Party Planned to Build Bridge With Neighbors : Simi Valley Freeway: Work crews to thank residents for their patience during the project to repair two overpasses.

They’re planning a party for neighbors of the noisy, dirty Simi Valley Freeway reconstruction project in Granada Hills to thank residents for their patience.

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The fete is scheduled for May 7 along San Fernando Mission Boulevard in Granada Hills, where two freeway overpasses that fell during the Jan. 17 quake are being rebuilt.

Half the lanes of the Simi Valley Freeway have been patched and are open to traffic. Soon, however, Caltrans contractors will start tearing down the other side.

The party, sponsored by Caltrans, Brutoco Construction and the Sierra Group, a public relations firm, is meant to thank residents for their patience in putting up with the round-the-clock dust and noise that will continue to disrupt their lives for several more months.

The laid-back atmosphere around the Granada Hills project offers a stark contrast to the public relations nightmare surrounding the rebuilding of the Santa Monica Freeway, Los Angeles City Council aides say.

In the neighborhoods near the Santa Monica Freeway, cynicism runs rampant.

“Don’t hold your breath,” resident Kitty Beaz said. “We haven’t gotten anything we were promised.”

Beaz and others feel burned by broken promises and are threatening to sue.

At the heart of the issue is a matter of the pocketbook. In the weeks after the freeways fell, Caltrans circulated letters to neighbors of both the Santa Monica and Simi Valley freeways, promising to pay $75 per night when the noise exceeded a certain level. Then, residents allege, Caltrans reneged.

Beaz cautioned her San Fernando Valley counterparts: Don’t put on the party dresses yet, and don’t count your chickens until they’re barbecued.

“We haven’t seen a dime,” Beaz said. “Caltrans decided we weren’t getting any money and we weren’t invited to the ceremony” when the freeway recently reopened. “And where’s that barbecue they promised us?”

The $75-a-night offer was an issue in Granada Hills too, but after the squawk that erupted around the Santa Monica Freeway, officials quickly informed residents at a series of community meetings that proximity to the freeway construction didn’t automatically entitle them to payment. The money was intended as a stipend to compensate residents who opted to stay in hotels.

“I don’t know what happened on the 10,” said Greig Smith, an aide to City Councilman Hal Bernson. “They had a big public meeting with our constituents. There had been a lot of promises on the 10, and there were a lot of hurt feelings. Maybe they learned from their mistakes.”

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A Caltrans spokesman said he didn’t know the details and referred all calls to the contractors. Different construction companies were hired for the two bridge rebuilding projects.

The Granada Hills residents seem content to let the $75 question drop.

At the last meeting, “nobody had any gripes,” said Fritz Yonkers, whose back yard abuts the Simi Valley Freeway construction project. “We were sitting there drinking punch and eating cookies and thanking everybody for what a good job they had done. Everybody seemed to be pretty cool. “They came around with a form, and I had to sign it. I didn’t really read it,” Yonkers said. “Some took it as a binding contract with Caltrans. I thought that was ridiculous. Some people read into it that regardless, they would automatically be getting $75 per day.”

Yonkers has been appeased by a temporary sound wall. He believes he won’t be disturbed by construction on the other side of the freeway from his home on Jonfin Street.

“Our main gripe is we want a permanent sound wall on the freeway, and we are getting one,” he said.

And the Granada Hills contractor intends to keep his promise to hold a block party, a spokeswoman said.

“We’re doing ours, as you can see,” said Rebecca Barrantes, a spokeswoman for the contractor. “We’re serious about it. I want this to be a smiley face for the community.”

Or, as Yonkers sees it: “They’re gonna take the 75 bucks per person and buy hot dogs.”