Newsletter
of the
Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association
Largest Neighborhood Association in Glendale
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Candidates Forum April 2 Your association will hold its city council candidates forum on Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at Brand Library. Will Rogers will again host the forum. This will be the last forum before the election on April 7. Past attendees know that our forum is one of the most respected and liveliest of the various candidate forums in the city. Our famous “lightening round” will once again challenge candidates to think quickly. Commentary from Will Rogers will add color and interest to the forum. We will be mailing reminder post cards closer to the event. |
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Districts Si! Towers No
By Peter Fuad This month witnessed the effectiveness of citizens organizing: Towers Toppled First, when T-Mobile attempted an end-run around full and fair public notice of their proposed cell tower on Cumberland, alert neighbors sniffed out their true motives. Aroused they quickly organized as GOACT. One aspect of their lightening quick and overwhelmingly successful campaign was their effective use of the internet— to contact people and groups literally across the nation in order to strategize with them, to conduct research on the state of federal, state and local laws, and to promote their activities through their own website getthecelloutofhere.com. Another impressive part of their efforts was their discipline. Internally they assigned roles and members used their varying talents to contact the press, develop a strategy and produce yard signs, which are ubiquitous even now. At the memorable Council meeting when they presented their case to the City, their presentation was organized (I should know as I was part of it) and informative. They spoke from their hearts, yet avoided excess drama and hysterics which would have detracted from their case. Council even noted this. See story below. Ard Eevin Highlands Historic District Adopted The application for Ard Eevin Highlands was first filed with the City in August 2007. The effort was spearheaded by named applicants Tammi Relyea, NWGHA board member, and Fred and Cindy Soldwedel. Other early pioneers who helped pave the way for historic districting include Gerri Cragnotti, Deborah Dentler, Ivan Insua, Doug Johnson, John LoCasio, Sally MacAller, Alex Rhim, Kurt Sawitskas, The Glendale Historical Society and City Staff. In addition, we cannot forget the numerous residents that canvassed our neighborhoods to educate residents about historic districting. A special shout-out goes to Jay Platt in the City’s Planning Department, who helped guide the process, and Elaine Wilkerson, former Planning chief, and herself a resident in the newly-formed Royal Boulevard HD, who did much of the heavy lifting in crafting a workable historic districting ordinance and the related design guidelines. We hear that neighboring residents now want to join or form an historic district. That is exactly what was hoped for when the first districts got adopted. See story below. |
The Guardian Published by the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association, a non profit organization Editor — Peter Fuad
Northwest Glendale
Homeowners Association 818.754.8274 www.nwglendaleha.org © NWGHA. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission prohibited.
NWGHA 2008-2009 President — Peter Fuad Vice President — Lawrence Kalfayan Treasurer — Carl Moseley Membership — Tammi Relyea and Mary Rose Grim Secretary — Mike Fedrick DRB Representative— Philip Keller Royal Barber Carol Brusha Douglas Johnson |
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Cell Tower Withdrawn: What’s Next? By Elise Kalfayan T-Mobile announced at a Thursday, February 5 community meeting that it will not build a cell tower in the 500 block of Cumberland after all. About 20 residents attended the meeting. Residents asked T-Mobile to also withdraw its application for a site at Glenwood Road and Clement Street, and insisted that the carrier install longer-range towers on city-owned hillsides far from homes, rather than “micro-site” towers that have a range of only two to four blocks and which would lead to a proliferation of T-Mobile’s and other carriers’ cell towers. Next Steps Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers (GOACT) is now mobilizing for its next effort: working with the City to draft a wireless facility ordinance that · keeps towers out of residential neighborhoods, · checks cell site proliferation by requiring carriers to plan for fewer towers overall, · guarantees strong design review oversight over location and construction. Towards that end GOACT has forwarded to Planning staff examples of other ordinances from around the country. January Council Meeting The issue began with an overflow crowd, many wearing protest t-shirts, at the January 7 Glendale City Council fighting against the proposed cell tower on Cumberland. At that meeting Council voted unanimously to impose a 45-day moratorium in order to give time for staff to draft a comprehensive wireless tower ordinance. The moratorium will likely be extended. GOACT’s Research Better than T-Mobile’s At that Council meeting, GOACT strongly objected to T-Mobile’s failure to accurately and timely notify neighbors and for using the Public Works permit process to avoid a public hearing. John McMahon of GOACT surveyed residents door-to-door and found that, contrary T-Mobile’s claims, there were almost no T-Mobile subscribers in the neighborhood and that area residents were not dropping their land lines for cell phones. At the February 5 community meeting , T-Mobile acknowledged that they didn’t do a good job of working with the community and that their demand, capacity, and coverage research wasn’t as thorough as GOACT’s survey, which apparently helped convinced them they don’t need a tower at the Cumberland location. Communities throughout the nation are fighting similar battles over cell tower proliferation. Many of these groups have contacted GOACT. For more information, check out GOACTs website at www.getthecelloutofhere.com. Glendale community issues blog is also following developments:
