The big rainy season is behind us...I think! The weather is warming up and the Farmer’s Market is gearing toward a great summer. Our grand reopening is scheduled for Friday, April 8^th, which will be exciting, food music and a raffle, in which wonderful gift baskets will be given away to the lucky winners.

A lot is going on this summer, as I am writing my President’s message I am booking our music for the summer concerts in the park. Our opening concert, Let’s Rock & Roll, is scheduled for Sunday July 10^th. If everything goes as planned we will be combining our Summer Arts Festival with the concert and the Rock’n Rodders car show, making this a very special family event, bringing back those lazy days of old, “ A Summer Sunday in the Park.” This special day will also include the “Kids Korner” and food venues. So mark your calendars and get ready for a very special day.

We still have a couple of months available for mixers, if you are interested, call Kaye, the information is on the back page of this newsletter. Mixers are a great way to showcase your business, meet your business neighbors and network.. Speaking of business, a business expo is still in progress and I will have more to report next month.

A big thank you to Dr. Chetty Sr. & Jr. for hosting a successful February Mixer.

MIXERS

March 22: Pilates Eagle Rock, 2121 Colorado Boulevard, host Jennifer Mathews.

April 26: Starbucks, 2218 Colorado Boulevard, host Jessica Hiller, Mgr.

May 24: The Garden Spa’T, 2513 Colorado Boulevard, host Tanis Rhines

June 28: Universal Bank, 2570 Colorado Boulevard, host Mgr. Shirley Pascal & staff

July 19th : OPEN

August 23: E.T.Y. Parts Imports, Inc. 2144 Colorado Boulevard, host Allen Yap

September 27: Blue Heeler Imports, 5058 Eagle Rock Boulevard, host Shannon Bedell

October 25: Century 21Crest, 2750 W. Broadway. hosts Lu Lu & Ray Hizney

November 22: Tentative - Bank of America

December 13: Christmas Mixer at LAFD Station 42, hosted by Michael Nogueira and ERCC

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS [NEW INFO]

EVERY FRIDAY EVENING: The ERCC Farmer’s Market on the corner of Caspar and Merton continue its winter hours 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. until daylight savings goes into effect April 2nd. Spring & Summer hours will be 5:00 p.m. til 9:00 p.m. Along with the fresh produce, breads, nuts, plants, cut flowers and International Food Court there will be a “Kids Korner”, ponies, petting zoo, face painting, bouncer, arts & crafts. Our International Food Court will be serving snacks, dinner, desserts, gourmet coffee and kettle corn, and don’t forget the live music. Come visit us!

March 26: Occidental College will present their master plan for future campus development at the Women’s Twentieth Century Club on the corner of Colorado & Hermosa, Saturday at 10:00 a.m. This is an open community presentation. Detailed schedule at www.oxy.edu/masterplan

March 30: Occidental College will present their master plan for campus development to the community at the Lower Herrick Chapel on campus on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Detailed scheduled at www.oxy.edu/masterplan

July 10^th & 24^th: Mark your calendar - Summer Concert in the Park dates

August 7^th, 21^st 28th: Mark your calendar - Summer Concert in the Park dates

IN AND AROUND EAGLE ROCK

FEBRUARY MIXER (PHOTO)

Our first mixer of the year had a great kick-off at Dr. Chetty’s dental office where he and his son Dr. Chethan Chetty practice together. Dr. Chetty Sr. Is very proud of the fact that he and his son are working together. The rain came down and ERCC members supporting local businesses came out to network. Our gracious hosts provided a tour of their facility and offered a nice array of delectables. A special thank you to our hosts for opening their door and to those that provided raffle gifts and purchased tickets.

ERCPR NEWS

As reported in last month’s E.R. Chamber newsletter, the ERCPR is winding up its California state grant concerning the facade upgrade and parking study, which ends June 30, 2005, but paperwork and projects must actually be completed by April 1^st. The last of the facade projects are being finished, and Civic Enter- prise Associates is identifying practical and usable solutions for parking which were indicated in the VEDC Parking Study. They are looking at long range planning and also short term solutions.

Recently, the board received the engineering analysis by the Department of Transportation for diagonal parking on Colorado Blvd. According to the plans, diagonal parking would be doubtful as an economic or planning alternative. The diagonal spaces would only be instituted on the one side of the street, the median would have to be relocated to accommodate the pull-out lane, and there would only be a gain of 30 spaces. But this is what we needed to know - the exact reality of this concept.

CEA is also looking into a parking management plan, utilizing bus- iness spaces that are available at different times of the day in a shared or valet system, plus the building of mixed use parking structures or stations in a long range plan. The ERCPR is planning to have another open community meeting to discuss the outcome of the CEA planning document.

MASTER PLAN FOR OXY

Stefanos Polyzoides, Principal of Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, will discuss the

history of campus plans for Occidental College. The original campus plan by Myron Hunt set a strong precedent for Oxy’s development that is still evident today. The years of piecemeal development which followed have blurred and some might say confused the overall structure of the campus. Oxy’s growth and the steady development of the surrounding community have changed the situation of the college from a large open space in a semi rural environment to an almost built out area where every addition to the landscape effects the neighbors profoundly.

