As previously reported, the construction authority building the Expo light-rail from downtown to Culver City seemed to find a solution to the contentious street-level crossing at Farmdale Avenue, across from Dorsey High: build a station there (see rendering) that would require the train to come to a complete stop. But the group FixExpo, which wants the line placed above- or underground at Farmdale and other South LA crossings, is not pleased with that idea. In advance of a meeting at Dorsey on June 1 where the California Public Utilities Commission will present a discussion about the crossing and the proposed stop, FixExpo released a statement that referred to the station as a "holding pen" and added, "As stated by former MTA light rail operators, their proposal to add a station to the holding pen is even LESS SAFE than the original holding pen because it further complicates an already insanely complicated intersection. We are going to continue to fight in the courts and in the streets to demand the same level of safety for Dorsey H.S. students as afforded students in Culver City."
FixExpo might have an uphill battle to face as Mayor Villaraigosa, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, and local council members Herb Wesson, Bernard Parks, and Jan Perry all support the station solution. It should be heated at the CPUC meeting on Tuesday, which takes place on the 2nd floor of DHS at 6 p.m.
FixExpo is not happy with that meeting though, and is urging members to bombard the CPUC with phone calls and emails to change the meeting time, date, and place.
From their press release, "The current public hearing on the holding pen with the station is scheduled for June 1 at the Dorsey HS 2nd floor library. There are several problems with this date and venue that will challenge the ability of important members of the Dorsey HS and surrounding community from actively participating, including among others: the limited capacity of the library (~100 people), the foreseeable parking challenge (a recital is scheduled in the Dorsey auditorium on the same night), elderly and handicapped access issues (the library is on the 2nd floor), and the potential that the hearing will coincide with Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Scheduling important meetings for a controversial project at times and locations that are unreasonable is a textbook public relations game that is played all too frequently in our part of town."
· Farmdale Crossing [Expo Authority]
· Extra Station Added to Expo Line? [Curbed LA]
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