The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.

The transfer of Chair and Vice Chair positions was completed before roll was taken. Victor Winnek is now Chairman and Michael DiVirgilio is now vice chairman.

1. Roll Call

   Present:	Commissioners Beste, DiVirgilio, Lombardo, Marinelli, Winnek
   Also Present:	Richard Morgan, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Michael Flaherty, Public Works Superintendent Rhea Punneo, Administrative Assistant, Public Works Department
   Absent:	None

2. Flag Salute

   Commissioner Winnek led the flag salute.

3. Approval of Minutes

   Minutes of September 28, 2005, approved as amended to include Commissioner DiVirgilio as speaker on item 4, page 9.

   Minutes of October 19, 2005, approved as amended to include additional explanation by Commissioner Beste with regard to item 6d regarding installation of street light in Noble Park on page 6. He expanded on his reason for voting no on the issue due to preference for a more comprehensive lighting plan for the park as opposed to installing a street light.

4. Public Comments

   Betty Ryan, 588 20th Street, addressed the commission to thank them for recent changes to the quality of street maintenance for 20th Street.

5. Correspondence

   None

6. Items for Commission Consideration

   (Item 6b was heard out of order, but is presented here in order for clarity.)

   1. Pier Ave. Improvement Project

      Mr. Morgan presented the item which included a slide show prepared by Dino D’Emilia of PSOMAS conveying options for the temporary striping of Pier Ave. from PCH to Hermosa Ave. for refurbishment next year through Prop C funding. Improvements would include reconstruction of pavement, installation of new sidewalks, and the addition of palm trees and bus stops. The proposal also included a traffic survey to study the impact on traffic flow in surrounding areas.

      General discussion among the commissioners highlighted the following:

      • When asked by Commissioner Winnek if egress from the City would be a problem, Mr. Morgan said that provisions could be made in the future to re-stripe the street to change to parallel parking adding another two lanes of travel if needed.

      • Commissioner DiVirgilio expressed interest in making sure traffic studies were completed and also that parking would not be disrupted.

      • Commissioner Lombardo requested clarification as to which was the favorite diagram, two-lane or four-lane; Mr. Morgan expressed that although both had their good points, he wanted to make sure the commission investigates all options to make the best decision.

      Coming forward at this time to address the commission were:

      Stephen Goodell, 1322 Sunset Drive, stated that he is in favor of the proposal and liked alternate A with two lanes of traffic.

      Frank Hallstein, owner of Hermosa Lock & Safe on Pier Ave., was in general support of improvement but expressed concern with ability of customers to reach businesses with changes.

      Ann Sullivan, 60 18th Street, stated that her quality of life has gone down since changes to Pier Ave. bar section. She feels that traffic is already slow and dangerous and is in opposition of changes especially considering the possible inability of fire department to enter/exit.

      In response to her comments, Mr. Morgan noted the street area by the fire station will remain unchanged with two lanes in each direction.

      Eric Bails, 1815 Road Street, wanted the commission to define exactly what problem needed fixing.

      Jim Lissner, Hermosa Beach, stated that upper Pier Ave. has become vibrant and is a great place for business. He believes there are better places in Hermosa Beach to improve with this funding.

      Gary Kazangian, 1021 Loma Drive, business owner at 423 Pier Ave., inquired as to how long improvements would take and was concerned about the impact to his business due to traffic.

      In response, Mr. Morgan stated that the work would be phased to minimize impact to businesses and may be approximately six months.

      Patricia Hausler, 1322 Sunset Drive, stated that she is in support of refurbishing Pier Ave. but is opposed to more outside dining due to horrendous noise levels. She stated that despite being in favor of having the sidewalks widened, she is fearful of traffic problems created by narrowing street to one lane.

      Ken Klade, 437 Pier Ave., is excited about project and feels that upper Pier Ave. is in need of rejuvenation. He did express concern for amount of time for project length but still fully supports the project.

      Mark Bonifazio, owner of the coin laundry at 511 Pier Ave., agreed that Pier Ave. does need rejuvenation and also wishes for minimal construction time so as not to impact his business. He also thanked Commissioner Marinelli for keeping link of communication to the commission open.

      Patty Egerer, 925 15th Place, wants merchants to have no encroachment to sidewalk as she feels it would be tacky. She believes there should be an encroachment fee structure if allowed. She is in support of four lanes.

      Rick Hankus, owner of Java Man, 157 Pier Ave., commends plan and thinks it is nice that the City is cleaning up Pier Ave..

      Alex Manners, 1207 Cypress Street, wanted commission to remember north/south streets in traffic study, not only east/west when surveying impact on traffic.

      Dave Buckland, 1937 Valley Drive, stated that as organizational chair of the Hermosa Beach Art Walk he wants to increase the level of creativity and enjoyment on Pier Ave. and he is in favor of the project to increase quality of life in the City.