Oxy’s administration feels the need to clarify the future development of the campus in a comprehensive fashion. Moule and Polyzoides has been contracted to produce a new master plan for the campus in the coming year. Respect and understanding of the original plan will inform the design for the new plan. The directions and misdirections of the intervening years will be considered. Oxy’s future will be viewed in the context of the larger community.

“Central to our practice is the idea of coherence. The community bonds necessary to sustain family and civic life can flourish only in such coherently formed environ- ments. Each project is developed as an integral part of a larger order. Whether a building, square, street- scape or landscape, it is seen as part of an urban or natural pattern and contributing to the form of a larger, understandable whole .....”

All are welcome to come, hear, ask questions about Oxy’s plans in the past and future.

FYI

Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society

The ERVHS archive hours are 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon every Saturday, drop in see what we have and/or lend a hand. Public meetings are on the third Tuesday of January, April and October at 7:30 p.m. Mark your calendar - The ERVHS will host it’s Annual Ice Cream Social at 2:00 p.m. on Sundae July 24^th. All three activities are held at the Center for the Arts where the history of Eagle Rock is housed. For further information please call 323 257-1357.

Northeast Directory

New owner, Ben Brunk, is currently putting together the final touches to the Eagle Rock/York Valley Directory, the only Eagle Rock Directory the community has had for decades minus last year when the directory was not printed. Plans are to release the directory this spring. Don’t miss out! Those wishing to advertise can contact Ben at 323 221-0500 or at ben@joyink.com, This is our only local phone book, support it!

Prayers & Thoughts

Our Prayers continue to go out to Bob Muzingo and family. Bob is receiving treatment at City of Hope.

A speedy recovery is wished for ERCC Director Anne Wolf who is sporting a leg cast after taking a fall while traveling.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Grandma Linda Herbert and family who cheerfully welcomed the addition of Mason. Linda’s grandson arrived March 4^th weighing in a 7lbs. 6oz.

Wedding bells rang for ERCC Honorary Director Bob Cota as he and long time friend Kitty Abbott

said “ I do “ last month at a home ceremony.

Congratulations are in order for Casa Bianca as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year. Stop in and wish them well and enjoy their great Italian cuisine.

Don’t Worry, Be Sorry

Fessing up to your mistakes

can be good for business

The Three R’s:

assume Responsibility,

demonstrate Regret,

offer a Remedy to fix the problem

The Northeast area covers the communities of Atwater Village, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Elysion Valley, Franklin Hills, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Mt. Washington. Northeast Community Crime Stats for the period February 6 - March 5, a four week period.

Homicide 0

Robbery 39

Burglary 89

Burglary from vehicle 141

Grand Theft Auto 138

Agg. Assaults 68

Rape 3

Other Theft 119

Crime this 4 week period: - 3.1%

Crime Year to Date: + 5.7%

Total Arrests Year to Date: + 31%

Total Arrests this period: - 13.3 %

To report non-emergencies or for general information PLEASE call our Northeast Police Station at 213 485-2563 or 877 ASK-LAPD or the City access number at 311, someone will assist you 24/7.

Our Volunteer Surveillance Team has been busy tracking down those applying graffiti in the wee hours of the morning on Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevards. Juvenile and young adult arrests have been made, we are in hope the word will get out there - GRAFFITI will not be tolerated in Eagle Rock! Keep your eyes open and report it when you see it.

BUSINESS NOTES

The Measure of Success

From the Editor....Dr. George Shapiro

I was having a conversation with a fellow businessman a while ago about how we all have different views of how we measure success. I just sat their listening to his views and how he measured his own success. He mentioned how his close friends were “so successful”, that they were able to drive any car they wanted, and how all of his friends just had to buy houses with a pool. He went on and mentioned how he had to have all the things that his successful friends had in order to feel up to par. As I continued to listen to him, I realized that what he was doing was attempting to “keep up with the Jones’,” for a lack of a better term. I felt like shaking him up and telling him that cars, or even houses with a pool don’t make you successful. I guess each of us have a sense of belonging that allows us to put another notch on the success meter. I read a while ago that if we were able to feed our children three meals a day and able to sleep under a roof every night, then we are successful.

One of the most successful guys I know wears shorts, tie dye T-shirts and Birkenstocks, and he drives a 1984 Dodge Caravan. He owns a high rise in downtown L.A. and mentioned he nets over $50,000 a month. He further tells me, “nobody has to know how rich I am.” We all have a different understanding of what success actually is. Some people I know are afraid of attempting new business ventures because of their fear of failing. I recall a story of Thomas Edison – he was asked about how many times he actually failed at his attempt to discover electricity. His remark was astonishing. He stated, “failed?........I just proved 700 ways that my invention will not work.” In other conversations with other business people, I find that it always amazes me when I ask them how business is and their reply is, “well I’m breaking even this month.” This concerns me when people say that. You could have a $100 in your pocket and just sit on your couch for a month and at the end of the month you will still have that hundred dollar bill in your pocket. That is not being successful in my book. We all have a necessity for success. What is yours!