Hermosa Beach About Town
Crosswalk tweaks
The Hermosa City Council unanimously voted to solicit bids for crafting and installing customized crosswalks made of specialized material at its Tuesday night meeting, after learning that the existing estimate had come in almost twice as high as expected.
Earlier this year, councilmembers approved decorative designs for the “scramble” intersection at Pier and Hermosa avenues, as well as those to the north and south along 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th streets. City staff had presented several options to the council, along with a cost estimate of about $175,000.
The council ultimately settled on a customized alternative featuring the city’s logo. At the time, staff said that, based on discussions with a manufacturer’s representative, the custom design would add about $20,000 to the project. But when the contractor returned with a full estimate after talks with subcontractors, the cost had ballooned to $360,000. Public Works Director Glen Kau said that the city could get a better deal by submitting this aspect of the project to a competitive bid process.
There were, however, some questions about why the price increased so dramatically. Kau acknowledged that staff had rushed some of the original presentation, in part to take advantage of soon-to-expire state bond funds. City Manager Suja Lowenthal said that, going forward, she planned to provide council members with more information when making decisions on public works projects.
“I think we can avoid that if we bring everything to you at once,” Lowenthal said.
Warren Miller
ski film tribute
“Face of Winter,” the 69th Warren Miller Entertainment film, and the first since the legendary Hermosa Beach filmmaker’s passing, screens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre. The film features tributes to Miller from the world’s top skiers. Prior to the screening, the Hermosa Beach Historical Museum will host an exhibit of some of his personal keepsakes, including his surfboard, books, and drawings. The original Warren Miller films office was located at 505 Pier Ave. for almost 45 years. The theater is just up the street, at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Pier Avenue. For movie tickets visit WarrenMiller.com.