Belmont Shore Residents Association
MINUTES EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
May 14, 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, Julie Dean, Dick Gaylord and David "Coach" Newell. Thirty-nine additional BSRA members and visitors were present. Vice President Max Alavi, Secretary Jeff Miller and Treasurer Robert O'Connor were absent and excused.
The agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the April 09 meeting were approved.
Bay Shore Librarian Debi Vilander announced that the Library’s new expanded hours of operation (Sundays 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm) which started on February 22, are going really well. The library has been averaging 450 people on Sundays. As a point of reference, there were 13,000 people for the entire month. Debi thanked the BSRA for the $300 donation and explained it will be used for children’s furniture. Computers will be rolled out beginning June 15th and a new phone system will also be installed. There have been issues with the old computers, which went down three times so far this week.
LBPD East Division Commander Liz Griffin provided the following details: Assaults have gone up a bit compared to last year and have been more domestic in nature: parents & kids, couples, etc. There have been more street robberies (especially smartphones) near Cherry and Anaheim. Commander Griffin advised that residents need to be aware of their surroundings, walk in an authoritative way and don’t look like a victim. Commercial burglaries (business burglaries) spiked, LBPD made a lot of arrests and the number has since gone down. Reminder was made to lock doors & windows; do not leave valuables in car, front window of house, garages or enclosed patios. In April in Belmont Shore: Assault in 5100 block of 2nd St at Rite Aid due to road rage; person swinging a metal bar; arrests were made. ATM broken into and video detectives are working on the case. Two residential burglaries at 34 Granada; 2 units with windows open. Seeing residential burglaries in garages where they’re stealing bikes and tools to sell or trade easily for cash or drugs. Bike sting in April where 5 transients from outside of Belmont Shore were cited. They were getting dope/cash for bikes. Initially LBPD could not prove the bikes were stolen. Some bikes were purchased for $2500 and locked with regular a cable lock. LBPD advises to lock up bikes with a U Lock, not cable lock. Within 5 seconds thief was able to take off with a bike. Sting led to two men being arrested with felony charges filed. They are expected to be locked up for a while. Commander Griffin advised residents to write down serial numbers & take photos of them (serial numbers are usually under crank or in hole where handlebars go) or engrave name. If bike is stolen, call police. Fire department no longer registers bikes. Nationalbike.com registry database is also available. Commander Griffin explained that there are still issues at the nuisance location, 111 Roycroft. LBPD is still working on this and asked that residents please advise if they have any information. An assault with a deadly weapon occurred with a caustic chemical and is believed to be a domestic abuse issue. In the 100 block of LaVerne a male was burglarizing a house when the owner came home, turning the incident into a robbery. (There has been no trend of this.) The burglar had a gun and asked the owner to lay face down on the floor and to count to 70. At that point he continued to
ransack the house and then fled. There has not been a whole lot of evidence. LBPD is looking at residential video and conducting knock and talks with neighbors. They are not sure if this is related to other burglaries. The Commander suggests that residents comply with criminal’s requests, as this resident did. No update on 100 block of Quincy, where there was a break-in a couple of months ago. Commander Griffin advised that one month ago a man was hanging around Lowell School masturbating in front of girls. Stings were set up to try to find him. LBPD knew he had a white 4 door car. It was reported on the news, because when children are involved then LBPD advises the news outlets. The suspect stayed out of sight for a few weeks but recently a woman running near the school saw somebody suspicious in a car, which then took off. The driver came back and the woman saw that he was masturbating in the car. She took photos of the car and the suspect, so now the Police have good leads on a suspect. Hopefully they will be able to pull the individual cases together in order make this a felony. Matt Peterson, from Legends and BSBA spoke up to say that the East Division police officers are showing much tolerance and hard work, especially in this time in the US. A resident advised that many homeless are sleeping/living in the LaVerne beach parking lot. One group dug a trench near a lifeguard stand. Commander Griffin explained that people are not allowed to sleep in their vehicles. These issues are covered by different agencies: parking enforcement, lifeguards, marine patrol, animal control and police. They all help in different ways. Commander Griffin advised that LBPD just got a black and white Jeep vehicle today, for patrolling on the beach. Officers need to be trained and it will be available in time for Memorial Day. Transients have known LBPD could not get onto the beach, but now PD will be able to patrol the beach. Per a resident’s question, the Marine Patrol is Tideland-funded when they are locking/unlocking beach bathrooms and during that time they can cite people. A resident requested that Overnight Parking signs be updated to include phone number to assist in getting overnight parking permit. Kristina Duggan from Third District Councilwoman’s office advised that she and Ruth are looking at signage and a plan to update.
