Brush Clearance Continues

Just have to share this one, showing the excellent work Gothic is doing on the hillside. Today is Friday, and it appears that they have the north end of the project mostly covered, down to the township line that marks the northern extent of the Meadows subdivision.

Ray

Brush clearance began yesterday at the top of Risinghill. Thanks to Ray for the pics and monitoring of the work.

Fun Time!

From a Meadows neighbor:

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Homegoing for Teola Davis

Charlie Davis let me know that his Mother, Teola Davis, passed at age 104. She was a Meadows resident at the Davis home on Risinghill Road.

Her Homegoing will be Friday, May 22 at 12:00
Simpson Family Mortuary
3443 W. Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90305

For any further information, please call Charlie Davis at 626-529-3038

MFSC Brush Clearance to Begin

Brush clearance funded by the 2009 meadows FireSafe Council grant will begin Wednesday, May 20.

The focus for brush clearance this year is maintenance of the land that was cleared last year at the top of Risinghill and careful fuel-reduction of the land that passes from Risinghill to El Prieto. The FireSafe Council is still in the process of contact homeowners in the latter area.

Margaret Bridwell and Ray Backes will coordinate with the vendor, Gothic (the same vendor as last year), over the next few weeks.

Assessments for homeowners who requested assessments are expected to begin in June.

HHW / E-Waste Collection May 16

Here's a convenient Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste clean-up event hosted by L.A. County Sanitation:
Saturday, May 16th from 9-3.
Between Mountain View and Figueroa, west of Lincoln Ave.


Examples of E-Waste that WILL BE accepted:
computer monitors and televisions
computer cpu's and key boards
printers and copiers
cell phones

Examples of what WILL NOT be accepted:
refrigerators or white goods
ammunition
trash or tires
E-Waste from Businesses

What you CAN bring to a Household Hazardous Waste collection:
Motor oil, oil filters, brake fluid
Used antifreeze
Paint, paint thinner, turpentine
Cleaners with acid or lye
Pesticides or herbicides
Household batteries or car batteries
Pool chemicals
CRT's, old TV's, misc. electronics
Mercury thermometers or thermostats
Used Needles or Sharps (In a Sharps container or sturdy box labeled "SHARPS")
Unwanted or expired prescriptions

What you CANNOT bring to a HHW collection:
Explosives
Ammunition
Radioactive Materials
Trash
Tires
Business Waste
White Goods (stoves, fridges, etc.)
Controlled Substances

How should you prepare?
Bring the items you wish to dispose of in a sturdy box preferably in their original, labeled containers.
Do not EVER mix products together.
It is ILLEGAL to transport more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste in your personal vehicle.
Be prepared to leave your containers. Because of permitting requirements, and the volume of people that utilize the program, items such as gasoline cans WILL NOT be returned.

Lincoln and Altadena Construction Update

Here's an update on the construction project at Lincoln and Altadena:

The contractor failed to build the project in conformance with the approved plans and this resulted in a structural problem with the foundation of the building. Despite notices to remedy the problem, the contractor kept going with the construction. B&S issued a stop notice and suspended all inspections.

The developer then fired the original architect and engineer and hired a new design team. It took the new design team several submittals before they were able to develop a plan that mitigated the foundation problems. This resulted in about an 18 month delay in the project.

In addition, the contractor built the border walls on the north side of the development higher than approved by DRP, so a revised planning approval was also required.

The applicant has secured revised planning approval and the revised structural plans were approved about 3 weeks ago. We have re-commenced inspections and there should be no further delays.

Spring in The Meadows

Some pics taken by a neighbor while on a hike.

Stamp Out Hunger Saturday

The National Association of Letter Carriers' "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive is this Saturday, May 9th. Just leave a bag of non perishable out by your mailbox that day. (But not the night before as the bear may get it first!)

L.A. Co. Fire Department Alerts

From our Town Councilperson:

"With what has been called one of the best on site alerts for emergencies/calls that involve the Los Angeles Co. Fire Dept, you may subscribe to LAFD alerts.

