If You Want To Know Where We Are....

....just click here for a wonderful overview of Portuguese Bend on Google Earth's 3D maps. (Click "large view" on the bottom of the image for a slightly bigger image.)

Use the little slider with the plus and minus signs, on the left side of the map, to zoom in and find your house and everything else in the area. You can also click your mouse on the map and drag it around to see a different nearby area.

June Board Meeting--Part Two

Although much of what was listed on the agenda did not get done at Monday night's meeting of the PBCA board of directors, the Board did manage to approve the minutes and financial report from the previous month. An interesting note appears in the May minutes under "Audience Participation," and seems worth reporting here, inasmuch as it could impact future board meetings. (And of course, no one can read the Board minutes anywhere, except at the Board meeting.)

"Tim Kelly stated that in the future, if any members have any accusations against Board Members they need to bring proof. These false accusations will not be allowed. Tim Kelly stated that Mike Cooper has never received compensation and all further allegations need to bring forth support."

The July Board meeting will be July 5, 2010 at 7 p.m. in case you want to mark your calendar.

To Call Monday's PBCA Board Meeting Unruly Brings New Meaning to the Term

It's really hard to describe the Monday night meeting of the Portuguese Bend Community Association Board.

Picture a prize fight...

Mmmmm....not quite right. No gloves. Maybe a bar fight?

That's not quite right either, because no one actually threw any physical punches. But there were some verbal punches, that's for sure. About 90 minutes into the meeting, the custodian came in to see (pardon the expression) what the hell was going on! That should give you some idea of the volume of the "discussion" in the room.  And that was just the Architectural Committee meeting! 

And there were only 20 people in the room..including Board members!

The Architectural Committee meeting started off quietly enough with a discussion of house plans that have been approved, house plans that have been submitted, and a suggestion that the board form an Equestrian Committee to work out a trail system within the Bend. This was suggested because of the lot owners' willingness to go along with a community requirement for a three foot equestrian easement in front of their homes. 

Architectural committee member Kim Nelson announced that a group of the lot owners who are using the same contractor have offered to build a new gatehouse for the community at the Narcissa gate, free.

In line with the equestrian easement, Committee Chairman Tim Vaughn said the Architectural Committee will soon send out letters asking all home owners to voluntarily move existing hedges, rocks, fences, plants and other obstructions in this three foot easement in front of their homes.  This, apparently, will be the same letter that will list the proposed changes to the Architectural Standards that the committee has been discussing since February. Tim reported that the Board attorney advised him today that they cannot approve those changes until the entire community has been informed, in writing, of the proposed changes. Look for a letter some time soon. 

Residents within 500 feet of any of the four lots that have building outlines and flags on them should also be looking for letters from the city about the proposed buildings.

Trouble really began during discussion of the fact that any building plans that are submitted must include plans for drainage. During a discussion of drainage issues, specifically a problem with a recently installed dissapater, (a gadget at the end of a drainage pipe that disperses the water so it will not flood, uncontrolled, into a lot across the street),  a disgrunted homeowner suggested that community rules were not being enforced uniformly. Another resident suggested that some board members were not following some association rules. A general free-for-all about who had had what work done and who had permits or didn't have permits, ensued. Fingers were pointed. Voices were raised. The word "liar" was uttered. The yelling began. 

The person next to me said, quietly, "Uh oh. This is not good."

The angry resident asked that financial records be available so everyone could see who has paid what in fees, so that he could see that the rules are being enforced the same for everyone. The secretary-treasurer said that if the resident would supply a list of what he wanted to see, she would do the research and provide the information requested.

The Architectural Committee adjourned at 8:35 p.m. About half the people in the already small audience went home.

The board meeting was called to order soon thereafter, but side talk and comments continued.  There was no reading of minutes, no treasurer's report, no reports on roadsides, access control, the Environmental Impact Report, the Community Cleanup, or much of anything else. At 9 p.m., Board President Casey Porter adjourned the meeting....which then continued for a few minutes more.