Developer Kurt Schneiter was this month’s guest speaker. He explained that he developed the Masonic Temple building and Fingerprints downtown. He plans to convert Yankee Doodles into a gym facility called Olympix Fitness Club. He met with Mark Hungerford of the Planning Department regarding the gym plans. The owners plan to add a 2nd floor inside that will include soundproofed rooms for Zumba, etc. and a lookout area. The plan also includes an office space and a rooftop deck for yoga classes and special events. He said they will be keeping the bones of the building, there will be 30 foot ceilings and 8 ½ inch thick walls and they will be cutting out some openings on the ocean side. They will have a kids’ club and a smoothie/juice bar and will be open from 5am – 10pm. Questions were asked about the rooftop night time lighting and sound. He explained there are restrictions on the rooftop and that most of the time the rooftop will be used for yoga, which will be great scenery, especially at sunset. The demographics are Belmont shore residents. They plan to limit membership so that customers won’t have to wait for machines. Resident’s Questions; Once the new pool is put in, what will happen to view? They will have a view overlooking the pool with the beach and ocean in the background. How long will construction take? If there were no appeals, they would have been jackhammering months ago. Construction will take 6-10 months once appeals are dealt with. How will parking be dealt with? Have met with Public Works, Councilwoman’s office and Mayor’s office. Based on the planned demographic, 60% of gym members will be working out when nearby large parking lots are not full. Also, gym goers are healthy people who will likely walk or bike. He states that the parking impact is lowered compared to Yankee Doodles and they could pick up 100 spaces by doing diagonal parking between Granada and Termino.
Read about a complaint regarding nesting habits of birds which would be disturbed if rooftop section is built due to music and light. Kirk stated he approached Audubon Society and they said they need time for experts to study the issue. What about DJ and Band for special events? Kirk said they are allowed to have 26 special events, legally. Discussed band and DJ in the evenings for parties, special events, pool awards and events. Is Liquor license being pulled through? No. Smoothie bar will be subleased to another group and they might later ask to sell beer. Will look for a possible impact on community. Will security be provided at 5am when it’s still dark for safety purposes? Kirk explained that he is not the operator but he will discuss this concept with the operator. What about the Coastal Planning Commission? Kirk said that the Coastal review has approved (not in coastal zone) but 3 appeals have been filed. The City believes this will be a great solution for the area. There will be a minimum of a two month delay, which means they wouldn’t be able to open for Christmas. How can residents help move this along? Talk to councilperson, mayor, planning commissioners. Not able to control appeals at this point. They will promote Long Beach Olympic and National Athletes throughout building. Music on roof should never be louder than 30-40 decibels. Spin, Crossfit and Zumba would be indoors in soundproofed rooms. No classes on rooftop after 8pm. There may be later rooftop events with music if approved by neighbors.
Matt Peterson, owner of Legends and BSBA Secretary, advised the first Stroll and Savor of the season will be Wednesday and Thursday, May 20 and 21 from 5-9. General BSBA meeting is Tuesday May 19. The power will be out on Monday, May 18 from 9-5 on the south side of the 5200 block of 2nd St, as Edison is replacing some poles. This will affect the commercial stretch only from Baja Fish Tacos to Jack-in-the-Box. The BSBA received good feedback on Roar in the Shore and the BSBA saw an increase in participation. There were race simulators, motorcycle demonstrations and race drivers providing autographs. Cameras have been installed pointing down 2nd Street from Bay Shore to Livingston and the beginning of the side streets. Most are now operational and if an incident occurs, officers can look back at footage which is held for 30 days. The BSBA has asked that video surveillance signs be moved lower on the poles to curtail bad behavior.
Eric Forsberg, the resident representative on the Belmont Shore Parking Commission, reported that the 2nd St sidewalk sealant has been approved which will prevent stains from seeping into the cement and allow steam cleaners to more easily remove marks.
