By Brandon HENSLEY

The unincorporated area of La Crescenta has $10 million to work with via L.A. County Public Works, and the Crescenta Valley Town Council was presented with several spending options during its May 16 meeting.

John Walker from Public Works presented ideas the county has been working on for projects concerning the area. The funds come from Measure R, passed in 2008, which commit a projected $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next 30 years, according to metro.net.

Walker said $170 million is being allotted for the Arroyo-Verdugo area, which includes $10 million for unincorporated La Crescenta and Montrose. The idea, said Walker, is for the town council to come up with a list of recommendations for the MTA board, on which members will decide at the board’s June 27 meeting.

Council members openly applauded at Walker’s suggestion of putting in sound walls, which are noise barriers made of solid material. Sound walls are made to reduce traffic noise between freeway and residential property.

Sound walls have “been on Caltrans’ and MTA’s unfunded list for a very long time,” said Walker. “We saw this as a priority that you folks in the area would like to see.”

Walker said those would cost around $5 million to install.

Other suggestions consisted of bikeway paths, including off-road lanes and designated routes along seven street segments that would run a little over seven miles.

Council also liked freeway on-ramp improvement ideas. One calls for a new on-ramp on La Crescenta Avenue to go westbound on the 210 freeway, which Walker estimated would cost $3.5 million. Another is for improving the existing eastbound 210 onramp on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Council said it would have a letter written up for Walker within a few days after the meeting.

There weren’t a lot of audience members left during Walker’s presentation. That’s because most of them were parents or friends of high school seniors who were there at the meeting’s beginning to accept CVTC scholarship awards.

In all, 14 graduating seniors from Clark Magnet and Crescenta Valley high schools received scholarships, courtesy of Allied Waste, Dick and Lucille Seeley and Bruce and Jane Campbell.

Councilmember Harry Leon presented each award, and became emotional when delivering a message to the students.

“I have one special request,” he said before a long pause. “They always told me, don’t forget your family, don’t forget your community and don’t forget your country. [Those are] three things that are important for me and for all of you, and I want you guys to promise you will never forget that.”

The CVTC scholarship winners for 2013 are (pictured above): Daniella Kim and Nairi Kalpakian, academic; Jenna Dekeater and Anna Sokolova, vocational; Zane Toyon and Tricia Dubin, community service; Amber Zadravecz and Sevag Alexanian, post-secondary goals; Arev Markarian, Gloria Han and Kristen Choe, special recognition; Laura Lee, architectual/musical; Jenna Wall and Leanna Mosessian, Lucille Seeley Scholarship.

The next CV Town Council meeting is scheduled for June 20 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta.

  Brandon Hensley