I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all Manhattan Beach residents for the honor and privilege of serving our wonderful community as your Mayor. As we end the year, I want to reflect on the accomplishments of 2012, our City’s 100th Anniversary, and look toward the continued success of the next 100 years.
Safety and Improving our Quality of Life
Our City had a wonderful community parade and picnic in May to honor our 100th Anniversary. The parade route along Manhattan Beach Boulevard was crowded with thousands of spectators and, similar to the one held for our 75th Anniversary, involved hundreds of parade participants with floats representing local community organizations, businesses, youth groups, older adults, marching bands and former Mayors. Special thanks to former Mayor Jan Dennis and all of the community volunteers for making the parade a huge success.
We also had a very informative 100-year historical symposium entitled “Reflect on the Past, Give Meaning to the Future,” initiated by Mayor Pro Tem David Lesser, which included local nonprofit community organizations and a distinguished panel of Manhattan Beach historians. Thank you to the Mayor’s Youth Council and our community who participated in the break-out sessions.
Our City’s Anniversary events culminated with a spectacular encore fireworks display to celebrate “100 Years of Sun, Sand and Sea.” Thanks to all of the local businesses and individuals who underwrote the cost of the magnificent fireworks. Shop and dine in Manhattan Beach!
This year saw a change of schedule for our City’s 6-Man volleyball tournament. The 51st Annual Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament moved to mid-week, which helped end the unwelcome partying that had evolved. The changes successfully returned the event to its roots as a community sporting event that was safe and fun for all who participated or watched.
My initiative to extend our City’s smoking ban to include The Strand and the greenbelt, preventing the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, was approved by my City Council colleagues.
Thank you to Police Chief Eve Irvine, Fire Chief Bob Espinosa and their personnel in ensuring public safety and improving already excellent emergency response times. I also want to commend our outstanding education system, which I believe is second to none.
Maintaining our Infrastructure
Our City completed a $3.6 million project to renovate the Joslyn and Manhattan Heights Community Centers, including new flooring, paint, interior fixtures, audio/visual equipment, heating and cooling system, a new kitchen, renovated restrooms, windows, doors, fire sprinklers/alarms and more. This also brought the facilities up to the latest building and fire code standards, as well as handicap accessibility. This project also included upgrades to the Begg Pool locker room including new lockers, floors, paint, windows and doors.
Our Capital Improvement Program also included structural rehabilitation to our 92-year-old pier, the centerpiece icon of our City. Most importantly, we expedited the replacement of 60- to 80-year-old aging infrastructure, including the completion of over 3.3 miles of sewer mains and 4 miles of water main rehabilitation or replacements. Of course, we also performed substantial ongoing maintenance of our roadways, pedestrian pavement and recreation facilities.
Looking ahead, we are anxious to see work begin on the new high-tech state-of-the-art Manhattan Beach County Library Project. The new construction, slated to begin in summer 2013 with an estimated budget of $22.5 million, is funded from Manhattan Beach property taxes that are being collected and set aside by Los Angeles County for improvements to our local library. The 21,500-square-foot building will include adult reading areas, a teen area, and early childhood area, with dedicated programming space, a homework center, a 100-seat community meeting room, public access computers and technology wiring/capability for today and for the future.
Protection of our Beach and the Environment
I am very proud to have led the successful opposition that prevented Broad Beach (Malibu) residents from dredging 500,000 cubic feet of indispensable offshore Manhattan Beach sand to replenish their sand erosion problem. We averted potentially adverse impacts to our marine ecosystem and our beach.
In May, through a partnership with Leadership Manhattan Beach Class of 2012, new sustainable landscaping was installed at the Manhattan Beach Post Office near 15th Street and Valley Drive. This project raised over $40,000 in private donations to transform an outdated area into a highly visible and educational garden, which is both visually inviting and environmentally responsible.
Recently, our City received the United States Conference of Mayors “2012 Mayor’s Climate Protection Award” and the Wyland Foundation’s “2012 National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation” award. Environmental (green) sustainability initiatives have resulted in substantial economic savings for our City and our residents.
Open and Inclusive Government
Since January 2012, our City’s Ad Hoc Open Government Subcommittee has brought forth many recommendations to the City Council for improvements to government transparency and increased citizen involvement. Among these included the addition of the upcoming meetings schedule to every agenda and more timely meeting minutes and agendas.
My initiative to remove the 15-minute total time limit for audience participation at public meetings was implemented. Now everyone has the opportunity to be heard and contribute to the local government process. Our City Council not only welcomes but encourages public participation.
Our City Council also adopted other changes to the management of public meetings, including an earlier start time of 6 p.m. and a meeting end time of no later than 11 p.m. to keep the meeting length reasonable and more inviting for the public to attend.
My Mayor’s Town Hall Series was inaugurated this year. This has included such topics as “Earthquake Safety/Preparedness” and “Meet the City: Everything You Want to Know About Your City Government.”
Financial Stability and Accountability
Once again this year our City received an “unqualified” financial audit opinion from the City’s independent auditing firm, meaning there were no qualifications or reservations expressed about the City’s financial reporting (the highest level of audit opinion given). Our City’s General Fund ended Fiscal Year 2011-2012 on June 30 with a surplus of $3.1 million, all while maintaining substantial financial and economic policy reserves (i.e., “rainy day” contingency funds), exemplary municipal services and with no tax increases.
Our City again received a triple-A credit rating, the highest rating attainable (only one of two California cities to receive this from all three credit rating agencies). Recently, we refinanced City bonds, saving a total of $2.8 million and will be refinancing more bonds, saving an additional $1.8 million.
Other City Accomplishments
Other City accomplishments this year were: adoption of a three-year City Strategic Plan, a balanced Operating Budget without any tax increases, update of a Comprehensive Traffic Safety Management Plan (which included our schools), review of potential electric vehicle charging station locations and implementation of free holiday parking at City meters for four weeks. We’re working persistently in the current labor negotiations to obtain pension reform and control unsustainable pension costs.
For city news and updates, please visit the City of Manhattan Beach website at www.CityMB.info. Always feel free to email me your suggestions, ideas, comments and concerns at wPowell@CityMB.info, or come along on one of my Mayor’s Walk ‘n Talks.
Here’s wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous New Year! And to each, a great Manhattan Beach!
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