POW/MIA Mural Restored
Venice landmark vandalized last year will be rededicated on Memorial Day
Almost a year to the day since taggers desecrated the Vietnam POW/MIA Mural at Pacific Avenue and Sunset Court, Venice community leaders will gather on Memorial Day to unveil its restoration.
Mural restoration experts with the Venice-based Social and Public Art Resources Center (SPARC) began work in early April, which included repainting many of the 2,273 names that were covered by graffiti or erased during an amateur effort to remove it. SPARC Artistic Director Judy Baca said at the time that work would include the application of a clear chemical coating to protect the mural from future vandalism.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin and the Venice Chamber of Commerce, who spearheaded restoration fundraising efforts, will participate in a rededication ceremony from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Monday, May 29, at 614 Pacific Ave.
“We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition with the help and support of our community,” said chamber board member Kelly Layne.
The chamber is still raising money for a digital overlay needed to preserve the mural when it is eventually relocated to accommodate redevelopment of the former Metro bus lot on Pacific.
— Gary Walker
Expect Traffic Delays in Playa del Rey
Safety measures prompt road closures on Vista Del Mar and Pershing Drive
Lane closures began Monday
Photo by John McKnight
Playa del Rey residents and thousands of cut-through commuters avoiding Lincoln Boulevard congestion can expect lane closures on Vista Del Mar and Pershing Drive in order to accommodate traffic calming measures and other roadway safety improvements.
On Monday, city workers began lane closures on Vista Del Mar in order to restripe the pavement, move parking to the west side of the street, create U-turn pockets and narrow the roadway to one lane in each direction, according to a letter by Mike Bonin disseminated by the Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa.
Starting June 3, workers will begin resurfacing Pershing Drive and then restripe Pershing, Culver Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard to accommodate new center turn lanes and bicycle lanes as part of the “Safe Streets for Playa del Rey Initiative,” according to the council office. The reconfiguration will narrow the roadway to one travel lane in each direction in order to calm traffic.
Bonin’s letter described the changes as pilot programs subject to public comment and review.
“We are going to gather data and public input, analyze whether impacts are positive or not, and adjust accordingly. We can keep what we love, improve what we can, and remove what we dislike,” he wrote.
— Gary Walker and Joe Piasecki
Please make sure they don’t cut up Manchester Avenue! The traffic has tripled in the past year and speeds are out of control.
Creating one lane will cause a bottle neck and back up traffic for miles…..it’s a bad idea and will do the opposite of calming traffic.it will.increase commute times and waste gas..
It already has. The traffic in the morning on Pershing is even worse now than it was before they made this dumb decision. After working a 10 hour shift at the airport I want to get home. Not sit in traffic
They took away an entire land on Venice blvd near centinela and now every day traffic is back up for blocks
What a horrible idea of the city. They want bike lanes at the expense of creating more traffic for us to and from work. More drivers will be pissed off
Agree with the last two comments. This is a terrible idea. I commute out of El Segundo and had to give myself an extra15 to 30 min when it was 2 lanes; Pershing or Vista. With now only one lane each direction on each of these roads, commute times are going to be a nightmare due to congestion from there only being the ONE lane. The reality is that majority of residents still commute by car and the city just appears to be making it more and more difficult for drivers.
This is a terrible waste of resources. I’m a cyclist and we already have have a wonderful bike path that runs parallel with Vista and Pershing on the beach.
Great news. Our neighborhood is being used as a freeway for Manhattan and Hermosa Beach drivers. Spend a few minutes on Pershing or Culver during the morning and evening rush hours and you will see how bad it is. Try driving through Manahattan or Hermosa doing 50 mph and see what happens. Keep these unsafe speeding drivers off of our neighborhood streets.
Typical of government agencies. They do what they want and don’t give a damn about how it will impact the people that drive the roads day in and day out. The Playa Vista area has become a traffic nightmare in the last 10 years or so. Need to figure out a way to thin the traffic not make it worse by reducing lanes