L.A. River Clean Up Project Completed!!!

An innovative regional environmental project to prevent hundreds of tons of trash from reaching the Long Beach coastline has been completed.

The collaborative project, funded by $10 million in Federal Stimulus funds, involved the City of Long Beach and 15 upriver cities working together as the Los Angeles Gateway Authority. The LA Gateway Region's first State Water Board-certified storm drain retrofit effort will prevent approximately 840,000 pounds of trash each year from entering the Los Angeles River.

"Regional problems require regional solutions," said Mayor Bob Foster. "By working together with the other Gateway cities, we leveraged resources and took a huge collective step forward to clean up our coastline on behalf of the entire region."

Approximately 12,000 publicly-held storm drains lead to the L.A. River from the 16 Gateway Cities. Last year, the 16 cities came together and agreed to retrofit all of these storm drains with full-capture trash devices, called Connector Pipe Screens (CPS), inside the catch basin. In addition, more than 5,400 of these storm drains in higher-density trash locations have received additional protection with the installation of Automatic Retractable Screens (ARS), at the curbside entrance to the catch basin. Both screens block trash and debris, while allowing stormwater to continue flowing to the L.A. River and eventually the Long Beach coastline.

"The Gateway Authority and the State Water Board are committed to maximizing this environmental stewardship project for the benefit of all communities in the Gateway Region," said Chris Cash, Gateway Authority Chair and Director of Public Works for the City of Paramount. "Clean water benefits everyone and everything."

Construction began in August 2010 and was completed this week. Cities that received trash screens are (roughly north to south): Montebello, Pico Rivera, Vernon, Maywood, Commerce, Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy, Bell Gardens, South Gate, Downey, Lynwood, Paramount, Compton, Signal Hill, and Long Beach.

A total of $10 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds was designated by the California State Water Resources Control Board, through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, to finance the LA Gateway Authority project.

City of LB - accepting applications.

The City of Long Beach Civil Service Department is currently accepting applications for the following jobs:

Business Systems Specialist
Forensic Specialist - Lateral
Plumber
Senior Surveyor

The City of Long Beach Civil Service Department is currently accepting applications from City of Long Beach employees only, for the following jobs:

Fire Engineer
Refuse Field Investigator

For more information on these jobs and/or to apply online, please visit the Civil Service Department website at: http://www.longbeach.gov/civilservice.

Want to help design a Library???

The new North Neighborhood Library and Community Center is planned for construction in the 5800 block of Atlantic Avenue, in the heart of the North Village Center. Measuring approximately 24,000 square feet, the environmentally friendly facility will complement the City of Long Beach's drive for sustainability and stand as an attractive, state-of-the-art center of community pride.

On Saturday, February 26, Councilmember Steven Neal, 9th District, Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, 8th District, and Long Beach Development Services will host a community discussion on the site planning and design of the North Neighborhood Library. The discussion will be held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Jordan High School Cafeteria, 6500 Atlantic Ave.

"This is an opportunity for residents and business owners alike to provide input on the design of their new neighborhood library," said Councilmember Steven Neal. "I encourage everyone who wants to play a role in the betterment of the North Village Center to come out and participate in the discussion."

At a previous community workshop held last October, a group of 150 participants determined locations for the library, a community plaza, and a possible neighborhood market in the North Village Center. At this discussion, participants will have the chance to voice their wishes for the new library and community center, including the look and feel, features, operational needs and use of space.

"By giving the public the ability to share their ideas for the new North Neighborhood Library, we intend to outline a plan for a vibrant revitalization project that benefits the entire community," said Councilwoman Rae Gabelich.

The facility plans are being developed with aspirations of achieving a Gold certification rating by Leaders in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED), whose certification is currently the best and most recognized system for benchmarking sustainable design strategies and demonstrates focus on reducing the negative environmental impacts. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Free parking is available during the discussion in the Jordan High School staff parking lot off Atlantic Avenue, and light refreshments will be served.

H1N1 vaccines available in LB

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services will offer free
H1N1 flu vaccine at a special clinic at El Dorado Park on Wednesday, February
10, 2010 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  The clinic will be held
in the El Dorado Park Senior Center facility, which is located at 2800
Studebaker Road, Long Beach.  No appointments are needed. 

H1N1 flu vaccine is recommended and available for all people over the age of 6
months.  Only one dose is required for people over the age of ten but children 9
and under should receive two doses at least three weeks apart.

FREE Sand Bags for storm available.

The City of Long Beach is providing free sand and up to 10 bags to residents and
businesses at the following five Fire Stations:

Station No. 5             7575 E. Wardlow Road (El Dorado Park)
Station No. 7             2295 Elm Ave.
Station No. 12            6509 Gundry Ave.
Station No. 13            2475 Adriatic Ave.
Station No. 14            5200 Eliot St.

    Sandbags will last as long as they don't have a hole. If the bags are
reusable, residents should keep them for the next major rainstorm. To discard,
distribute sand in a flowerbed or over a lawn, and then throw away the empty
bags.

    Do not take sand from the beach. It is illegal to dump sand at the beach,
in the gutter or in the storm drain system.  

2 New Carriers @ LB Airport

Long Beach Airport (LGB) announced today that Frontier Airlines and Allegiant
Air would begin flight service in time for the busy summer travel season. 

In May 2010 Frontier Airlines will offer two daily non-stop flights to Denver, CO. 
Allegiant Air is expected to begin service in summer 2010.  The two new entrants
join LGB's other carriers, Alaska/Horizon Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
Airways and US Airways, which currently provide non-stop flights to 14 US
destinations, with connections throughout the world.

Youth Center Work Opportunity

If you are between the ages of 16-24, or know someone that is, and is motivated to learn the skills necessary to get employed, and live in Lomita, Long Beach, Signal Hill, or Torrance, you will want to take advantage of free training that will get you ready for the world of work and help you earn a nationally recognized work credential that will provide an edge in job interviews.

The no-fee 25-hour program is offered by the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network's Youth Opportunity Center. There are no income requirements for this training.

A new class begins on February 22, 2010, at the Youth Opportunity Center. For more information, or to reserve a seat, visit the Youth Opportunity Center at 2nd Floor, 3447 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90807 or call 562.570.4700.