By Katie O’BRIEN

The Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (STNC) opened its doors to public for in-person meetings after three years of Zoom meetings due to the pandemic. The main purpose of neighborhood councils is to promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs.

Public participation on the STNC and its committees is encouraged for anyone who has an interest in any committee area. Check the STNC.org website calendar for meeting dates, times and locations; this information is found by clicking on the committee of interest.

Another of the committees overseen by the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council is the Safe Traffic and Transportation (STAT) committee. Its purpose is to represent the community’s needs and interests regarding traffic safety and related transportation issues and to communicate and present them to appropriate city and state officials to initiate changes. The STAT meeting is from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held in person at the S-T Library, 7771 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga.

The next tree care event, organized by STAT, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 24 at a location to be determined. The goal is to have 40 to 50 volunteers available that morning to weed and water 100 trees along Foothill Boulevard. At the last tree care event in December, 125 trees were watered along Foothill Boulevard in Sunland. Additionally, with the help of a few community members, obstructive Agroperm (non-permeable asphalt around the base of the trees) was removed from 65 trees. This substance is 4″ – 5” thick and prevents tree trunks and roots from expanding and absorbing water. Once the Agroperm is removed, fertilizer is packed around the tree and it is given plenty of water and then topped with mulch to lock in moisture.

Volunteers are needed twice a month on Sundays to help with ongoing mulching, weeding and watering efforts. To volunteer please contact Pat Kramer, STAT committee chair, at patkramerstnc@gmail.com. The STAT committee is also asking local businesses and individuals to adopt a tree near where they live or work and commit to watering it twice a month (five gallons per watering) and remove trash around it.

At the April STAT meeting, discussion was also held regarding inviting the new LAPD traffic officer for Sunland-Tujunga, Officer Venegas, to the next meeting on May 23. Stakeholders are invited to contact Council Office CD7 Deputy Ricardo Flores (818-352-3287; ricardo.x.flores@lacity.org) and copying committee chair Pat Kramer (patkramerstnc@gmail.com) with information on fatalities that occur in the community.

Finally, the McGroarty Arts Center is hosting its 19^th Annual Ceramics Juried Open Exhibition June 3 through June 24, with a theme of human form in clay. The Exhibition will be held at McGroarty Arts Center. Apply at mcgroartyartscenter.org/events. Email mcgroartyceramics@gmail.com or call (818) 352-5285 for questions on this event. Opening reception is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The awards announcement will be made at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 3.

Next week, CVW introduces readers to more committees.