Wilderness Park Mail

We got a note the mail from a thoughtful, concerned reader responding to Tuesday's post about the damage in the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park:

SUBJECT: Scraping the Wilderness Park
DATE: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 10:30 AM
TO: Claremont Buzz

Hi Buzz -

Yesterday you wrote: "If a private landowner had done what the city did, these groups [you mentioned Sierra Club, Claremont Heritage; I'd add the Claremont Wildlands Conservancy, since I'm a board member] would be all over the hapless private party. But since it's the city creating the damage, they hold their tongues, giving tacit approval to the actions with their silence."

I don't think it's a matter of holding tongues and giving approval. Rather, I think it's shock that something so egregious happened, and no one really knows where to go or what to do. It's one of the Insider's founding tenets: who does the City report to? And why do the individuals working for the City hide behind the façade of 'The City'?

It's also somewhat analogous to a family of kids (all of us) and parents (the great city of Claremont). When a private landowner (a kid) does something wrong, then -- yes -- another kid (Sierra Club, etc.) tells on them to the parent (the city), and there are repercussions. Who was that guy who took his own bulldozer up to his property below Johnson's Pasture and scraped off some 'picnic' areas? That was quickly reported to the City and stopped.

But what do you do when you witness your parents do something terribly wrong? Who do you go tell? Well, if my memory serves me, you whisper to your siblings and friends, and you wake up each day feeling a bit more disillusioned about your upbringing.

I think that's what the silence is here. It's not approval. It's dumbfoundedness. Maybe you tell the Claremont Insider and take some pictures, but is there a top-down state organization that can give the City a penalty? Don't think so. Is there a bottom-up grass roots groundswell of disapproval that can change this outcome -- either current or future? What is the outcome if the Sierra Club or Claremont Heritage drafts a statement of disapproval of the City's actions? Not much, truth be told.

As with all analogies, this family one breaks down when you push it far enough. We're not kids. The City isn't our parent. We're all adults here. The City is supposed to work FOR us. I'm sad and disillusioned.

Paving Paradise

(Click to enlarge)
City of Trees I

Saturday's Claremont Courier had an article by Tony Krickl about the city of Claremont bulldozing several acres of its Wilderness Park, including a large section running along Thompson Creek:

The city decided to bulldoze the land in an attempt to save money on an unexpected project. City officials acknowledged they made a big mistake.

“I admit our actions were wrong,” said Community Services Director Scott Carroll, speaking at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “I’m deeply sorry for putting the city [in this position]. Our intent was to comply with [the county regulations] and protect the homes on Via Padova.”

Bare terrain is all that remains next to these Padua Hills homes after a bulldozer was used to clear the area as part the city’s fire abatement plan.

The decision to bulldoze caused irreparable damage to the land, said residents and ecological experts, and will end up costing the city upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix. The exact price tag has not yet been determined.

Back in July, the city was notified by the Los Angeles County Fire Department that the territory had been surveyed and the brush needed to be cleared behind the homes. This year has been particularly dry and prone to fires, so the extra safety precautions were necessary. The city had already set their budget for the next 2 years, and the unexpected abatement expenses had not been planned for.

But fear of liability was an overriding concern for City Manager Jeff Parker in case a fire did break out. He did not want to be in the same position as the previous city manager back in 2003 when fire ripped through Palmer Canyon, destroying homes and leading to a $17.5 million lawsuit settlement.

“I told [Mr. Carroll] to get it done,” Mr. Parker said.

Community Services Department staff came up with a plan that was quick and cost-effective. In mid-August, the bulldozers were brought in to complete the work.

Residents are now concerned that the area is prone to erosion, excessive dust and the invasion of non-native plants. With fall and winter rains around the corner, time is limited to repair the damage.

One thing we're being told by readers who seen the area is that you really can't appreciate the extent of the damage unless you walk down inside that canyon running along the east end of the Wilderness Park. It's apparently very difficult to get an idea of the scope of the damage from the road. The Courier photos do show how wide the swath was, though.

Another thing readers are telling us is that while the ground in the photos looks like hard-packed clay, most of it is really a fine powder several inches deep that gets picked up and blown all over by the wind - remember the Dust Bowl? Once the soil goes, whether by wind or rain, it's going to drive up the cost of fixing the damage.

The silence from groups like the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, whose newsletter editor Robin Ives teaches math at Harvey Mudd College, strikes us as particularly odd. The Angeles Chapter is involved enough in Claremont local politics to have endorsed Sam Pedroza in the last city election. Why no involvement in this issue?

