Belmont Shore Residents Association
MINUTES EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
July 9, 2015
The meeting was called to order by President Terence Endersen at 6:00 pm. The other members of the Executive Board present were: Aileen Colon and Julie Dean, as well as Vice President Max Alavi and Treasurer Robert O'Connor. 33 additional BSRA members and visitors were present. David "Coach" Newell was absent and excused.
Bay Shore Librarian Debi Vilander announced there have been 311 signups for the Summer Reading Program. Our Library has gotten new computers and monitors. They are setting up the new children’s furniture, partially donated by the BSRA.
President Endersen announced that BSRA Executive Board Member Dick Gaylord resigned. President Endersen thanked Dick for all of his work on the Board, especially with the BSRA Survey earlier this year.
The agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the June 11 meeting were approved.
Paul Van Dyk, from Long Beach Traffic Engineering, was this month’s guest speaker. He explained that the Ocean Blvd Traffic Study is separate from the LB Public Works Department’s Ocean Blvd Resurfacing Project (planned for this fall; installation of 88 ADA ramps at the corners; redoing some curbs; putting in a bike lane between parked cars and traffic lanes; adjusting car traffic lanes, which will not be made smaller).
The upcoming Ocean Blvd Traffic Study:
Long Beach Traffic Engineering Division is shooting for larger scale planning and looking for federal funds. Their scope, goals and timeline are as follows: Location-From Belmont Shore Pier to the end of the Peninsula. Note: Ocean Blvd used to be a large thoroughfare from Long Beach to Seal Beach with a bridge at the end of the Peninsula. Many believe the boulevard now leads to speeding and unsafe behaviors. Aim is to make Ocean Blvd. appropriate for local access and access to beach and other amenities/businesses.
Phase I – Belmont Shore Pier and parking lot, pool, beach parking lots, bike/pedestrian path to Bay Shore
Future Activity: Commission Workshop (Aug), Conceptual Design (Aug-Sep), Draft Report (Sep), Final Report (Oct)
There will be an Ocean Blvd Traffic Study Community Workshop at the 3rd District Council Field Office at 340 Nieto on Saturday, August 29 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Traffic Engineering has been tracking pedestrians, bikes and vehicles. They have seen that people are crossing everywhere, not necessarily at the crosswalks. They have been conducting counts with hoses (counts cars driving down street) and cameras (counts cars turning).
LBPD East Division Commander Liz Griffin: Provided the following information:
· Auto burglary and petty thefts from autos are still occurring. People are leaving items visible in their cars and thieves are breaking into them. Grand Theft auto is on the rise; it appears to be for joyriding purposes and they are going after the easiest cars to access, which are unlocked cars. In early June a stolen vehicle was crashed into a garage in the 200 block of St Joseph in order to steal items from the garage. Another incident occurred with a stolen car that was crashed, this time into a Game Stop store in Long Beach, and then into a jewelry store in Westminster and finally the thieves were apprehended.
· There have been petty thefts in the 100 block of Roycroft.
· The 111 Roycroft nuisance location is still being worked through the civil process to evict the tenants.
· Bike thefts are still occurring and folks are reporting them (thank you). Please do not leave bikes in open garages, backyards, porches. Use u-locks, not cable locks (which take less than a minute to cut through).
· In the 100 block of Covina there was a vandalism case with perpetrators in ski masks who shot BB pellets through a front window; this probably started as a street robbery attempt. There is no pattern of this in the city.
· Be aware of opportunistic crimes occurring when walking. Pay attention, walk with confidence, keep head up, walk with a friend, don’t text and walk, be aware of surroundings and show you’re not a victim. In these cases, not a lot of weapons have been involved (although some near Cherry & Anaheim). It is all about force and fear. The victims and perps have been all ages, races, sexes.
· There was a guy tagging on the 2nd St sidewalks. He was found and arrested.
· Residential burglaries & cat burglaries are still occurring, with burglars pushing windows or doors open. Commander Griffin suggests using some type of locking mechanism when it’s hot. She said that cameras, lighting and motion sensors are great deterrents.