There was no discussion of the road work that has been done in the community this month, but, after the meeting, Mike Cooper said that he expects the crew to finish work on Narcissa this week. He expects to get to the work on Limetree after that.

I keep telling you ... turn off the TV and come to these meetings. They are MUCH better than any sit-com or reality show you could ever see.

PBCA Board Meeting Tonight?

It's the first Monday of the month, so I'm assuming there will be a meeting of the PBCA Board tonight (Monday, June 7, 2010),  at Ladera Linda. If it follows the usual format, the Architectural Committee will meet at 7 p.m. and the Board meeting will follow immediately afterward.

If you want to know what's going on in Portuguese Bend regarding street paving, development, changing architectural standards and anything else, you need to go to the meeting. It's the only time you can ask questions or see your elected representatives in action.

Calling All Portuguese Bend Artists For A New Show

Artists are about as plentiful as peacocks in Portuguese Bend so that should generate a generous number of entries for an upcoming show at Ps Zask Gallery at Golden Cove.

Gallery owner Peggy  Zask, a Bend resident, is calling all artists whose work uses Found Objects as a major component of their art form for a new show, entitled Found Object,  to be held from October 2 to November 6, 2010.  

According to Mrs. Zask, this type of art, "is created from the undisguised, but often modified use of objects that are not normally considered art, often because they already have a non-art function. Marcel Duchamp was the originator of this in the early 20th century."   She notes that there are many artists in Portuguese Bend, including members of the Portuguese Bend Artist Colony, and she hopes that all of them will enter this show.

Artists may have three entries (by digital entry) for $15. Entry deadline is August 31, 2010.

Contact pszask@cox.net for a prospectus or call 310 429-0973 for more information.

The gallery, which is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., opened three years ago with a Spirit of the Horse Art Competition, to benefit the Portuguese Bend Pony Club. It continued with exhibitions of a variety of fine works from artists in Southern California and across the country. Ms. Zask recently re-opened the gallery with a new focus on ceramic art, sculpture and paintings that, she says, "explore the senses, issues and ideas about the earth's environment."

Both Zask and her husband. Ben, are artists. Ben, a science teacher at Dana Middle School in San Pedro, makes sculpture specifically out of found objects. "He does not use one thing in his art that is not recycled from somewhere around our home," according to Peggy.

She is a ceramic sculptor, potter and painter and teaches art, ceramics and sculpture at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach.  The very unusual wall around their property, "Is made mainly of Mira Costa High School student projects that were left behind at the end of the school year," Peggy said.  "Rather than throw them away, I decided to make a shard wall, as you may see in China, but of a sculptural nature.  Over the years, I have had other professional artists in the area add to the wall so it is developing quite a history," she said. 

Each year, the Zasks host a field trip from Mira Costa.  "We have about 50  students come and we do an ancient method of Pit firing with wood, firing the pots that kids have prepared specifically for the trip," she explained.  

"The method is based on the southwestern pottery of Maria Martinez.  After they prepare their pots and put them in the fire, they hike the traills, go to the tide pools and then we barbeque and relax and then they go on the bus back to school.  It's always one of their favorite times in high school. Many students take the ceramics class just so they can go on this famous field trip, always in spring of course.  It's a nice way to share Portuguese Bend."

Here's hoping that all Portuguese Bend artists enter this show, even if the focus is not their particular art form. It would be fun for the rest of us to see what artistic vision can bring to the ordinary.

Nature Education Facility: Part Two. RPV City Council Ignores Residents' Input

Watching our elected representatives at work is an interesting experience, and worth remembering when it comes time to vote. Perhaps if more of us did so, via tv, computer or in person, election results would be different.

I thought of this tonight as I watched the RPV City Council act on item three of the agenda, a grant application for a Nature Education Facility to be built at Abalone Cove. If you missed the details, check yesterday's blog.  as well as the actual grant proposal.

