Newspaper clippings · July 27, 2017
Bard Street bookstore access and proposed relocation
Ryan McDonald article in Easy Reader describes pedestrian access restrictions at the city yard and a proposed replacement near 11th Street and Valley Drive. The clipping is dated 2017.
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beach | ryanmcdonald | newseditor | ryan@easyreadernews.com | 7/27/17
CITY COUNCIL
Bard Street to be gated, closed to peds
by Ryan McDonald
The Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to fully close off Bard Street, citing concerns associated with leaving public safety equipment and personnel exposed on an open roadway.
City staff will erect gates at two intersections to the west and south of City Hall and the Police Department: at Bard and Pier Avenue, and at Bard and 11th Place. The general public will no longer be allowed entrance. And the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit based on Bard, will be relocated to a trailer in front of the city-owned storage facility on the south side of 11th Place, near the intersection with Valley Drive. (Stars Antiques, which has a side entrance on Bard, will be allowed periodic access for large deliveries.)
Public safety officials said risks about their exposure heightened after closure of the city's aging fire station forced trucks to relocate to temporary enclosures on Bard, and the street was closed to vehicle traffic last year. Federal law requires that fire departments secure paramedic vehicles containing narcotics, and the need for quick deployment during emergencies threatened passing pedestrians.
A view of Bard Street looking north, with the Friends of the Library facility on the left and the rear entrance to the police department on the right. The street will be closed to pedestrian access. Photo by Ryan McDonald
But perceived worries about the safety of police officers loomed largest in Tuesday's decision. In recent years, police shootings of unarmed citizens, including several in Los Angeles, have prompted growing concern across the country about unjustified violence at the hands of law enforcement. But this change has been accompanied by what police officers describe as increased threats to their personal safety.
These worries came to a head in July of last year following the killing of five
See COUNCIL on page 11
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ity Council
police officers in Dallas. The day after that incident, the Hermosa Beach Peace Officers Association sent an email to then-City Manager Tom Bakaly, requesting the closure of Bard, and their concerns strongly influenced the council Tuesday night.
"As nice as Hermosa Beach is, you just never know when someone is going to do something crazy like this," said Councilmember Hany Fangary.
HBPD Capt. Milton McKinnon oversaw the run-up to closure process, finding an alternative home for Friends of the Library, and investigating how other cities in the area secured public safety vehicles. According to McKinnon, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and El Segundo all fence off public safety vehicle storage.
Only a small number of residents spoke on the issue, but all were opposed to closing the street to pedestrians, arguing it was unnecessary and would limit access to the Friends of the Library. Although the replacement trailer is the same size as the existing Friends of the Library facility, they said the temporary feel would discourage people from patronizing it.
Howard Seeb, president of the organization, complimented McKinnon on his outreach. He playfully referred to
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the organization's future home as "the shed," and said that while their preference was not to move, the location at the storage space was acceptable.
"We want to be part of the process to make sure 'the shed' will meet our needs in the future," Seeb said. ER
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each ryanmcdonald newseditor ryan@easyreadernews.com 7/27/17 CITY COUNCIL Bard Street to be gated, closed to peds by Ryan McDonald The Hermosa Beach City Council unan?mously voted Tuesday night to fully close off Bard Street, citing concerns associated with leaving public safety equipment and personnel exposed on an open roadway. City staff will erect gates at two inter- sections to the west and south of City Hall and the Police Department: at Bard and Pier Avenue, and at Bard and 11th Place. The general public will no longer be allowed entrance. And the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit based on Bard, will be relocated to a trailer in front of the city-owned storage facility on the south side of 11th Place, near the intersection with Valley Drive. (Stars Antiques, which has a side entrance on Bard, will be allowed peri- odic access for large deliveries.) Public safety officials said risks about their exposure heightened after closure of the city's aging fire station forced trucks to relocate to temporary enclo- sures on Bard, and the street was closed to vehicle traffic last year. Federal law requires that fire departments secure paramedic vehicles containing nar- cotics, and the need for quick deploy- an Sinel A view of Bard Street looking north, with the Friends of the Library facility on the left and the rear entrance to the police department on the right. The street will be closed to pedestrian access. Photo by Ryan McDonald ment during emergencies threatened passing pedestrians. But perceived worries about the safe- ty of police officers loomed largest in Tuesday's decision. In recent years, police shootings of unarmed citizens, including several in Los Angeles, have prompted growing concern across the country about unjustified violence at the hands of law enforcement. But this change has been accompanied by what police officers describe as increased threats to their personal satety. These worries came to a head in July of last year following the killing of five See COUNCIL on page 11
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City Council police officers in Dallas. The day after that incident, the Hermosa Beach Peace Officers Association sent an email to then-City Manager Tom Bakaly, requesting the closure of Bard, and their concerns strongly influenced the council Tuesday night. "As nice as Hermosa Beach is, you just never know when someone is going to do something crazy like this," said Councilmember Hany Fangary. HBPD Capt. Milton McKinnon over- saw the run-up to closure process, find- ing an alternative home for Friends of the Library, and investigating how other cities in the area secured public safety vehicles. According to McKinnon, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and El Segundo all fence off public safety vehicle storage. Only a small number of residents spoke on the issue, but all were opposed to closing the street to pedes- trians, arguing it was unnecessary and would limit access to the Friends of the Library. Although the replacement trailer is the same size as the existing Friends of the Library facility, they said the temporary feel would discourage people from patronizing it. Howard Seeb, president of the orga- nization, complimented McKinnon on his outreach. He playfully referred to
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the organization's future home as "the shed," and said that while their prefer- ence was not to move, the location at the storage space was acceptable. "We want to be part of the process to make sure 'the shed' will meet our needs in the future," Seeb said. ER 10