Kristina Duggan, Field Deputy for Third District Councilwoman Price, explains she is officed out of the Conservation Corp building on Nieto. Kristina is the resident’s contact and will relay info to Suzie. Kristina spoke about the following topics: Touch-a-Truck on Saturday, May 16 where there will be 50 big vehicles for kids and adults to climb in and on and experience. Third District Community Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 27 at 11:45 am at the Long Beach Yacht Club at 6201 East Appian Way. Please email Kristina at [email protected] for a lunch reservation at $17.00. Guest Speaker Police Chief Robert Luna will give an update on public safety in Long Beach. A SEADIP Study Session will take place at 5pm on May 21 in the City Council Chambers at Long Beach City Hall to discuss the development of the 1,500 acre area of Southeast Long Beach from Seventh Street to the Orange County border, including land along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) that stretches from Bellflower Boulevard to First Avenue. The new beach pedestrian path is complete and loads of people are using it. Striping and railing will be complete by end of week. CD 3 is mostly complete but CD2 landscaping still to occur.
A resident asked if the Grass at Cherry Beach that was removed, will be brought back. Kristina advised she will find out. A resident asked about a Stop sign at LaVerne and Ocean. Kristina advised that a study will soon start by Paul Bendike and it will take several months to complete. The Ocean Blvd repave (federal grant) will occur in the fall. Kristina will ensure Marathon will not be affected. A resident explained that the Stop Sign at St Joseph and Livingston is very faded out and drivers are unable to see it very well. Kristina will follow-up. Coach thanked the District office for the Spring BBQ and said it was a great event.
There was no Secretary report. President Endersen reported the bank account balance is now $3,447 One new member has joined the BSRA.
President Endersen attended the Kite Surfing Concession meeting on April 28. informative meeting – Elvira Hallinan – only sales of sundry items (small items, no boards or equipment) – the city will not build any structures – set up areas near lot and where different vendors should be operating when training beginners, advanced, etc.- discussed fishing/swimming in those areas but Coastal Commission doesn’t like restricting areas, but Elvira is working on something – good meeting – more meetings to come to finalize – will potentially be 3 vendors on beach Thu May 21 SEADIP – affects us and would appreciate attendance
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm. Submitted by: Julie Dean, Executive Board
MINUTES EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
May 14, 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, Julie Dean, Dick Gaylord and David "Coach" Newell. Thirty-nine additional BSRA members and visitors were present. Vice President Max Alavi, Secretary Jeff Miller and Treasurer Robert O'Connor were absent and excused.
The agenda for this meeting and the minutes of the April 09 meeting were approved.
Bay Shore Librarian Debi Vilander announced that the Library’s new expanded hours of operation (Sundays 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm) which started on February 22, are going really well. The library has been averaging 450 people on Sundays. As a point of reference, there were 13,000 people for the entire month. Debi thanked the BSRA for the $300 donation and explained it will be used for children’s furniture. Computers will be rolled out beginning June 15th and a new phone system will also be installed. There have been issues with the old computers, which went down three times so far this week.
LBPD East Division Commander Liz Griffin provided the following details: Assaults have gone up a bit compared to last year and have been more domestic in nature: parents & kids, couples, etc. There have been more street robberies (especially smartphones) near Cherry and Anaheim. Commander Griffin advised that residents need to be aware of their surroundings, walk in an authoritative way and don’t look like a victim. Commercial burglaries (business burglaries) spiked, LBPD made a lot of arrests and the number has since gone down. Reminder was made to lock doors & windows; do not leave valuables in car, front window of house, garages or enclosed patios. In April in Belmont Shore: Assault in 5100 block of 2nd St at Rite Aid due to road rage; person swinging a metal bar; arrests were made. ATM broken into and video detectives are working on the case. Two residential burglaries at 34 Granada; 2 units with windows open. Seeing residential burglaries in garages where they’re stealing bikes and tools to sell or trade easily for cash or drugs. Bike sting in April where 5 transients from outside of Belmont Shore were cited. They were getting dope/cash for bikes. Initially LBPD could not prove the bikes were stolen. Some bikes were purchased for $2500 and locked with regular a cable lock. LBPD advises to lock up bikes with a U Lock, not cable lock. Within 5 seconds thief was able to take off with a bike. Sting led to two men being arrested