Cakes, speeches and adopted resolutions were all plentiful at Monday night’s city council meeting, which featured the inaugurations of Mayor Andy Stern and Mayor Pro Tem Sharon Barovsky, a “State of the City Address” from outgoing Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich, a presentation of the 2008 Jake Kuredjian Citizenship Award and the declaration of April 20 to May 20 as “One Book One City” month, dedicated to encouraging city youths to read.
After being sworn in as the new mayor, Stern listed the cleaning of Ramirez Creek in Paradise Cove, the completion of Legacy Park, beginning construction of Trancas Canyon Park, and improving the Bluffs Park playground as some of the many impending issues facing the city this year. Designing the Civic Center wastewater treatment plant, remodeling the public library and working on a permit for the construction of a new City Hall were also mentioned.
Ulich touched on some of those issues in her “State of the City Address,” and focused on some of the highlights during her term as mayor.
“One of the most important things we tried to accomplish was to get everyone to participate,” Conley Ulich said. “I think were doing a good job of inspiring others to get involved.”
Conley Ulich said the city has participated in three emergency preparedness events during the past nine months, including last May’s first town hall meeting, the first fire expo in the City Hall parking lot, and the state’s earthquake preparedness event.
The former mayor also expressed hope that Malibu residents take precautionary measures to prepare for natural disasters, that they sign up to connect to CTY, the city’s new reverse 911 system, that they attend community response meetings led by Emergency Services Coordinator Brad Davis, and that they show up to express concerns about overnight camping when the issue is set before the California Coastal Commission this summer.
“I’m really proud of this Malibu City Council and our staff because we’ve made protecting environment a top priority,” Conley Ulich said, before announcing that the city will host its first clean water conference in collaboration with the Regional State Water Quality Board in April.
The 2008 recipient of the Jake Kuredjian Citizenship Award was John Paola, a resident with more than 15 years of volunteerism for Malibu Little League, the Chili Cook Off and the Malibu Booster Club.
City approves contract for Corral traffic light
Though Monday night’s meeting had more of a celebratory ambience, the City Council did get down to business and approved several amendments, including the authorization of the city manager to execute a Program Supplement Agreement with Caltrans for the Corral Canyon traffic signal project.
The project entails implementing a traffic light at the intersection of Corral Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway. The council authorized the city manager in November to enter into a construction contract with Padilla Paving, Inc. for construction of the project, which is being funded with federal monies administered by Caltrans.
The installation of the light has long been delayed, with discussion and plans on the installation in the works for several years, and the application process for Caltrans permits for rights of way and alignment. In March of last year, it was announced that city officials hoped the light would be installed by the end of summer 2008, which did not happen.