Fire Dept.

Fire Prevention Week  ––  Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years” is the message behind Fire Prevention Week campaign, Oct.9-15.  Age matters when it comes to smoke alarms. Check the manufacturer dates.  For fire prevention tips, see culvercity.org/fire or firepreventionweek.org.

Department personnel will be at the Farmers’ Market on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 3:30-6, to hand out educational materials and answer questions about smoke alarms and fire prevention.

Badge Ceremony – The department held a badge pinning ceremony for Shawn Allois, James Palmer, and Spencer Henry (probationary to firefighters); Seth Miller (firefighter/paramedic to fire captain); and Jeremy DeBie (fire captain to battalion chief).  Their families, friends and colleagues attended to congratulate them on their promotions and participate in the pinning of their new badges.  Mayor Jim B. Clarke participated in the ceremony.

Going Pink – During October, firefighters will again be wearing pink to support those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. Show support by purchasing a Fire Dept. breast cancer awareness tee-shirt.  Beginning Saturday, pink tee-shirts in men’s and women’s sizes will be available at Fire Station 1, 9600 Culver Blvd., for $15 each. All proceeds will go directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Dept.

Winter Camp – The Recreation Division will offer Winter Wonderland Camp, Dec. 19-30, for campers ages 5 -13.  Campers can look forward to two weeks of activities including Broomball, a winter luau, ice cream making and much more.  Registration begins on Nov. 19 for Culver City residents and on Nov. 26 for non-residents at the Recreation Office at Vets Park. Space is limited.

Afterschool Recreation Program – Registration for the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program is ongoing.  It serves elementary schools and middle school.  Sites at El Marino, Blanco and Lin Howe are full.  Lindberg and Middle School still have spots available.  Recreation staff provides safe, fun and structured programs and feature time for homework, timed daily activity rotations, fresh and healthy snacks, arts & crafts, free play, community projects and special events. Contact the Recreation Registration Office at 310.253.6650.

Preparing MLK Celebration – The  theme for the city’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is “Peaceful Warriors for Positive Change.”  It centers on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and how their stories influenced Dr. King and continue to influence the world.  The MLK Committee meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 at the Senior Center.  The program is planned for Jan. 14.

Community Forum – “Brain Health & Alzheimer’s Disease,” a free community forum, will be held on Saturday, from 10 to 12 noon at the Senior Center.  The forum is hosted by Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles, with keynote speaker Dr. Edmund Teng, co-director of the Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Development Program at UCLA.  Dr. Teng will share the latest research on what happens when brains age and what can be done to reduce memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

What can we do now to keep our brains healthy? Are there foods that we can eat that will help our memory?  What do we do if we see signs of memory loss?  The event will include a health and resource fair with booths that will provide information about caregiving, clinical trials, assisted living, financial and legal planning, and other services that are available to the community.  This event is free to all ages of the public.  For more information, contact Kimiko Kelly at 323.930.6259 or by email at kkelly@alzgla.org.

Class Time – The Senior & Social Service Division will be offering an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid Class presented by the County Dept. of Mental Health.  This free course is available to Culver City non-emergency responder staff, as well as staff from governmental and non-profit partner agencies to educate them in ways to better serve.  Class will be from 10 to 3, both days. Wednesday, Nov. 2, Thursday, Nov. 3. Mental Health First Aid introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, builds an understanding of their impact, and provides an overview of common treatments.  To make reservations or for more information, contact Darren Uhl, Disability & Social Services Specialist at 310.253.6739 or at darren.uhl@culvercity.org.  This workshop is not open to the public.

Volunteer Opportunities — Upcoming volunteer opportunities include the Walk & Rollers group,which is looking for volunteers for an upcoming pedestrian and bicycle count, and with the Los Angeles Audubon Society. It is seeking volunteers to teach schoolchildren about the natural history and native habitats at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Baldwin Hills.  Contact Jill Thomsen at 310.253.6722 or jill.thomsen@culvercity.org.

Flu Clinic – The annual County Flu Clinic will offer free flu shots on Thursday, Oct. 20, 9-11, at the Vets Auditorium.

Parks Commission Meeting  – 1) The Commission heard an informational item regarding the department’s Administration Division; 2) held a discussion regarding Community Conversations – Topic No. 7: “Race, Religion and Culture: Living in Harmony without Our Community”; 3) heard updates from the ad hoc subcommittees and representative appointees to various outside associations and city committees; 4) reviewed and made recommendations regarding upcoming agenda items to be considered by the Commission and its ad hoc subcommittees; 5) The Commission reached consensus to reschedule Tuesday’s Commission meeting and to Oct. 12.

