Meadow Meadow Who's Got the Meadow... Meeting...

Like surprises? Want to see the reservoir --empty --without knowing what's go'n on? If you'd Rather be IN the loop than out of it (lol, sorry), clear some time Saturday afternoon and show up. On tap: Reservoir plans --DWP deigns to spaketh unto us, Silver Lake stakeholders, and anybody else who shows up; others on: "plans" for the surrounding area, AKA The Meadow.

Community Meeting
Saturday January 26, 2008
2 PM to 4 PM (ish?)
at the Michaeltorena Elementary School
auditorium
1511 Michaeltorena Street --at Sunset Blvd.
Silver Lake CA
If you haven't been there: has a parking lot

Meeting: sponsored by CD 4 Rep Tom LaBonge, CD 13 Rep Eric Garcetti

Bring your high-heeled sneakers, knowledge -open mind -indoor voice -dare I say it, optimism and umbrella --it will be raining...and remember those words by the man who, after acquital of the cops who beat him set off Major LA riot #2, said: "can't we all just...get along".... Hey! Maybe they'll tell us DWP managers will kick in part of their new raise to buy us a DASH! Why yes, yes I Do believe in the Tooth Fairy, why do you ask? Ah...Silver Lake daVine....



Want fish? It will be OK to order, eventually, after all the fish swallowing the plastic bags Southern Californians currently toss out, are dead.

After Tuesday's LA County Board of Supervisors meeting: PLASTIC bag volume must be reduced by grocery stores in Los Angeles County within twelve months OR will be banned 100%. Yippee. Thanks Green coalition, Heal the Bay.

Headed to the store? Take: bags WITH you --reusable, recycled, paper --woven --braided remnants --backpack --satchel --basket --cart, any kind; put next to the front door so you won't forget.

Trees --birds --sea creatures --ocean won, oily boys network: lost. That's Silver Lake daVine --even without a beachfront border, lol....

Now, if we could just get dioxin-leeching stretch-wrap banned --off the planet...till then pick up roll of wax paper....

NOTE: GOOGLE is screwed up --I can't fix --find solution --find techs --get a reply --this must be the day they Ignore, while they count the money they haul in on blogs they can't be bothered to maintain bug-free.

Silver Lake Reservoir, Meadow...Pt II

Following: is
Silver Lake Reservoir and meadow Analysis and comment of (above) design written by Ken McCown, nearby resident, February 27, 2007....

What do you think of the design? Post in Comments, below.

"This plan shows an analysis of the new design for the East Side of the Silver Lake Reservoir site. This analysis show 1) The context of the view from the historic cultural monument. In addition, points two and three discuss safety and 'aesthetics/use' respectively.

For points two and three, the entry points into the site are placed in inopportune locations where there are poor sight lines for cars and pedestrians, and create a tough relationship with cars taking left or right turns from Earl St. This maximizes opportunities for conflict, as cars going south on Silver Lake Blvd will go out of their lane to the right into the pedestrian area in order to not have to wait for a car going left from Silver Lake Blvd. on to Earl St.

At point 3, automobiles and pedestrian tourists
often take pictures of the house from this point. The pedestrians cross the road from the Neutra VDL House, darting across traffic to get a photograph of the house that fits into their camera view. This is a point of severe danger, as cars are accelerating along this stretch of road after the tight turn to the north.

4) The design interrupts historic views
from the Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House II through planting of trees in front of the house, and the addition of an exposed seating area directly in view from the house. (point 5) All of the seating areas noted on the plan will not be used. They are exposed to the noise coming from the reservoir, they are exposed to open space(no sense of security) and they do not have shade.

Additionally, this landscape is by a designer named Fred Tschopp,
who is now getting recognition for his modernist landscape design ideas. Tschopp evidently taught landscape workshops to the AIA with Richard Neutra and Roberto Burle Marx.

This landscape, if altered, should be documented in its existing state.

This area is also an historic-cultural monument in Los Angeles."

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tag: Silver Lake reservoir meadow boulevard landscape plan idea community design architectural drawing parking resident visitor seating traffic Ken McCown discussion proposal

Meadow...Not a Walk in the Park...

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'...cover up~paradise...~put~up~a parking~lot...

The "meadow"...why isn't it called "park"??? Dunno, but for any newbies: the topic today, should you care to play, is "Open or Shut" --area surrounding Silver Lake Reservoir.

Lotta peeps did lotta work --to save it --keep DWP from filling reservoir with concrete --get it Open, after DWP was finished using it for above-ground water storage.

Others, not so much --as in NIMFY? --That would be: Not In My Front Yard?

The Meadow, ex-water duct, fence, et al, all publicly owned, so it should be open to: the public.

I'm guessing, here: those who want it kept closed --are in the direct geography? --If any one opposed to opening the Meadow: lived a mile -1/2 mile -3 blocks away, would they want it off-limits? I suspect: Not.

Can you picture --the Queen saying 'Shut Hyde Park, I don't want the hoi paloi in there'? Elizabeth would sink --even farther in popularity.

The NOT crowd has used words to influence, like 'gangs' 'noise' 'wild parties' 'nature preserve' 'natural habitat' 'wild creatures'...they don't want the Meadow open, so --whatever will work to keep it shut?

Why do I say that? I've asked a Lot of people --walking -running -riding -driving by, what they think. Those who don't live Right There: want it Open.

Following is an editorial by: Michael Locke, 'The Silver Lake News'

What's All the Controversy About the (Silver Lake) Meadow?