Or what about Claremont Heritage, which has a particular interest in the Padua Theatre? That same bulldozer ran up the canyon all around the Theatre, causing damage there. You'd think the people interested in preserving the Theatre's structures would be concerned about the ground under the buildings being undermined by erosion or that the view of the Wilderness Park would be marred by that bulldozer blade scraping great red gashes in the canyon. Is historical preservation something that's confined to the built environment, or does it extend to the the natural environment as well?

If a private landowner had done what the city did, these groups would be all over the hapless private party. But since it's the city creating the damage, they hold their tongues, giving tacit approval to the actions with their silence.

Odd indeed. But then, that's Claremont in a nutshell.

* * *

One reader who wrote in commented on the Courier article's grammar:

SUBJECT: Courier editing staff
DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2008 11:05 PM
TO: Claremont Buzz

Over the past couple weeks I have noticed a couple of jaw-dropping printing errors in the Courier. But somehow this headline from the Courier website reminded me of you, dear Insider: "In the eastern portion of the Claremont Wilderness Park, plots of baron [sic] land covered with tire tracks can be seen behind dozens of Padua Hills homes."

Who knew that Claremont had a real-life aristocracy?

We caught that bit too, but with our occasional typos and misspellings, we're hardly in any position to criticize the Courier.

And then there was this reader who thinks we need a plaque on Thompson Creek to commemorate the damage:

SUBJECT: bulldozed
DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2008 1:07 PM
TO: Claremont Buzz

Someone with a couple hundred dollars to spare should put up a commemorative plaque with the names of city officials at the site of the bullzdozer massacre. A great piece of political theater, for people who follow Claremont politics and get the joke.

Walk Scoring Claremont

I'm walkin', yes indeed I'm talkin'....

- Antoine "Fats" Domino

Centinel over at the Foothill Cities Blog turned us onto a website called walkscore.com where anyone can measure the walkability index of any given location in the U.S.

Walk Score explains its raison d'être:

Why Walking Matters

Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to our health, the environment, and our communities.

Better health: A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood. Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15 - 45.

Reduction in greenhouse gas: Cars are a leading cause of global warming. Your feet are zero pollution transportation machines.

More transportation options: Compact neighborhoods tend to have higher population density, which leads to more public transportation options and bicycle infrastructure. Not only is taking the bus cheaper than driving, but riding a bus is ten times safer than driving a car!

Increased social capital: Walking increases social capital by promoting face-to-face interaction with your neighbors. Studies have shown that for each 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10 percent.

Stronger local businesses: Dense, walkable neighborhoods provide local businesses with the foot traffic they need to thrive. It's easier for pedestrians to shop at many stores on one trip, since they don't need to drive between destinations.

And here's how they figure their scores:

How It Works

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Check out how Walk Score doesn't work.

What does my score mean?

Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. The walkability of an address depends on how far you are comfortable walking—after all, everything is within walking distance if you have the time. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

• 90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

How it Works

Walk Score™ uses a patent-pending system to calculate the walkability of an address based on:

• Calculating a score for each of these locations.
• The distance to walkable locations near an address.
• Combining these scores into one easy to read Walk Score.

Centinel typed in the address for Pasadena City Hall and got a walkability score of 98 out of 100.

We picked up Centinel's idea and thought we'd apply it to Claremont's Base Line Rd. affordable housing project, which is on its deathbed begging for a Do Not Resuscitate order.

We went to walkscore.com and first entered "Towne Ave. and Base Line Rd., Claremont, CA," the rough location of the Base Line Rd. project being pushed by the Claremont League of Women Voters, Mayor Peter Yao, and Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Taylor. Walk Score kicked out a walkability index of 19 out of 100 for the project area - a very poor score:

Click on Image to Enlarge

In contrast to Towne Ave. and Base Line Rd., typing "111 S. College Ave., Claremont, CA," the old Claremont Courier building location and possible alternate site for the affordable housing project, produced a walkability index of 89 out of 100, an almost ideal total on the Walk Score scale:

Click on Image to Enlarge

So, for all their talk about sustainability (that means YOU, Bob Tener), by insisting on jamming the affordable housing project into the Base Line Rd. site, the Claremont 400, the Claremont's League of Women Voters, and the City of Claremont are demonstrating through their actions that they aren't really interested in reducing car trips, encouraging use of mass transit and walking, or helping local businesses by placing new, denser housing near the areas with the most shopping and restaurants - all those things that are aspects of REAL sustainability.

It's time, we think, for them to put their money where they mouths are.