Magnolia

MONDAY The Planning Board meets at 6 p.m. every second and fourth Monday at Council Chambers, City Hall, at 275 E. Olive Ave. ? TUESDAY The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Board?s Hearing Room, 500 W. Temple St., Room 381B, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles. ? The Metropolitan Water District Board meets at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday at District?s headquarters, 700 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles.

MAGNOLIA PARK — U.S. Postal Service officials on Tuesday said they will close the Magnolia Park Post Office on May 21, merging operations with Burbank’s main postal station on Hollywood Way. The 30-day notice to landlord Tim Davis ends the yearlong saga of small-business owners and elected officials trying to keep the branch open. Councilman David Gordon, who lobbied to keep the post office in the well traversed shopping district, said since opening his optometry practice on Hollywood Way 28 years ago, not a week has gone by without several trips to the Magnolia Park Post Office.

Armin Reyes needed some tire work for his bicycle. A line had formed around the bike tune-up area along the Chandler Bikeway. Because of the waiting, Reyes suspected his family had ridden into Magnolia Park. “They’re probably off for cookies or ice cream,” he said. “[Or] the scavenger hunt, the free grub, Porto’s.” By Saturday evening, between 400 and 600 bike riders had rolled through Magnolia Park on the Egg-Cellent Magnolia Bicycle Tour, a bike ride and scavenger hunt, with free bike tune-ups and safety tips.

MAGNOLIA PARK — The Magnolia Park Post Office, which spent a year on the chopping block, got an 11th-hour reprieve Monday when landlord Tim Davis and U.S. Postal Service officials signed a month-to-month agreement. The U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday was slated to close the branch at 3810 W. Magnolia Blvd. amid speculation of a lease increase and combine it with Burbank’s main post office on Hollywood Way. But an outpouring of community support and nudging from elected officials prompted a meeting at the postal service’s office of lease and contracts in San Francisco, where the parties brokered the deal.

I don’t know what’s up with the Magnolia Park Developers, but as a longtime pedestrian on the boulevard in the area, it has taken an unforgivable amount of time to get more exciting and varied stores and eateries in the area. Sadly, Magnolia Park has never been built up to its full potential. There are only a handful of stores when there could be many more. A couple of more antique stores would be nice. On Sundays, many stores appear to be closed, and those that are open, I can easily count on one hand, give or take one or two. I am sad, disgusted and fed up with businesses failing to thrive here, and a couple of residents I spoke to say they even got mailers asking what kinds of businesses they would like to see in the area.

Magnolia Park merchants are as busy as elves, trimming their windows with garland and twinkling lights and baking goodies to share Friday night during the Holiday in the Park. The more than 20-year tradition is an open house for area businesses and the kickoff for the holiday shopping season. It is coordinated by the Magnolia Park Partnership, a group of property owners in the business district. There will be live entertainment every half-hour during the event from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on a stage on Magnolia Boulevard and Lima Street, said Gail Stewart, business district manager for the Magnolia Park Partnership.

MAGNOLA PARK — Despite pleas from one councilman to preserve a memorable stretch of shade trees along the Magnolia Boulevard corridor, city officials are forging ahead with a reforestation plan to remove ficus trees they say caused major sidewalk damage. The plan calls for the removal of up to 10 ficus trees along the boulevard per year. Business owners have also criticized the cracked and raised sidewalks, pushed by the tree roots, which have caused accessibility problems for customers, especially those who are disabled.