Police Dept.

Centennial Police Badge — Chief Scott Bixby unveiled the department’s Centennial Badge to help celebrate the city’s 100th anniversary. The badge will be worn by all sworn members of the department for the upcoming year.  This is an exact replica of the department’s badge from 1917.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting – Lt. Aubrey Kellum and Capt. Ron Iizuka attended the fourth anniversary of the Tellefson Neighborhood Watch program. Dave Voncannon and his leadership have made the watch program a true success.  Mayor Jim Clarke and Councilmember Goran Eriksson attended the meeting.

Public Works Dept.

Children’s Helmets  — The city has been awarded 120 bicycle helmets from the California Dept. of Public Health to give away to children who need them.  Public Works will partner with Walk & Rollers to distribute these helmets as part of the city’s ongoing Safe Routes to School program, in partnership with the School District. Helmets will arrive in January and be given out before the end of the school year.

Coastal Cleanup Day — Culver City celebrated the end of the summer Coastal Cleanup Day for the 23rd straight year. Cleanup Day is international. Sixty countries around the world participate.

Across California, Coastal Cleanup Day was a success.  An estimated 9,500 volunteers turned out to collect 29,600 pounds of trash, equivalent to nearly 15 tons of trash.

Twelve hundred pounds of debris was collected here.  Public Works-EPO dispatched crews and a sweeper into the creek to pick-up large and small debris bringing in an additional amount of 4,000 pounds of wet material.

From 170 volunteers, Culver City’s event was a winner.

Construction Update – Golden State Water Co. will commence construction on Monday to replace existing water mains with new eight inch diameter PVC pipe along the following roadways:

• Ranch Road, from Kelmore Street to east of Youngworth Road
• Youngworth Road, from Ranch Road to Flaxton Street
• Flaxton Street, from Youngworth Road to Drakewood Avenue
• Drakewood Avenue, from Youngworth Road to Ranch Road
• Lugo Way, from Ranch Road to cul-de-sac
• Esterina Way, from Hill Road to Cranks Road cul-de-sac
• Linda Way, from Cranks Road to cul-de-sac
• Additional work along St. James Drive, Cranks Road and Hill Road

Construction is scheduled to be completed in May.  Approximately 1.2 miles of new eight-inch water main, 127 new water service laterals, and 17 new fire hydrants, will be replaced.

Construction will take place from Monday to Friday, between 8 and 4:30. Construction crews may begin arriving to the site beforehand, but no work will begin before 8. No work is scheduled for weekends or holidays.

Traffic and parking may be impacted during construction working hours.  There may be temporary street closures. Residents will be notified in advance if access to driveways may be limited for short durations of time.

Residents in the immediate vicinity of construction may experience increased levels of noise.  Crews will try to keep dust to a minimum.  Weekly activities such as trash pickup will not be interrupted.

Questions or concerns should be directed to 24-hour Golden State Water Co. Customer Service Center at 800.999.4033.

Transportation Dept.

Culver High AVID  – On Friday, September 16th, Culver CityBus partnered with the School District to provide a lunch and learn session. Art Ida, Transportation Director; Paul Condran, Fleet Services Manager; Jane Leonard, Senior Management Analyst; and Dia Turner, Management Analyst shared their duties and background.  The 50 students learned what it is like to operate a transit agency; jobs in the transportation department and in government; and they were provided general information about putting themselves on the road to a career..

Culver CityBus Changes:

• Line 6: Line 6 is going back to the Ackerman turnaround.
• Rapid 6 Additional Service:
• Morning Service every 10 minutes
• Mid-day service every 30 minutes
• Additional Evening Service every 15 minutes

Introducing Rapid 6 Short Line:

• Direct service between UCLA Ackerman and Sepulveda and Palms
• Only 8 stops.
• AM Service (Northbound only) from 6:36 a.m.– 10:37 a.m.
• PM Service (Southbound only) from 1:44 p.m. – 7:04 p.m.

Line 1, Line 6 Local, and Rapid 6 have minor schedule adjustments.

Additional information: www.culvercitybus.com.

Centennial TAP Cards  — Centennial TAP (Transit Access Pass) cards now available for $2 at either of two physical sales locations, at City Hall or Transportation offices.

Mr. Nachbar, the City Manager, may be contacted at john.nachbar@culvercity.org