At the Sept. 13 Signal Hill City Council meeting, a continuation hearing— stemming from a June 28 hearing— focused on a new specific plan for the development of courtyard residential condominiums, located at 1933 Temple Ave.
At the June 28 hearing, there were multiple comments from the public stating that the company in charge of the project, High Rhodes Property Group, was being negligent and ignoring community requests to lower the height of rooftops for the project.
Things seem to have changed since then, as comments from Tuesday’s council meeting indicated that compromises have been made between the construction company and citizens that reside near the project area.
Councilmember Edward Wilson said the public-hearing portion of Tuesday’s council meeting ended on a note of teamwork.
“I’m just happy that people are actually working together,” Wilson said. “The whole goal is that we get a project that works for the whole neighborhood.”
However, some members of the public still feel that more should be done to lower the height of the proposed townhouses.
Bradley Hillgren, founder of High Rhodes Property Group, said he wants to get the project started with both parties in support.
The council moved to close the public hearing and to receive and file any updates on the matter.
Measure M
The city council voted to oppose Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Measure M program. The stance on the measure received a 4-1 vote, with Wilson voting not to oppose.
According to the City Manager Charlie Honeycutt, Measure M is estimated to collect $7 million per year from Signal Hill taxpayers, but the City will only receive $164,585 to repair city streets.
The measure will also permanently double the transportation-sales tax rate.
In August, a community survey, run by the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, stated that 58 percent of Los Angeles County respondents would eventually support the measure.
Councilmember Larry Forester said he opposed Measure M because it would increase LACMTA’s earnings to almost $3 billion a year. He was concerned that LACMTA did not complete the requests the City asked for.
“People say, ‘Well, don’t you have concerns?'” Forester recounted. “I said, ‘They have some money to do things with.’ I’m concerned about what they didn’t do when we asked over three years ago. So, on my standpoint, I will have to say ‘no’ on Measure M.”
Wilson said he was initially against the measure, but he voted not to oppose because he wishes to get more information on it before voting to support or disagree.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-15-at-3.33.18-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”During the Tuesday, Sept. 13 Signal Hill City Council meeting, DeAngelo Gossett addresses attendees after being recognized for his promotion to sergeant.” captionposition=”right”] Library
The council agreed to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) in an effort to seek a contracting business to begin work on a new library. An RFQ is rating criteria used by City officials to determine if a bidding contractor meets the requirements to work on a planned project. The RFQ for the library project focuses on the experience and resource accessibility of the contractors, according to Director of Public Works Steve Myrter.
“We want to create a list of qualified contractors with the necessary experience,” he said.
Wilson said the previous company that worked on the Signal Hill Police Department’s building was “too overstretched” and took on the project because of its personnel size. However, the company suffered from financial problems. Because of that, Wilson urged the selection committee in charge of rating contractors to take finances into effect.
Vice Mayor Tina Hansen said she would like to have the library project completed by March 2017.
Recreation
The city council voted to contract Richard Fisher Associates to conduct a community recreation needs assessment, which will be in the form of a survey that will be given to random Signal Hill residents. Richard Fisher Associates and the City will then use the data collected from the survey to see what recreational services the City needs to invest in.
Mayor Lori Woods and Hansen agreed to be part of a Needs Assessment Advisory Committee to assist with the survey process.
A Parks and Recreation subcommittee gave the $93,000 contract to Richard Fisher Associates because of the company’s enthusiasm and cohesiveness with its coworkers. The subcommittee met with six consulting companies to see which would fit the City’s needs best, and Richard Fisher Associates was the right pick, according to Hansen.
Playground
The city council voted to contract Landscape Structures Inc. to install playground equipment and repair the rubber flooring of Reservoir Park, located at 3315 Gundry Ave. The contract was agreed on, in the amount of $245,357.39.
Forester inquired about the flooring of the playground, adding that the sun could heat up the rubber floor and burn children’s feet. A representative of Signal Hill’s Public Works Department said the equipment meets the state’s regulations for children’s safety, but that the department will look into Forester’s concern.
Woods asked if the renovation project includes fencing that wouldn’t allow children to wander into East Wardlow Road. The representative said this specific project did not include the fencing.
Introductions
Woods introduced Hannah Shin-Heydorn as the new deputy city manager for the City. Shin-Heydorn was previously the director of management services in Lake Forest.
With the help of Signal Hill Police Chief Michael Langston, Woods also introduced DeAngelo Gossett, who was recently promoted from senior officer to sergeant. Gossett introduced his family and friends to the council and recited the Signal Hill Police Code of Ethics.
