my understanding that there is a catch-basin inlet in the area where the rainwater was ponding that is supposed to collect and drain the surface runoff from this area to the beach. According to Beaches and Harbors maintenance staff, this catch-basin inlet and drainage pipe were clogged with leaves and debris from runoff coming off PCH. They cleaned the inlet and pipe today (Monday) to alleviate the ponding and facilitate the drainage. The storm-drain catch basins in the parking lots all include fossil filters to remove debris and pollutants from the runoff before it drains to the beach. According to the County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors, a striping and signage plan has been developed to allow for circulation between the west and east parking lot areas, and the plan will be implemented in the next few weeks by its maintenance staff. Beaches and Harbors is expecting to receive the last piece of equipment (a three-compartment sink) for the concession building by the end of September so that we can obtain approval and sign-off from the Health Department by mid-October. Once we get a sign-off from the Health Department, the facility can be opened for business; however, this is at the discretion of the concessionaire. As part of the original design, gravel drain pits (approximately 2 ft x 2 ft x 1.5 ft deep) were installed at each of the four shower areas to capture and percolate the water from the showers; unfortunately, the drain pits seemed to be undersized for the volume of water being generated by the showers, so the gravel drain pits were enlarged to 6 ft x 6 ft x 5 ft deep. The work has been completed, inspected and tested at each of the four shower locations. The enlarged drain pits are working much better to alleviate the standing water problem, according to Beaches and Harbors maintenance staff. Parking Lot 5 [directly north of Gladstone’s], including the restrooms and showers, were opened to the public on September 8. The contractor is scheduled to complete the remaining miscellaneous punch-list items for this area in the next two weeks. Also, a change-order has been issued to the contractor to convert the lifeguard access ramp to a stairway will be completed in the next two weeks as well.
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