Holly Park Accomplishments
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Tree Planting Along 119th Street
119th Street in Holly Park is frequented by many residents for their morning and afternoon walks. The street was completely redone after completion of the freeway. Although the street is magnificently clean, it lacked a touch of nature. In response, the City of Hawthorne beautified our street by planting 30 15-20 foot tall fine palm trees along the entire length of 119th Street between S. Wilton Place and Crenshaw Blvd. This "ecologically friendly" addition has brought life to our street.
New Retaining Wall for Holly Park
Holly Park park received a face lift when a new retaining wall was erected along S. Van Ness Blvd. In the past, water would run off onto the sidewalk, taking with it leaves and silt. These elements deposited onto the sidewalk, making it slippery and unsightly. The new retaining wall added a much needed touch of class to our park. Our thanks and gratitude go out to the City of Hawthorne Public Works, and to the Eagle Scout troop who labored on this project for the benefit of Holly Park park.
Volunteer Appreciation Day
HPHA participated in Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Hawthorne Memorial Center (3901 El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne CA 90250). HPHA members who were honored for outstanding volunteer community service were Art Osborne, Faye Osborne, Paul Lowe, Joseph Wright, and Jose Carlos Gutierrez.
Neighborhood Watch Grows in Holly Park
After being dormant for some time, the Holly Park Neighborhood Watch Team is celebrating its second anniversary since its resurrection last year. It has carried out several neighborhood "Walk-Throughs" through our community, accompanied by Sgt. Steve Romero and Sgt. Robbie Williams of the Hawthorne Police Department. As a result of our Neighborhood Watch Program, our Community has enjoyed a relatively crime free 2008; crime has not been eliminated completely, but it has reduced dramatically. We thank all of our participants for their vigilance.
Third Annual Holly Park Park Picnic
The Third installment of what is now becoming a tradition in Holly Park was a success. This year, our Picnic brought together our neighbors from Ramona Tract, North Hawthorne, Bodger Park, North Airport, and of course, from Holly Park. A special ceremony at this year's event honored all of our Block Captains for their hard work and dedication. Vasek-Polak Clinic of Hawthorne offered free health screenings to those in attendance. Vasek-Polak and their parent company, Little Company of Mary, are committed to Holly Park and the Hawtorne Community and offer these health screenings to improve our quality of life. Our sincere gratitude goes to the many supporters of our Picnic. We thank Allied Waste Management for their continuous support and sponsorship (Thank You Dawn!!), Waikiki Grill for their generous donation of Hawaiian Bar-b-q Chicken, the Hawthorne Police Department for the use of their grill, to Police Chief Michael Heffener and Rick Carver of Public Works who were on hand manning the grill, the City of Hawthorne Public Works for providing us with amenities that made our Picnic much more enjoyable. Many thanks to our Mayor, Larry Guidi, the City Council, and Cable Channel 22 for helping us promote our Picnic.
Operation Clean Sweep has "Cleaned Up" Holly Park
Operation "Clean Sweep" is celebrating its second year of success in Holly Park. Before "Operation Clean Sweep," it was commonplace to find discarded furniture, trash, and vegetation overgrowth in our alleys. With the introduction of Operation "Clean Sweep" last year, all of this has changed. Our alleys are now very clean, the vegetation overgrowth is under control, and trash is now a very random occurrence. Operation "Clean Sweep" would not enjoy its current success were it not for the unwavering support it receives from Allied Waste Management, from the City of Hawthorne Public Works Department, and from the efforts of our volunteers from Holly Park, Hawthorne Leos, Kiwanis Club, and the Hawthorne Rotary Club. Thank you for your support!
Holly Park hosts a L.A. County Supervisor Forum
The Holly Park Homeowners Association hosted a L.A. County Supervisor Candidate Forum. Present at the Forum were the two candidates Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas and Councilman Bernard Parks. The event was well attended by a crowd exceeding 80 people who came to listen to the candidates as they took questions from Holly Park Residents. This important event was televised on Hawthorne Cable Channel 22 for the benefit of all those Hawthorne Residents who could not attend. The Holly Park Homeowners Association thanks Atherton Baptist Church for the use of their wonderful facilities as the venue for this important community event.
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The Holly Park Neighborhood Watch Program is Resurrected
Hawthorne Police Chief Mike Heffner spoke to the Holly Park Homeowners Association on resurrecting the Neighborhood Watch Program. A Neighborhood Watch brochure published by the Hawthorne Police Department was distributed to attending members. Chief Heffner elaborated on the value of such a program and the bilateral commitment required from both Holly Park Association Members and the Hawthorne Police Department to make this program a success. Holly Park Homeowners Association will work closely
with Chief Heffner and the Hawthorne Police Department to establish this valuable program in our community.
Central Park Development
HPHA held a forum on the Proposed Development of 120th Street/Van Ness corner (Central Park Development), participated in by Harold Roth, City of Hawthorne Director of Planning; Jeff Lee of The Lee Group, Developer; Gary Parsons, Member of the Hawthorne City Council; and Major Larry Guidi. Several viewpoints were expressed. All speakers urged the HPHA members to stay informed during the process by reading the Environmental Impact Report, which will be online shortly, and by attending Hawthorne Planning and Council Meetings.
