By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
The Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting on the evening of Thursday, September 11, included updates and presentations on grants the board has awarded, a temporary library facility, and current and future Palisades infrastructure projects by the Bureau of Engineering.
Following its reception of donations from entities like California Community Foundation, PPCC assembled a Grants Committee, chaired by Quentin Fleming, which recommended its first two grants: $75,000 to Palisades Forestry Committee and $15,000 to Crayon Collection—both of which were unanimously approved by the PPCC board following a presentation and discussion.
Palisades Forestry Committee, which is chaired by David Card, will use the funds to coordinate the watering of street trees (trees in parkways) in the Palisades with water trucks that are operated and managed by Tracey Price of American Growers Company (a 2,000-gallon truck) and Valeria Serna of Resilient Palisades (500-gallon truck).
The two trucks, with accompanying two-person crews, will water street trees in five specific regions (Marquez Knolls, El Medio Bluffs, Via Mesa, Alphabet Streets and the Huntington) between Marquez Avenue and Chautauqua Boulevard weekly from mid-September through the end of November.
“Thank you very much,” Card said. “We appreciate it, and the trees will really appreciate it.”
When asked about additional trees in other areas of the Palisades, Card explained the funds would cover a “limited number of trees” but could potentially be expanded. He also said he would work with Council District 11’s office, which committed to provide water for 304 street trees in the Palisades.
The second grant, which was also unanimously approved by the PPCC board, will support Crayon Collection, a nonprofit founded in 2013 by Highlands resident Sheila Morovati.
The funds will be a “block grant” to commemorate the “Banners of Hope” project where students from 11 Palisades schools created art that was hung from light poles along Sunset and San Vicente boulevards by funding 4’ by 8’ banners to be gifted to each participating school. The grant will also fund art supplies and other needs for student art projects at Palisades schools, which will be determined by Crayon Collection.
Later in the meeting, Friends of the Palisades Library Board President Cameron Pfizenmaier spoke on a temporary 60’ by 60’ facility for Palisades Branch Library, which will open at Palisades Recreation Center.
Originally planned to be placed on a grassy area near the entrance of the park, the “Book Bungalow,” which will offer a “small browsing collection, holds pickup, Wi-Fi and community meeting space,” is now on track to be placed on tennis courts 7 and 8, with the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation Parks citing during an August 28 Pacific Palisades Recreation Center Park Advisory Board meeting that the department heard feedback from the community regarding preserving green space, prompting the change.
The building will also offer a space for Rec and Parks staff to work and take breaks, while ongoing reconstruction work is being completed at Palisades Recreation Center.
The library will likely be open five days per week, probably Tuesday to Saturday with limited hours, Pfizenmaier explained.
“We’re really excited to come back and have a space,” Pfizenmaier said.
At the time of the PPCC meeting, Pfizenmaier did not have an estimated timeline for when the forthcoming permanent Palisades Branch Library would be constructed or completed, adding the Friends of the Palisades Library has been “extremely vocal” about the engineering team soliciting community input prior to rebuilding.
The final presentation of the evening was delivered by Los Angeles City Bureau of Engineering Program Manager for Hillside Slope Stability Kristen Wong regarding current and future infrastructure projects in the Palisades as part of the city’s fire response.
Wong reported that 21 bulkheads/sites have been evaluated in January and February by city staff following the start of the Palisades fire. They determined that eight city-owned bulkhead or retaining wall sites (located in the public right of way, not private property) were in need of repairs.
A site near 17632 Castellammare Drive was listed as “completed,” with sites near 17470 Revello Drive, Stretto Way at Castellammare Drive and 711 Enchanted Way “substantially completed.”
“Before … there was a timber wall that suffered a lot of fire damage,” Wong said of the site that has been completed, noting repairs had been done with concrete and steel to be more fire resistant.
A site near 505 Bienveneda Avenue and 17432 Posetano Road were listed as “in construction,” with sites near 17537 Tramonto Drive and 559 Bienveneda Avenue “under further investigation.”
The next PPCC meeting is scheduled to take place on September 25. More information, including an agenda and a link to attend, can be found at pacpalicc.org.
