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Take Back the Boulevard:
Colorado Boulevard represents a vital Eagle Rock commercial corridor. Sadly, it also functions as a nothing more than a short cut for many drivers who have no stake in our community. Automobiles speed through the center of town as if it were a highway rather than a commercial district. Pedestrians take their lives in their hands if they wish to cross the street. Bike lanes are non-existent. The old trolley line has become a median strip of indifferent landscaping; it has to be maintained, but it cannot be said to inspire.
We should take great pride in our predecessors' ability to block the routing of the 134 through our community. To the West and to the East, Colorado Boulevard is four lanes in every area but Eagle Rock. There is no six lane freeway contingency route in those communities. Only our community is held hostage to serve drivers who want to save five minutes by whizzing through Eagle Rock.
Our most significant business corridor stands poised to become a renewed center of our community. By bringing a few key changes to the boulevard, we can recapture much of this vital public space for all of us to use and enjoy.
The Colorado Boulevard of tomorrow can be a safer place for everyone. It can be a street that is inviting for bike riders, buses, cars, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. In addressing the planning and engineering design choices of the past, and patterning Colorado after some of the most successful core community streets in the nation today, we will bring a renewed sense of pride and enrichment to Eagle Rock.
Colorado Boulevard should be a humane place that is inviting, scaled for people, and reflects the rich history of Eagle Rock as well as the diverse culture that has drawn us all here. Colorado should be a place to sit with our friends over a meal or walk with our kids for ice cream or ride our bikes to the store. It must be a street that is no longer dominated by the automobile, but be a place for people.
In the tradition of our predecessors, it is time for us to galvanize and take back the boulevard that should first and foremost serve Eagle Rock.
On March 5, TERA invited the leaders of a broad array of community groups to a kick off luncheon for our new initiative "Take Back the Boulevard". At the meeting, the leaders were invited to join TERA in a collaborative effort to foster improvements to Colorado Boulevard and our community.
The process to be followed will encourage broad community feedback. Residents and businesses will be invited to a series of public meetings. Over time and in collaboration with the community, a vision of the Colorado Boulevard of tomorrow will be developed. The vision and therefore the goals of Take Back the Boulevard will be a reflection of the voice of the Eagle Rock Community. Ultimately, when we approach the council office for support or when we face the Department of Transportation, it will be the voice of the community of Eagle Rock speaking rather than one individual organization. It is our hope that this broad community consensus will constitute a request that is sufficiently compelling so that we will prevail in our efforts for a better boulevard.
The first step in moving forward today was taken today by establishing the Steering Committee as follows:
The first action of the Steering Committee will be to develop a mission statement. Next, we will need to engage professional assistance in order to be successful in this endeavor. TERA has pledged $5,000 for the initial engagement of a consultant. More will be needed, making your financial support of TERA all the more important. Updates regarding this major initiative will be found in future eLetter as well as on the TERA website (http://www.tera90041.org) under the topic "Take Back the Boulevard.
It is my hope that one of the lasting legacies of Eagle Rock's Centennial Celebration will be an effort that ultimately transforms a main thoroughfare in our community to an avenue that safely and beautifully serves the needs of all.
Many thanks to Michael Woodward and Allen Compton for their contributions to the text of this article.
100 Years Old and Still Kickin':
On Friday, March 4, a resolution was passed at City Hall - Los Angeles that proclaimed the day Eagle Rock Day. I joined many other residents of Eagle Rock as our community was honored. Students performed a brief play referencing the history of our community. The celebration was capped off by a festive reception in the Tom Bradley Room, a spectacular space at the top of City Hall. The Eagle Rock High School Latin Jazz Band serenaded us as we enjoyed coffee, punch, cake and cookies. It was a very special morning.
Membership Has Benefits :
Discounts are available for TERA Members at the following participating merchants. Just show your active membership card. Click on http://www.tera90041.org/benefits.htm to see the member benefits offered by each merchant.
Please patronize these merchants, save a little money, and show them that you appreciate their support of the community.
 Bob Gotham, President
Mark your calendar now for TERA's annual fundraiser, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?," a celebration of fine dining and community camaraderie, set for Saturday, May 21, throughout Eagle Rock.
