Note: The Palisadian-Post Web site only displays a select number of articles from our weekly publication. We are the only newspaper offering complete advertising coverage of the important, high-income communities of the Pacific Palisades area, from Sunset Mesa and the Highlands to Santa Monica Canyon and Mandeville Canyon. For more in-depth coverage, including local government, business, schools, sports, arts, lifestyle, opinion and much more, see our print edition. Click here to subscribe! For many years, Cameron Brown (Algert) has enjoyed walking along the Viade las Olas bluffs with family and friends, while also taking her dog for walks. The stretch from Friends Street to Mt. Holyoke offers sweeping views of the coastline and Santa Monica Bay, and at the westernmost point there’s a small pocket park where neighbors enjoy gathering to watch sunsets. Last fall, Brown noticed that broken railings at the park (above Temescal) were in need of repair and paint, and that the area needed to be weeded and litter picked up. She hoped that perhaps her 15-year-old son, Hank Algert, could make fence repairs as part of his Boy Scout Eagle project. ‘I thought doing a project like this would be meaningful and a nice way to give back to the neighborhood,’ Brown said. ‘I spoke with someone in the City who was supportive of the idea, but working out the details was too slow and my son found another project elsewhere.’ Several months later, the City replaced the broken fence railings, but never painted them. ‘I felt it was my responsibility to finish the project,’ said Brown, who recently moved from Via de la Paz to Bienveneda. ‘I put together a work day on Memorial Day, gathering friends in the neighborhood who were happy to give a couple of hours to beautify’the park we enjoy so much.’ About 25 neighbors helped and five other people, who were just walking by, stayed and joined in the cleanup. ‘The park has several commemorative benches where people can sit and take in the gorgeous ocean views,’ said Jan Scruton, who lives in the area, but did not initially know about the cleanup. ‘I came by at 10 a.m. and observed a group of adults and kids and a couple of dogs setting up camp in the middle of the park area. They had a large cooler with them.’ Since it was a holiday, I thought maybe they were gathering for a family picnic.’ When Scruton saw them reach for paint cans, buckets, brushes and rollers, she realized it was not a picnic.’ ‘I asked the woman [Brown] who appeared to be in charge if this was a project through a school or organization,’ Scruton said. ‘She said the neighbors on Via had often met over the years at this spot with their dogs and kids, and they simply wanted to help restore the area.’ Workers gathered trash, painted, cleaned benches, nailed down loose boards, cleared the pathway and cut down weeds. In addition to one large bag of trash, the group filled four large bags with weeds and other plant material in about two hours. ‘It was a lot of fun to work’with old neighbors and friends and accomplish so much!’ Brown said. Later, 16-year-old Grace Levin, who had worked that day, pointed out another benefit. ‘It has been so much fun to go on our afternoon dog walks and greet folks we met working to make the bluff nicer. I am filled with a new sense of pride that people are enjoying the view from a space that I contributed to beautifying.’ Her mother Helen added, ‘We are reminded of what a great neighborhood we live in. So many Palisades neighbors came out to lend a hand, and several folks walking by’dropped what they were doing to join in the work effort. ‘I would just ask community members to please donate’their cigarette butts and snack debris’to the trash bin when they are enjoying our lovely little corner of paradise,’ Helen said. Scruton explained why she had alerted the Palisadian-Post about this project. ‘I thought it was so magnanimous of this group to give up their time on a holiday for the benefit of the community. I felt that they should be recognized for their efforts. My husband and I have lived in the Palisades for more than 30 years, and raised our three kids here. The kindness and generosity of the people in this community never ceases to amaze me.’
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