· July 4th was a very busy night. The City Manager will be working on new strategies for next year, as will LBPD. There were illegal Fireworks everywhere and they don’t know why it was so bad this year (possibly because it was Saturday). This occurred everywhere in Greater LA area.
Residents Comments/Questions:
· Jerry on Ocean: The La Verne parking lot is becoming an overnight lot/campground; he believes these are not transients, but vacationers.
· Maria on Ocean: What is the Noise Ordinance because Alfredo’s and city events on Granada are so loud; her entire Sundays have been ruined. She was advised to call City Special Events to request follow-up and require control of noise.
· Jeanette one block South of 2nd St: People on her front porch, in her yard and parking their cars across the front of her driveway from 1:30-3:30 AM. She called the police but never heard back. She was advised that if she wants to be contacted, she needs to advise the dispatcher.
· Attendee: Over by school, kids were lighting fireworks and then taking off right away, before police got there. Advised this would be a lower priority follow-up. Consequence for fireworks use is citation misdemeanor. Police cannot make arrest if they do not see the fireworks being lit, although a resident can make a private person’s arrest.
· Attendee: Wasn’t there a drug bust in the Shore. Advised the undercover narcotics unit conducted a drug bust in Belmont Shore; it was not a patrol response, rather undercover.
· Attendee: News said crime in LA has gone up. Advised that in Long Beach, over the last five years, there had been no uptick, but crime is up since last year.
BSBA Report: Matt Peterson, owner of Legends and BSBA Secretary, advised the following:
Stroll and Savor will be Wednesday & Thursday, July 15 & 16, August 19 & 20 and September 16 & 17 from 5:30-9:00 PM. The next general BSBA meeting will be Tuesday July 22. The restaurant Saint and Second and Luther Burbank Savings are both close to completion. The inaugural Battle of the Badges softball game is Sunday, July 12 at 10:00 AM at Blair Field; it is a free charity game between Police and Firefighters. Donations will go to the widows and orphans of fallen officers and wounded.
3rd District Report: Kristina Duggan, Field Deputy for Third District Councilwoman Price, was unable to attend the BSRA meeting, but she provided President Endersen with the following information: On Saturday, July 11 from 12:00 to 3:00 PM the Live Safely event will be at Recreation Park Community Center (4900 East 7th St). This complimentary event gives residents an opportunity to hear from industry experts on the most effective crime fighting tips. Speakers will be covering various crime safety topics, including crime watch and crime trends, identity/fraud protection, Internet banking safety, car seat safety, as well as how to choose quality door locks and DIY security cameras. Lunch will be available, courtesy of the Long Beach Police Officers Association and Councilwoman Price.
Belmont Shore Parking Commission: Eric Forsberg, the resident representative on the Parking Commission reported their next meeting will be an evening meeting at Bay Shore Church on The Toledo at Granada on July 23rd at 6:00 PM. The purpose of the special meeting time is to discuss whether or not the Roe restaurant building (located on 2nd St at Claremont) should be torn down and turned into a Parking Structure. He explained it will be important to hear from residents at this important meeting. Eric feels it is a very expensive proposition, with annual maintenance expenses and is overall an expensive build project. The cost to conduct a real estate appraisal of the Roe property is an estimated $8,000. Additionally, there would be an expenditure of an estimated $18,000 to determine if buying the Roe property would be feasible. The purchase price of the property is estimated at $5M. Additionally $2M to $3M would be required to raise and construct a possible automated parking structure of two (2) stories to create 64 parking spaces.
A Belmont Shore Parking Study has been promoted by Suzie Price and Gary DeLong, which would be conducted by an independent third party. The comprehensive parking study would review public and private parking resources, underutilized parking resources, spillover onto residential streets, better use of existing facilities, restriping of streets, satellite lots and shuttle services, residential parking permits, etc. The firm to conduct the study has experience with other beach cities.
President/Secretary report: President Endersen reported: There will be a Wetlands tour from 8:00-10:00 AM Saturday, July 11 at PCH & 1st St., at the border of Seal Beach. Participants must wear close-toed shows. Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal will not run for a third Long Beach City Council term covering the 2nd District in 2016.
Treasurer’s Report: Robert O'Connor reported the bank account balance is now $3,057 and that the $1150 insurance policy payment is due. The Board voted unanimously to cover the payment.
