Proposed run/walk delayed by city

DOWNEY - A 5K run/walk to honor the memory of late Downey resident Sean Feliciano has been shelved at least temporarily after the City Council balked at the required street closures.Feliciano, 20, took his own life last year while attending school in Santa Barbara. The run/walk would have coincided with National Suicide Prevention Week in September, according to Sean Feliciano's father. Bob Feliciano started the Sean Vernon Feliciano Amazing Day Foundation after his son's death to help reduce suicides among college students. Under the proposal, the walk would begin at 7:30 a.m. at Stonewood Center's Lakewood Boulevard entrance. The route would take participants along Woodruff Avenue north to Eglise Avenue and Gotham Street, through East Middle School, and back again to end at the mall. The walk would conclude at 8:30 a.m. and the foundation would reimburse the city for services and equipment, Feliciano said. The City Council, however, urged Feliciano to hold the walk on private property. Councilman Roger Brossmer said he worried that granting the request would set a precedent. The matter is expected to be brought back at a later date following a survey of local residents. In other action Tuesday, the City Council: •Conducted a required public hearing on a five-year consolidation plan for the Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Grant. •Approved the final contract amount of $1.78 million for the resurfacing and reconstruction of several city streets. •Approved an agreement with KFM Engineering worth $39,214 to prepare plans for a left turn lane at southbound Lakewood Boulevard at Columbia Way (formerly Clark Avenue). City officials said a left-turn lane is necessary with the recent openings of Discovery Sports Complex, the Columbia Memorial Space Center and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. •Approved an agreement with Kabbara Engineering not to exceed $52,480 to prepare plans for the rehabilitation of 57 residential street segments. •Approved a one-year contract extension with state advocacy group Legman, Levi, Pappas and Sadler. According to terms of the contract, the company will represent the city's interests before state agencies and legislative offices in Sacramento and will be compensated $3,600 per month, not including reimbursements for travel and other actual expenses as authorized by the city. •Authorized the destruction of obsolete records of the Building Department. •Authorized an application for a Caltrans Transportation Planning Grant. If approved, the city would receive up to $300,000 to examine "how to bring people into Downtown without using their cars," evaluating the efficacy of the DowneyLINK and suggesting improvements, exploring options for connecting the Green Line with Downtown, study the optimal location for the city's transit station and investigate the options for creating bike paths within the city and connecting them to existing paths along the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River." •Filed a financial report detailing a $4.78 million decrease in city revenues. •And authorized a raised median island along Imperial Highway that will still provide access to the Beach's Market property.

********** Published: February 26, 2010 - Volume 8 - Issue 45