Infrastructure

The following programs will be broadcast on Glendale Government Access Channel 6 on Charter Cable. For more information, call 548-4844. TODAY 6 a.m. - Glendale Sports Summit 2000 8 a.m. - Inside Public Works: "Infrastructure" 9 a.m. - NSTV: "Making a Difference" 10 a.m. - Community Calendar 11 a.m. - Community Calendar Noon - Community Calendar 1 p.m. - Community Calendar 2 p.m. - LIVE: Glendale Water & Power Commission 5 p.m. - Inside Public Works: "Infrastructure" 6 p.m. - LIVE: Transportation & Parking Commission 9 p.m. - NSTV: "Making A Difference" 10 p.m. - REPLAY: Glendale Water & Power Commission TUESDAY 6 a.m. - Glendale Sports Summit 2000 8 a.m. - Inside Public Works: "Infrastructure" 9 a.m. - NSTV: "Making A Difference" 10:30 a.m. - LIVE: Long Range Financial Plan Study Session 2 p.m. - Community Calendar 3:30 p.m. - LIVE: Housing Authority & Glendale Redevelopment Agency 5 p.m. - Inside Public Works: "Infrastructure" 6 p.m. - LIVE: City Council Midnight - Community Calendar WEDNESDAY 6 a.m. - Glendale Sports Summit 2000 8 a.m. - Inside Public Works: "Infrastructure" 9:30 a.m. - LIVE: Zoning Administration Hearing Noon - REPLAY: Long Range Financial Plan Study Session 4 p.m. - REPLAY: Zoning Administration Hearing 6 p.m. - REPLAY: Housing, GRA & Council Midnight...

Proposition 53 is one of the two measures on today's ballot, accompanying the governor's recall election. Crescenta Valley Water District's Board of Directors, at their last meeting, adopted a resolution in support of Proposition 53, identifying its importance and encouraging local voters to investigate its potential benefits and cast their ballots accordingly. If approved by voters, the legislative, constitutional amendment will set aside what eventually will be a maximum of 3% of the state's general fund for pay-as-you-go capital expenditures for state and local infrastructure.

News of a planned bike lane for a portion of Foothill Boulevard was more than just a pleasant surprise for the community: It was the first concrete commitment for such badly needed infrastructure. Glendale has been working for months to quantify its severe lack of bike-friendly infrastructure and hammer out a plan to address it, and so the announcement from Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s office that a bike plan’s coming for Foothill Boulevard is welcome big first step, especially if it’s extended through county lines and into the city.

Former Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian was reappointed this week to a second four-year term on the California Transportation Commission, securing Glendale’s seat at the transit table at a time when dollars for infrastructure projects are becoming more scarce, officials said. Zarian, whose appointment was announced by the governor’s office Thursday evening, will serve as vice chairman, setting him up to lead the commission, which plays a major role in doling out state money to transportation projects, next year.

I totally agree with Mayor Dave Weaver that we have no vacancy. As the population has grown, the infrastructure to accommodate that growth has not. When I came to Glendale, we had 100,000 population, it has now doubled. Has the width of our streets and roads doubled to accommodate that growth? No. Glendale Avenue has the same number of traffic lanes as it had 100,000 people ago. The streets and roads are for the movement of traffic. To nearly double the capacity of those streets and roads without spending a penny, I would eliminate on-street parking.

Tim Willert GLENDALE CITY HALL -- The city's Public Works Division, in recognition of National Public Works Week, is hosting an event from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today in Parcher Plaza behind City Hall. Public Works Day is designed to educate the community -- specifically youth -- about the operations and functions of the division. Tours of public works facilities will be given, and equipment will be displayed. Activities and games will be available for young people.

LA CAÑADA — Foothill Municipal Water District officials have settled on a $63-million plan — to be presented to the public next month — for projects that a voter-approved bond would help fund. The series of projects, which also include $7 million in rehabilitation to the district’s aging infrastructure, are aimed at reducing the region’s reliance on expensive imports through recycled water and groundwater capture projects. “The more independent we are, the more reliable we are,” said Foothill Municipal General Manager Nina Jazmadarian.

The Toll Middle School students rallying to defend their teachers against layoffs was heartwarming (“Students rally for teachers,” March 12), but I admit that the signs in the photograph struck a negative chord with me. Obviously, cutting foreign aid, which is a federal function, would not resolve California’s fiscal crisis that has brought on the threat of teacher layoffs along with numerous other serious damage to the state’s infrastructure. Yet the signs the youths brandished are emblematic of the commonly held assumption that the solution is to cut spending.

