Friday, June 19, 2009

Once and Future News

Have you noticed the new landscaping, pathway, lights and benches on North Gaffey Street? Today is their official coming-out party. Representatives of the port, the city and the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council will celebrate the results of their collaboration to improve the thoroughfare. The event takes place today (June 20) at the intersection of Westmont Drive and North Gaffey Street and the public is invited. Refreshments are served at 9:15 a.m. followed by the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. (Here’s the flyer, but it doesn’t say much more than this).

A spay and neuter clinic has opened at the new animal shelter on North Gaffey Street, with reduced fees for low-income pet owners. Clinic staff will answer questions and book appointments during today’s information fair and adoption event marking the shelter’s first year of operation. Details in the Daily Breeze.

Interest groups have been jockeying for years to influence waterfront redevelopment. In the case of Wilmington, the grand finale was reached this week as the port approved a “$144-million development that will change the face of Wilmington over the next decade,” according to the Daily Breeze. Not that the money exists to build it all, but the plan calls for parks, retail shops, restaurants and an observation tower to view the working port. The San Pedro waterfront plan will be heard in the fall.

Shovels will start digging this week at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new park and trail at Bandini Canyon. The event takes place on June 25 at 1 p.m. at Marshall Court between Oliver and Sepulveda Streets. Project background is here and the event flyer is here.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn is holding a swearing-in party for Harbor Area communities next Saturday. Brother James Hahn, now a Superior Court judge, will administer the oath of office at 10:30 a.m. on June 27 at the Banning Residence Museum, 401 E. M St. in Wilmington. A free barbecue will follow the ceremony.

Watch for bicyclists on Harbor Boulevard and Beacon Street this Sunday, when the Bike Palace holds a series of races from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m on June 21. A portion of the proceeds benefit Clean San Pedro and Beacon House.

2 comments:

Tristan said...

That's fascinating that they're approving a new plan for Wilmington, but one has to wonder how they plan on implementing it. So far, Pedro has seen the failures of multiple underused though lovely bike paths, the complete mismanagement of what should be the port's biggest attraction, and a multimillion dollar fountain on a deserted stretch of road that's an insult to the people living nearby. The sound barrier project in Wilmington is already being executed at the expense of new soccer fields and landscaping that had been the best things for their respective communities in a long time, and with the insensitivity repeatedly shown in executing these projects, one has to wonder if they're really meant to serve the harbor area or just constitute a few bylines of pork.

IronHead433 said...

"and a multimillion dollar fountain on a deserted stretch of road that's an insult to the people living nearby"

Eye of the beholder.......... I've never sat down and watched but I've frequently been coming off the blue lit blacktop of the Vincent Thomas bridge to the gloriously lit streams of water an can't for the life of me think what kind of neighbor would be offended by such beauty... My bike has a throttle so I'm not sure about the paths you speak (highly) of.. What would be the "attraction", because to me the attraction would be that glorious bridge mentioned earlier.. The wall, not sure..will there still be soccer and grass on the other side..?? Pork is such a trendy word these days, rates right up their with "green"...... Like I said "eye of the beholder"..