GAINS
ROAD KINGS TAKE ON LIBRARY
The kings of the road are conquering a new venue -- the Central
Library. The Road Kings of Burbank will line up some of its cars
Thursday night on Olive Avenue, bringing the city's rich racing
history to the public. Afterward, members will talk about the
organization's origins and the 50 years since it started. The auto
enthusiasts' group has not forgotten an important aspect of its
livelihood: enriching the community through education.
HIGH SCHOOL'S HALLOWED HALLS
Many residents remember walking the halls of Burbank High School,
and some of those sights are being transferred into the additions
underway at the school. The school district made a conscious effort
to preserve several historical pieces of the "old" school, thanks in
large part to Ali Kiafar, the district's chief facilities and
development superintendent.
When students return to class in a few weeks, huge medallions --
one with a propeller and drawing compass, symbolizing the years
Lockheed Corp. was in the city -- will be in the new buildings. And
rather than just destroy the old marquee after the new one arrives,
it is being moved to a corner of the campus where it will still be
used.
Even as the city continues to change, bits of its history are
being saved.
LOSSES
PREPARATION VS. CONSTRUCTION
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport and the city of Burbank
don't look like they'll be making up any time soon. After years of
battling over essentially the same airport issues -- expansion and
noise -- the two sides are awaiting a decision that is supposed to
come Friday about the legality of Measure A, which requires limits,
including flight caps and curfews, before the airport can expand. To
keep things hopping in the meantime, the airport announced Monday its
plans to move ahead with construction preparation for 40,000 square
feet worth of security additions to meet a Dec. 31 federal deadline.
That the Airport Authority has not received building permits from
the city for the project is not deterring those plans. Granted,
they're only planning construction "preparation" and not actual
construction, so the airport is not breaking the letter of the law.
Still, it's enough to have city officials steaming mad.
Enough already. It's time for people with cooler heads on both
sides to prevail. Play nice, kids.
BUDGET BLUNDER GOES TO CITY
The Burbank Unified School District is still trying to dig itself
out of a $3-million budget deficit, this time planning to head to the
City Council chambers and ask for help with an array of funding
options. The district, already besieged with the effort to recall all
five school board members and the "he said, they said" version of the
departure of former superintendent David Aponik, is asking for as
much as a $750,000 bailout.
By cutting about 50 jobs -- none of them teaching positions,
thankfully -- and a string of services and supplies, the district was
able to tighten its belt, but even that wasn't enough. Sadly, it now
appears the city will join in paying the price for the district's
budget woes.
