Neon Art

I fail to understand the City Council's support for the proposed Museum of Neon Art (“Council set to ink museum deal,” March 26), while at the same time letting A Noise Within, an established cultural entity with a large and committed following, leave the city. Councilman Dave Weaver's instincts are correct. No way will this be financially viable. Some years ago, the city missed the opportunity to relocate the Colony Theater, another entity with a loyal following, to Glendale.

It was recently reported that Councilman Ara Najarian moved from his tree-lined street in the beautiful Montecito Park area to South Glendale (“ Officials balk at voting districts ,” Feb. 17). Since moving south of the Ventura (134) Freeway, but north of Colorado Boulevard, he said the following: “I see the parking issue first-hand. I see the noise issue first-hand. I see the large-item pick-up issue first hand. I've heard about these before, but until you're actually living there, you don't feel the pain that the others have.” I wonder what other issues Najarian has not seen before?

CITY HALL — The City Council last week pushed forward with plans for a pedestrian walkway that will link a number of the city's downtown civic buildings to Brand Boulevard across from the Americana at Brand. Council members approved design work done to date and instructed staffers to continue the work. The paseo — which has been a concept for nearly a decade — will create a pedestrian connector between the new Adult Recreation Center, Central Park, a revamped Central Library and Brand Boulevard.

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for a pedestrian walkway that will link a number of the city’s downtown civic buildings with the Americana at Brand. The council unanimously authorized a $185,000 contract with EDAW AECOM for the design of the proposed paseo, which will create a pedestrian connector between the new Adult Recreation Center, Central Park, a revamped Central Library and Brand Boulevard. The project will also include the reconfiguration of the alley and parking lot between Central Park and the east side of Brand Boulevard.

CITY HALL — Councilman Dave Weaver was passed over for the third year in a row Tuesday as the City Council voted for two of the top leadership spots at City Hall. The council voted 4 to 1 to elect Councilwoman Laura Friedman to head the Redevelopment Agency, and Councilman Frank Quintero was appointed as chairman of the Housing Authority. The Redevelopment Agency, which oversees major land-use proposals in central and south Glendale, has in the past year focused on strategies to drive the local economy in the face of a protracted recession.

The City Council on Tuesday will hear an appeal of a January decision by the Transportation and Parking Commission. When a routine five-year permit renewal for City Cab's 15 taxis came up, the commission voted to instead set it to expire in December 2013, when all other permits are set to expire in a move intended to set up changes to the taxi permitting process. Commissioners said other permits up for renewal in the interim would also be set to the same date, at which point all taxi companies could compete on a clean slate.

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday gave an initial OK to forking over nearly $12 million in redevelopment funds to Sacramento in exchange for the state allowing Glendale to retain its own agency. The legislation, adopted last month as part of a plan to fill a massive state budget deficit, calls for the dissolution of local redevelopment agencies as of Oct. 1 unless they agree to reroute billions of dollars to Sacramento. In order to remain operational, redevelopment agencies must agree to give back a combined $1.7 billion in revenue for the current 2011-12 budget year and $400 million every year thereafter.

With the consequences of the state's decision to abolish local redevelopment continuing to roil Glendale, this week the Museum of Neon Art emerged as a potential casualty. It seems the $5.2-million deal approved by the now-defunct Redevelopment Agency to move the venerable museum from its downtown L.A. space into a renovated property across from the Americana at Brand is at risk of being dissolved by the oversight board in charge of untangling Glendale from its redevelopment obligations and sending more redevelopment property taxes to the state.

It is hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since I first arrived in Glendale in 2001 as the new executive director of the Alex Regional Theatre Board. I inherited a financially challenged organization that in that first year, came close to having to shutter the Alex Theatre. Fortunately, due to the perseverance of the board and staff, the ART Board not only survived, but has since grown into what is now known as Glendale Arts. Over the last 10 years, in addition to operating the Alex Theatre, Glendale Arts has founded the Glendale Pops Orchestra and Glendale Youth Chorus, and maintains a community arts website that attracts more than 50,000 visitors each month.

In one of his final public addresses before leaving city government, Mayor Frank Quintero commended the city on Thursday for coming a long way from when he first started a business here more than 30 years ago. “We are in very, very good shape,” Quintero said during the Glendale Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the City Luncheon. He pointed to a 25% drop in major crimes over four years, a top-notch fire department and a developing downtown. Quintero told the more than 300 people in attendance at the Glendale Hilton that while the city has its critics, it's better off than others.