      Norm Coe with Baker, Burton & Lundy at 515 Pier Ave., came on behalf of Al Lundy to share concerns about the project. He believes one lane of traffic as in option A will give visitors a perception of being unsafe, especially during the daytime and expressed preference for option B.

      Ed Hart, 419 Pier Ave., inquired about the traffic study and how the City would know if the proposed option was successful.

      Mr. Morgan responded by stating that after the temporary striping there would be another commission meeting.

      Becher Anderson, 25 17th Street, and owner of property at 237 Pier Ave., felt reconstruction of Pier Ave. was a solution looking for a problem and wanted the option of not changing anything. He also noted that he felt there was inadequate notification for the hearing and no notice to property owners. His reasons for opposition are diminished access/egress from City and false safety during striping phase for drivers because of inaccurate measurements in comparison to proposed permanent measurements.

      Dr. Ed Connaughton, 440 Pier Ave., sees future problems for parking with too many people coming in because of changes and fears businesses having to leave due to more bars and restaurants with no place for smaller businesses.

      General discussion among the commissioners highlighted the following:

      • Commissioner Lombardo noted that although everyone wants wider streets and sidewalks and more parking there are only so many feet to work with and liked the idea of temporary striping with additional hearings on the issue in the future. She expressed concern about left-turn capability with the design and possible dangers of backing out into one lane and was concerned with how that would affect traffic.

      • Commissioner DiVirgilio commented that this change would be an elegant and smooth solution to increase safety when crossing Pier Ave. in and around the upper portion of the street. He supports option A for a test period and notes that the commission is looking for ways to improve the City for everyone’s quality of life.

      • Commissioner Marinelli stated that the commission needs to think of wide-ranging plans for the future and for what is best for everyone in the community. He also noted that acquiring the Self Storage space will alleviate some parking concerns in the future by a possible parking structure. He feels that business owners in upper Pier Ave. deserve renovation and that improvements may help keep patrons longer than a one-stop shopping trip.

      • In addition, Commissioner Marinelli also noted that adjustments will be made for evacuation problems and that many specifics can be worked out as things progress.

      • Commissioner Beste expressed that narrowing the crossing area for pedestrians will be a positive improvement. He noted that if cars are going slower they make less noise; however, he believes that it may create a problem to have cars backing out into one lane. He suggested a joint meeting between the Planning Commission and Public Works Commission and agreed with a test period for the project.

      In response to a question by Commissioner DiVirgilio, Mr. Morgan explained that Prop C funding was grant funds that are not out of the City’s general fund, and they are to be used for transportation related projects. It was also mentioned that Pier Ave. was in need of refurbishing due to problems with drainage and bus stops and this would be the perfect time to refurbish the entire street.

      Commissioner Winnek supports the idea of testing the project to consider options as a fact-finding phase. He commented that notice for the meeting was sufficient and published in a timely manner. Although he feels the project is a good one, he is not in support of the project so as to maintain consistency with views and votes on east/west arteries on Pier Ave..

      MOTION by Commissioner Beste to proceed with test of option A for six months maximum and revisit the commission at earlier point if public outcry is overwhelming. Seconded by Commissioner Marinelli.

      AYES: Beste, DiVirgilio, Lombardo, Marinelli
      NAYS: Winnek
      ABSENT: None
      ABSTAIN: None

7. Commissioners' Reports

   Mr. Flaherty reminded public of annual hazardous waste roundup.

   Mr. Morgan gave update on recent sewage spill and beach advisory and stated that Supervisor Knabe is leading big effort to get accountings of facts to reduce possibility of reoccurrence.

   Commissioner Lombardo inquired about how left and right turn lanes at Pier Ave. and Pacific Coast Highway have been working out. In response, Mr. Morgan stated that there had been no complaints and noted that Caltrans believes pedestrian crossing is safer and great improvement.

   Commissioner Lombardo also inquired about trees on Aviation, and Mr. Morgan responded that the project is funded and hopes for it to be implemented by the end of the fiscal year.

8. Public Works Department Reports

   Mr. Morgan reported that the Centennial Committee meeting had adopted and supports the Surf Legends Memorial Fountain, will also be known as the Centennial Gateway Fountain.

   The reports were received by Commissioner Winnek.

9. Items Requested by Commissioners

   None

10. Other Matters

    Commissioner DiVirgilio requested update on traffic signal at 16th Street and PCH. In response, Mr. Morgan stated that the matter will be noticed to the public and brought before the commission at next meeting. He stated that Council did not instruct delay or stop of signal.

    Commissioner DiVirgilio noted incidences of approximately three traffic collisions on PCH heading southbound between 2nd Street and 6th Street in less than six months and inquired as to possible reasons for such activity. Mr. Morgan replied that he would inquire with traffic engineer.

11. Public Comment

    None

12. Adjournment

    Commissioner Winnek adjourned meeting at 9:05 p.m. to February 15, 2006.

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and complete record of the action taken by the Public Works Commission of Hermosa Beach at the regularly scheduled meeting of January 18, 2006.