Glendale Ca Public Works

The City Council on Tuesday rejected demands from the leader of a prominent Jewish-rights organization for removal of swastika-like designs from 930 street light poles installed in the 1920s, saying they were never meant to be Nazi symbols. Irv Rubin, national chairman of the Jewish Defense League, criticized the city last month, saying the symbols around the base of the ornate green light standards were offensive to Jews and should have been removed long ago.

The storms hit Deukmejian Wilderness Park with the force of a thousand fire hoses, blasting tons of water through the canyon gorges and knocking out two bridges that had led hikers to the Rim of the Valley trail. More than two years after El Nino battered the 702-acre park, the city, citing a lack of adequate funds, has yet to repair the route, the main link to a broader system of trails in the Angeles National Forest. Hikers who venture up the path leading to the valley's rim don't get far.

A burst water main early Sunday caused the evacuation of three homes before firefighters gained control of the rushing water, authorities said. No one was injured in the incident. Glendale police received a report of a water main break at Rustic Lane and Glorietta Avenue about 7:30 a.m. Glendale firefighters arrived at the scene shortly and found a large sinkhole and massive "wall of water" in front of one home, authorities said. Firefighters evacuated six people from three homes.

Lockheed Martin, ITT Industries and 49 other companies, including Walt Disney Co., have agreed to pay $37.25 million to operate the city's new ground water treatment system for the next 12 years and to repay government monitoring expenses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The companies had previously agreed to the deal in principle, and Thursday's announcement formalizes the terms.

Federal environmental officials have ordered work to begin on a plant to treat ground water in Glendale after a dispute over cost and responsibility threatened to stall the $61.4-million project. Lockheed, ITT Corp. and Walt Disney Co. are among dozens of firms named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being partly responsible for decades of industrial solvents leaking into water underlying a large area of Glendale.

In an unexpected move Tuesday, the City Council unanimously rejected the proposed formation of a citywide fire assessment district on a technical issue, saying time has grown too short to consider the controversial tax. The action halts a proposal that could have levied an annual fee of $25.50 on the typical single-family household and up to $453.50 a year for a heavy manufacturing plant. The assessment district was one of a series of proposals the city was considering to offset an expected $6.

The Glendale and Pasadena city councils agreed last week to share the costs of building a pipeline to carry treated sewage water from Glendale's reclamation plant for use in irrigating parks, schools, golf courses and other public places in the two cities. Donald R. Froelich, Glendale water services administrator, said the agreement will result in a $2.3-million savings over the next 25 years, compared to the cost of building the pipelines independently.

A Catholic high school had the will to solve a growing traffic problem and two local businesses helped provide the way: Pioneer Way, that is. A 600-foot one-way road was opened across from Providence High School--where students call themselves the Pioneers--on Wednesday. It was paid for by the Walt Disney Co.--whose studio is across the street from the campus. The city and nearby St. Joseph's Medical Center donated the land.

The Glendale City Council has allocated $3.19 million in federal grants to fund social services, upgrade community buildings, revitalize neighborhoods and, for the first time, revitalize commercial buildings. In hopes of stimulating local business, the city for the first time Tuesday decided to use Community Block Grant money to offer rebates of up to 50% to businesses that spruce up their facades, said Jeff Duran, assistant director of community development and housing.

A ruptured pipe cut off water service to about 400 homes in the Glenoaks Canyon area before dawn Tuesday, although city officials were hoping to have service restored by this morning. A resident reported seeing water gushing from the street near the intersection of Edwards Place and Gardner Place in Glendale at about 2:30 a.m., officials said.

Lockheed Martin, ITT Industries and 49 other companies, including Walt Disney Co., have agreed to pay a total of $37.25 million to operate Glendale's new ground-water treatment system for the next 12 years and repay government monitoring expenses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The companies had previously agreed to the deal in principle, and Thursday's announcement formalizes the terms.

Federal funds will be used to make repairs to Park Manor Reservoir and surrounding areas, scorched during a recent fire. Under the Emergency Watershed Protection program, the city's Water and Power Department will receive $13,000 to clear debris basins around the reservoir, repair the reservoir's roof and replace a chain-link security fence damaged in a blaze that began Dec. 21 in La Canada Flintridge and quickly spread west to Glendale.

A burst water main early Sunday caused the evacuation of three homes before firefighters gained control of the rushing water, authorities said. No one was injured in the incident. Glendale police received a report of a water main break at Rustic Lane and Glorietta Avenue about 7:30 a.m. Glendale firefighters arrived at the scene shortly and found a large sinkhole and massive "wall of water" in front of one home, authorities said. Firefighters evacuated six people from three homes.

Federal environmental officials have ordered work to begin on a plant to treat ground water in Glendale after a dispute over cost and responsibility threatened to stall the $61.4-million project. Lockheed, ITT Corp. and Walt Disney Co. are among dozens of firms named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being partly responsible for decades of industrial solvents leaking into water underlying a large area of Glendale.

A renovation project that was designed to improve the business climate has instead sparked opposition from local merchants, who say the work has brought their trade nearly to a standstill. In August, city contractors began digging along a two-block stretch of Broadway between Brand Boulevard and Louise Street to install new brick crosswalks and decorative sidewalks.

The proposed deregulation of some of California's electric utilities has spurred officials in the Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena power departments to consider a partial merger of the three municipal utilities in order to stay competitive. The state Public Utilities Commission's proposed deregulation plan, expected to be implemented in 1997, only affects privately held utilities such as Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric.

Federal funds will be used to make repairs to Park Manor Reservoir and surrounding areas, scorched during a recent fire. Under the Emergency Watershed Protection program, the city's Water and Power Department will receive $13,000 to clear debris basins around the reservoir, repair the reservoir's roof and replace a chain-link security fence damaged in a blaze that began Dec. 21 in La Canada Flintridge and quickly spread west to Glendale.

Lockheed Martin, ITT Industries and 49 other companies, including Walt Disney Co., have agreed to pay $37.25 million to operate the city's new ground water treatment system for the next 12 years and to repay government monitoring expenses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The companies had previously agreed to the deal in principle, and Thursday's announcement formalizes the terms.

The City Council on Tuesday rejected demands from the leader of a prominent Jewish-rights organization for removal of swastika-like designs from 930 street light poles installed in the 1920s, saying they were never meant to be Nazi symbols. Irv Rubin, national chairman of the Jewish Defense League, criticized the city last month, saying the symbols around the base of the ornate green light standards were offensive to Jews and should have been removed long ago.

A ruptured pipe cut off water service to about 400 homes in the Glenoaks Canyon area before dawn Tuesday, although city officials were hoping to have service restored by this morning. A resident reported seeing water gushing from the street near the intersection of Edwards Place and Gardner Place in Glendale at about 2:30 a.m., officials said.