The proof is in the pudding or, at least, in the pie. And Mrs. Rifenbark’s first-grade class from Webster Elementary put their pie to the test last week at the annual Malibu Pie Contest.

On Friday morning, the first-graders were divided into four groups. One group rolled out the crust and placed it in the pie pans. Another cored and peeled the apples with a special hand-cranked machine. The third group used plastic knives to cut the apples into bite-sized chunks. And the fourth worked on the filling, measuring sugar, cinnamon and such.

“We put in apples and all the little powders and things and mixed it up,” said 6-year-old Athena. “It was easier than I thought.”

“I liked pouring in the cinnamon,” said 6-year-old Jani, “because it made the pie smell good.”

The end result was two Dutch Apple Pies. One was entered into the children’s division of the contest. The other was donated to the Malibu Methodist Church to be sold.

Pie baking isn’t the only skill displayed by students in Rifenbark’s class. At the festival Saturday morning, Jani demonstrated his mastery of pie eating. Pie shells filled with pudding were placed in front of each contestant and utensils were not allowed. “You had to put your hands behind your back and eat,” said Jani. “Whoever finished first was the winner.” Jani won a fourth-place ribbon and praise from the rest of the class.

The pie wasn’t an award winner, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. “I didn’t really care,” said Athena. “The fun was entering it in the contest.”

Most kids agreed that tasting their own pie was one of the most delightful experiences of the whole project. That is, if they could get it away from the grown-ups. “My mom ate all of it,” said 6-year-old Taylor. “I didn’t even get a taste.”

How sweet it was. The annual Malibu Pie Festival, sponsored by Malibu United Methodist Church last weekend, brought smiles and sugar shock to the attendees and honor to the following winners:

9-year-olds and under

First place went to Anne Payne’s first-graders at Point Dume Marine Science School for their apple-blueberry pie. Forrest and Isabel Alsobrook took second for a pumpkin pie. Payne’s class won third place for an apple-plum pie.

10- 14-year-olds

In an exciting tie, Emily Ochmanek and Catherine Calvert each took first place for their apple pies. Second place went to Maji Haggstrom for her crumbly apple pie. Ochmanek took third for her pecan-chocolate pie.

Fruits and nuts

First place belonged to Janet Tholen for her apple-cream crumb pie. Bonna Read took second for her line-shack peach-raspberry creation. Third went to Domenico Shiro for a zuccotto nut pie.

Cheesecakes

Another tie for first place went to Paula Steiger for her apple cheesecake and to Marti Maniates-Baysore for her lemon cheesecake. An exciting three-way tie for second place was shared among Meredith Casey and Lori Bender (fruit pizza), Diane Jensen (amaretto macaroon) and Domenico Shiro (pineapple). Third place went to Angelo De Lorenza (amaretto).

Cream pies

Also tied for first place were Debra Cole for her lemon sour-creme pie and Paula Steiger for her coconut cream. Tied for second place were Sieglinde Swerdlow’s chocolate cream nut pie and Meredith Casey and Lori Bender’s Bavarian chocolate. Patti Aiken took third for her sweet-potato pie.

Meringues

Sole first place went to Melissa James for her Pavlova.

Chocolate

Meredith Casey and Lori Bender took first prize for their chocolate pecan pie.

Professionals

Charly Anderson took first prize for a Dutch apple pie. Valenino Carrasco took second for a German chocolate tart.

Bravo to Rev. Larry Peacock for his superb taste and unerring judgment (and hope he could get to sleep that night).

A scientific study of ways to control pollution and restore lower Malibu Creek and Lagoon offers possible solutions to the long-running controversy among environmentalists, surfers and creekside residents.

Along with targeting potential restoration sites, the Lower Malibu Creek and Lagoon Restoration study suggests using “eco-rafts” and chemicals to reduce excess nutrients and constructing a weir, an outfall pipe or a new route for the creek to control the water level in the lagoon, according to professor Richard Ambrose, director of the environmental science and engineering program at UCLA.

“There are no easy solutions [to controlling the water level in the lagoon],” Ambrose stressed. Instead of remaining low and salty, the water is high and more like fresh water, which is harmful to plants and animals in the lagoon and backs up nearby septic systems, he explained.

Lagoon water levels become unnaturally high in summer because of increased development in the upper Malibu Creek watershed, which includes Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and a small portion of Thousand Oaks, according to an already completed report from the California State Coastal Conservancy, which helped to fund the study.

