The reconstruction of Glendale’s main retail and commercial corridor was among the projects garnering the city awards from the Southern California chapter of the American Public Works Association. The Brand Boulevard Improvement Project won honorable mention for project of the year in the streets and transportation category. The two-year project reconstructed and replaced the roadway and sidewalks along Brand from Colorado Street to the Ventura (134) Freeway. Glendale Water & Power also made improvements to water mains and street lighting. The project was not without some disruption to the operations of the businesses located along there, smaller owned shops and restaurants, some of which did not survive the construction. “The city did the best they could to alleviate the pain and pressure of that construction,” said Elissa Glickman, director of marketing for the historic Alex Theatre, located on Brand. Eighteen months before work began the public works department was in contact with business people and attending meetings of the Downtown Glendale Merchants Association, said public works Director Steve Zurn. The city’s redevelopment agency provided signage to let shoppers and know that the businesses along the Boulevard remained open for business even as the street was torn up. Those businesses affected the most tended to be ones relying on pedestrian foot traffic. Even the weekly Farmer’s Market was temporarily displaced in another area of the city until a deal was worked out to have it on an empty parcel at Brand and Wilson Avenue. The Alex kept all of its bookings during the construction period although staff needed to be creative in ways to direct people from parking structures to the entrance, Glickman said. Permanent fixture such as bus shelters, trash containers, and benches still need to be installed but the overall look and feel of the street has improved, Glickman said. While Brand is the signature street for Glendale from the public works perspective the roadway needed repairing because it was approaching 30 years old and accommodates 30,000 cars a day along with truck traffic on cross streets, Zurn said. In addition to the honorable mention for Brand Boulevard, Glendale also won in the school outreach category for the public works open house; in the Water and Wastewater category for the Brand Landfill Storm Drain Improvement project; and for NPDES Project for its Trash Exclusion Program. Other Valley region cities winning awards were La Canada-Flintridge for the Iverness Drive slope and roadway restoration; the City of Palmdale for the Avenue S Corridor Improvement Project and its Department of Public Works Website; and the City of Agoura Hills for the Ventura (101) Freeway Improvements/Kanan Road Interchange
