Canyon Residents Frustrated Over Lack of City Attention

By DAYNA DRUM | Reporter

The restoration effort for the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center was the first main topic of discussion at the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association (SMCCA) meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Some residents felt that the restoration plan is starting backward with ornamentation first rather than the infrastructure of the building.

The funds generated from recent fundraising events went to purchasing new doors. However, some were concerned the money should finance mold and structure inspections of the building instead. “These are the things we need to do before we make it look pretty,” said resident Isabelle Mizrahi.

The project is going to have a huge cost and fundraising efforts need to be bigger, residents pointed out. Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) representative Cathy Russell reminded the meeting attendees the next PPCC meeting would be held in January and a representative from the Federal Aviation Administration would be attending to address community concerns about airplane noise.

SMCCA board member Dan Seaver stated he used to represent a San Francisco airport to address community concerns about airport noise and noted there was “nothing” the community could do. While it is worth a try, Seaver said, the officials who make flight route decisions are far removed from the community and planes are always going to fly over someone’s neighborhood.

After an update from board member Julie Silliman about the new crosswalk in front of Canyon Charter Elementary School on Entrada and a discussion about further improvements to reduce traffic speed in the area, the meeting transitioned to talking about hazardous trees on Sunset Blvd. Board member Sara Boyers shared frustrations about the city’s lack of attention to the trees on Sunset between Chautauqua Blvd. and Brooktree Rd. Boyers said the overhanging trees are already a hazard and with El Nino on its way, it could cause a disaster.

To close out the meeting, a sidewalk committee was established to facilitate conversation about the Entrada sidewalk project with the city. Board president Marilyn Wexler voiced irritation that a city representative has not attended an SMCCA meeting since June and the city is not following through on promises about the Entrada sidewalk improvements. With SMCCA elections approaching in May, Wexler stated the need for establishing a nominating committee and requested members to consider volunteering.