E-Newsletter Keeping Our Community Informed Volume 1, Issue 4

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1 W ith the Expo Light Rail Line under heavy construction for almost two years now, a variety of construction activities are taking place up and down the whole alignment. In Downtown Los Angeles utility relocation and trench construction continues to move forward. Work in the Mid-Corridor includes the installation of K-Rail and continued excavation of the right-of-way. In the West End, K-Rail has been installed and the National Boulevard South Bridge has been demolished in preparation for its future reconstruction. In addition to construction activities, the Expo Team has continued outreach activities, Phase 2 planning and the Local Jobs Program. In this issue, we also feature an Expo/FFP employee and The Point restaurant in Culver City. Community Outreach: The Expo Construction Authority and FFP, (FCI/Fluor/Parsons), Community Relations Team have been active in the communities adjacent to the Expo Light Rail Line. The team has provided presentations to community stakeholders and staffed informational tables at many locations including the following: Roland Genick (L), Lead Urban Designer for Parsons, answers questions about station designs at the Downtown community meeting. Presentations to Independent Square Senior Housing, Village Green HOA, Foshay Title 1 Parent Group, Figueroa Corridor BID Board, and Neighborhoods United Block Club. Hosted informational tables at Independent Square Senior s Health Fair, SORO Festival, Trinity Baptist Church Business Forum, Trinity Baptist Church Sunday Service and the Juneteenth Celebration in Leimert Park. A guest at the West End community meeting reading information about the Arts Program. The Community Relations Team also participated in a Career Day at Tom Bradley Environmental Science & Humanity Charter Magnet School. The Project s Lead Urban Designer, Roland Genick and Construction Manager, Steve Moini, along with Community Relations team members met with 5th grade students and discussed their roles in building the Expo Light Rail Transit System and how the light rail line will contribute to a better, healthier environment. The group also shared construction safety tips with students and provided hand-outs. What s Inside: Construction Activities; Jobs Program; Community Arts Mural Project; Phase 2; Community Spotlight; Expo/FFP Spotlight; Expo Pics; Contact Information

2 Keeping Our Community Informed Construction Activities: Volume 1, Issue 4 Construction of the Expo Light Rail Line continues to move forward with utility and street improvements in Downtown Los Angeles along Flower Street from Washington Boulevard to Exposition Boulevard. With the completion of the installment of 95 concrete girders weighing 50,000 each, the trench near USC/Expo Park has achieved a monumental milestone. The next step is to excavate the trench from both ends. This activity should be completed within the next year. Demolition of the National Blvd. South Bridge. Construction crews from Metro installed the first rail tracks for the Expo Light Rail Line over the June 28 weekend. The new sets of rails were installed at the intersection of Denker Avenue. The contractor has begun performing a variety of construction activities behind the K-rail (concrete barriers) along the right-of-way. Over the next nine months construction activities will include: Soil removal (non-hazardous and non-contaminated) Utility Relocation and Installation Overhead Catenary System (OCS) foundation, pole and cable installation Sound wall construction Installation of track foundation Track and concrete tie installation Curb and gutter installation Installation of one out of 95 concrete girders. Please Be Careful in Any Construction Zone! Additional construction activities in the Culver City portion of the alignment include reconfiguring the traffic on Jefferson Boulevard to accommodate work at the Ballona Creek Bridge from June 2008 through October Traffic traveling on National Boulevard will be re-directed into new lanes and detoured to side streets such as Eastman Drive and Hayden Avenue. Construction activities include: Demolishing the existing bridge and constructing a new bridge Setting concrete barriers (K-rail) Re-striping streets Installing temporary signals Constructing new medians

