Starting January 19th

Mariposa Landscapes, the Venice Canals maintenance company under contract with the City of Los Angeles, has recently done their Annual Survey of the saltbush plants (Atriplex lentiformis ssp breweri). The saltbushes were planted in 1993 to provide a safety barrier between the sidewalk and the canal.

The plants have a limited lifespan and the Voice of the Canals and the Venice Canals Association have purchased new plants over the past three years as needed. Many of the plants are nearing the end of their life expectancy and need to be replaced.

The recent rains have toppled many of the oldest plants. In addition, the repeated close trimmings have caused many plants to become top heavy. Also, many of the bushes exceed the 29” height stipulated in the City contract. If nothing is done we will continue to lose plants more rapidly.

Several thngs are being done to address the problem:

1. Mariposa will be lowering the height of the bushes to open them up to sunlight. This will allow for new growth of leaves and strengthen the bushes. New growth will take a couple of months. This maintenance will start the week of January 19th.
2. The VOC and the VCA have asked Mariposa to secure 194 new plants that are needed at this time.
3. Mariposa will care for the new plants in the very early stages, which they have to water by hand. We are asking the residents to help water all the saltbushes at least once a week if there is no rain. Please do your best to protect the newly planted bushes.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

From Jesus Gonzalez, LADWP project manager:

I apologize for the short notice, but I wanted to inform you that we will NOT be doing any work on this project this week. Meaning we will not do any work on the the 31st, 1st, and 2nd.

Our crews are responding to an emergency (i.e. leak) in another part of the City, and we will need them there all of this week.

Work will resume on Monday, Jan. 5th.

Thank you, and have a wonderful New Year!

Jesus M. Gonzalez

2014 Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade and the Best-Dressed Homes & Bridges

ADULT BOATS

• 1st – “Ginger Bread Paradise” – Dunne – Meunier Family; Lippens Family; Paul Rother
• 2nd – “Love Thy Neighbor” – Diane & Michael Silver
• 3rd – “Share the Light; Share the Warmth” – Suzanne Wrede
• 4th – “Rainbow Holiday Explosion Paradise” – Amy & Oliver Standring
• 5th – “Jack in Paradise” – Jack Galanty & Mark Galanty

HOMES

• 1st – 426 Carroll Canal – Robert & Susan Oliver
• 2nd – 452 Carroll Canal – Barbara & Allen Toennies
• 3rd – 425 Linnie Canal – Helen & Bert Fallon

BRIDGES

• 1st – Linnie Canal at Grand Canal – Martin and Nika Meunière; Steve Slayden; Josie and Paul Scibetta
• 2nd – Sherman Canal at Grand Canal – Patrick Taylor; Connie Forest; Susan Painter
• 3rd – Howland Canal at Grand Canal – Paul Rother

The Venice Canals Association would like to thank everyone who participated in this 33rd Annual Holiday Boat Parade by decorating homes, boats and bridges and the parade committee: Sandy Berens, (Chairperson), CJ Cole (Publicity), Renee Kaplan, Deb Kaufman, Josie & Paul Scibetta, John Schacht, Monnie Fanning, Claudette Shores, Trudi & Irv Puskin, Maggie Bright

Special Thanks to Steve Slayden (Captain) and George Notaras (Santa) for the lead boat and Steffi Berens for all her hard work! And a big thank you to Susan Rennie for taking pictures of the entire parade!

And the local restaurants that donated prizes:

»2014 Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade and the Best-Dressed Homes &amp Bridges (PDF flyer)

Here is the latest update from Jesus Gonzalez, LADWP project manager:

Hello Everyone,

First off, I’d like to thank everyone for your patience during our construction. In spite of all the challenges we’ve encountered, our construction crews have made very good progress the past few weeks.

With regard to the our upcoming work, we’ve adjusted our schedule to minimize the impact to all of the residents during the holiday season. With that said, we will NOT work on 12/24, 12/25, nor 1/1/15. As for the specific work on Courts E and D:

• Construction on Court E – The work on Court E is 95% complete, and we are scheduled to complete all the work this Tuesday 12/23. The only remaining work is to finish the paving of the street, which will take place this Monday (12/22) and Tuesday.
• Construction on 200 Block of Court D – We will start construction on Court D on Tuesday, December 30th. We have distributed parking passes, however if you did not receive them, or if you need additional passes, please contact me.

Thank you again, and on behalf of DWP, Happy Holidays!

Here is an update from Jesus Gonzalez, LADWP’s project manager for the Venice Canal Water System Improvement Project

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your patience during yesterday’s water shut off. We are glad to the report that the critical work performed by our DWP crews yesterday went very well; all of the old valves at Court E and Dell Ave were successfully repaired, and water was turned back on at 12:30pm. This work was very important as these valves are key facilities that are needed to insure proper operation of the water system within the Canals.

