GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING PREVIEW
STREET REHABILITATION
Public Works officials are scheduled to seek authorization Tuesday to solicit bids on major street rehabilitation projects for portions of Los Feliz Boulevard and Verdugo Road.
The projects are expected to cost a combined $1.3 million to $1.5 million, and would include the replacement of existing asphalt; the addition of a concrete median; repair of damaged curbs, gutters and sidewalks; and modifications to storm drains and manholes.
Curb ramps would also be reconstructed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Work on Los Feliz Boulevard would take place between Central Avenue and the city’s west boundary with Los Angeles just past San Fernando Road. The project area for Verdugo Road would be between Cañada Boulevard and La Crescenta Avenue.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The City Council will likely approve the request since it is only to solicit bids on the two projects and because funding has already been allocated through the city’s capital improvement program budget.
SENIOR PROGRAMS
The City Council will be asked to appropriate about $14,000 in recently received grants to two programs for seniors.
About $7,300 would pay for an additional 2,100 meals to be delivered to homebound seniors, increasing the total output this program year to 11,550. This would be tacked onto a $194,568 grant allocation — including a 15% match from the city — to pay for a comprehensive meals program for Glendale area seniors for fiscal year 2007-08, which is also up for council approval Tuesday.
The remainder of the $14,100 would help pay for case management services for seniors through the Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging. Services would include healthcare, transportation, counseling and in-home safety.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely approve the grant allocations and service contracts since they would essentially expand senior care services.
GRANT FOR POLICE
Glendale Police are slated to ask the council to approve the receipt of a $6,000 state grant to help fund an upcoming Click It or Ticket program.
The seat belt enforcement program will take place between May 12 and June 1.
The grant funds will help pay for police officer and supervisor overtime during that period.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely approve the grant allocation since it does not require city matching funds and will help offset staffing costs.
OIL TANK REMOVAL
Three large above-ground oil tanks that have served the Grayson Power Plant could be on their way out if the City Council on Tuesday approves a $60,000 contract to permanently remove them.
The tanks once served as fuel reservoirs for the plant’s boilers, but more strict environmental regulations have rendered them useless. The boilers now operate solely on natural gas from the Scholl Canyon Landfill.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely approve the contract since removal of the tanks will not only sustain the site’s compliance with environmental and safety regulations, but will free up much-needed space at the Utility Operations Center.
The City Council on Tuesday is slated to vote on a set of findings prepared by the city attorney to deny a conditional-use permit that would have allowed a proposed residential project at 1650 Hazbeth Lane to move forward.
If approved, the findings would reverse the city zoning administrator’s earlier decision to grant the permit.
The findings report is based on a March 4 public hearing at the City Council, which voted 4-0 to reject the permit request based on the determination that the project’s impact on the hillside would be incompatible with the neighborhood.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely approve the findings, which would make their March 4 determination final.
NONPROFIT FEES
A proposed increase in the amount of fees many nonprofit groups would have to pay for city resources at special events will go to the City Council for final consideration.
The policy adjustment, which was originally scheduled to be heard Feb. 19, would see the discounts that nonprofits and merchant associations pay for the use of police officers, city hardware and other resources drop from 50% to 25%, a proposal that has some groups complaining of potentially insurmountable financial hardships.
Some nonprofit administrators have said the increased fees could hamper the production of some public events. City officials contend the fee increases are necessary in order to cap rising costs.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The City Council will likely debate the issue and take public testimony into account before making a final decision on how to adjust the special events fee policy.