This is a delicious and entertaining way for Eagle Rockers to meet and connect, to enjoy great food and drink in a range of interesting homes, and to broaden their personal experience of our town. The event also provides TERA with the critical funding needed to support community projects and activities that improve the quality of life in the town we all love.
The evening begins on Hill Drive with a reception at the beautiful and distinctive 1933 Spanish Colonial residence of Damon Dennis and Michael Schlueter. A party atmosphere that is both festive and sophisticated and will welcome you to this landmark property. Tasty appetizers, a no host bar, live music and a wandering magician will set the tone for a fun evening on the town. From the reception, guests will proceed to one of 14 dinner parties at homes throughout Eagle Rock.
Authentic Southern BBQ, traditional Italian / American cuisine, a dinner with an international flavor that travels from Los Angeles to Manila and back, a New England Seafood extravaganza, Island flavors from Hawaii, a night in Havana, and a proper Sunday Dinner are just some of the choices. Entertainment will be offered in some homes. Don't delay in making reservations, the event sold out last year. Choose your top four host homes and make the reservation. Dinner assignments are on a first received basis. The earlier you act the better chance to get your first choice.
TERA will soon distribute a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" brochure that will preview the great dinner parties and homes of our wonderful and generous hosts. Complete information may be found at http://www.TERA90041.org. Ticket sales will begin in late March. Reception / dinner tickets are $75. Reception only tickets are $40. For non-TERA members $10 adds a one-year, 2011 - 2012 membership.
TERA is a 501-C3 organization and tickets will be tax-deductible as allowed by law. For more information, email TERAdinner@TERA90041.org or call TERA at (323) 799 1190.
TERA is especially grateful to our courageous and generous dinner party hosts. Without their commitment and faith in our organization, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" would not be possible. Stay tuned!
Interested in volunteering? Email president@tera90041.org if you would like to get involved.
An Open Letter to Tree Lovers from Jane Tsong
Can you believe the Centennial Tree Planting is not just talk any more? Soon there will be new trees in the ground. Has anyone noticed the cute white marks on the curb in front of some of our planting sites, like Trader Joe's on Colorado, Amberwood Convalescent on York? Those were made by Marcos Trinidad to show the location of our new trees.
Our first Planting day on March 26 will be a big event. We will need extra volunteer help with these tasks leading up to the event, and during the big day itself:
Spread the word to all local tree-lovers. Email me (urbanforestcollaborative AT gmail DOT com) if you are up for any of these tasks.
Thanks for all your support so far and for helping to make NELA a shadier place to live.
Last but not least, if you have not already registered for the March 26 Colorado Planting, registration is now open at: http://www.treepeople.org/street-planting-4
In order to create a cleaner environment for our community, Happy
Recyclers and Eagle Rock Plaza is hosting an EARTH DAY electronic waste (e-waste) recycling
event from Sat-Sun, April 23-24, in the parking lot of Target, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The event is a free service to both city residents and businesses to properly get rid of their
unwanted electronic products.
Study shows that 35 million pounds of e-waste are still sitting in California households and
businesses. Only 10% - 15% of e-waste is currently properly dismantled or recycled. Electronic
discards are one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream. With the digital
conversion occurring this year, this figure is sure to increase. 70% of heavy metals and 40% of
lead contents found in today's landfills are from e-waste. E-waste includes electronic products
or devices, such as computer monitors, televisions, PC systems, printers, home entertainment
systems, copiers, and facsimile machines that have reached their useful end, whether in working
condition or not.
Please come show your support for a cleaner environment by diverting e-waste away from our
city and landfills to the appropriate recycling process. For more detailed information on the
event, or qualified e-waste products, please contact the following:
"Joseph Eichler and His Architects: The Men Behind Eichler Homes" Author David Weinstein Discusses How Famed Real Estate Developer Created Quintessential Subdivisions of the 1950s on May 13; Tour of Eichler Homes in Balboa Heights in Granada Hills Offered May 14
For more information and to order tickets, call (626) 793-3334, ext. 7:30 pm, May 13, 2011, at Ahmanson Auditorium, Art Center College of Art and Design, 1700 Lida St., Pasadena. $12, free to Friends of the Gamble House (FoGH) members. A tour of Eichler homes in Balboa Highlands is offered 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 14; tickets are $35 FOGH and $45 public. Reservations are required. (626) 793-3334 ext. 52 or visit www.gamblehouse.org.
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