Monday in Sunland Tujunga

I love my community, truly I do. I moved up here after a tumultuous marriage- looking for a place I could be at peace and breathe.  S-T is a quirky community, part small-town,part City.  When I first moved up here, I got an inkling of what the lay of the land was when I picked up one of the two local papers.  There were TWO competing papers at the time (now there are THREE and frankly there isn't that much news up here!)  ONE of the papers printed, in all seriousness, a recipe for squirrel stew.  Ok then...

A few things have me saying hmmm, although I am not really surprised by either of them.  The first has to do with the Welcome Garden, which is at the freeway, near the Sunland Blvd off-ramp. They wanted to change the signage, as it was old, reflected a Council District that no longer represents us and needed an upgrade.  This project was four years in the works; proposals were written, it was hashed out in Neighborhood Council Committees and in Full STNC hearings that were open to the public.  Public Comment was sought and advertised in both local papers.  The mock-up of the sign came this week and yesterday the Committee went to the sign to make sure it fit and was what  they really wanted.With a minor change or two, the order will go forward and the Committee proudly       (and justifiably so) posted the photo of the mock up placed on the rock monument sign.   It started a firestorm on the page, mostly people saying things like "I don't like it" and "No one asked what we wanted."  Typical.  When we were opening all those branch libraries back in the early 90's, we had multiple community meetings:one to announce the project and invite public comment on the site choice,,one to introduce the selected architect and get public input for the design.  We held  MULTIPLE meetings to present the design and make changes that the community wanted for their branch, as each was unique to the particular community they would serve.  If I were to guess, I would say we had no fewer than 10 meetings per community.  We invited input on the final design.  Unfailingly, on opening day, there would be at least one person who would complain loudly and bitterly that they did not like it and why did they not consult the community before moving forward.  Rick Nelson was right.  "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself."  Personally, I LIKE it.  It's classic and subtle and will have "staying power"  But no matter what, people are going to complain about it.

Part two is what I hope is just a few people trying to figure out what to do with the old K-Mart site.  In McAllen Texas, they took an abandoned Mall and turned it into a community Center, anchored by a public library. Now, that's very nice for McAllen Texas, but I have a whole LOT of reservations regarding the proposed project:

1- We HAVE a library.  It's very nice.  The City already owns it.  I wonder if the folks are proposing that the City BUY the property, or lease space in the building,  Either way, I can't see the City plunking down money they don't have for something they don't really need.  This, of course, will start the Greek Chorus of " we aren't getting our fair share" and "The Councilman ignores us", neither of which are particularly true.  I think anytime people want to get someone on board with a project they either drag in a library or a park "for the children" to tug at heartstrings.

2- I have heard that the building need MAJOR rehab, probably so, as it has been vacant for as long as I can remember.  Whoever buys it has a huge investment on their hand before they can recoup any gain.

3- I think it would be smarter to see what this community actually NEEDS and go after investors who might see the worth in investing in such a project up here  We are an isolated community in many respects.  We don't have a major department store up here, for instance.  We should look at what we are lacking and what would bring in jobs.  I know there are some people who would oppose this, as they are so wedded to the "small town" concept of S-T that they are missing the point that we are not bringing jobs or money into the community.  We are not a "destination" for anyone.  There are no restaurants that people would travel up here to go to.   After people hike in the canyons, they blow through here on their way to Burbank or Glendale for dinner.  I know the Backdoor Bakery is getting ready to reopen  and I hear good things about Caruso's, so I do have hope that the foodie community will discover us.  My husband jokes that the best place to eat, other than my kitchen, is Pollo Loco.  Recently the Denny's AND the Sizzler shut down. Pathetic.

I do hope they come up with something in regard to the old K-Mart site.  It's just sitting there, like the burned out hulk of the Backdoor Bakery.  The owner of the lot said he was going to tear it down and expand his parking for the businesses in the lot.  So far he has done nothing and I know if I were an owner in that strip mall I would be complaining daily that he was harming my business, as it is RIGHT on the corner and makes it look like the center is abandoned.

Maybe they should try withholding rent until he fixes it.  I wonder if they have any legal recourse.  I am not sure, but if it were me I would be screaming by now!