The alerts range from (forgive me, not to be morbid) car accidents, building fires, a recent jump from a cliff, chlorine spills-anything that will call the fire dept out may be sent out as a brief alert.

You will get an alert before the news hears and reports out.

Where I care is when fire happens. This is immediate, on site, and probably the best immediate source of emerging information for those who want it as it develops. Because this is so immediate, there is a note that the alerts are NOT meant to replace official instructions or calls for action. So far the amount of emails have not been overwhelming. I suspect that may change when a fire erupts...but for me, that is ok. In those situations, I want all the info I can get.Below are instructions should you want to sign up. You can also read their blog."

http://lafd.org/blog

For further information - or to join LAFD_ALERT: http://lafd.org/alert

Open Mic at Farnsworth Park

From a neighbor:

"Last night I had a wonderful experience at Farnsworth Park. I wanted to tell the community that every Friday night at 7:00 there is an OPEN MIC gathering for all to join in. There were very few people since the word has not been out about this incredible experience. The poets, story telling, and percussionist, who is also a poet, was very enlightening. I encourage any one who wants to do something or share your writings, stories, music, to show up and enjoy the talented people I saw last night.

Fansworth Park, 568 E Mount Curve at the top of Lake Ave. 798-63335. On cool nights in the beautiful auditorium and on warm nights in the amphitheater. Hope to see you there.

More Bear Stories

From a neighbor in The Meadows:

"I went for a hike Friday night about 6:30. I headed up El Prieto Rd and was nearing the intersection were you can go right to Millard campground or left to Brown Mtn Rd (where there are lots of bees buzzing). There was a BIG bear that had just crossed the trail and was in the brush on the right about 30 feet from me. I heard the noise and saw him at the same time. He was huge! My eyes got as big as saucers. I watched him as I slowly backed away, he watched me but didn’t make a move. After about 30 seconds he turned and looked toward the canyon and then headed off. I decided it was a good time to turn back for home. He wasn’t scared of me but I was a bit unnerved by him!"

Big Bear in my Back Yard!

At 9:00 p.m. last night, Friday, my security lights turned on at the walkway behind my house and the brush. I looked out my windows to the patio and expected to see the typical raccoon or cat. Instead, a very large shadow appeared and then a beautiful and very large bear. It was literally 10 feet from my patio doors and had to weigh over 400 pounds.

I grabbed my camera and turned on the patio lights, but it was gone. I assumed it went into the brush, but the neighbor to the South of me on El Prieto said that it turned over his trash cans at around 9:30 p.m.

While it was thrilling to see, it's also a bit unnerving that it was so close to my house and also that it was early in the evening.

A little while later, I could hear neighbors' voices in the area. For anyone reading this, please let folks know that it is out and about and to take precautions.

Acting Workshop for Youth

Led by one of our Meadows Residents:

The Altadena Arts Council (TAAC), in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, will be sponsoring an "Acting Workshop for Youth", which will be held at Farnsworth Park, corner of North Lake Avenue and East Mountain Curve. The workshop will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00 pm - 5:00 p.m. The first six-week session begins on Monday, May 11th and ends on Wednesday, June 17th. The workshop is open to all youth 9-14 years of age and costs $10.00 per class. Advanced registration is advised. For further information, please contact Mary Ann Stevenson at 626.797.5798 or via E-mail at maswrites@att.net .

Census Update

Sheriff's Headquarters has been told that census takers will be in neighborhoods for 2 separate reasons.

The first is that they will be walking through neighborhoods in an effort to develop a good address list and to look for multiple units so the actual census taking effort is more effective.

They will be carrying hand-held computers with gps devices. The first round - those out identifying addresses will be in our neighborhoods from April 6, 2009 through June 19, 2009.

The Census takers will have a red, white and blue identification badge that will also say CENSUS ENUMERATOR, and will include the name of the person on the front, as well as their picture.

These actual census takers, or census enumerators, will be walking the neighborhoods between April 1, 2010 and some time in July, 2010. They will be out making an effort to contact households that did not return the questionnaires that will be mailed in February, 2010.

