Street Talk Newsletter - Bureau of Street Services

STREET TALK
March 31, 2015
From the desk of
Nazario Sauceda, Director
Eric Garcetti
Mayor
Bureau of Street Services
Groundbreaking Ceremony in Watts
On March 16, 2015, Councilmember Joe Buscaino, Commissioner Mike Davis of the
Board of Public Works, General Manager Danielle Brazelle of the Department of Cultural
Affairs, the Bureau of Street Services, and local community groups celebrated the groundbreaking for the Watts Streetscape Enhancements Project, a nearly 1-mile long segment of
street improvements along 103rd St. from Central Ave. to Grape St. The project, a collaboration between local artists, community groups and two city agencies features 5 irrigated
landscaped median islands, a gateway monument, access ramps, trash receptacles,
benches, bicycle racks, way finding signage, high-visibility crosswalks, and sidewalk improvements.
CicLAvia Pedals Way to Valley
On the weekend of March 21st, hundreds of Angelenos participated in CicLAvia which was
held primarily in the San Fernando area of the city. CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public
spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets. CicLAvia engages
with people to transform our relationship with our communities and with each other. The
Bureau’s special events section was involved in the processing of the application. The Bureau’s bike unit Investigators, also participated in the event to ensure public safety and that
permit conditions were being met.
METRO Exposition Line Tree Planting
The Bureau of Street Services collaborated with METRO in the Exposition Line project by
providing tree planting services. In early March, Bureau crews planted 25 Palo Verde (Cericidium parkinsonia) and Pink Trumpet (Handroanthus heptapyllus) trees along Exposition Boulevard across from the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. When completed, the
Bureau will have planted nearly 250 trees as part of this important project.
Successful Collaborations with Neighborhood Councils
Based upon an influx in funding, four of the neighborhood councils in the west valley (Reseda, Tarzana, Winnetka and Woodland
Hills Warner Center) chose to hire the Bureau’s Street Maintenance Division to jointly
collaborate in making repairs to their streets and sidewalks. This involved identifying
locations of constituent concerns, locations that have been on backlog lists for repairs
and inspecting the council areas for potential repairs. Working together with Street
Maintenance personnel in developing a list of proposed work areas, the councils approved the lists and then proved funding for work to begin. The identified repairs included entire streets with off-grade sidewalks, potholes, pop-outs and eroded Hollywood
Berms and alleys. The Van Nuys Yard pothole truck crews have so far completed 37,301 square feet of work for a total of 8,297
repairs.
BUREAU OF STREET SERVICES
To request services, please call 311 or visit us online at http://bss.lacity.org/request.html
The Department of Public Works is the City’s third largest department and is responsible for the design, construction, renovation, operation, and/or maintenance of public
facilities and infrastructure including: municipal buildings, water treatment facilities, streets, bridges, sidewalks, street lights, and the urban forest. To learn more about the
Department of Public Works, visit www.bpw.lacity.org