Sandy Topics Focus of Civic Assoc. Meetings

Civic associations, new and old in Long Beach, look to address various Hurricane Sandy-related issues at their upcoming meetings.

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The North East Bay & Canal Civic Association will hold their inaugural meeting Wednesday, starting at 7:45 at the Long Beach Library. As Patch reported last week, some Canals residents had long struggled to start such an organization in their neighborhood but after the storm last October residents’ interests helped lead to its establishment.

“The destruction and devastation caused by Sandy prompted a renewed interest as concerned residents have become desperate for a voice,” said Barnes Street resident Jill Backlin, who founded North East Bay & Canal Civic Association with three of her neighbors.

Backlin, who will serves as president, said that some of the association’s immediate concerns are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bay protection plan, which is not expected to start until 2015, as well as the quality of the streets and sewer system, subdivision of residential properties and traffic safety.

Meanwhile, the long-standing West End Neighbors Civic Association had planned to hold a regular meeting at the Long Beach Library on Thursday, but President John Bendo indicated in an email to members and media that the meeting is postponed. 

City Manager Jack Schnirman and Public Works Commissioner Jim LaCarrubba were scheduled to speak about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Program, a plan designed to protect homes from future storms, as well as other topics such as infrastructure projects and rebuilding of the West End beach dunes, which Sandy wiped away.

In an email he sent out early Wednesday morning, though, Bendo said that since the scheduled speakers could not attend the meeting due to “a last minute change,” the meeting will be rescheduled.

“Since one of the main purposes of the meeting is to provide you with useful information, we will be rescheduling Thursday’s WENCA meeting to a day when the speakers will be available,” Bendo wrote. “We are working with them now to ascertain their availability and will announce the new meeting date and location shortly.”

In his earlier email, Bendo indicated that among the topics of discussion was a resolution on the City Council agenda for Tuesday to borrow an additional $38.1 million in revenue anticipation notes, in anticipation of the receipt of various revenues, including FEMA Aid and sales and use taxes, to finance Sandy-related recovery projects, according to the agenda.