Plans for LAX
WVRC on September 21st
MIKE YOUSEM started us off with the pledge. Then a threesome of PP STEVE SCHERER, PP JIM COLLINS and PP BOB WESSLING led us in what was billed as a rehearsal of “Let Service Turn the Wheel” with music and verse by former member JOHN HOAG. We got through it, but thank goodness it was only a rehearsal, since we are scheduled to re-perform this Sunday at the Auxiliary 70th Anniversary. The good news is that the rest of Sunday’s program should be more entertaining!
PP DON NELSON gamely came forward with the Invocation, written by Robert Schuler of the Crystal Catheral. It concerned making plans. “Whatever things are lovely, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, we bring them into view. With God to guard and guide us, his love to light the way, to build a new tomorrow, on plans we make today. We ask your blessing on our Rotary officers, that the plans they are making today will build a successful tomorrow for WVRC.” Well done, DON.
CHRIS BRADFORD introduced his guest, Wynn Shawver, who is the Regional Director of University Advancement for Loyola University of Chicago – and since CHRIS is an alum, that makes him a target for Loyola’s development activity. Turns out Wynn’s dad works for RI in Evanston. We had two Visiting Rotarians, husband and wife John and Mary Papageorge of Vero Beach, Florida – they are Financial Analysts. By the time you get this, the 70th Anniversary Party for our Auxiliary will be history – it’s at Lawrys, this Sunday, and the Fashion Show will be a feature. A month from now will be the next District Breakfast – the date is October 17th, and PEGGY BLOOMFIELD is the contact. Don’t overlook the Paul Harris Celebration, set for November 4th. And, just to show you we have at least one extra event each month, the Christmas Shopping Spree is set for December 4th – MIKE YOUSEM is the person to call. But to bring you back to the almost-present, we will NOT be meeting at the Bel Air on October 12th, but at the Luxe Hotel.
Next week we will auction three tickets for the Disney Concert Hall, donated by PEGGY BLOOMFIELD. The LA Philharmonic will be performing on Sunday, October 1st The tickets are listed at $90 each, and the donation includes parking. Bring your checkbook!
We had two representatives from the new Westwood Library. Librarian Shahla Chamnara spoke first, outlining the boundaries of their service area: Mulholland down to Olympic, and the Beverly Hills border west to Sepulveda. She thanked us for our early support, providing the first money for Large Print Books. Next up was Kerry Perlow, Co-President of the Friends of the Westwood Library. Among those whom she named were Prexy MIKE GINTZ, GORDON FELL, MARK ROGO – who was in charge of the recent Book Sale, which PEGGY BLOOMFIELD helped with – and SUNNY and LENNY FRIEDMAN. The donations from our Birthdays were cited – a lovely idea, I might add – and she concluded by telling us that they now have over 200 members of the Friends of the Westwood Library.
It was Birthday Recognition time, and the following members confessed that September was their month. TONY MARRONE was first, choosing Pueblo, Colorado on the 6th. PP JIM DOWNIE came along on the 8th, in Minneapolis. The 12th was the choice of ED JACKSON, in good old LA. SEAN MCMILLAN jumped all the way to the 27th, in Killarney (Ireland, of course) and last was SLOSS VIAU, on the 30th – and it was good to see SLOSS back with us, by golly! These birthdayers will be signing bookplates to go in the books we are donating to the Westwood Library – again, a nice idea.
ART HENRY had the joke duty this week. A couple who were Birders (that means they like to watch birds, as I’m sure you know) were planning a vacation. So they went to the Canary Islands, for obvious reasons, but returned to report there were no Canaries. Next they went off to the Virgin Islands – but no Canaries there, either!
PP PETER MORE introduced our Speaker, Herb Glasgow. He is a Senior Partner with LA World Airports, having joined the staff there in 2000. He brings 28 years of experience in urban and community planning with the City of Los Angeles, and has worked on the Playa Vista Development, the Community, Redevelopment Agency and the Zoning Consistency Program, among others. He was principally involved in guiding the LAX Master Plan through the City of LA approval process.
Herb began by pointing out that if we have trouble with his accent, he isn’t the one with the problem – it’s his English background! The LAX plan began TWENTY years ago – these things don’t move quickly. LAX was rebuilt in the 60’s, with an intention to service about forty million passengers per year. It was double-decked in 1984, in time for the Olympics. In 2005, the actual count was 61.5 million passengers. The intent of the present plan is to handle 78.9 million passengers.
There have been over ninety community meetings to discuss the plan, starting in the early 1990’s. The Airports use only funds they generate themselves – from landing fees, and concessions, primarily. The four airports which are in the plan are LAX, Ontario, Palmdale, and Van Nuys – all others are independent. At LAX they directly employ over 3,000 people – but the total number of employees is many times that. The Palmdale facility, by the way, will only be a major passenger center if a high-speed railway system first is put in place.
The plan for LAX that was approved in December 2005 includes two runways each on the north and south with a major taxiway inbetween each set – these taxiways are a major safety factor. The three terminals on the north and four on the south side remain, along with the Tom Bradley International Terminal on the west end. There will be nearby satellite terminals, which will eliminate driving onto the airport itself. People movers will transport passengers between the terminals on a frequent basis. The rental car facilities will be consolidated on the northeast side of the airport. Direct access from the 405 and 105 freeways are planned, plus a spur from the Green line which would allow passengers to take mass transit to LAX.
However, once this plan was approved by the city and the federal authorities, there was an immediate lawsuit from nearby communities. They demanded major changes, and as a result, parts of the plan were put on hold, so that other parts could proceed. So the project is going forward, but in stages, with the most controversial aspects to be negotiated after the current first steps are completed.
(Editorial) It is obvious that this is a very complicated process. There is a plan, and now, a revised plan – and we learned a lot about how it is going. The first stage should be completed in 2009.
