Greener Glendale Open House on Jan. 23rd

The Glendale Dept. of Water and Power and the Community Development Dept. invites you to attend the Greener Glendale Open House event on Monday, January 23, from 5pm to 7pm at the City’s Municipal Services Building, Room 106. The Open House will address environmental and resource conservation in Glendale, including the topics below. The city departments will value tremendously the views and opinions from the city's residents.

It will be a walk-through style event, so you can arrive and leave at any time. Children are welcome.

Environmental Topics to be discussed:

• Economic Development
• Energy Conservation
• Water Conservation
• Waste Reduction
• Transportation
• Urban Design
• Urban Nature
• Environmental Health

Update on Beeline 13 and Metro 201

Per previous announcements to Route 13 passengers, Route 13 (from downtown Glendale to Glenoaks Canyon) concluded service on Friday, December 9, 2011.  Metro was scheduled to extend Line 201 into Glenoaks Canyon beginning Monday, December 12, 2011.  Based on Metro’s suspended service change this weekend, Route 201 will not be operating the extension into Glenoaks Canyon as planned. Per the City’s request Southland will operate replacement service between the Glenoaks/Chevy Chase stop (Adventist Hospital) and the Gardner/Glenoaks stop (Canyon) on the same schedule as was planned with Metro – per yellow highlights.  Southland is being asked to coordinate morning departure times from the Glenoaks/Chevy Chase stop (Adventist Hospital) to collect passengers from the 201 bus; and coordinate afternoon trip times to return passengers to meet the outgoing Line 201 buses at the Glenoaks/Chevy Chase stop (Adventist Hospital).  Passengers may look for a small bus (cutaway) using “Special” for the headsign or “Route 13” on the window card.

Southland staff has agreed to operate the replacement service through December 30, 2011 or sooner.  We will work with Metro to determine how quickly the Line 201 extension can be implemented.  We will update you as soon as we know more.

Update on Restored Bus Service

We have gotten more information on the restored bus service. The current Beeline Route 13 will end on Friday, December 9th and the first day of the new line 201 will be on Monday, December 12th. There will be five trips into the canyon each weekday.

Click here for more information and schedules for the new line.

Bus Service to be Restored in Canyon

It appears that the MTA will be bringing bus service back into Glenoaks Canyon. According to comments made at the October 25th City Council Meeting, the bus route will be restored starting on December 11th for 5 or 6 trips per day. The City Council heard from many people in the canyon.  The result of our actions is a prime example of what we can do to affect change in our city. A big thank you to all of the canyon residents who wrote letters to the MTA and city council members and especially to Angie Vukos who kept the fight going.

This is great news for many people in the canyon who rely on public transportation.

Rehabilitation Plans for Glenoaks Blvd.

Attached to this post is a letter from the Glendale Public Works Dept. regarding future plans for resurfacing and rehabilitating Glenoaks Blvd.

In short, Glenoaks Blvd. from Verdugo Rd., to the entrance to the baseball fields will receive a couple of different types of rehabilitation. Parts of the road will receive slurry sealing while other sections will get rubberized asphalt concrete overlay with selective pavement removal and replacement. These repairs will start sometime in the summer of 2012 and will be completed by the end of the year. Reported potholes in the canyon will be repaired sometime in the near future.

The letter from the City Engineer can be read here:

Action Alert: City Council to Discuss Transportation Options in Canyon

At the Glendale City Council this Tuesday, Sept. 20th at 6:00 PM,  an agenda items to be discussed will be Route 13 into Glenoaks Canyon. One city recommendation to be presented is the use of taxi vouchers at a round trip cost of $7.50 from Glendale Adventist Hospital to Glenoaks Park.  This would replace the current $.50 charge for the Beeline and seems to be an unreasonably high solution for those who use public transportation to get in and out of the canyon. They may also discuss the return of a limited service of Metro Line 201 (no cost to the City of Glendale).  This is the best recommendation.