3 Jobs Program Update: E-Newsletter Below are the latest numbers and activities for the Expo Line s Local Jobs Program (as of July 2008): There are 96 active construction workers currently working on the Expo Project (Laborers, Carpenters or Operators), 21 of which are from the Expo Corridor. All Expo Construction Jobs are Union Jobs. 103 people are currently working for FFP in non-union jobs (clerical or professional level positions), 17 of which are from the Expo Corridor. To date, FFP has sponsored 24 individuals into local unions (Laborers, Carpenters or Operators). 926 individuals have attended orientation sessions hosted by the contractor and PVJOBS and have been placed on a priority list for employment, training or apprenticeship program. Of these individuals, 46 have been placed on the Expo Project, 82 have been placed in non-expo related jobs by PVJOBS and 15 have been placed in construction jobs by the LA Urban League. FFP awarded the OCS-TPSS Installation Contract to Mass Electric Construction Company. The subcontract value was $14.8 million with a DBE goal of 11.4% representing a DBE value of $1.70 million. Northwest Excavation was awarded a subcontract in the amount of $785, and a DBE goal of 5% was established. The Expo project also has a Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) program. There is a DBE goal of 20% for design, professional and construction services. The contractor is aggressively working to meet the program goal by outreaching to local firms through various mediums including traditional printed newspapers, periodicals, electronic media and DBE workshops. DBE Goal 20% DBE Goals and Signed Contracts through July DBE Professional Services Firms $7.2 Million To Date: 16.02% DBE Goal 20% 12 DBE Design Services Firms $6.2 Million To Date: 18.59% DBE Goal 20% To Date: 15.20% 11 DBE Construction Services Firms $39.5 Million

4 Keeping Our Community Informed Volume 1, Issue 4 Community Art Mural Project: The Exposition Construction Authority and FFP have added two new contributor partners to the Community Art Mural Project. The Junior League and Sunday School Class youth at Trinity Baptist Church will add their artistic talents to the mural fence which currently includes artwork from Foshay Learning Center students. The mural fence provides an opportunity for youth in the community to express their thoughts and ideas regarding the "transit parkway" theme of the Expo Light Rail Line by designing and painting wood panels that are installed to cover the fence. The Expo Light Rail Line will include bike and pedestrian pathways as well as additional trees and landscaping. Phase 2: A FFP carpenter installing one of the murals which adorn the fence surrounding the Expo/FFP construction office. On June 9, the Expo Authority held a community meeting to provide updates on the grade crossings determinations that required further analysis. The meeting, which took place at Vista del Mar Child and Family Services, attracted a large audience with well over 200 stakeholders in attendance, many of whom submitted comments in writing and/or during the Q & A session. Currently, the Phase 2 team is hard at work preparing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR), with the goal of providing a draft document to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) this summer. Per the current project schedule, the DEIS/DEIR document will be available for public comment this coming fall, with the adoption of a Locally Preferred Alternative following shortly thereafter. Photos from the June 9 community meeting which presented updated information about proposed grade-crossings for Phase 2.

5 Expo/FFP Employee Spotlight: Beginning with this issue of the Expo E-News, we will highlight individuals who are working on the design and construction of the Expo Light Rail Line. This month we are profiling LaTanya Jones, who lives along the Expo alignment and has worked for FFP since May With her infectious smile and strict work ethic, LaTanya has been an asset to the Expo Light Rail project. A native of Florida, LaTanya has lived in Los Angeles for more than 30 years and has lived in Jefferson Park for the last 15. The construction of the Expo Line is more than a job for LaTanya, as the project travels through her community. I live, work and spend money in this area. Our community has been neglected for far too long, and we need more projects like the Expo Line, said LaTanya. LaTanya was employed as a night janitor and received various work assignments through PVJobs (a Expo Local Jobs Program Community Partner) during the day; additionally, she distributed construction notices for the Expo Line. While her various jobs through PVJobs were not full-time, LaTanya had the kind of diligence that caught the attention of Torri Hill Expo Local Jobs Program Coordinator and the Expo Construction Superintendent. As soon as a fulltime laborer position became available in August 2007, LaTanya was hired and sponsored by the Expo Local Jobs Program into the local laborers union as one of four female laborers on the EXPO Project. As a laborer, LaTanya has a varied daily schedule: traffic control, clearing and grubbing, pot-holing, and working on curbs and gutters with the ground crew. The crew at FFP doesn t mind training you, teaching you how to do your job properly, said LaTanya, who has attended various trainings, including a one-day training program for traffic control. Everyone is so helpful; they have made my job fun and I enjoy coming to work. LaTanya s career plans include working her way up to foreman and then taking classes to become a construction inspector. Equally important, she plans to ride the Expo Light Rail Line as often as possible. I look forward to being one of the first riders on the Expo Line, to see how all of my hard work has been a benefit to my community, she said. Want more information about employment opportunities with the Expo Light Rail Line? Please call our jobs hotline at: LaTanya using a chainsaw to clear brush. LaTanya clearing debris outside of Masjid Umar Ibn-Al Khattab near Expo Blvd. and Western Ave. Despite the hard work, LaTanya always seems to have a smile on her face.