On the morning of October 13, 2007, Council member Eric Garcetti hosted a meeting at Micheltorena School where he presented revised plans for the grassy area known as the meadow on the east side of the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex. For more than a year, Garcetti has been working with the DWP and community leaders from the Committee to Save Silver Lake's Reservoirs (CSSLR) to expedite opening the meadow to expand public open space in a city and neighborhood sorely lacking parks.

While Council member Garcetti appeared to be making the meadow a priority, an open meadow area has been in the works for nearly a decade. It was conceived as part of a community process that began in 1997 and led to the development of the Silver Lake Master Plan (SLMP) which was published in November 2000 after input by over 450 community stakeholders Since then, numerous community meetings have been held to keep residents abreast of developments related to the reservoirs and progress on implementation of the SLMP. Few community improvement projects have received more vetting that the SLMP.

However at the meeting held on October 13th, which was agendized to provide updates on the Silver Lake Blvd. walking path, a fallen retainer wall, and management of the meadow, Council member Garcetti unveiled a new proposal for the meadow adopting an idea put forth by a newly formed group opposed to opening the meadow called Silver Lake Friends and Neighbors (SLFAN). Before fewer than 50 Silver Lake residents and without any materials for the audience, Garcetti and Brian Wakil from SLFAN displayed a PowerPoint drawing of a revised plan to limit public access to the meadow area, creating a gated nature preserve open only by special arrangement---essentially a private park.

Several people who've attended years of community meetings on the meadow were confused by the turn of events on October 13th. 'I've attended lots of community events and support making the meadow a public park, but this new plan looks like only a fraction of the space will be open', said one Silver Lake resident. After months of working with Garcetti and his staff on a plan to open the meadow, it seemed that Mr. Garcetti had adopted a proposal by a small, but vocal group of neighbors who are opposed to making the meadow an open, public space.

Since word of the new restrictions on the meadow has spread through the community, a lively debate has surfaced on the CSSLR community forum at csslrorg@yahoogroups.com. A quick perusal of the posting since October 13 show at least 20 people commenting in favor of opening the meadow as originally planned while only four were opposed. One Silver Lake resident posted a copy of a letter he sent to Council members Garcetti and Tom LaBonge, 'I was extremely disappointed by this morning's meeting. While I was happy to hear that construction of the walking path is moving forward, I was floored by the presentation of a plan as a compromise plan for the meadow. It is not a compromise plan. It is a plan proffered by one group of community members with a single position, specifically, not opening the meadow. I have another plan I would like to put forth, open the meadow', wrote Ian Jipp.

Ironically, while specific drawings for the original plans to open the meadow were widely available, this is no clear plan from Council member Garcetti or SLFAN that describes the new restrictions on the meadow space. Brian Wakil of SFLAN, claimed on CSSLR's online community forum that their new plan, 'permanently opens three acres of the meadows and allows access to the other three acres to those who would like to enjoy it by a simple phone call.' Glen Dake responded to the news: 'I'm thrilled to learn that Silver Lake Friends and Neighbors support opening 3 acres of the meadow: that's is half of the total of 6 acres.'. However, Mr. Wakin then retreated from his earlier statement: 'The walking path will carve about 2 acres out of the meadows and the new plan addes an additional 1.6 acres. That is often forgotten in the calculations'. According to Mr. Wakil, SLFAN considers the walking path around the entire reservoir, most of which has been carved out of the street and does not abut the meadow, as part of SFLAN's 'compromise' plan!

What's been lost in the debate about the meadow is the community process that's been nurtured for nearly two decades by CSSLR. CSSLR prevented the reservoirs from being covered, fought the building of an industrial filtration plant, successfully challenged placement of a cell phone tower on the reservoir property, and worked with local and state government to find the money to build a safe pedestrian path around the reservoirs. CSSLR has hosted more than a dozen well-attended community meetings about plans for the reservoirs, has sent regular newsletters to more than 15,000 addresses in Silver Lake, maintains an informative website (CSSLR.org) full of current and historical information about reservoir plans, and hosts the online community forum mentioned above. If Council member Garcetti believes that the original plan for opening the meadow should be compromised in order to appease SLFAN, then the larger community deserves to have the same opportunity to review and comment on the new plan through a well-publicized and well-attended community process. Let's not let this 'johnny-come-lately' group of people opposed to opening the meadow hijack the process! That's my opinion; what's yours?

Me? I'd like to see boats on the water...a volleyball court...a badminton court..to walk around entire reservoir --and arrive there by DASH...parking for cars, bicycles, scooters. I'd like to have a Real rep --who pays Attention --to All, doesn't hog credit -go 'into business for himself' -do side deals --Silver Lake daVine....

You? Comment below
or: the Committee to Save Silver Lake's Reservoirs (CSSLR) has a community forum website at: csslrorg@yahoogroups.com
Or: send your thoughts to Eric Garcetti, his link - Sidebar 'local government'

Hey! I know: if your house faces the reservoir, you want silence -no people -meadow closed --give ME your house, I'll cope! Shoot me an e-mail.

NOTE I found a fascinating thing several months ago: architectural drawing --of how the area could go, including, I recall, idea of hooking up the reservoir to the LA River --exchanged e-mails with author, a SL resident, his thought of feeding reservoir with fresh flowing water - will post.

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tag: Silver Lake reservoir meadow fence water recreation community path walk play discussion Eric Garcetti Los Angeles City Council rep CD 13