Monday, February 8, 1999
University, residents fight in alley
WESTWOOD: UCLA, city should eliminate erosion,
say apartment denizens
By Lawrence Ferchaw
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Between a few Westwood apartment buildings and university
property runs a dispute over mounds of dirt, a property line and
what it means to be a good neighbor.
Separating the two is an alley, which is the focal point of a
disagreement between apartment residents advocating for
improvements and UCLA, which is expending money and man-hours to
reduce the impact of erosion off its property.
Pablo Mancini, a longtime resident of Westwood, has organized a
campaign known as Friends of the Alley. It demands that UCLA and
the city of Los Angeles eliminate the negative effects of mud and
dirt running down from the university’s property onto the alley
that runs from Weyburn Avenue up to Strathmore Drive.
"UCLA continues to refuse to help the erosion problems, which
causes unbearable amounts of dust to blow into apartments along the
alley and water to seep under the pavement and break up the alley
even further," Mancini said.
Problems in the alley include mud sliding down the slope from
the university property, mud and water running underneath the
asphalt and breaking it apart, and cars driving on the dried mud,
forcing dust into residents’ apartments.
Frustrated with working with university officials, whom Mancini
described as "insensitive," the Friends of the Alley reported the
problems in the alley to the city.
University officials, who Mancini said he alerted to the problem
three years ago, said they have done their "fair share" to limit
the erosion in the short term. The university does not want to go
ahead with any long-term solution until plans are finalized for a
graduate-student housing complex near Lot 31.
"The university will be part of the solution and pay its fair
share," said Bradley Erickson, director of real estate for
UCLA.
"The alley was improperly installed. Whoever installed it should
pay for the improper installation," Erickson added.
The alley is what is known as "unimproved," which means it was
not constructed to any specifications and is not maintained to any
standard by the city.
"There’s no standard for cleaning or straightening up," said
Sherman Williams, the senior street-use inspector for the East
Valley region of Los Angeles. "We just want to make sure it’s
passable for traffic."
While Mancini has requested that the university build a
retaining wall along the alley to prevent the flow of mud and
water, the university has planted ground cover, installed an
irrigation system and moved a chain link fence closer to the alley
to prevent cars from creating dust.
The cost of this work is in the thousands of dollars, according
to Jack Powazek, assistant vice chancellor of Facilities
Management. He added that the alley also costs his department
hundreds of dollars each week for ongoing maintenance.
"We try to get along with our neighbors," Powazek said. "Because
Pablo has raised this issue we have done things we didn’t do
before."
The university also paid for engineering studies to find the
best way to fix the problems.
But Mancini questioned the quality of work done by the
university and dismissed their estimates of cost.
"They haven’t done anything there but put plants and a cheap
irrigation system," Mancini said.
University officials recently met with representatives from the
city’s Department of Public Works to discuss the situation. City
officials have begun an investigation into the problem, but said
they were happy with what the university has been doing to mitigate
the problems.
"The university is being very cooperative," said John Roberts,
chief street-use inspector for the Department of Public Works.
"We’re sure we’ll ultimately get compliance."
Roberts’ department is currently awaiting a determination of
where the city’s property ends and where the university’s property
begins. Once that is determined, the dirt that is now on the city
property will be removed and the asphalt will be patched, according
to Roberts.
Friends of the Alley will wait to see if this solution works,
but if the problems continue, Mancini said he will be ready to
pursue further action, including legal action.
"I respect the hearing, and I respect the city. We’re waiting
and not giving up," Mancini said.
University officials continue to resist the idea that they
should build a retaining wall along the property because the plans
for the graduate student housing are not complete. Construction
could be two to four years away.
"When the project is built, there’s likely to be a substantial
amount of work involved, that includes grading and sloping,"
Erickson said. "I don’t know what the solution will be."CHARLES
KUO/Daily Bruin
Residents on Gayley and Levering have complained that runoff
from UCLA’s property has ruined the alley and stirred dust into
apartments.
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