BUENA PARK : Offending Alley to Be Kept Open

The City Council agreed this week to clean up and keep open an alley between La Carta and La Canada circles after residents complaining about debris and noise there asked to have it closed.

In a unanimous vote, the council allowed a concrete walkway to remain open after other residents said they and their children use it frequently, often to get to Raymond Temple School. The city will install an eight-foot fence to keep people from throwing debris into the yards of the four residents whose properties are next to the alley.

In addition, the council agreed to make improvements to the walkway to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. The city will fix the concrete, install posts at each end to prevent motorcycles from going through and install a traffic light to increase the safety of people using the walk.

“I think it is sad that when this was built 30 or 40 years ago, it was safe,” said Mayor Rhonda J. McCune. “Now we live in a time period that we have to construct bars and other measures.”

The residents next to the walk complained of excessive noise, damage to their homes and litter. Graffiti are frequently scrawled on the walls, they said.

“It has been a dangerous alley for many, many reasons,” said Jim Jilk, whose home abuts the walk. “We’ve had people shoot out the windows in our house. . . . I won’t let my kids go down the catwalk. I’ve never seen this in this city before. It’s a place where people can go to do anything they want to because no one can see them.”

But at least one resident told the council that vandalism is not rampant in the area.

“It is an isolated thing,” said neighbor Cindi Levesque. “It’s not like our area is being bombarded. It’s a nice neighborhood.”

The city will pay $4,700 for the repairs in addition to $200 annually for periodic trash pickup, said Donald K. Jensen, director of engineering services.