6 Community Spotlight: The Point Restaurant When the Expo Light Rail Line begins running trains in 2010 between Downtown and the Westside, there will be exciting opportunities to explore new restaurants, shops and communities along the alignment in Los Angeles and Culver City. One restaurant worth finding is The Point (8522 National Boulevard), located in Conjunctive Point/Hayden Tract. Owner Kazuto Matsusaka and general manager Vicki Fan run the place and manager Chef Emilio Cuyuch and his creations are what keep customers coming back. Emilio has developed a menu he likes to call fresh food for people on the go. Our food is not only fresh, but all of our dishes are created with healthy, organic foods which are locally grown, he said. Emilio started as a dishwasher for owner Matsusaka at Zenzero in Santa Monica, where he learned the restaurant business and also attended night school at Santa Monica Community College to learn English. Noticing that Emilio was eager to learn, Matsusaka first trained him to become a sous chef and then eventually a full chef. This experience created a bond, as well as a professional relationship and personal friendship spanning 15 years. Over those years Emilio has also worked as a chef at a variety of other restaurants ranging from French to Asian cuisine. Specializing in what they have dubbed gourmet fast food, Matsusaka and Fan opened The Point in 2007 based on an invitation from Conjunctive Points management. Emilio is equally proud of the Point s commitment to the environment. Everything we sell at the Point is packaged in biodegradable or recyclable material. We want to match our commitment to our customers for fresh healthy food with our efforts to promote an environmentally friendly future, said Emilio. A resident of the community near The Point, Emilio is looking forward to the completion of the Expo Light Rail Line. It will be nice once the train is built not only will I be able to take the train each day to work, but my wife and two daughters will be able to enjoy the benefits of the train. And since The Point is so close to the La Cienega and V e nice/rober t son stations, I believe more customers will come to The Point and enjoy all of what Culver City has to offer. Chef Emilio preparing and showcasing his famed BLT Tuna melt.

7 Pictures Along the Expo Light Rail Alignment :

8 Keeping Our Community Informed Volume 1, Issue 4 Expo Line Community Relations Team Contact Information: Expo Construction Authority: Gabriela Gonzalez Government/Community Relations Manager and Phase 2 Contact Phone: ggonzalez@exporail.net Angela B. Winston Government/Community Relations Representative Phase 1 Contact Phone: awinston@exporail.net Greg Starosky Government/Community Relations Representative Phase 1 Contact Phone: gstarosky@exporail.net Subscribe to E-News To get the lastest information about the Expo Line project subscribe to the Expo E-Newsletter by contacting Greg Starosky, at: gstarosky@exporail.net FCI/Fluor/Parsons: Adrienne Sasser-Gardner Community Relations/Jobs Program Manager Phone: adrienne.gardner@parsons.com Torri Hill Local Jobs Program Coordinator Phone: torri.hill@parsons.com Lynn Branch Community Outreach Coordinator Phone: lynn.branch@parsons.com Monica Barbosa Community Outreach Assistant Phone: monica.barbosa@parsons.com Visit our website at BuildExpo.org or call EXPO (3976)