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10 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
weSt ranCh town CounCil<br />
Freeway beautification talks continue<br />
By Josh Premako<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The West Ranch Town Council continued<br />
discussion last month of proposed<br />
changes to the area’s landscape maintenance<br />
districts and beautification work<br />
near Interstate 5 — a project that has been in<br />
the works for several years.<br />
County officials discussed the planned<br />
beautification work around the Pico Canyon<br />
Road/Lyons Avenue off-ramp on the west<br />
side of I-5. In late 2011, the city of Santa<br />
Clarita — along with county officials and<br />
members of the Town Council — broke<br />
ground on a similar project that was carried<br />
out on the east side of the freeway.<br />
The roughly 3-acre freeway work site is in<br />
the California Department of Transportation’s<br />
right of way, and Caltrans has yet to give<br />
full approval to the project, said Lisa Woung<br />
with the county Public Works Department,<br />
and program manager for the design of the<br />
project. County officials expect the project to<br />
cost approximately $250,000, funded by the<br />
county budget with maintenance handled by<br />
local landscape maintenance district (LMD)<br />
fees.<br />
To ensure funding is sufficient, the county<br />
is eyeing increases to the Stevenson Ranch<br />
area’s landscape maintenance district (LMD)<br />
assessments. For example, while the current<br />
assessment for District 1 is approximately<br />
$24 per parcel, it could increase to a maximum<br />
possible rate of $44 per parcel. That<br />
would, however, be a decrease from the existing<br />
approved maximum rate of $47.<br />
“You’re going to have to make your best<br />
case that it benefits (the community),” council<br />
member Rick Ryan told county officials.<br />
In addition to ensuring any landscaping<br />
done does not use excessive water, Caltrans<br />
wants assurances that the budget allows for<br />
the project completion and any future maintenance,<br />
Woung said.<br />
“The first thing we want to do is beautify<br />
the area,” she said during the meeting. “To<br />
give it a signature look that says, ‘You’re in<br />
Stevenson Ranch.’”<br />
The project could potentially take shape in<br />
the form of gravel mulch, decorative concrete<br />
elements and drought-tolerant trees massed<br />
together to minimize water use.<br />
Woung said Caltrans has requested a thorough<br />
review process for the project including<br />
assurances that LMD funds will be sufficient.<br />
As part of the process, public meetings will<br />
be held. In a best-case scenario, she said, construction<br />
could start by late 2018.<br />
Also during the February meeting, the<br />
council received local crime updates from<br />
Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Duxbury and California<br />
Highway Patrol Officer Christopher<br />
Crocker. Duxbury urged residents to not leave<br />
valuables in unattended vehicles, as burglaries<br />
persist. Crocker noted that while CHP officials<br />
have seen a decrease in law<br />
enforcement-related stops, they have seen increases<br />
in service stops such as helping<br />
stranded or lost motorists. R<br />
The West Ranch Town Council meets the<br />
first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at<br />
the Stevenson Ranch Library, located at<br />
25950 The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch. For<br />
more information visit www.westranchtown<br />
council.com<br />
Help us Build a Great Community News Magazine<br />
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Email Richard@Westside<strong>Reader</strong>.com<br />
By Pearl obispo<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Don’t let the title of the book fool you.<br />
“The Baby Boomer’s Motivational<br />
Guide to Losing Weight” is not your<br />
typical diet book. It’s not only for Baby<br />
Boomers and you definitely won’t find<br />
recipes.<br />
But what you will find are tips and ideas<br />
for weight loss that, co-authors and siblings<br />
Scott “Q” Marcus and Cindy Marcus said, can<br />
be used by anyone wanting to lose weight —<br />
no matter what generation you’re from.<br />
“References are baby boomer references,”<br />
Scott said. “Anything from the late ’60s to<br />
early ’70s — songs, television, movies, music,<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Co-authors Scott "Q" Marcus and Cindy Marcus greet attendees at the book signing of, "The Baby Boomer's<br />
Motivational Guide to Weight Loss." PhoTo By PeARL oBiSPo<br />
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover…or Title<br />
clothing. But the knowledge, information and<br />
insights, are relatable to anybody who’s ever<br />
battled weight.”<br />
The brother and sister team recently unveiled<br />
the guide at a book signing in Santa<br />
Clarita. The pair said they've struggled with<br />
weight loss their whole lives, but now have it<br />
under control and wanted to share their journey<br />
to motivate and empower others.<br />
“There is so much misinformation about<br />
weight loss,” Scott said. “I have a different approach.<br />
I look at eating as the symptom. Not<br />
the problem.”<br />
Scott, who is a professional speaker by<br />
trade, said he wanted a book that focused on<br />
what you say to yourself, what you do with<br />
yourself, as opposed to what you eat.<br />
“What you say and do to yourself affects<br />
what you weigh,” Scott said. “If you change<br />
that, problem solved.”<br />
The book also discusses the challenges that<br />
occur once people hit their goal weight —<br />
challenges that Cindy Marcus says many<br />
weight loss programs rarely tackle.<br />
“Weight loss programs are great at helping<br />
someone take the weight off,” Cindy said. “But<br />
diets aren’t helping once someone reaches<br />
their goal. There’s a struggle in losing the<br />
weight. But once it’s gone, now what? And I<br />
feel like the book really addresses that.”<br />
Cindy, who runs Showdown Theater, a local<br />
theater program to empower teens, said the<br />
most important thing to remember for anyone<br />
wanting to lose weight is to have fun.<br />
“Enjoy the journey,” said Cindy, who, since<br />
hitting her goal weight, has gained only 4<br />
pounds in the last 18 years. “Stop beating<br />
yourself up and have fun. You won’t do it if<br />
you don’t have fun.”<br />
And that’s exactly why one of the attendees<br />
at the book signing decided to give the book<br />
a try.<br />
Ann Harris drove out from Pasadena because<br />
she said she was looking for something<br />
different in a diet book.<br />
“I won’t diet,” Harris said. “I refuse to diet<br />
because diets don’t stick. But I like what the<br />
book has to offer. It’s different and judging by<br />
the (weight loss) success of the authors,<br />
might just work.”R