Editor:
The Lincoln Boulevard Task Force members wish to thank the 50-plus folks who came out to "Harvest the Litter" from the boulevard on Saturday. The event was wildly successful and we picked up 30 bags of weeds, litter, and other debris from the 10 Freeway south to Ozone Avenue. Twelve of those bags were from where the freeway ramps meet Lincoln. I am not sure … that area has ever been cleaned up.
Students from Santa Monica College's Sustainability Workshops were a large contingent of our workforce.
The event wrapped up with a tour by mural king and coordinator of the two dozen colorful murals which now grace the walls of businesses south of Pico Boulevard. We are looking for dirty walls to paint and decorate along Lincoln Boulevard.
We appreciate the contribution of free brew for cleanup participants (over 21 of course) by the former owner of TRiP, John De Coster, and the new owners, Jon Stephenson and Hans Gophlen. Printing Palace's Mark Moralez provided us with posters and fliers for the event free of charge and Starbucks at Lincoln and Marine gave us coffee for the event. Sarah Casey of Sarah Casey Design, and son, Charlie Stinsmuehlen, led the sidewalk chalk art installation. Two sock art installations appeared at the freeway ramps.
This was our second cleanup as a part of the effort to make Lincoln Boulevard "safe, clean, beautiful and green." We are pleased at the resurfacing and restriping which occurred in August and we are hoping for lighted crosswalks, since the street is a veritable highway and, indeed, several pedestrian deaths have occurred there, one quite recently.
We look forward to the promise of steam cleaning of the sidewalks, the planting of additional trees and other enhancements to the boulevard.
A most satisfying event!
Killeen Pilon
Santa Monica
