P O Box 1879, Garden Grove, CA 92842-1879
February 19, 2010
Dear Neighbors,
Three of our Board members plus local residents attended the scheduled informational meeting at Kiwanisland on February 2nd regarding the proposed Park at the Brookhurst Triangle. If you will recall, City Staff have applied for a grant from the State of California to pay for this public park on the Brookhurst Triangle (at the corner of Brookhurst and Stanford) for which solicitation for development has been approved by the City Council. It was immediately noticed by many that the size of the central park area was not enlarged to 2 acres as previously requested and assured by the Staff. Instead an easement around the perimeter of the property was added, a cost which usually is paid by the developer. It does look as though the City Staff did not incorporate ideas discussed during previous park meetings, and during which we were assured our ideas were “important” and were being incorporated! And folks wonder why ordinary citizens can't trust “City Hall!” What was the purpose of the informational meetings if our ideas were to be ignored.
On a much happier and positive note, our CGGNA Board Member Ralph Laudenslayer’s civic project to put the “Green” back in Garden Grove is “bearing fruit!” Not only have we received generous donations from the Living Spring Christian Fellowship, the Malabar Apartments and the Moose Lodge (along with $100 donated by the CGGNA) to plant three Crape Myrtle trees on Bixby Avenue (near Brookhurst Elementary School), but the City of Garden Grove Department of Public Works, Street Tree Division, will be adding two additional Crape Myrtle trees to our project! Plus they will be upgrading the existing concrete rims around the tree wells and constructing two new tree wells. The watering of the five new trees on Arbor Day will also be provided by the tree crew! (Many thanks to Kirk Tietjen, Public Works Coordinator, and to all of his participating staff!) Twenty Brookhurst Elementary School 6th graders will “do the honors” by “filling in” around the new trees. The 6th graders will be chosen based on a competitive essay on Arbor Day - Its Importance to Garden Grove. Adult volunteers from the supporting groups should also be on hand to help, and all Garden Grove residents are invited! The Arbor Day Event will take place on Wednesday,
March 10th at 9:00 a.m. on Bixby Avenue just west of Brookhurst. TV Channel 3 will be there to record this unique community effort. Wear Green!
Another positive outcome! Another CGGNA Board Member, Russ McDonald, took it upon himself to single-handedly bring about the construction of improved wheelchair access at our own Garden Grove post office on Stanford Ave. On July 7, 2009, Russ (who is now wheelchair bound) wrote to the United States Access Board vividly describing the lack of safe wheelchair access to the front doors of the post office, with the only existing wheelchair access being located next to the drive-by postal containers practically in the path of one-way, two-lane traffic. (He enclosed numerous photos!) Russ received an answer on October 1, 2009, and in case you haven’t noticed, much needed changes have been implemented with additional wheelchair access provided. Way to go Russ!
Yet another positive announcement! Scott Weimer of the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association is very pleased to announce the long awaited and much anticipated Archway Dedication Ceremony to take place this Friday on Historical Main Street. The unveiling of the Arch Gateway to Historic Main Street will take place Friday, February 26th, at 6:00 p.m., at the corner of Main Street and Garden Grove Blvd.
I am both honored and humbled by my fellow CGGNA Board members and Garden Grove residents whose civic pride and love of Garden Grove have resulted in the promotion and beautification of our city – don’t forget Robin Marcario’s stunning ceramic tile birds and flowers on bus benches and cinder block walls.
Respectfully,
Cheryl Armstrong
714 537-8468 Home
714 260-8468 Cell
Dear Neighbors,
Three of our Board members plus local residents attended the scheduled informational meeting at Kiwanisland on February 2nd regarding the proposed Park at the Brookhurst Triangle. If you will recall, City Staff have applied for a grant from the State of California to pay for this public park on the Brookhurst Triangle (at the corner of Brookhurst and Stanford) for which solicitation for development has been approved by the City Council. It was immediately noticed by many that the size of the central park area was not enlarged to 2 acres as previously requested and assured by the Staff. Instead an easement around the perimeter of the property was added, a cost which usually is paid by the developer. It does look as though the City Staff did not incorporate ideas discussed during previous park meetings, and during which we were assured our ideas were “important” and were being incorporated! And folks wonder why ordinary citizens can't trust “City Hall!” What was the purpose of the informational meetings if our ideas were to be ignored.
On a much happier and positive note, our CGGNA Board Member Ralph Laudenslayer’s civic project to put the “Green” back in Garden Grove is “bearing fruit!” Not only have we received generous donations from the Living Spring Christian Fellowship, the Malabar Apartments and the Moose Lodge (along with $100 donated by the CGGNA) to plant three Crape Myrtle trees on Bixby Avenue (near Brookhurst Elementary School), but the City of Garden Grove Department of Public Works, Street Tree Division, will be adding two additional Crape Myrtle trees to our project! Plus they will be upgrading the existing concrete rims around the tree wells and constructing two new tree wells. The watering of the five new trees on Arbor Day will also be provided by the tree crew! (Many thanks to Kirk Tietjen, Public Works Coordinator, and to all of his participating staff!) Twenty Brookhurst Elementary School 6th graders will “do the honors” by “filling in” around the new trees. The 6th graders will be chosen based on a competitive essay on Arbor Day - Its Importance to Garden Grove. Adult volunteers from the supporting groups should also be on hand to help, and all Garden Grove residents are invited! The Arbor Day Event will take place on Wednesday,
March 10th at 9:00 a.m. on Bixby Avenue just west of Brookhurst. TV Channel 3 will be there to record this unique community effort. Wear Green!
Another positive outcome! Another CGGNA Board Member, Russ McDonald, took it upon himself to single-handedly bring about the construction of improved wheelchair access at our own Garden Grove post office on Stanford Ave. On July 7, 2009, Russ (who is now wheelchair bound) wrote to the United States Access Board vividly describing the lack of safe wheelchair access to the front doors of the post office, with the only existing wheelchair access being located next to the drive-by postal containers practically in the path of one-way, two-lane traffic. (He enclosed numerous photos!) Russ received an answer on October 1, 2009, and in case you haven’t noticed, much needed changes have been implemented with additional wheelchair access provided. Way to go Russ!
Yet another positive announcement! Scott Weimer of the Garden Grove Downtown Business Association is very pleased to announce the long awaited and much anticipated Archway Dedication Ceremony to take place this Friday on Historical Main Street. The unveiling of the Arch Gateway to Historic Main Street will take place Friday, February 26th, at 6:00 p.m., at the corner of Main Street and Garden Grove Blvd.
I am both honored and humbled by my fellow CGGNA Board members and Garden Grove residents whose civic pride and love of Garden Grove have resulted in the promotion and beautification of our city – don’t forget Robin Marcario’s stunning ceramic tile birds and flowers on bus benches and cinder block walls.
Respectfully,
Cheryl Armstrong
714 537-8468 Home
714 260-8468 Cell