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Core GOACT Members Here are the core committee members of GOACT—Michael Cooney, Becky Hinkle, Elise Kalfayan, Lawrence Kalfayan - (NWGHA vice-president), and Marguerite Lincoln, all long-time area residents; John McMahon - owner of the home on Cumberland Road where the tower was to be installed; Ted and Ellie Polychronis - whose property would be encroached by electrical vault accompanying the tower; and Laura Friedman - former DRB member and current city council candidate. |
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The Cell Tower That Didn’t Get Approved
By contrast with the City allowing T-Mobile to erect a cell tower and vault near Cumberland and Pacific, the Glendale Parks Department rejected a request by T-Mobile to install a cell tower at Brand Park last year, according to Koko Panossian, Administrative Analyst with Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services. Departmental personnel met with staff from T-Mobile and their consulting firms at Brand Park in May 2008. T-Mobile asked to install an antenna at the Grandview entrance to the park. They proposed to match the design of the pillars at the entrance. Given the historic significance of the gates, the City rejected this location. T-Mobile proposed a second location near the Western Avenue entrance to the park. The Department felt that the neighbors would object to having the equipment and the antenna so close to their residences At that time, staff recommended an alternate location on the hill above the Doctors House, but their radio frequency consultants stated they needed to be at the front of the park. Parks was unable to come to any agreement on the location, and T-Mobile moved on to other options. T-Mobile never submitted a formal application for the park because it and Parks could not come to terms on the location. There are existing cell towers at Pelanconi Park (the large flag pole) and at Babe Herman Little League Field. |
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Council Adopts Ard Eevin Highlands Historic District The Glendale City Council approved Glendale’s second and third historic districts February 3. The 87-home Ard Eevin Highlands Historic District in Northwest Glendale and the 14-home Cottage Grove Historic District in the Adams Square area were both approved on a 5-0 vote, with no organized opposition. Both districts took about 1-1/2-years from the date residents first filed their petition to form their historic district— June 2007 for Cottage Grove and August 2007 for Ard Eevin Highlands. The Ard Eevin Highlands Historic District Council was an outgrowth of the ill-fated 500+ home Cumberland Heights Historic District (CHHD) As proponents of that district sought approval. significant opposition developed which highlighted deficiencies in the City’s historic districting ordinance. After plans for the district stalled, Council and the Planning Department, spearheaded by then head Elaine Wilkerson, embarked on drafting a revised Historic Preservation Overlay Zone Ordinance, which was adopted in November 2006. Process and Guidelines Key to the new ordinance was the inclusion of clearly-defined steps and structure, open hearings and notice requirements to residents, and increased city involvement to guide applicants and provide a fair process. Another integral part of the ordinance were the inclusion of cutting-edge city-wide design guidelines developed by an outside consultant. (Each district can append these basic guidelines although none has done so.) The guidelines have won several design and preservation awards. Boundaries Determined With the new ordinance in place, proponents regrouped to form a new district. The goal was to propose a smaller, more attainable district consistent with historic development boundaries. Proponents contacted nearby residents to gauge interest. The new district was limited to blocks where residents demonstrated a willingness to work and gather signatures. Consideration was also given to support and resistance experienced in the CHHD petition drive. The result is the district in the map below, anchored by the historic Ard Eevin House at the top of Ard Eevin Avenue. Council approved funding the historic resources survey for the proposed district in March 2008. The survey was approved by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) in August 2008, thus allowing collection of signatures. Although only 50% of residents’ signatures were required, 73% of residents signed the petition. Two local public hearings were held, in addition to hearings before the HPC and the Planning Commission. HD Workshop The NWGHA and proponents of the Ard Eevin HD encourage residents to form their own districts and, if adjacent, join Ard Eevin Highlands. Towards that end the NWGHA is sponsoring an historic districting workshop to be presented by Glendale Planning staff. Notices will be sent announcing the date. |
It’s pronounced Ard ĕ·VEEN´ The Campbell family, early developers and landowners named their 1901 homestead and the street below “Ard Eeven.” It’s Gaelic for “high bluffs.” And how do you pronounce it? It’s Ard ĕ·VEEN´— accent on the second syllable of Eevin..
