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November 18, 2015 Palisades News Page 9<br />
Awards<br />
(Continued from Page 8)<br />
High, he has been leading a three-phase renov<strong>at</strong>ion<br />
of the campus. His goal has been to<br />
make the campus more aesthetically pleasing<br />
and welcoming, while cre<strong>at</strong>ing a gre<strong>at</strong>er<br />
home-away-from-home <strong>at</strong>mosphere for<br />
students and faculty alike. Around campus,<br />
banners and large-scale graphics now illustr<strong>at</strong>e<br />
the history of Temescal Canyon, building<br />
surfaces have been repainted in blues<br />
and soft browns, and two new landscaped<br />
gardens have been completed <strong>at</strong> the main<br />
entrance to the school and along Bowdoin.<br />
Awaiting final approvals and sufficient<br />
funding, Suisman and his committee will<br />
next construct a G<strong>at</strong>eway Garden and a<br />
widened walkway <strong>at</strong> the Bowdoin/Temescal<br />
corner th<strong>at</strong> will provide safer passage for<br />
the hundreds of students who arrive and<br />
leave campus <strong>at</strong> peak hours <strong>at</strong> this corner.<br />
The project’s website is palig<strong>at</strong>eway.com.<br />
Laurie Sale has led the pursuit of a Business<br />
Improvement District (BID) for Pacific<br />
Palisades since 2011. It finally was r<strong>at</strong>ified<br />
by the City of Los Angeles on June 23, 2015<br />
with 80 percent of the commercial property<br />
owners who voted casting a yes vote.<br />
Sale, who was on the BID Board for the<br />
Fashion District downtown, said in a 2012<br />
interview: “I’ve seen how merchants and<br />
property owners can benefit from having<br />
an umbrella organiz<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong> oversees a lot<br />
of the day-to-day issues and problems.”<br />
Doug Suisman<br />
Photo: Don Flood<br />
She acknowledged th<strong>at</strong> “the City of Los<br />
Angeles should be paying for the services<br />
the BID will provide, but it is a fact th<strong>at</strong> the<br />
City doesn’t have the money.” Some of the<br />
services the BID will provide include sidewalk<br />
sweeping and pressure washing, graffiti<br />
ab<strong>at</strong>ement, handbill and trash removal,<br />
landscaping, tree trimming and lighting—<br />
plus marketing campaigns.<br />
“Merchants AND property owners have<br />
worked diligently together to form this BID,<br />
which is a wonderful st<strong>at</strong>ement of how<br />
everyone, pulling together in the same direction,<br />
can make positive things happen,” Sale<br />
said. “With all of the new development and<br />
the implement<strong>at</strong>ion of the BID, this is a very<br />
exciting time for the Palisades community.”<br />
When the Pacific Palisades lost its only<br />
bookstore, Village Books, in 2011, many residents<br />
tried to figure out a way to bring one<br />
back. Friends of the Library board member<br />
Laurel Garver came up with one altern<strong>at</strong>ive.<br />
Noting th<strong>at</strong> the Palisades Branch Library<br />
had an unused p<strong>at</strong>io facing the park, she<br />
met with Friends President Alice Inglis and<br />
suggested using th<strong>at</strong> space to sell gentlyused<br />
books, which would augment the<br />
Friends’ financial support of the library.<br />
The “new” used bookstore opened on July<br />
1 this year, and thanks to volunteer workers<br />
and book don<strong>at</strong>ions from residents, the<br />
store now offers a wide variety of books for<br />
purchase <strong>at</strong> hugely discounted prices six days<br />
a week. The Friends use the proceeds to purchase<br />
new books and audio-visual m<strong>at</strong>erials<br />
for the library and provide maintenance<br />
support (gardening and trash pick-up).<br />
* * *<br />
2015 Pride of the Palisades award<br />
The will be given to the Pacific Palisades<br />
Task Force on Homelessness. In announcing<br />
the selection, President Chris Spitz<br />
praised the group for its efforts and accomplishments<br />
this past year. Growing out of<br />
a need in the community, members have<br />
<strong>at</strong>tacked the homeless problem from two<br />
fronts: enforcement and social services.<br />
The group is responsible for enforceable<br />
“no camping” signs and for raising more<br />
than $100,000 towards hiring two OPCC<br />
social workers for a year to speak with and<br />
hopefully reloc<strong>at</strong>e those in need.<br />
Recipients will be honored <strong>at</strong> Gladstone’s<br />
<strong>at</strong> 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 10.<br />
Space is limited. E-invites will go out shortly.<br />
Woman’s Club<br />
To Give <strong>at</strong> Least<br />
$10,000 in Grants<br />
The Pacific Palisades Woman’s<br />
Club (PPWC) will award <strong>at</strong> least<br />
$10,000 in grants this coming year to<br />
community and charitable organiz<strong>at</strong>ions<br />
th<strong>at</strong> work in the areas of educ<strong>at</strong>ion,<br />
beautific<strong>at</strong>ion, arts and recre<strong>at</strong>ion.<br />
All applic<strong>at</strong>ions must be submitted<br />
in final form by December 10.<br />
The applic<strong>at</strong>ion is available online:<br />
ThePPWC.org.<br />
To be considered for a grant, applicant<br />
organiz<strong>at</strong>ions must be based in Pacific<br />
Palisades and/or provide services<br />
th<strong>at</strong> benefit the Palisades community.<br />
The PPWC also offers an altern<strong>at</strong>ive<br />
to the cash awards by providing a free<br />
four-hour use of the clubhouse facility.<br />
The PPWC’s primary fundraiser is<br />
the annual Home Tour (November<br />
22) and Holiday Boutique (November<br />
21 and 22), with proceeds going<br />
to charitable and service organiz<strong>at</strong>ions,<br />
and also towards refurbishing<br />
the clubhouse.<br />
Contact club administr<strong>at</strong>or Roberta<br />
Donohue <strong>at</strong> (310) 454-9012 or e-mail<br />
rndonohue@yahoo.com.