with felony charges filed. They are expected to be locked up for a while. Commander Griffin advised residents to write down serial numbers & take photos of them (serial numbers are usually under crank or in hole where handlebars go) or engrave name. If bike is stolen, call police. Fire department no longer registers bikes. Nationalbike.com registry database is also available. Commander Griffin explained that there are still issues at the nuisance location, 111 Roycroft. LBPD is still working on this and asked that residents please advise if they have any information. An assault with a deadly weapon occurred with a caustic chemical and is believed to be a domestic abuse issue. In the 100 block of LaVerne a male was burglarizing a house when the owner came home, turning the incident into a robbery. (There has been no trend of this.) The burglar had a gun and asked the owner to lay face down on the floor and to count to 70. At that point he continued to
ransack the house and then fled. There has not been a whole lot of evidence. LBPD is looking at residential video and conducting knock and talks with neighbors. They are not sure if this is related to other burglaries. The Commander suggests that residents comply with criminal’s requests, as this resident did. No update on 100 block of Quincy, where there was a break-in a couple of months ago. Commander Griffin advised that one month ago a man was hanging around Lowell School masturbating in front of girls. Stings were set up to try to find him. LBPD knew he had a white 4 door car. It was reported on the news, because when children are involved then LBPD advises the news outlets. The suspect stayed out of sight for a few weeks but recently a woman running near the school saw somebody suspicious in a car, which then took off. The driver came back and the woman saw that he was masturbating in the car. She took photos of the car and the suspect, so now the Police have good leads on a suspect. Hopefully they will be able to pull the individual cases together in order make this a felony. Matt Peterson, from Legends and BSBA spoke up to say that the East Division police officers are showing much tolerance and hard work, especially in this time in the US. A resident advised that many homeless are sleeping/living in the LaVerne beach parking lot. One group dug a trench near a lifeguard stand. Commander Griffin explained that people are not allowed to sleep in their vehicles. These issues are covered by different agencies: parking enforcement, lifeguards, marine patrol, animal control and police. They all help in different ways. Commander Griffin advised that LBPD just got a black and white Jeep vehicle today, for patrolling on the beach. Officers need to be trained and it will be available in time for Memorial Day. Transients have known LBPD could not get onto the beach, but now PD will be able to patrol the beach. Per a resident’s question, the Marine Patrol is Tideland-funded when they are locking/unlocking beach bathrooms and during that time they can cite people. A resident requested that Overnight Parking signs be updated to include phone number to assist in getting overnight parking permit. Kristina Duggan from Third District Councilwoman’s office advised that she and Ruth are looking at signage and a plan to update.
Developer Kurt Schneiter was this month’s guest speaker. He explained that he developed the Masonic Temple building and Fingerprints downtown. He plans to convert Yankee Doodles into a gym facility called Olympix Fitness Club. He met with Mark Hungerford of the Planning Department regarding the gym plans. The owners plan to add a 2nd floor inside that will include soundproofed rooms for Zumba, etc. and a lookout area. The plan also includes an office space and a rooftop deck for yoga classes and special events. He said they will be keeping the bones of the building, there will be 30 foot ceilings and 8 ½ inch thick walls and they will be cutting out some openings on the ocean side. They will have a kids’ club and a smoothie/juice bar and will be open from 5am – 10pm. Questions were asked about the rooftop night time lighting and sound. He explained there are restrictions on the rooftop and that most of the time the rooftop will be used for yoga, which will be great scenery, especially at sunset. The demographics are Belmont shore residents. They plan to limit membership so that customers won’t have to wait for machines. Resident’s Questions; Once the new pool is put in, what will happen to view? They will have a view overlooking the pool with the beach and ocean in the background. How long will construction take? If there were no appeals, they would have been jackhammering months ago. Construction will take 6-10 months once appeals are dealt with. How will parking be dealt with? Have met with Public Works, Councilwoman’s office and Mayor’s office. Based on the planned demographic, 60% of gym members will be working out when nearby large parking lots are not full. Also, gym goers are healthy people who will likely walk or bike. He states that the parking impact is lowered compared to Yankee Doodles and they could pick up 100 spaces by doing diagonal parking between Granada and Termino.