Attached are photos of yesterday’s work. It is also worth mentioning that the crew that performed these repairs, was also the same crew that repaired the large main break that took place yesterday afternoon in Benedict Canyon. This crew worked an 18 hour shift yesterday, and they are working again today on Court E to insure that we expedite the project in the Canals.

Below is a summary of the upcoming work:

• Construction on Court E – The only work that will take place next week on Court E is the paving, removal of the steel plates, and our crews will also verify that all the meters are functioning properly. It is also possible that another water shut off may take place next Friday, December 5th. If this shutoff is necessary, it will only effect the 200 block of Court E, and it will only be for a few hours. We will know for certain early next week, and I will let you know as early as possible.
• Construction on Court D – As our crews transition from Court E to Court D, major construction of Court D will commence on Monday, December 8th. Our crews will be doing some preliminary work on the 200 block of Court D next week, however Court D will remain open all of next week.

» Venice Canal Water System Improvement Project: photos of construction (PDF)

Here is an update on the Venice Canal Water System Improvement Project, from project manager Jesus Gonzalez:

Hello Everyone,

As mentioned previously, we are near completion with the work on Court E, and I would like to remind the residents on the 200 block of Court E that our construction work hours are from 8am to 4pm. We are in the midst of performing some critical work, so please do us a favor and try to move your car out of Court E by 8am.

I also want to inform you that there will be a brief water shut off next Tuesday, November 25th. This will impact the 200 block residents of Court E only.

Thank you again, and we appreciate everyone’s help as we near completion of the work on Court E.

Jesus Gonzalez, project manager for the Venice Canal Water System Improvement Project, sends the following update:

Hello Everyone,

To help accelerate the construction progress on Court E, we are adding additional staff to this project to assist with the construction.

However with that said, some of our work has been accelerated. Most notably is a water shut down that we need to perform this Wednesday, October 29th.

This email is to advise that residents in the 200 block of Court E and Grand Canal will not have water this Wednesday, October 29th between 9am and 1pm. Water will be restored by 1pm. Again, this only pertains to customers in the 200 block of Court E.

All other work will continue as normal, but with the addition of more staff, we will accelerate the pace.

Here is an update from LADWP project manager Jesus M. Gonzalez regarding the Venice Canals Water System Improvement Project:

Hello Everyone,

Below is a brief update regarding the status of our Venice Canal Water System Improvement Project.

Our crews made significant progress this week with the installation of the pipeline on Court E, and there is a very good chance that we will complete the pipe on this street prior to Nov. 7th. Therefore we will continue to assume that the work on Court D will start on Nov. 10th.

Attached is the project schedule along with photos of the construction.

The work we will be performing this upcoming week is very important, so I will provide a thorough update next Friday, October 31st. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Jesus M. Gonzalez
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Water Distribution – Western District Engineer

» Download Venice Canal Project Status Report (PDF)

Here is an update from LADWP project manager Jesus M. Gonzalez regarding the Venice Canals Water System Improvement Project:

• Construction Schedule – LADWP started construction on Court E on October 6^th and are now scheduled to complete the work on Court E on Nov. 7^th. As shown on the attached schedule, the work on Court D will start on Nov. 10^th.
• Construction Status – LADWP crews have excavated approximately 200 feet of trench, and they have started repairing old service connections along Court E. Our crews encountered numerous unanticipated challenges, such as poor soil conditions, and they have also resorted to had digging the majority of the trench due the prevalence of so many un-marked utilities. However, in response to these challenges, additional equipment will be used to facilitate with construction, and DWP will be meeting with all utility companies (Edison, Sanitation, etc.) next week to assist with identifying the un-marked utilities.
• Upcoming Work to be Performed – During the week of October 20^th, we will continue to excavate the pipe trench, and we will begin installing the new pipeline.
• Work Hours – Monday thru Friday, between 8am to 4pm
• Street Closure – For safety reasons, Court E will be closed during construction hours (8am to 4pm). All other Courts will remain open next week.
• Parking for Residents Impacted by the Construction – As shown on the attached map, residents impacted by the construction (i.e. Court E) are allowed to park in the lot located along Venice Blvd. All residents on Court E have received parking permits. If you would like additional permits, please notify me. Parking permits for residents on Court B thru D will be distributed 1 week prior to construction start.
• Will Water be Shut-off Soon? – No, all customers will continue to have water during our construction. We will notify you in advance prior to performing a water shutdown.

» Download Venice Canal Project Status Report (PDF)