By Justin HAGER

Most of the Thursday, March 17 meeting of the Crescenta Valley Town Council consisted of positive community reports including from the LASD-CV Station, which reported a sharp decrease in violent crimes over the past year.

California Highway Patrol is seeking community partnerships for April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month and, representing the CV Chamber of Commerce, Mike Baldwin provided information on its March 31 mixer and the April 30 Hometown Country Fair. Other important updates came from the representative of the CV Water District, who explained that while significant concerns remain regarding California’s ongoing drought the District is in a holding pattern regarding implementing water rationing or other mandates. The La Crescenta Library celebrated the expansion of its hours and a boom in circulation as COVID-19 numbers continue to decline. The CVTC Land Use Committee invited input on an LA County proposal to eliminate parking requirements for the construction of multifamily buildings with five units or more.

Todd Schmit of the Los Angeles County Dept. of Parks and Recreation provided an update on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance at Crescenta Valley Park. The update was a laundry list of failures in access and compliance, including an example of updated ADA compliant drinking fountains that were not connected to ADA compliant pathways to access them. Schmit explained that, while it will likely take a year or two to complete the necessary compliance upgrades, “Equity is important.”

He then turned his attention to proposed outdoor fitness facilities at Two Strike Park. While no firm plans have yet been proposed, Schmit explained that the cost of installing such a facility would likely range between $500,000 and $1,000,000, with ongoing maintenance costs provided by the County Parks and Rec budget. Crescenta Valley currently has approximately $262,000 in Measure A funding available for projects like this.

On the related topic of outdoor fitness, recreation and transportation, the CVTC Transportation Committee provided its first update under new chair DeDe Mueller. The committee’s inaugural act was a letter drafted in response to proposed street improvement plans by LA County that would include bike paths, pedestrian improvements, such as bulb-outs or continental crosswalks, and water capture systems. The letter welcomed the new and improved bike lanes but requested that pedestrian improvements prioritize continental crosswalks above bulb-outs unless the County deems they are necessary to ensure pedestrian safety.

The final presentation on the agenda came from representatives of Glendale Unified School District, which presented a review of the CVHS field improvement project and several other projects in the CV area. Although the Town Council’s approval of the project was not up for a vote or on the agenda, the council has, on several occasions, used informational presentations like that to provide commentary, feedback and recommendations regarding projects that impact the community.

The presentation by Hagop Kassabian was informative and well received. Clarification was requested regarding the District policy of the lighting that is included as part of the field improvement project. Would it be accessible to private entities that utilize the playing field or is the lighting strictly reserved for official CVHS activities and events? Kassabian said that he would know more about that once the lights were installed and the field schedule was released. Kassabian and GUSD board member Jennifer Freemon added that while lighting would likely carry an additional fee, the specific availability or schedule of when lighting would be used would not be available until after the improvements were completed and the school has created a schedule. Presently students have to travel to other schools for sporting events due to the lack of lighting. This plan was created with that reality in mind and with students as the priority, said Superintendent Vivian Ekchian.

It is important to note that residents who live near the school have expressed concerns about the number of nights that the lights will be in use. Their concerns stem from statements by GUSD that implied that the lighting would only be used past 9 p.m. a few times a year – for CVHS home football games and occasional CVHS field sports or school activities. However, if the lights are available for use by the public, it is unknown how often the lights would be used each week.