Read about a complaint regarding nesting habits of birds which would be disturbed if rooftop section is built due to music and light. Kirk stated he approached Audubon Society and they said they need time for experts to study the issue. What about DJ and Band for special events? Kirk said they are allowed to have 26 special events, legally. Discussed band and DJ in the evenings for parties, special events, pool awards and events. Is Liquor license being pulled through? No. Smoothie bar will be subleased to another group and they might later ask to sell beer. Will look for a possible impact on community. Will security be provided at 5am when it’s still dark for safety purposes? Kirk explained that he is not the operator but he will discuss this concept with the operator. What about the Coastal Planning Commission? Kirk said that the Coastal review has approved (not in coastal zone) but 3 appeals have been filed. The City believes this will be a great solution for the area. There will be a minimum of a two month delay, which means they wouldn’t be able to open for Christmas. How can residents help move this along? Talk to councilperson, mayor, planning commissioners. Not able to control appeals at this point. They will promote Long Beach Olympic and National Athletes throughout building. Music on roof should never be louder than 30-40 decibels. Spin, Crossfit and Zumba would be indoors in soundproofed rooms. No classes on rooftop after 8pm. There may be later rooftop events with music if approved by neighbors.
Matt Peterson, owner of Legends and BSBA Secretary, advised the first Stroll and Savor of the season will be Wednesday and Thursday, May 20 and 21 from 5-9. General BSBA meeting is Tuesday May 19. The power will be out on Monday, May 18 from 9-5 on the south side of the 5200 block of 2nd St, as Edison is replacing some poles. This will affect the commercial stretch only from Baja Fish Tacos to Jack-in-the-Box. The BSBA received good feedback on Roar in the Shore and the BSBA saw an increase in participation. There were race simulators, motorcycle demonstrations and race drivers providing autographs. Cameras have been installed pointing down 2nd Street from Bay Shore to Livingston and the beginning of the side streets. Most are now operational and if an incident occurs, officers can look back at footage which is held for 30 days. The BSBA has asked that video surveillance signs be moved lower on the poles to curtail bad behavior.
Eric Forsberg, the resident representative on the Belmont Shore Parking Commission, reported that the 2nd St sidewalk sealant has been approved which will prevent stains from seeping into the cement and allow steam cleaners to more easily remove marks.
Kristina Duggan, Field Deputy for Third District Councilwoman Price, explains she is officed out of the Conservation Corp building on Nieto. Kristina is the resident’s contact and will relay info to Suzie. Kristina spoke about the following topics: Touch-a-Truck on Saturday, May 16 where there will be 50 big vehicles for kids and adults to climb in and on and experience. Third District Community Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 27 at 11:45 am at the Long Beach Yacht Club at 6201 East Appian Way. Please email Kristina at [email protected] for a lunch reservation at $17.00. Guest Speaker Police Chief Robert Luna will give an update on public safety in Long Beach. A SEADIP Study Session will take place at 5pm on May 21 in the City Council Chambers at Long Beach City Hall to discuss the development of the 1,500 acre area of Southeast Long Beach from Seventh Street to the Orange County border, including land along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) that stretches from Bellflower Boulevard to First Avenue. The new beach pedestrian path is complete and loads of people are using it. Striping and railing will be complete by end of week. CD 3 is mostly complete but CD2 landscaping still to occur.
A resident asked if the Grass at Cherry Beach that was removed, will be brought back. Kristina advised she will find out. A resident asked about a Stop sign at LaVerne and Ocean. Kristina advised that a study will soon start by Paul Bendike and it will take several months to complete. The Ocean Blvd repave (federal grant) will occur in the fall. Kristina will ensure Marathon will not be affected. A resident explained that the Stop Sign at St Joseph and Livingston is very faded out and drivers are unable to see it very well. Kristina will follow-up. Coach thanked the District office for the Spring BBQ and said it was a great event.
There was no Secretary report. President Endersen reported the bank account balance is now $3,447 One new member has joined the BSRA.
President Endersen attended the Kite Surfing Concession meeting on April 28. informative meeting – Elvira Hallinan – only sales of sundry items (small items, no boards or equipment) – the city will not build any structures – set up areas near lot and where different vendors should be operating when training beginners, advanced, etc.- discussed fishing/swimming in those areas but Coastal Commission doesn’t like restricting areas, but Elvira is working on something – good meeting – more meetings to come to finalize – will potentially be 3 vendors on beach Thu May 21 SEADIP – affects us and would appreciate attendance
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm. Submitted by: Julie Dean, Executive Board