I don't know how many emails the council members received on this topic, but I listened to 10 area residents who took the time to GO to the council meeting and address this topic. All 10, including at least three from Portuguese Bend--Betty Strauss, Vicky Pinkham and Sunshine-- opposed the project. The objections included these points:

• The proposed 8,000 to 10,000 square foot building ruins one of the last natural areas on the coastline.
• Educational exhibits could be put up in a far less intrusive manner.
• People spent hours working on an assortment of city plans that call for placing an Educational Center at Gateway Park. Why did participants spend all that time if it was going to be ignored?
• There are educational exhibits at the PV Interpretive Center. The educational material planned for Abalone Cove could easily be joined to what is already at PVIC.
• There was little or no advance notice of this plan so citizens were unable to gather information about it. Why? (This complaint seemed universal among those who spoke, which was interesting inasmuch as Tom Long insisted in an email last week that "...the city certainly has given proper notice of this as an agenda item. The nearby HOA has already contacted us with its views and city staff have been in communication with a number of organizations with interest in the issue." Evidently the city didn't reach everyone who was interested, given the input from those at the meeting.

Councilmen debated the issue and listened politely to all audience comments. Then Tom Long moved that the council approve the staff recommendation to submit the grant application as it stands. The motion was seconded, and all five members of the City Council approved the motion.

So much for citizen objections.

Council members noted that if the city receives the grant, the project still will have to go through a variety of approval steps, including input from the community. Mayor Stefan Wolowicz noted that he is "not a fan of the big building" and that he would have a lot to say on the matter if the plan for the building is approved. This raises questions, inasmuch as the grant is specifically for  "brick and mortar" facilities, not landscaping, parking lot renovation and improved access, all of which were things that everyone agreed were needed at Abalone Cove.

We'll be watching the progress of this project.

What Do You Think About A Nature Education Facility at Abalone Cove?

Item 3 on the City Council agenda Tuesday night, June 1, 2010, involves a grant application from the city of RPV for funds to construct a 10,000 square foot Nature Education Facility at Abalone Cove, along with other improvements to the site.

According to the grant application, the building would contain educational exhibits about:

• tide pools
• marine life
• trails
• conservation
• protection of the habitat of RPV 
• sustainable living

Also included in the plans are renovation of the guard shack to match the new Nature Education Center, improved bathroom and storage facilities, as well as improvement of the parking lot, trail system, landscaping and outdoor picnic areas at Abalone Cove. The complete grant application is available here.  It's worth reading.

At first glance, this appears to be a welcome addition to the community, but there are some residents who are raising questions about the plan. Among these are:

• Is Abalone Cove the best location for a Nature Education Center? Abalone Cove has always been a natural open space. A 10,000 square foot building would be a major change and is not a part of the Coastal Vision Plan.
• Could the educational goals be achieved without construction of such a large building, perhaps by using a variety of kiosks and other methods of information presentation?
• The Coastal Vision Plan specifically singles out Gateway Park as a location for a Nature Education Center. Would this be a better location for the proposed project?
• Alternately, might the PV Interpretive Center, along with the planned Annenberg project, offer a better location for this project?
• Should educational exhibits be located where visitors have to pay a $5 parking fee to view them?
• The city claims it has notified the public about this proposal, but there has been no public discussion of this plan. Should there be?

This item is on the consent calendar, which usually is approved without discussion, unless a council member pulls it from the consent calendar.

If you would like to hear more public discussion of this plan, please contact members of the city council. They are:

Mayor Stefan Wolowicz: stevew@rpv.com

Mayor Pro Tem: Tom Long: tom.long@rpv.com

Councilman Douglas Stern: Douglas.Stern@rpv.com

Councilman Anthony Misetich: Anthony.Misetich@rpv.com

Councilman Brian Campbell: Brian.Campbell@rpv.com

The council meeting is Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at 7 p.m. at Fred Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. You may also fill out a request to speak on the issue before the meeting. Or, just go and hear what area residents may have to say on the topic.

You may view the complete agenda for the meeting here.