Sensing community support was shifting, members of the Mid City West Community Council voted to support the construction option proposed by Metro that would close for 16 weekends the stretch of Wilshire between La Brea and Highland Avenues to install the decking needed to build the Metro station.
Earlier, the council had expressed support for a full closure of the Wilshire for 7 weeks thinking it would be preferable since  it reduced the overall time of construction. However, after more discussion with community members it became clear  the potential negative impact on local businesses and schools had shifted support to the original proposal of 16 weekend only closures.
Metro representatives Michael Cortez and Billy Parent presented a shorter version of Metro’s traffic management plan for the 7-week closure option that was presented Monday evening to area residents at a community meeting held at the Korean Cultural Center. Â Cortez said a complete copy of the 300-plus page report would be available online by mid-day Wednesday.
The Council also voted to approve a motion by the MCW Transportation, Parking and Streetscape Committee to conduct a town hall event to discuss options to make 6th Street  between La Brea and Fairfax Avenue safer and less congested. The event will be held at the Korean Cultural Center on Thursday, March 10 at 7 pm.
In other business the council is hosting an education forum with LAUSD Board President Steve Zimmer on January 25 from 6:30-8:00 pm at Hancock Park Elementary School. The council is also participating in the annual homeless count on January 28 from 8-11 pm. Also at Hancock Park Elementary, there will be a Family Public Safety Fair with demonstrations and emergency preparedness information on Saturday, March 5, 2016 from 10 am – 2 pm. Contact First-In Fire Foundation at 323-937-6574 for more information.
For more information on Mid City West activities, visit their website at www.midcitywest.org.