Your presence and voice are very important to maintain public transportation in our canyon and to support those neighbors who need this service. Please attend the meeting if possible and/or call the city clerk at (818) 548-2090 to leave an email message with your recommendation for the city council.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

You Can Help Save Beeline 13

If you are interested in helping Save Line 13 (the Beeline Shuttle into Glenoaks Canyon),  you can reach all our City Council members by making one phone call. If you call the City Clerk's Office at  (818) 548-2090 or the City Council Office at (818) 548-4844,   Michelle, the Administrative Clerk, will  forward your message on to the City Council members.  The City Council meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday) night, so if you wish to make a call to let our City Council know your feelings about the necessity for public transportation in our canyon, please do so tomorrow. Thanks so much for your support of this important issue.

Action Alert: Elimination of Beeline Shuttle Service Into Canyon

Coming up at this Tuesday's City Council meeting (Aug. 30th) is a recommendation from the Transportation Department to permanently eliminate, Line 13, the Bee Shuttle  into Glenoaks Canyon because of low ridership. This is of concern to us because there are approximately 1,000 people per month who ride this line. Removal of this service would leave only  Dial-a- Ride as a transportation option.  Dial-a-Ride requires a making a reservation a week in advance a with no guarantee of a ride as they may be booked up. The cost for Dial-a-Ride is $18.05 whereas the Beeline is only $2.67.  Not only is Dial-a-Ride less reliable, it is a lot more expensive. Please attend this important meeting so that your voice may be heard on this important issue. Contact GOCHA Board member, Angela Vukos at (818) 247-2781 for more information. The meeting will be held at the Glendale City Hall ,  613 E. Broadway, 2nd Floor at 6:00 PM on Tuesday August 30th.

Background information on City Council's decision: Funding for the City's transportation programs primarily comes from a small portion of sales tax dedicated to transportation. With the recent recession, sales tax receipts have been significantly reduced and the current operating commitments in the City's Transportation Fund are exceeding the annual operating revenues. Based on previous City Council budget discussions, it is recommended that Beeline increase its base cash fare on regular local routes from $0.25 to $0.75 beginning October 1, 2011, to be increased to $1.00 beginning July 1, 2012, and to $1.25 beginning July 1, 2013. The cash fare for the express routes will increase from $1.00 to $2.00. The remaining Beeline fare media would be adjusted to be consistent with the cash fares. Staff also recommends changing the senior age definition from 60 to 62 years of age to be consistent with Metro fare policy. It is recommended that Dial-A-Ride increase its cash fare from $1.00 to $1.25 beginning October 1, 2011, and to $1.50 beginning July 1, 2013. Staff also recommends increasing the minimum age for new Dial-A-Ride participants from 60 to 65 years of age.

Finally, it is recommended that Beeline Route 13 serving Glenoaks Canyon be cancelled due to low ridership; that the frequency of service on Beeline Route 3 between Glendale Community College and Jet Propulsion Laboratory be reduced due to lack of ridership demand; and, that the fare subsidy program for the purchase of Metro senior passes be discontinued.

Reminder: Neighborhood Watch Meeting Tonight

Come join Officer Sue Shine and your Glenoaks Canyon neighbors for a Neighborhood Watch training and burglary prevention meeting.

While the crime in our canyon is extremely low, the Glendale Police Department wants to help us institute a neighborhood watch program so we can keep our canyon safe for all of us.

The meeting will be held on June 29, 2011 at the Joe Bridges Clubhouse in Glenoaks Park.

Agenda:

5:30 - 6:00 Arrive early for introductions

6:00 - 7:00 Burglary prevention slideshow/Crime overview

7:00 - 7:30 What is Neighborhood Watch?

7:30 - 8:00 Meet neighbors and sign up

Click here to see the Flyer.

Neighborhood Watch Training and Information Meeting June 29th

Come join Officer Sue Shine and your Glenoaks Canyon neighbors for a Neighborhood Watch training and burglary prevention meeting.

While the crime in our canyon is extremely low, the Glendale Police Department wants to help us institute a neighborhood watch program so we can keep our canyon safe for all of us.

The meeting will be held on June 29, 2011 at the Joe Bridges Clubhouse in Glenoaks Park.

Agenda:

5:30 - 6:00  Arrive early for introductions

6:00 - 7:00  Burglary prevention slideshow/Crime overview

7:00 - 7:30  What is Neighborhood Watch?

7:30 - 8:00  Meet neighbors and sign up

Click here to see the Flyer.