Happy New Year to One and All: Highlights of 2012 in the Silver Strand, Marina del Rey

January

Following discussions between Board members of Silver Strand Marina Homeowners Association and the office of Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the City agrees to replace the fence on the west side of the Esplanade path adjacent to the Ballona Lagoon. The result is fencing which is aesthetically compatible with the SSMHOA fence and, thanks to suggestions from SSMHOA was completed at a much lower price than the City had originally estimated. Fred Karlsen, President of SSMHOA, homeowners Brad Cox and Richard Lysle and played a key role in this achievement. Those who also contributed to the final outcome were homeowner Harrison Starr, who in 2010 first suggested that the fence on the SSMHOA side of the path be made of natural not synthetic materials, and Board Member, Michael Greenberg  and John Nagy who researched the materials and cost of doing so.

March

The new SSMHOA Welcome Packet (shown below), revised by SSMHOA President Fred Karlsen and Sandra Starr (Editor and Publisher of The Silver Strand News), is completed and presented to the Block Captains. By the end of April, the Block Captains had personally delivered the new packets, along with Emergency Preparedness forms to all resident homeowners in the Silver Strand. Since that time, Block Captains have been delivering the Welcome Packet to all new resident homeowners.

APRIL

Following numerous and lengthy power outages in the Silver Strand, SSMHOA Board member Harryot Best and homeowner Bill Boyd tackled the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and they got results. The DWP made a promise to begin repairs forthwith and to complete them by the end of 2013. Since then, there has (touch wood) been a notable decrease in outages, both in terms of the number and length.

MAY

L.A. County Board of Supervisors approves the creation of a Wetland Park at the corner of Via Marina and Tahiti Way

Rendering of the Wetland Park on Via Marina. Courtesy Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

    The  1.47 acre wetland park will be sited at the corner of Via Marina and Tahiti Way at the southern end of Parcel 9U. The park will be adjacent to the proposed Marriott (formerly Woodfin) hotel and include a pedestrian path which will circle the wetland. There will be two picnic tables and 2 educational viewing centers with informational signage.

JULY

Following the 2011 cancellation of the Marina del Rey July 4th fireworks display in due to budget restraints, the event resumes in the Marina del Rey with the help of corporate sponsorship and local yacht clubs.

A record price of 6 million dollars was paid for a home on Roma Court in the Silver Strand.  With 7,574 square feet of living space, it is much larger than most homes in the Silver Strand which average between 2800-4000 square feet and the sale price  included the furnishings, some of the art and  top-of-the-line everything. Even so, it is a mighty leap forward in terms of home values in the neighborhood.

AUGUST

Councilman Bill Rosendahl speaks to homeowners from the Lighthouse Bridge at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new fence on the Esplanade path, December 2011.

Our 11th District Councilman, Bill Rosendahl, announces that he has cancer. Bill has been a much respected representative for our neighborhood and has effectively addressed our concerns, not only in words, but with actions. Although he will complete his current term, he has decided not to run for a third term which ends in March 2o13. He will be greatly missed.

Thanks to efforts of Board Member, Michael Greenberg, the City of Los Angeles agreed to complete the slurry-coat repairs to Roma and all the Court streets in the Silver Strand prior to the Annual Block Party.

Mark Antonio Grant presents City of Los Angeles Certificate of Appreciation to Fred Karlsen, President of SSMHOA

Fred Karlsen, President of SSMHOA, received a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles. Mark Antonio Grant, Special Assistant to 11th District Councilman Bill Rosendahl, presented the award:“in recognition of outstanding citizenship and activities enhancing community betterment” and “for exemplary efforts and accomplishments which have been of great value to the community and to the City of Los Angeles and which have helped to further the common goal of making our City a better place in which to live.” Fred has been a SSMHOA Board member since 2008 and President since 2009.

Debra Berman, MaryAnne Bradley, Jennifer Manoogian and Pat Kandel

SSMHOA held its Second Annual Block Party, co-sponsored by realtors, Debra Berman and Pat Kandel of Coldwell Banker, Marina del Rey. Berman and Kandel picked up the tab for virtually everything.  Homeowner and Block Captain Jennifer Manoogian chaired the event on behalf of SSMHOA for the 2nd year running. The  professional event planner, also provided by Berman and Kandel, was MaryAnne Bradley who did a superb job. The decor was truly charming and, for the first time, there was live, onstage entertainment. There were many activities for both children and adults. The Border Grill and an ice-cream truck were on hand to feed the crowd. The party was a huge success, attended by well over 200 people plus their children, grandchildren and friends. Jennifer Manoogian hand-delivered invitations and a reminder invitation to the party to all SSMHOA residents, not just once, but twice on foot!

SEPTEMBER

Silver Strand residents are able to watch the Space Shuttle Endeavour make its final journey to the California Science Center from their roofs.

OCTOBER

The Silver Strand News blog awarded Nora Nicosia the first Homeowner Volunteer of the Year Award. The award honors the efforts of those Silver Strand homeowner volunteers who have made an extraordinary difference in our neighborhood. Nora has served as a Director on the Board of the Silver Strand Homeowners Association since 1990 for a total of 13 years.  She was the Founding Chair of the Landscape Committee, the Emergency Preparedness Committee, the Art Tour Committee and the Block Captain Committee. She remains co-Chair of the Landscape, Chair of Block Captain Committees and co-Chair of the Art Tour Committee.

The Silver Strand News blog celebrated its second full year of on-line publication and attracted over 9000 visitors in 2012.

NOVEMBER

As usual, the Garlands went all out.

The annual Halloween festivities, an ongoing tradition in the Silver Strand for the last 25 years, attracted hundreds of local children, parents, grandparents and visitors to Roma Court.

DECEMBER

The Landscape Committee, chaired by Nora Nicosia and Sandy Gooch, has now completed the renovation of two of the Malls and mini-Malls. They have also completed the renovation of the entrance to the Silver Strand.  Maritza Rodriguez purchased  and the chrysanthemums. The Committee is working towards reducing the number of annuals and replacing them with perennials where aesthetically appropriate. Maritza has taken charge of the sprinkler system in order to make sure all the heads are functioning properly and thus reduce water usage. They are in the process of reviewing the 4 foot buffer areas in front on the homes on the Malls to make sure that the sidewalks are not being damaged or encroached upon by homeowner planted trees and shrubs. Harryot Best, Anna Cox and Linda Evans-Smith are the 3 other hardworking members of this Committee. Each Committee member supervises one or more Malls and mini-Malls.

The Silver Strand Art Group led by Clarissa Cervantes, Marilee Karlsen and Nora Nicosia, completed four very successful art tours this year. They visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, the Hammer Museum in Westwood, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino and the Frederick R. Weisman Collection in Beverly Hills. Given the opportunity to see important exhibitions led by an expert docent and being able to socialize with neighbors over a delicious lunch, the tours have been extremely popular. Next up is a tour of “Bridging Homeboy Industries” on February 23, 2013 sponsored by Otis College of Art and Design.

Holiday Lights brighten the darkness of Winter in the Silver Strand

The Silver Strand News would like to thank our photographers, Clarissa Cervantes and Marilee Karlsen for the extraordinary pictures they have provided us with over the last two years, including the ones in this review of 2012.  They have been on the spot for every event of importance which we have covered. They are the proof of the old adage: one of their pictures is worth a thousand of my words.

In conclusion, we wish all of our readers a very healthy, peaceful and happy New Year.