On September 9, the Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council and the Toluca Lake Beautification Partners were recognized by Caltrans and Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian at a special awards presentation at the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles for their work in improving and maintaining all three local 134 Freeway on-ramps. The beautification effort was spearheaded by the GTLNC in 2014 to address the buildups of trash, debris and dead plants that were fast becoming a public safety issue, at one point leading to a fire on the eastbound off-ramp adjacent to Toluca Lake Florist. The GTLNC partnered with TLBP for funding, and the two groups, with the help of Assemblymember Nazarian, negotiated and worked collaboratively with Caltrans to address the issues and ultimately develop a partnership — “one of the first community–Caltrans partnerships of its kind,” according to project lead and GTLNC member Ryan Altoon. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on November 6 to celebrate the improvements.
