Congratulations and Welcome to Our Newly Elected Town Council Members!

The Crescenta Valley Town Council had its annual election Nov. 3-4 at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Church thanks to the generosity of Pastor Kirby Smith who, as in previous years, very graciously agreed to host the election at St. Luke’s.

I am delighted to welcome next year Daniel Kim, Mariam Barnes and Jo-Ann Stupakis as regular members of the Town Council along with Desiree Rabinov, Sarah Todd and Charles Beatty as first, second and third alternates! As of this writing, Charlie has just been hospitalized at USC because of a very bad fall. Our prayers are with him for a speedy recovery.

Special thanks to former Town Council President and Councilmember Cheryl Davis for all her help during the election as she is truly instrumental to our community and to the Town Council.

Because the Town Council is a volunteer organization, and since it has no power, our community often makes light of our role and underestimates our influence. In fact, the Town Council has a lot to say about what goes on in our community and how local government money is spent. In recent years, the Town Council has been the driving force behind construction of our library, the dog park, the installation of signals and bump-outs at Rosemont Middle School, and the Foothill Boulevard medians. Speaking of which, construction of the medians will start mid-January 2018. This work, along with other beautification of our community, is the result of a team effort and is the result of the collective work of the entire Town Council.

The Town Council is also the gatekeeper for land use decisions that directly affect new construction throughout our community and it hosts a robust scholarship program for local high school students. I want to thank all candidates for having the courage to run (it takes a lot of guts to put oneself out there for public scrutiny) and, having won, to serve the community. Congratulations to all winners!

Thanks to Caltrans, I want to provide you with a timeline and status update on the 210 pavement rehabilitation project, which is now about 75% complete and slated for completion by next summer.

Westbound I-210 Berkshire Place off-ramp

Last month (Oct. 28), Caltrans reopened the westbound 210 Berkshire Place off-ramp following a month-long closure to repave roads across from the ramp.

Westbound I-210 Berkshire Place on-ramp, Foothill Boulevard off-ramp

Since Oct. 31, the westbound Berkshire Place on-ramp and Foothill Boulevard off-ramp have been closed for the same work. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and use Berkshire off-ramp as an alternate. This work is for up to 45 days, but Caltrans’ goal is to reopen both ramps by Nov. 29, the week after Thanksgiving. Caltrans realizes that JPL and many parents and students use the Foothill off-ramp, and are working to adjust the signal timing to accommodate more traffic. Caltrans will evaluate any other options that may be available as needed. The good news is that it should have less of an impact with the Veterans Day holiday and with students in the La Cañada School District off the week of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Westbound I-210 connector to California/Del Mar exit

Since Oct. 30, the westbound I-210 connector to California/Del Mar and toward State Route 110 has been closed intermittently during the day (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) as Caltrans installs permanent tunnel lighting. The closures are scheduled through this month. Once the work is done, Caltrans will install permanent lighting in the two eastbound tunnels going into Pasadena.

Other work
– The remaining extended ramp closures through the spring will be mostly eastbound from Ocean View to Walnut Street.

– Most of the work is replacing concrete with new pavement on the outside lanes, which includes guardrail work and installing sign structures.

Caltrans appreciates the public’s patience as it works to provide a safer and smoother ride through the I-210 corridor for decades to come. For the latest information about the project, you can visit Caltrans’ 210 project page at http://www.dot.ca.gov/d7/projects/details.php?id=45.

Motorists may experience delays, and are advised to plan ahead. Motorists are also reminded to be “Work Zone Alert” and “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

As Thanksgiving is upon us this month, I want to dedicate our General Meeting on Nov. 17 to thank the many organizations that helped us this past year for our prayer breakfast, pancake breakfast, scholarships and so much more. The Council looks forward to seeing you at 7 p.m. in the community room of the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

Harry Leon is the President of the Crescenta Valley Town Council.