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New Expanded San Fernando Road Landscaping Finally Complete By Douglas Johnson After years of planning, one earlier aborted effort, and considerable lobbying by neighbors, the City recently completed the landscaping along San Fernando Road. You may remember the initial effort last year to put up chain link fencing and bougainvillea plants immediately adjacent to the road. This unsightly and limited approach was roundly criticized by NWGHA, the Pelanconi Neighborhood Association, and by Mayor John Drayman and other members of the Council. Thankfully, the City heard, and acted upon, our concerns. Wider Landscaping The new landscaping extends considerably farther back from the curb than the original narrow three feet. A new series of plantings will provide both height and depth once it grows and fills in. Next to the curb, trees and flowering groundcover provide an initial row of landscaping, backed by “High Ground Cover” (also flowering seasonally) and, in the last row before the railroad tracks, shrubs will eventually reach between four and twelve feet high. Trees to 25-35 Feet According to City Engineer Kevin Carter, the project manager for this effort, the trees will grow to “above-traffic” heights of 25 to 35 feet tall. The trees are a mixture of Flaxleaf Paperbark, Western Redbud, and Water Gum trees. The ground cover immediately below the trees is Capeweed, a yellow flowering groundcover. The middle section is comprised of Bluefinger, which resembles a flowering iceplant, and Rosemary plants. The back section, closest to the trains, is primarily Indian Hawthorne and Texas Ranger, with Hopseed Bush by the intersections. The landscaping extends along San Fernando Road from Grandview in the north to Riverdale in the south. At the Flower Street and Fairmont Road intersections, landscaping will be put in once the current construction is completed. Earlier Limitations The earlier attempt at landscaping was limited by the concerns of Qwest and other firms with buried pipes in the railroad right of way. Qwest’s fiberglass tubing, a 16-inch oil line, and other elements are buried between the train tracks and San Fernando Road. According to Engineer Carter, the placement of the trees in the City’s right of way immediately next to the road, as far from the buried lines as possible, should avoid potential problems with root systems either causing problems or getting in the way of maintenance and repair efforts. |
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Many Candidates File for Local Posts Glendale will hold elections on April 7 for city council, city clerk, treasurer, Glendale Unified Schools and the Glendale Community College District. To run for office, candidates first pick up an information and signature package from the City Clerk and then gather signatures from supporters. The deadline to file campaign statements and qualifying voter signatures with the city clerk was January 29 (February 3 for GCC). The candidates are listed opposite (the number of openings for that post are in parentheses):
Candidates Forum April 2 Your association will hold its city council candidates forum on Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at Brand Library. Will Rogers will again host the forum. This will be the last forum before the election on April 7. Past attendees know that our forum is one of the most respected and liveliest of the various candidate forums in the city. Our famous “lightening round” will once again challenge candidates to think quickly. Commentary from Will Rogers will add color and interest to the forum. We will be mailing reminder post cards closer to the event. |
City Council (3):
Laura Friedman
Michael Teahan City Clerk
Ardashes “Ardy” City Treasurer
Ronald Borucki* Glendale Unified Schools (3)
Hasmig Asianian Glendale Community College (2)
Zainul Bedin *Incumbent
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Kenneth Village Spotlight-- Dartran Systems Provides Solutions for Your High (and Low) Tech Needs By Carol Brusha As our world becomes more technologically sophisticated and, therefore, more complicated, many of us need help in determining the most economical solutions for our homes and businesses since it is not just about buying a single computer anymore. It’s about obtaining the necessary networking systems for our 21st century lifestyles. This is where Dartran Systems, Inc, located in Kenneth Village, can help. The company’s expertise runs the gamut from problem solving, to upgrades, to networking your computers. It has repair service for all PC models and Macs, as well as for all printers. Since 1999 Owned by Northwest Glendale residents Jerry and Patty Aquino, Dartran Systems has been at 1409 Kenneth Road for ten years, opening here January, 1999. (The company has been in business for 20 years.) Jerry is