The Sheriff's Department is urging all people concerned about whether they are seeing actual census takers should call the Altadena Sheriff's Station at 626 798 1131 and let the person answering the phone know that there are strangers going door to door. It may be better to let the Sheriff's deputies determine that the people in their neighborhoods are the actual census takers.

The phone number for the Regional Census Office in Van Nuys is 818 267 1700.

JPL Open House May 2 & 3

JPL Open House
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm
The 2009 JPL Open House will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd and 3rd, 2009, 9am-5pm both days.

This popular event celebrates JPL's accomplishments with exhibits and demonstrations about the Laboratory's ongoing research and space exploration. Many of the Lab's scientists and engineers are on hand to answer questions about how spacecraft are sent to other planets, how scientists utilize space technologies to explore Earth and how researchers are searching for planets beyond the solar system.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/open-house.cfm

More info:
Admission and parking is free. Please be advised that we will not have buses to and from the parking lots. There are also no internal bus tours this year. JPL will provide special needs vans for guests with mobility challenges throughout the day.

The following items are not permitted at this NASA/JPL Event: weapons, explosives, incendiary devices, dangerous instruments, alcohol, illegal drugs, pets, all types of skates including skateboards, segways and bicycles. No bags, backpacks or ice chests are allowed, with the exception of small purses and diaper bags.

Your entry on NASA/JPL property constitutes your agreement that you, your vehicles and your personal belongings are subject to inspection.

+ Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities
JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is available near the Oak Grove main gate and the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway.

For more information, please contact:
Public Services Office
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mail Stop 186-113
Pasadena, CA 91109

Cactus in Bloom

Thanks to Jane for taking this pic of a cactus in my garden.

Altadena Business Open House May 15

Mark your calendar for Fri., May 15, as the North Lake Ave.
> Business District holds its first Open House, 4-9 PM.
>
> Businesses on and around Lake Ave. in Altadena will be open, and there
> will be food, music, art, and other activities available for the
> family.
>
> The open house is the brainchild of the newly-formed Altadena Arts
> Coalition, a local arts and business group spearheaded by Ben McGinty
> (Gallery at the End of the World), Lance Anderson (Altadena Junction),
> Molly Tierney (Photography by Walt) and "Jeff the Chef" Klein (Coffee
> Gallery).
>
> McGinty said that the idea for the open house "morphed out of" a map
> he found of Altadena businesses in the 50's-60's, published by the
> Altadena Chamber of Commerce. To mark the open house, the coalition
> will also release a map of today's local Lake Ave.-area businesses.
>
> McGinty, who has operated his gallery in Altadena since 1994, said
> that the whole point of the evening was "about awareness. It's not
> about sales, it's about people getting excited about what we've got
> here." McGinty said he has walked up and down Lake Ave. from Altadena
> Dr. to New York Dr., talking to each business to try to get some
> buy-in.
>
> Among the activities already booked include an art opening at the
> Coffee Gallery, an antique car show at Ronnie's Automotive, "Spring
> Fever" at the Gallery at the End of the World," 20-minute portrait
> painting at Altadena Junction, and an exhibit of emerging
> photographers at Walt's.
>
> McGinty said that the vision was an evening with "hundreds of people
> walking the street, meeting their business neighbors, realizing that
> (Altadenans) don't have to leave their back yard -- just a chance to
> come out and find what's in the community."
>
> Anderson said that future Open Houses were being planned, including
> one to coincide with the annual lighting of Christmas Tree Lane.

Found Turtle

Hey Neighbors....

Some friends in the Meadows found a turtle and we are now taking care of it. We are happy to give this turtle a new home - but if someone out there is missing a beloved pet, we want to put the word out that we have it.

If you know of someone here in the Meadows missing a turtle, you can give them our phone #, so they can call to describe the turtle they are missing.

Right now s/he seems pretty darn happy at our zoo.
;)
Jane & Todd Szabo
(626) 797-7792

Census Counting on You

2010 is the year of the Census. Census representatives will be knocking on doors from now until next month for the 2010 Census. They should be wearing red, white and blue ID tags and carrying computers and GPS systems if they come to your residence. Still, if neighbors feel unsure of a representative or uncomfortable answering the door, they should call the Sheriff.