When the water level rises, the sandbar at the mouth of the lagoon is breached, and polluted water from the upper watershed and from septic system failures flows out into the Santa Monica Bay, according to the conservancy report.

One option the study considers is to build a weir, a “little dam” that can be adjusted to a certain height, Ambrose said. While some of the water would be kept within the lagoon, the weir would be set at such a level that excess water would spill over its wall and into the ocean.

Another possibility is a pipeline that might pump water out of the lagoon during summer, Ambrose added. It’s an effective solution but expensive to run and to maintain, he cautioned. Also, pumping water directly into the bay would be controversial, especially among surfers, he said.

Bypassing the lagoon by rerouting the creek is an alternative, whereby water from the creek would be “shunted around,” but “that’s not likely to happen” because the engineering is too complicated and expensive, Ambrose said.

“Nutrients [that stimulate algal blooms] are going to be tough,” Ambrose admitted. The study will recommend both “source reduction,” from creekside septic systems and the Tapia Reclamation Facility, and treating the water with chemicals and biology such as “eco-rafts,” floating bales that suck nutrients out of the water.

“Decisions about what to do depend on a lot of things outside our control,” Ambrose said. For instance, “How much do Malibu residents want to pay?”

The cost for restoration depends in part on what properties the city is willing to purchase. The study, “ignoring ownership issues,” concludes that the lagoon has been “hugely reduced in size,” and suggests some vacant property might be turned back into a salt marsh. The Chili Cook-Off site at Webb Way and Civic Center Way “is not a good area for a salt marsh but it’s good for other types of wetlands,” Ambrose said.

The area between the Civic Center and the creek “is possible for treating waste water or storm water runoff,” according to Ambrose. Another option is creating a bird nesting island on public land by the Adamson House on the east side of the lagoon.

The final draft of the $280,000 study — $40,000 contributed by Malibu — is expected to be released before Oct. 20, when the multi-agency Malibu Task Force is scheduled to meet.

The Planning Commission unanimously approved basic goals for a future hillside management ordinance Monday while remaining sharply divided about the need for an architectural review board (ARB).

The strongest reaction against an ARB came from those few people, mostly architects, who attended the meeting. “I absolutely and unequivocally will fight you to the death” over creation of an “aesthetic guru,” threatened architect and local resident Ed Niles.

Developer Norm Haynie scoffed, a group of architects judging the designs of their colleagues would amount to a group of artists telling Vincent Van Gogh or Pablo Picasso, “Sir, heads are not square. Two eyes are not on the same side of the head. I think maybe you should consider being a brickmaker.”

An ARB would be a bad idea, according to Commissioners Ed Lipnick and Ken Kearsley. “It would only produce dissension. I think it would be a real can of worms,” said Lipnick.

A review board “might be of benefit” in cases where a project does not comply with hillside management guidelines, explained Commission Chair Charleen Kabrin. “It’s like an appeal board in a sense. I’d like to explore it further.”

The strongest advocate for an ARB was Commissioner Jo Ruggles. She envisioned a board composed of local architects who would review preliminary design ideas of architects from out of town “to get them pointed in the right direction,” adding, “it’s my intent that it be flexible.”

Commissioner Andrew Stern remained on the fence about a review board. “I’m not there yet. I don’t know absolutely yea or nay.”

Despite the different opinions regarding an ARB, the commission agreed that something needs to be done to control hillside development.

“There’s a need to have a change in the way we’re thinking in order to protect why we moved here to Malibu,” said Stern.

“One consistent comment I’ve heard, ‘There’s excess,'” commented Kabrin. “If people are left to do as they want, what we’re left with is excessive, intrusive, imposing and abusive. Mostly size is what people were objecting to.”

If there is no review board, then the commission would have to write hillside development specifications as tightly as possible, said Kearsley. For now, though, the commission approved only general goals to work with in the future, notably minimizing visibility of structures, protecting views of the hill and retaining landscape features.

“It’s a structure with which they can better debate the issues,” explained Planning Director Craig Ewing. “There’s still a lot of refinement to do.”

One way to refine the issues, according to local architect Lester Tobias, would be to create different zones on the hillside. Since the main concern is visual impact, those structures closest to “view corridors,” primarily PCH, would be more restricted in terms of design. Haynie agreed, noting, “The only time people are concerned about [development] is when they can see the size.”

Approval of basic goals may not seem like much on paper, but the commission’s decision represents a major shift in Malibu’s history, according to Ewing. “This city is going from a rural environment to a semi-rural environment. It’s a huge change in terms of visual character, perceived density and community identity.”