Larchmont Chronicle
presort standard u.s. postage
paid
south gate ca. permit no. 294
MARCH 2010
vol. 47, no. 3 • delivered to the 76,439 readers in hancock park • windsor square • fremont place • park labrea • larchmont village • Miracle Mile
New schools set to open in September
Election among issues on council agenda March 10 Candidate deadline
Larchmont was model
ANNUAL EDITION Section three.
SECTION ONE TEMPLE denied permit.
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ST. BRENDAN School blessed.
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SIDEWALK SALE on boulevard. 8 NANCY MUNGER remembered. 8 POET in our midst. 9 SAVE THE PEAK and view. 12 JEWELRY that heals.
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CHORALE sings "All the Pleasures." 20 PLAYERS spin "Charlotte's Web." 33
SECTION TWO Real Estate Home & Garden
CHATEAU sweet chateau. 2 AREA NURSERY at Pasadena Showcase. 4 WOMEN in construction.
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For Information on Advertising Rates, Please Call Pam Rudy 323-462-2241, x 11
Two new campuses will be drawing area students when they open this fall. A new campus is slated to open in central Hollywood in September utilizing a similar curriculum and philosophy to Larchmont Charter School. Citizens of the World Charter Hollywood: A Public School “has an incredible team of experts founding the school and it’s going to be a great option for families here,” said executive director Tara Kelly, who was also a founding member of Larchmont Charter School. Citizens of the World intends to open with 60 students each in grades K-1, expanding annually until the campus ultimately serves grades K-8. “We are very committed to enrolling a diverse group of students ethnically and socioeconomically,” said Kelly, further noting that the school is now accepting applications through March 15. See Schools, p. 17
MAYA NOVICKI sits on shoes she collected for Haiti survivors at Cathedral Chapel School. On hand were school principal Tina Kipp and Maya’s stepdad Carl Risinger. Story page 9
Garage elevator out of service With the elevator down, Larchmont parking garage patrons can burn some calories and get in the habit of taking the stairs over the next few weeks. The elevator in the city garage next to Rite-Aid will be replaced by early April, according to a department of transportation spokesman. The garage will operate normally, and will continue to be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the replacement project.
'Spotty' at best, residents say of city enforcement Muirfield Road needs to be consistent with historic plan After nearly four months, residents of Muirfield Road got some relief in mid-February when city workers showed up to continue street repairs. Residents of the 300, 400 and 500 blocks had a rude awakening in early November when bulldozers and jack hammers were heard outside their doors. Without notifying residents, the city planned to pave the concrete street with asphalt, a violation of the area’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, says Cindy Chvatal, president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Assoc. The work was stopped, while a solution could be found. The city eventually relented, and resumed the work, this time with plans to pour concrete. The above incident is indicative of a code enforcement issue that some residents say is out of control.
“Poor, spotty, inconsistent,” were some of the words used to describe the city’s enforcement of its HPOZ, said Chvatal. A spokesman from LaBonge’s office explained the costs to pour concrete are 10 times
more than asphalt. The intersections at Fourth St. and a portion of Fifth, both at Muirfield, will, however be paved in black asphalt, the material used on the site in the 1960s, and therefore in keepSee City enforcement, p. 7
Election procedures will be on the agenda at the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council meeting on Wed., March 10 at 7 p.m. at The Ebell, 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. Deadline to file as a candidate is Mon., March 15. Elections are being held Thurs., May 13. Prospective candidates for the 21-member GWNC board are invited to a meeting Sat., March 6 at 9:30 a.m. at 6501 Fountain Ave. Other agenda items expected to be discussed include the proposed CVS Pharmacy at the northwest corner of Third St. and La Brea Ave., a new pre-school at Elmwood Ave. and request for wine and beer sales at the Mobil Station, 4605 Beverly Blvd. The Council successfully participated with Hancock Park Homeowners Assoc. to prevent the granting of alcohol sales at Mozza to Go on Melrose Ave. near Highland Ave.
Chronicle Camp issue in April Our annual Summer Camps & Programs edition will be published in our April issue. Deadline for advertising space is Mon., March 15. For more information call Pam Rudy at 323-4622241, ext. 11, or pam@larchmontchronicle.com
On the Boulevard Glimpses by Jane
OOPS. The area’s historic zone, requiring concrete—based on the 1920s design—was not considered during recent repairs.
Spring is around the corner, and Larchmontians are wondering where did the time go. We hear new stores are opening, including a children’s store where Half-Off Clothing used to be. *** We chatted with Juanita See BLVD., p. 7
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