Alice Sarkisian Wessen

County to recommend Athens for trash hauling franchise

County to recommend Athens for trash hauling franchise

The LA County Board of Supervisors will receive a recommendation to approve Athens Services as Altadena's sole trash hauler next month.


According to Elizabeth Morris, the supervisor for the franchise project at the LA County Dept. of Public Works, if the supervisors approve the contract with Athens, as seems likely, the county will push for a July 1 start for the new trash service to start in Altadena.  The contract will be for seven years, with three one-year options to renew.

Morris said that the basic service for each residence will be three 96 gallon rolling containers: one each for refuse, green waste, and recyclables.  There is also an option for an additional green waste and recyclable container for no extra charge.  Smaller containers will be available as well.

There will also be a 25% senior discount if certain criteria are met.  The basic fee will be revealed when the contract is approved, Morris said.

There will be other services provided as part of the package: an annual "community beautification" curbside cleanup;  twice yearly drop-off events for electronics and clothing (which will be donated to a charity);  and a bulky item collection in unlimited amounts, twice a year.

Athens will also have a program in place to collect sharps: lancets, hypodermic needles, and similar medical waste.  The hauler will provide a safe container to those who request it for their sharps, which can be picked up or mailed away.

Another problem:  after you get the rolling containers, what do you with your existing trash cans? Morris said that residents would get  "take me" stickers to attach to old containers for the hauler to pick up on trash collection days.

Once the contract has been approved, Morris said that residents will receive a letter informing them of the details of the new program.  There will also be at least one public meeting to address concerns residents may have before the July 1 roll-out.

The supervisors will be approving up to seven trash hauling contracts in February, Morris said, adding to the 15 programs already in place in the unincorporated county.

__,_._,___

Successes for NASA's Groundwater Cleanup at JPL

Please feel free to contact Merrilee for more info.

From: "Fellows, Merrilee (HQ-LD000)" <mfellows@nasa.gov>

Looking Back and Looking Forward:

2010 was a year of progress for the groundwater cleanup effort.  Our 2010 Year in Review briefly summarizes the high points of our activities last year.  That document is available in English at http://go.usa.gov/rRA and also may be found on the front page of our project webpage at http://jplwater.nasa.gov.

The same messages are available in Spanish at http://go.usa.gov/rRH, in case you want to share these successes with friends and neighbors who prefer Spanish-language materials.

In 2011 we look toward completion of construction and beginning operation of the third, and largest, groundwater treatment plant.  That plant is located on the east side of Windsor Avenue just south of Mountain View Street at the Altadena/Pasadena boundary.

We thank you for your continued patience and support for our construction and operation efforts both on- and off-site of JPL.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions about the groundwater cleanup.

Merrilee Fellows

NASA Manager for Environmental Communications

818.393.0754

 

Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

by Regina Brett, The Plain Dealer

http://www.reginabrett.com/

May 28, 2006 To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

http://www.reginabrett.com/life_lessons.php

 

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'.

 You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift..

Altadena Blog Hosting Trail Conditions

Altadena Blog hosting Trail Conditions:

http://www.tragic-christian.org/altadena_trails/

Comments:

http://www.altadenablog.com/2011/01/altadena-trail-conditions-beta-test.html

Courtesy Altadena Blog:

Local trailwalker Stanley Zucker pitched us on the idea that we should have a rundown of local trail conditions.  "Cool!" we said.

So with Zucker doing the hard work, we've put together a beta test page for Altadena Trails.  It's at a separate address we own: for technical reasons, we've created a separate blog for it so we can fine-tune without screwing up everything on the main page -- we hope to be able to incorporate it all together after the blog makeover we're still working on.  We're open for comments, criticisms, and advice as we refine, but we think this would be a great service to our hiking readers, and are anxious to get your feedback.

 

Proposed Farmers Market-County to Update the Community at next Altadena Town Council

UPDATE SATURDAY JANUARY 15TH

THE ORGANIZERS OF THE FARMERS MARKET HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A LOCATION, AND SEEM TO HAVE SETTLED (FOR NOW) AT  Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2889 Lincoln Ave., SAT. 8 AM-3 PM.

WHETHER THEY WILL MOVE FROM THAT LOCATION TO LOMA ALTA PARK IS UNDECIDED FOR NOW BUT THEY WILL "NOT" BE AT LOMA ALTA PARK IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

 

===========================================================

Update on Farmers Market at Next Town Council, Jan 18th, 2011

Altadena Town Council will host an update from LA County about the Proposed Farmers Market at Loma Alta Park.

Any resident of Altadena who wishes to attend this public meeting is welcome. Members from the county will provide updates on the Proposed Farmer’s Market at the next Altadena Town Council Meeting:

TIME:  7:00 p.m.

DATE:  Tuesday January 18^th, 2011    

LOCATION:  Altadena Community Center

                       730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena CA 91001

The Altadena Town Council wishes to engage the residents of the neighborhood and of Altadena, to determine the wishes of our community, including the following:

The desire and consumer demand to have a Farmer's market in Altadena.
The acceptability of using part of Loma Alta Park for the venue.
The day and hours of operation.
The type of vendors for the market.

The County is now canvassing potential vendors to determine what products and services might be available for an Altadena market. 
http://www.altadenatowncouncil.org/

Your local census reps are:
Doug Colliflower: doug.colliflower@altadenatowncouncil.org
Alice Wessen:  alice.wessen@altadenatowncouncil.org
Greg Middleton: greg.middleton@altadenatowncouncil.org