New Business: President Endersen brought up the following:
a) A proposed increase of the annual BSRA Membership Dues from $10.00/member to $20.00/member. Residents’ feedback was as follows: No issues with Dues increase; distribute flyers to residents and send mailings to entire neighborhood to increase membership (ask residents to join us and contribute, BSRA wants to reach more people who are affected by decisions being made, BSRA can be more effective with City Council with more members); discussion to have BSRA to fully represent the entire community, not just members; Roe Property parking structure project is a great rallying point and resident volunteers will help distribute flyers; there are an awful lot of people disenfranchised on the North side of 2nd St beyond Broadway because there is no Association; increase membership with Stroll & Savor tabling; need to reach the 8000-10000 residents of Belmont Shore; Advise existing members of increase, explaining why the BSRA needs more money, what it is used for, what the BSRA wants to do, what other Boards charge, etc. Board voted unanimously to increase the annual membership dues to $20.00 per member.
b) Nominations for the September BSRA Board Elections are due by August 13 BSRA Meeting.
c) Constant Contact, the Newsletter Distribution Software, would allow the BSRA to work more efficiently. The expenditure of $378 per year was unanimously voted on by the Board.
d) Please attend the Special Meeting of the Belmont Shore Parking Commission where the Belmont Shore Parking Study & the potential Parking Structure @ Roe Property (Claremont & 2nd St) will be discussed. There were questions and discussion by the residents regarding their dislike of the potential parking structure. The question was raised by members, if the BSRA could lead the charge to disseminate information about the Parking Commission meeting by creating a flyer. Member volunteers offered to help distribute the flyers to residents of Belmont Shore to ensure they are aware of the proposal. The Board agreed to this suggestion and made plans to follow-up.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Submitted by:
Julie Dean, Executive Board
MINUTES EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
July 9, 2015
The meeting was called to order by President Terence Endersen at 6:00 pm. The other members of the Executive Board present were: Aileen Colon and Julie Dean, as well as Vice President Max Alavi and Treasurer Robert O'Connor. 33 additional BSRA members and visitors were present. David "Coach" Newell was absent and excused.
Bay Shore Librarian Debi Vilander announced there have been 311 signups for the Summer Reading Program. Our Library has gotten new computers and monitors. They are setting up the new children’s furniture, partially donated by the BSRA.
President Endersen announced that BSRA Executive Board Member Dick Gaylord resigned. President Endersen thanked Dick for all of his work on the Board, especially with the BSRA Survey earlier this year.
The agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the June 11 meeting were approved.
Paul Van Dyk, from Long Beach Traffic Engineering, was this month’s guest speaker. He explained that the Ocean Blvd Traffic Study is separate from the LB Public Works Department’s Ocean Blvd Resurfacing Project (planned for this fall; installation of 88 ADA ramps at the corners; redoing some curbs; putting in a bike lane between parked cars and traffic lanes; adjusting car traffic lanes, which will not be made smaller).
The upcoming Ocean Blvd Traffic Study:
Long Beach Traffic Engineering Division is shooting for larger scale planning and looking for federal funds. Their scope, goals and timeline are as follows: Location-From Belmont Shore Pier to the end of the Peninsula. Note: Ocean Blvd used to be a large thoroughfare from Long Beach to Seal Beach with a bridge at the end of the Peninsula. Many believe the boulevard now leads to speeding and unsafe behaviors. Aim is to make Ocean Blvd. appropriate for local access and access to beach and other amenities/businesses.
Phase I – Belmont Shore Pier and parking lot, pool, beach parking lots, bike/pedestrian path to Bay Shore
- Diagnose causes for chronic reports of speeding and difficult pedestrian crossings. The LB Traffic Engineering Division receives a lot of requests for stop signs and speed bumps but they need to diagnose the problem first.
- Assess feasibility of a “character change” on Ocean Blvd, as noted in the mobility element of the city’s general plan (ie: Street may be wider than it needs to be)
- Develop conceptual designs for improved pedestrian and cyclist access to the Belmont Pool and Pier area, which are major draws to the city. Will consider curb extensions, planters, raised curbs and other traffic slowing options.