DEMOLITION WORK The City Council increased the contract amount for a firm that encountered unexpected environmental hazards when preparing buildings along Flower Street for demolition as part of a street-widening project. Interior Demolition Inc. had to remove an unanticipated amount of lead-based paint, asbestos, contaminated soil and concrete when preparing 11 buildings between Ruberta and Western avenues for destruction, and had requested $86,000 be added to the contract to cover the costs.

Glendale's plan to improve infrastructure for bicycle transportation was welcomed with open arms Tuesday by most on the City Council, which, despite differing opinions, gave city officials the OK to move forward with the upgrades. The first of its kind in 15 years, Glendale's new draft Bicycle Transportation Plan includes recommendations for new bike lanes and routes, coloring in some lanes, adding more shared lane markings - known as sharrows - and even slimming down some roads to make way for dedicated bicycle lanes.

For the second time in four years, the Crescenta Valley Water District is considering a multimillion-dollar bond - and a rate increase to pay for it - as officials work to upgrade aging infrastructure and reduce reliance on more expensive water imports. Officials say the money is needed for capital improvement projects, which include replacing old pipes and pumping water at maximum capacity so the district buys less water from outside sources. Board members directed district officials to come back with various bond options.

Residents near Columbus Elementary this week said that the densely populated neighborhood cannot support a new $3.5-million soccer field currently being considered for the school site. “We think it is an excellent project, we just don’t think it is an excellent place for it,” said neighbor Cooper Coleman. Three years ago, the Glendale Unified School District proposed building the field along the southern perimeter of the campus at 425 West Milford St. It would serve as a joint-use facility for the district and city-supported recreational activities, such as AYSO soccer, although the city would cover the costs of construction, city planners said.

With the announcement of his proposed new budget, Gov. Jerry Brown is calling for the closing of the individual redevelopment agencies across the state, and tapping those redevelopment funds to fill a portion of the state budget gap. Well, what exactly is “redevelopment?” Redevelopment is a format that is permitted under current state law whereby individual municipalities can form redevelopment project areas in areas of blight in order to provide planning and financing tools to eradicate that blight, and to improve infrastructure, do capital projects and create affordable housing.

CITY HALL — Roughly a third of Glendale’s bicyclists don’t use helmets, while more than 20% ride on sidewalks, according to a recent citywide survey of cyclists and pedestrians. The count — during which dozens of volunteers manned 26 street corners during a morning and evening weekday commute and a weekend morning — logged more than 2,000 cyclists and more than 15,000 pedestrians. The findings showed a continued need for public-safety campaigns to curb dangerous behaviors, said Colin Bogart, a liaison with the nonprofit Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition who oversaw the count as part of his work on a Safe and Healthy Streets plan.

CITY HALL — Glendale Water & Power officials on Monday continued to press their case for a water rate increase, saying the utility is already falling behind on important infrastructure maintenance due to lack of revenue. The utility has made significant strides in meeting ambitious strategic goals, but officials said progress on water infrastructure projects has stalled as they grapple with reduced revenues. Adopted by the City Council last year, the utility's five-year strategic plan called for reduced rates, less electricity consumption, a greener energy portfolio, improved customer service and increased use of recycled water, among other targets.

GLENDALE ? City officials say they will move ahead with updating the 15-year-old Bikeway Master Plan after securing a $150,000 grant. That Glendale hasn?t updated its bike plan since 1995 has kept the city out of the running for millions in funding from the California Department of Transportation, which requires local governments to update their plans every five years to qualify for infrastructure improvement grants. The city tried to update its bike plan several years ago, but it didn?

CITY HALL — Funding for infrastructure improvements has been decimated by the protracted recession, city officials reported Tuesday, slashing the amount of money for projects like street maintenance and library renovations to nearly a quarter of what was once available. Officials on Tuesday told the City Council that about $5 million would likely be available for capital improvement projects next year — far less than the nearly $20 million that used to be at their disposal during better times.

Former Glendale Mayor Larry Zarian was reappointed this week to a second four-year term on the California Transportation Commission, securing Glendale’s seat at the transit table at a time when dollars for infrastructure projects are becoming more scarce, officials said. Zarian, whose appointment was announced by the governor’s office Thursday evening, will serve as vice chairman, setting him up to lead the commission, which plays a major role in doling out state money to transportation projects, next year.

The Toll Middle School students rallying to defend their teachers against layoffs was heartwarming (“Students rally for teachers,” March 12), but I admit that the signs in the photograph struck a negative chord with me. Obviously, cutting foreign aid, which is a federal function, would not resolve California’s fiscal crisis that has brought on the threat of teacher layoffs along with numerous other serious damage to the state’s infrastructure. Yet the signs the youths brandished are emblematic of the commonly held assumption that the solution is to cut spending.