Volunteer Appreciation Day
HPHA participated in Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Hawthorne Memorial Center (3901 El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne CA 90250) on April 23. HPHA members who were honored for outstanding volunteer community service were Art Osborne, James Taylor, and Olivia Valentine.
Holly Park Introduces Association T-Shirts
President Jose C. Gutierrez moves forward with the Official Holly Park T-Shirt. The Holly Park t-shirt is to be distributed to Board Members, Block Captains, and for purchase to Association Members. Our Association is the first and only Homeowner Association to make available t-shirts for their members. Our t-shirts will identify Association Members at all public events, demonstrating solidarity and pride for the Holly Park Community.
Second Annual Holly Park Park Picnic
HPHA sponsored its second annual Park Party in Holly Park. This year's event featured expanded activities for children including face painting, sack races, and drawing contests. It also featured health screenings from the Hawthorne Lyon's Club Mobile Unit and from Schnierow Dental in Hawthorne. We were honored with the presence of the Hawthorne S.W.A.T. Team who demonstrated their equipment and talked about their specialized unit to attendees. We were delighted by the good eats that came off the Hawthorne Police Bar-b-q, and the sweet melodies that emanated from the turntables of dee-jay Mr. Ray Neat. Our event was a great success thanks to the generous contribution from Allied Waste Management, and from the support received from the Hawthorne Police Department, Hawthorne Public Works, Hawthorne Mayor Larry Guidi, Hawthorne City Council, and from the many Association Members who volunteered their time to ensure that all had a pleasant experience at our event.
Operation "Clean Sweep" Begins in Holly Park
Residents of Holly Park have noticed a deterioration of the condition of our alleys. Despite the efforts of the Public Works Department to clean our alleys, it was apparent that they needed help. In response, Holly Park President Jose C. Gutierrez partnered with Allied Waste Management and the Public Works Department to create "Operation Clean Sweep." This joint venture got off to a great start. Our alleys were cleared of large debris, discarded furniture, and vegetation overgrowth. We are very happy with our initial results.
Holly Park hosts Little League Baseball Clinic
The Hawthorne Rotary Club held its Second Annual Little League Baseball Clinic at Holly Park park. The event was well attended by local youths who came out to fine-tune their skills. In attendance were professional Dodger players who gave pointers and autographs to the little sluggers.
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Holly Park Petitions the Return of Air 55
HPHA presented a Petition to Mayor Larry Guidi, signed by 60 Holly Park residents, urging the restoration of the Police Helicopter for crime fighting and rescue operations. We recognize that the up-front cost is high but the benefit to the citizens outweighs the cost concerns. We encouraged the City of Hawthorne to continue attempts to engage in cost-sharing with surrounding South Bay area cities to defray the cost of the helicopter.
Central Park Development
HPHA held a forum on the Proposed Development of 120th Street/Van Ness corner (Central Park Development), participated in by Harry Roth, City of Hawthorne Director of Planning; Jeff Lee of The Lee Group, Developer; Gary Parsons, Member of the Hawthorne City Council; and Major Larry Guidi. Several viewpoints were expressed. All speakers urged the HPHA members to stay informed during the process by reading the Environmental Impact Report, which will be online shortly, and by attending Hawthorne Planning and Council Meetings.
Volunteer Appreciation Day
HPHA participated in Volunteer Appreciation Day at the Hawthorne Memorial Center (3901 El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne CA 90250) on April 23. HPHA members who were honored for outstanding volunteer community service were Art Osborne, James Taylor, and Olivia Valentine.
51st Assembly District Candidate Forum
HPHA sponsored a Candidate's Forum on May 4th, at Olivet Lutheran Church. The speakers were candidates for the 51st AD: Steve Bradford, Russ Moen and Curren Price. Each candidate spoke for 5 minutes on his platform and then answered questions from the audience. The program was well attended and was televised.
First Annual Holly Park Park Picnic
HPHA sponsored its first annual Park Party in Holly Park. HPHA received excellent support from the Mayor, Council, Lion's Club and Atherton Baptist Church. The Park Party featured great food, games and music.
Hawthorne Airport Master Plan
City of Hawthorne Planning Director Harold Roth presented the master plan for the development of the Hawthorne Airport as well as some insights into the proposed Central Park Development on the corner of 120th Street and Van Ness
Holly Park Homeowners Association Launches its Web Site
Holly Park is pleased to announce that its web site is up and running. Here you will find a broad range of information about our community and our surrounding cities. Come back often for new updates and events as our web site matures.
Hathorne Police Chief reports to Holly Park
Acting City of Hawthorne Police Chief Mike Heffner spoke about the challenge of his new position. Police Captain John Beerling spoke about the techniques used by identity thieves and how the community can protect itself against this threat.
Holly Park Homeowners Association Files its Non-Profit Status Application
In November 2006, the Holly Park Homeowners Association Non-Profit Corporate application was filed with the Secretary of State of California, and Section 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Status was filed with the Internal Revenue Service.