- Apply for TIGER Discretionary Grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery)
Future Activity: Commission Workshop (Aug), Conceptual Design (Aug-Sep), Draft Report (Sep), Final Report (Oct)
There will be an Ocean Blvd Traffic Study Community Workshop at the 3rd District Council Field Office at 340 Nieto on Saturday, August 29 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Traffic Engineering has been tracking pedestrians, bikes and vehicles. They have seen that people are crossing everywhere, not necessarily at the crosswalks. They have been conducting counts with hoses (counts cars driving down street) and cameras (counts cars turning).
LBPD East Division Commander Liz Griffin: Provided the following information:
· Auto burglary and petty thefts from autos are still occurring. People are leaving items visible in their cars and thieves are breaking into them. Grand Theft auto is on the rise; it appears to be for joyriding purposes and they are going after the easiest cars to access, which are unlocked cars. In early June a stolen vehicle was crashed into a garage in the 200 block of St Joseph in order to steal items from the garage. Another incident occurred with a stolen car that was crashed, this time into a Game Stop store in Long Beach, and then into a jewelry store in Westminster and finally the thieves were apprehended.
· There have been petty thefts in the 100 block of Roycroft.
· The 111 Roycroft nuisance location is still being worked through the civil process to evict the tenants.
· Bike thefts are still occurring and folks are reporting them (thank you). Please do not leave bikes in open garages, backyards, porches. Use u-locks, not cable locks (which take less than a minute to cut through).
· In the 100 block of Covina there was a vandalism case with perpetrators in ski masks who shot BB pellets through a front window; this probably started as a street robbery attempt. There is no pattern of this in the city.
· Be aware of opportunistic crimes occurring when walking. Pay attention, walk with confidence, keep head up, walk with a friend, don’t text and walk, be aware of surroundings and show you’re not a victim. In these cases, not a lot of weapons have been involved (although some near Cherry & Anaheim). It is all about force and fear. The victims and perps have been all ages, races, sexes.
· There was a guy tagging on the 2nd St sidewalks. He was found and arrested.
· Residential burglaries & cat burglaries are still occurring, with burglars pushing windows or doors open. Commander Griffin suggests using some type of locking mechanism when it’s hot. She said that cameras, lighting and motion sensors are great deterrents.
· July 4th was a very busy night. The City Manager will be working on new strategies for next year, as will LBPD. There were illegal Fireworks everywhere and they don’t know why it was so bad this year (possibly because it was Saturday). This occurred everywhere in Greater LA area.
Residents Comments/Questions:
· Jerry on Ocean: The La Verne parking lot is becoming an overnight lot/campground; he believes these are not transients, but vacationers.
· Maria on Ocean: What is the Noise Ordinance because Alfredo’s and city events on Granada are so loud; her entire Sundays have been ruined. She was advised to call City Special Events to request follow-up and require control of noise.
· Jeanette one block South of 2nd St: People on her front porch, in her yard and parking their cars across the front of her driveway from 1:30-3:30 AM. She called the police but never heard back. She was advised that if she wants to be contacted, she needs to advise the dispatcher.
· Attendee: Over by school, kids were lighting fireworks and then taking off right away, before police got there. Advised this would be a lower priority follow-up. Consequence for fireworks use is citation misdemeanor. Police cannot make arrest if they do not see the fireworks being lit, although a resident can make a private person’s arrest.
· Attendee: Wasn’t there a drug bust in the Shore. Advised the undercover narcotics unit conducted a drug bust in Belmont Shore; it was not a patrol response, rather undercover.
· Attendee: News said crime in LA has gone up. Advised that in Long Beach, over the last five years, there had been no uptick, but crime is up since last year.
BSBA Report: Matt Peterson, owner of Legends and BSBA Secretary, advised the following:
Stroll and Savor will be Wednesday & Thursday, July 15 & 16, August 19 & 20 and September 16 & 17 from 5:30-9:00 PM. The next general BSBA meeting will be Tuesday July 22. The restaurant Saint and Second and Luther Burbank Savings are both close to completion. The inaugural Battle of the Badges softball game is Sunday, July 12 at 10:00 AM at Blair Field; it is a free charity game between Police and Firefighters. Donations will go to the widows and orphans of fallen officers and wounded.