the network engineer and Patty is the office manager, handling all the administrative work. Their motto is “Your partner for smart solutions,” and they offer competitive pricing so this can be economically achieved for their customers. “Our philosophy is to provide solutions to companies and individuals who want the highest level of products, services and support,” Jerry said. Dartran is a focal point for all computing needs. It offers PC desktop and Mac support, networks, hand-held PDAs to computer integration, internet, email and web hosting services, data and phone network cabling, and web page design to name a few. It is also an Authorized Microsoft Partner, and an authorized Dell, IBM and HP dealer. But there is more: Dartran provides telephone services for both business and residential use, which includes troubleshooting problems, installation of business telephone systems, recommendations for present needs and it always takes into account future flexibility for company or personal expansions. Other services include VOIP, voice mail and messaging systems, zone paging systems and telephone network cabling and management. Home Entertainment Systems Need a video surveillance system or a home entertainment system? Dartran provides sales, installation and service for both. “We help our residential customers utilize the latest technology, such as the ability to monitor their homes via the internet while away on vacation or using their existing audio equipment to listen to streaming music from any source,” said Jerry. “Our aim is to develop a relationship with each and every customer in order to provide personalized service. Once everything is discussed, we will develop a strategy for all their needs. Our specialty is helping clients integrate technology,” he added. Jerry offers free consultations and estimates for residents and businesses within a five mile radius. All work is guaranteed. UCLA, LAUSD, LA Public Library are all Clients Jerry has extensive background as a systems analyst having worked in that field for various companies, including manager of the data center at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute from 1987 to 1991. He and his team of experienced engineers and technicians provide services on a regular basis to UCLA, as well as the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Public Library, when the latter’s Information Technology (IT) department is short-handed. Patty and Jerry have lived in our area for fifteen years. They have two daughters and a son. To learn more about Dartran, log on to www.dartran.com. Their phone is (818) 265-0900. The company is here to integrate systems and to troubleshoot problems. (Reporter’s Note: I have passed Dartran many times as I walk to Yoga at the Village but since I have not yet upgraded to higher technology and have not yet had problems with my lone computer (knock on wood), I’ve never given the place much thought until a friend, who knows I write the Village Spotlight column, suggested I do this story. She told me about the day her computer crashed and Jerry Aquino fixed it. She had obtained his name from a friend who had previously used his services. After I interviewed the Aquinos for this piece, I recommended their company to another couple, who have been having many computer problems. They were very pleased with Jerry’s knowledge, services and fees.) |
Patty and
Jerry Aquino |
BB Shooting Spree Hits Northwest Glendale By Douglas Johnson In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, January 26, 2009, an unknown attacker shattered the back window of a Ford Explorer at the intersection of Glenwood and Bruce. Mysteriously, nothing was stolen from the vehicle. The owner was alerted to the attack by two Glendale police officers, who were called after a vigilant Glendale parking enforcement officer in the area spotted the damage. String of Attacks Glendale PD report that Northwest Glendale has seen a string of similar attacks, which they believe is the work of a vandal shooting a BB gun from a passing car. Numerous car windows in Northwest have been shattered, along with storefront windows in businesses along San Fernando Road. One unconfirmed report put a 1980s IROC Camero in the neighborhood at the time of one attack. These random acts of vandalism – costing hundreds of dollars each – are extremely difficult for the police to solve unless someone witnesses an attack and reports it promptly. Neighbors are asked to keep an eye out and report a 1980s Camero, any additional attacks, or for anyone who appears to be “cruising” the neighborhood. Also, if you see a broken window on a car, business, or residence, please notify Glendale Police immediately. As always, we express our thanks to the Glendale Police Department for their help and vigilance in our neighborhood.
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