Community That Cares – Even More in 2017

As the newly elected president of the Crescenta Valley Town Council, I am honored to serve the people of La Crescenta and Montrose alongside a slate of completely new officers – Mike Claessens (vice president), Mariam Barnes (treasurer), Aram Ordubegian (recording secretary), and Sophal Ear (corresponding secretary). I want to personally thank our outgoing 2016 officers for their valuable service and dedication to the community: Leslie Dickson (president), Desiree P. Rabinov (treasurer), Cheryl Davis (recording secretary), and Lisa Griffin (corresponding secretary).

As many of you know, I have had the pleasure of serving as vice president of the Town Council for the past three years and I am thrilled to lead the Council in 2017. It is my fervent hope that we come together and work together as a community that cares even more in 2017.

As anyone who commutes home to our community realizes, the construction on the 210 Freeway has caused major and unprecedented congestion at certain times of day. For your information, I want to report to you what the Council was told by Caltrans (thanks to Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office for relaying the below) earlier in January:

• Additional portable changeable message signs and temporary construction warning signs have been installed at strategic locations to advise the traveling public and enhance the overall safety.

• Caltrans Construction notified the California Highway Patrol to increase patrol of the area for safety and speed enforcement. We reached out to our partners at CHP again in late December.

• We have contracted with CHP to perform Construction Zone Enhanced Enforcement Program, aka COZEEP, during night time construction activities.

• Caltrans Construction is negotiating with the contractor on a contract change order to install additional traffic channelizers and pavement marking (e.g. merging arrows) and striping at various locations near on and off ramps throughout the project.

• Caltrans Construction safety adviser will review the traffic handling plan continuously throughout the duration of the project and make necessary adjustments such as overhead sign overlays and additional merge and exit signs to improve the overall safety of the construction zone.

We will work closely with Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office to inform and dialogue with Caltrans for the benefit of our community.

Please drive safely as accidents have been observed with alarming regularity lately. As the above info is updated and work on the 210 has now closed the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance and exit to the highway, one way to get updated is to visit Caltrans’ website for highway updates: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/display.php?page=i210

If you do not have internet access handy, before driving check with the Caltrans Highway Information Network (CHIN) (800) 427-7623. The safety of each and every member of our community is what defines us as “A Community That Cares.”

Our next CV Town Council meeting is on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the La Crescenta Library community room, 2809 Foothill Blvd. I look forward to seeing you there.

Harry Leon

President

Crescenta Valley Town Council

  Harry LEON