3rd District Report: Kristina Duggan, Field Deputy for Third District Councilwoman Price, was unable to attend the BSRA meeting, but she provided President Endersen with the following information: On Saturday, July 11 from 12:00 to 3:00 PM the Live Safely event will be at Recreation Park Community Center (4900 East 7th St). This complimentary event gives residents an opportunity to hear from industry experts on the most effective crime fighting tips. Speakers will be covering various crime safety topics, including crime watch and crime trends, identity/fraud protection, Internet banking safety, car seat safety, as well as how to choose quality door locks and DIY security cameras. Lunch will be available, courtesy of the Long Beach Police Officers Association and Councilwoman Price.
Belmont Shore Parking Commission: Eric Forsberg, the resident representative on the Parking Commission reported their next meeting will be an evening meeting at Bay Shore Church on The Toledo at Granada on July 23rd at 6:00 PM. The purpose of the special meeting time is to discuss whether or not the Roe restaurant building (located on 2nd St at Claremont) should be torn down and turned into a Parking Structure. He explained it will be important to hear from residents at this important meeting. Eric feels it is a very expensive proposition, with annual maintenance expenses and is overall an expensive build project. The cost to conduct a real estate appraisal of the Roe property is an estimated $8,000. Additionally, there would be an expenditure of an estimated $18,000 to determine if buying the Roe property would be feasible. The purchase price of the property is estimated at $5M. Additionally $2M to $3M would be required to raise and construct a possible automated parking structure of two (2) stories to create 64 parking spaces.
A Belmont Shore Parking Study has been promoted by Suzie Price and Gary DeLong, which would be conducted by an independent third party. The comprehensive parking study would review public and private parking resources, underutilized parking resources, spillover onto residential streets, better use of existing facilities, restriping of streets, satellite lots and shuttle services, residential parking permits, etc. The firm to conduct the study has experience with other beach cities.
President/Secretary report: President Endersen reported: There will be a Wetlands tour from 8:00-10:00 AM Saturday, July 11 at PCH & 1st St., at the border of Seal Beach. Participants must wear close-toed shows. Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal will not run for a third Long Beach City Council term covering the 2nd District in 2016.
Treasurer’s Report: Robert O'Connor reported the bank account balance is now $3,057 and that the $1150 insurance policy payment is due. The Board voted unanimously to cover the payment.
New Business: President Endersen brought up the following:
a) A proposed increase of the annual BSRA Membership Dues from $10.00/member to $20.00/member. Residents’ feedback was as follows: No issues with Dues increase; distribute flyers to residents and send mailings to entire neighborhood to increase membership (ask residents to join us and contribute, BSRA wants to reach more people who are affected by decisions being made, BSRA can be more effective with City Council with more members); discussion to have BSRA to fully represent the entire community, not just members; Roe Property parking structure project is a great rallying point and resident volunteers will help distribute flyers; there are an awful lot of people disenfranchised on the North side of 2nd St beyond Broadway because there is no Association; increase membership with Stroll & Savor tabling; need to reach the 8000-10000 residents of Belmont Shore; Advise existing members of increase, explaining why the BSRA needs more money, what it is used for, what the BSRA wants to do, what other Boards charge, etc. Board voted unanimously to increase the annual membership dues to $20.00 per member.
b) Nominations for the September BSRA Board Elections are due by August 13 BSRA Meeting.
c) Constant Contact, the Newsletter Distribution Software, would allow the BSRA to work more efficiently. The expenditure of $378 per year was unanimously voted on by the Board.
d) Please attend the Special Meeting of the Belmont Shore Parking Commission where the Belmont Shore Parking Study & the potential Parking Structure @ Roe Property (Claremont & 2nd St) will be discussed. There were questions and discussion by the residents regarding their dislike of the potential parking structure. The question was raised by members, if the BSRA could lead the charge to disseminate information about the Parking Commission meeting by creating a flyer. Member volunteers offered to help distribute the flyers to residents of Belmont Shore to ensure they are aware of the proposal. The Board agreed to this suggestion and made plans to follow-up.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.
Submitted by:
Julie Dean, Executive Board