Excellent!
Dear Editor:
It feels awkward to say because I cherished the old Messenger but I do have to say that the new Messenger Mountain News is better, more informative and more aesthetically pleasing than the old version. Thank you so much for the monumental effort you must have put into this endeavor. It is highly appreciated.
—Claudia Cevenini
Love Letters to Caltrans
During the weekend of April 8-9, Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed from the 3.2 mile marker to Pacific Coast Highway in order for Caltrans crews to reinforce a section of the hillside that slid during the rains, depositing mud and boulders into the street that closed the road for about a week while department geologists and engineers evaluated the area before crews could clear the debris.
Members of the Topanga Town Council, the Topanga Canyon Boulevard Roadside Committee and TASC have worked closely with Caltrans over the years and wish to thank them publicly for, once again, working with the community to maintain and keep State Highway 27, now a designated Scenic Route, safe, beautiful and herbicide-free.
On behalf of the Town Council and many members of the Topanga Community, thank you and your various Caltrans and subcontracted crews for all the hard work that everyone put in this last weekend. From what I observed, the primary project to place tie rods into a number of the boulders near the 3.2-mile marker was successfully accomplished and will hopefully suffice to keep those boulders from unexpectedly coming down in the future.
Thank you as well for taking the opportunity during the road closure and the lighter traffic along the portion of Topanga Canyon Boulevard that remained open to remove the concrete from under the three sections of guard rails that were installed last November. They look much better without that concrete and the removal eliminates an element of friction between the Community and Caltrans. We truly appreciate this.
I am also happy to see that your crews used the opportunity presented by the road closure to do some of the required weed whacking along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Doing so during the closure was a great idea, especially since it eliminates the need for additional lane closures while weed whacking is being performed.
John Waller, Board Member
Topanga Canyon Town Council
The Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC) thanks the Cal Trans crew, members of the Department of Transportation (DOT), Sr. Construction Engineer Michael Dipsia and geologist Gustavo Ortega for the hard work done the weekend of April 8-9. Thanks also go to Tim Pershing, Senior Field Deputy to Assemblymember Richard Bloom and Fiona Nagel, Sr. Field Deputy and District Director, West Valley/Mountain Communities to Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
Their guidance and careful work have made us all feel they are truly in a partnership with our canyon.
Thank you from all of us.
Roger Pugliese, Chair
Topanga Association for a Scenic Community (TASC)