Sound the alarm and get over to our COMMUNITY BBQ PICNIC!

Click on the image for the full-sized flyer:

Break Out the Bubbly & Attend Our Annual Board Meeting!

We've sealed the deal with the City of Los Angeles over the Option to Lease agreement! We're moving forward!

Please, attend the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors this Thursday, September 13, 7 pm to hear all about the plans to rehabilitate and repurpose the building and of the launch of our Capital Campaign.

Where:  Mar Vista Art Walk Community Gallery
             12804 Venice Blvd, south side between Beethoven & Moore
              Mar Vista 90066

When:   Thursday, September 13, 2018, 7 pm

BBQ - Smashing Success!

 

Many, many thanks here to Los Angeles Councilmemer Mike Bonin who sponsored a barbeque celebrating the City Council's authorization to negotiate with the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 an Option to Lease agreement. This authorization marks the first step in transforming the abandoned fire station into a community center to serve the whole community.

Attendance at the July 30 afternoon event was estimated at about 150 individuals. Residents from surrounding apartment buildings and homes showed up to say "hello," eat, view floor plans, eat, talk to our District 11 Councilmember, eat, hang out, and eat. FHFS62 directors Judith Deutsch and Sharon Commins greeted visitors at the gate. President Albert Olson, Treasurer Rachel Swanger, and Secretary Bob Bridges circulated among visitors, answering questions.

Directors Roy Persinko and Rob Kadota, the latter also a director with the Mar Vista Community Council, did the grillin'. MVCC director Holly Tilson supervised the serving of side dishes.

Many thanks to those who gave food contributions. (Judith baked and decorated over 200 cupcakes!) Thanks to Roy for his terrific pics. An especially warm thank you goes to Len Nguyen who has served as Bonin's interface with the Friends.

Celebrate With Us! Sunday, July 30, 2 - 5 pm at the Historic Fire Station!

Join us, Councilmember Mike Bonin, and the Mar Vista Community Council to celebrate the L.A. City Council’s authorization of an Option to Lease agreement with the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. The authorization is the first step in creating a multi-purpose community center at the Historic Fire Station 62 site. It’ll be a hot dog and burger barbeque! Free of charge!

Where:  In front of Historic Fire Station 62

              3631 Centinela Ave, Mar Vista 90066

When:   Sunday, July 30, 2 – 5 pm

NOTE NEW DATE! The barbeque had previously been scheduled for July 29. This has been changed to the next day, Sunday, July 30.

Great News!

This morning the Los Angeles City Council passed a motion on consent authorizing the City to negotiate an Option to Lease with the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 in regard to the Centinela Avenue fire station. This is the NEXT BIG STEP we've been looking for. Thank you, Councilmember Mike Bonin, for getting us closer to turning Historic Fire Station 62 into a multi-purpose community center.

UPDATE:  Previously we had reported that to celebrate this major milestone, we were hosting a hot dog/burger BBQ on Saturday, July 29. That date has CHANGED! The BBQ will be held Sunday, July 30, in front of Historic Fire Station 62. Full details at this link.

Revisit Mar Vista's Support for Historic Fire Station 62

Under Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the Mar Vista Community Council Old Fire Station 62 Ad Hoc Committee was permitted access to the fire station in order to organize a community-based clean-up as part of the 2009 annual Los Angeles citywide event, Big Sunday, the Mayor's Day of Community Service.

At the time, the Ad Hoc Committee figured it could count on committee members and Mar Vista Community Council members to show up to assist. But what blew everyone away is that the surrounding community, both as individual neighbors and members of community groups, showed up in full force—with brooms in hand! If you've never seen this slideshow, spend a couple of minutes watching the hard work everyone put in to clean up the fire station's interior and exterior despite it being a hot, hot day in June.

Silent auction fundraiser for Friends of Historic Fire Station 62

Be a friend to Historic Fire Station 62 and support Mar Vista's community artists at the same time! Visit the Grand View Fine Art Studios THIS WEEKEND for a silent auction.

20% of sales will benefit the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, with the remaining proceeds going to the artists whose works are sold. Details:

Grand View Fine Art Studios (GVFAS)
Spring 2015 Open Studios
and Silent Auction for Mar Vista Historic Fire Station 62
Saturday, 6-9 p.m., May 30, 2015
Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., May 31, 2015
3871 Grand View Blvd, LA 90066
Information: 310-903-2173

Thank you, Grand View Fine Art Studios!

Motion to Add CD11 Constituent Services Passes Unanimously—MVCC Board of Directors Is Next Hurdle!

Thanks for coming out last Thursday to Grandview Market. The motion to add CD11 constituent services to the approved list of uses for Historic Fire Station 62 carried unanimously. It reads:

Whereas, the Mar Vista Community Council fully supports and affirms the
preservation and repurposing of Historic Fire Station 62 [3631 Centinela
Avenue, Mar Vista, CA 90066) for public use as a multipurpose
community center as witnessed by numerous resolutions and stakeholder
polls
Whereas, the opportunity for CD 11 to establish a constituent services
center onsite is consistent with the goals and objectives for public uses of
the property to benefit all stakeholders in Mar Vista
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Mar Vista Community Council offers its
full support for including a CD 11 constituent services center as part of
the community uses for the site.

To be clear, a City Council office for our council representative would be in addition to the community center purposes the MVCC has approved in the past:  CERT center, green development training, meeting space for community activities, etc.

This measure now goes to the MVCC Board of Directors to be voted on this Tuesday. This is an important meeting to show your support by your attendance.

When:  Tuesday, March 10, 7 pm
Where:  Mar Vista Recreation Center, 11430 Woodbine Ave.

Thank you!

Important MVCC Ad Hoc Meeting This Thursday!

Hey, all of you who support the Historic Fire Station 62 cause!

This Thursday, March 5, at 7 pm, there will be a meeting for the MVCC Old Fire Station 62 Ad Hoc Committee to discuss and possibly adopt a motion adding CD11 constituent services (meaning, an office for our district's Los Angeles City Council member) to the list of uses for the Historic Fire Station. Here is a link to the agenda as posted on the MVCC website.

The meeting will be held at Grand View Market located at 12210 Venice Blvd. This is an important decision. It's also an opportunity to catch up on news about the station. Come on by at 7 pm, grab some tacos and a beer, and participate!

62 Goes Hollywood! Squad 85 Debuts Nov. 13, 8 pm EST

Our trusty fire station makes its Hollywood debut the 13th of this month when a new series for the YOMYOMF YouTube network premieres. From reports, Squad 85 is shaping up to be a most unusual cop show series:

The premise takes a group of 1985 Los Angeles police officers and transports them twenty-five years into the future via a secret wave of experimentation undertaken by the LAPD.

Curious.... I guess we'll have to tune in to see the star turn Historic FS 62 takes. From the photos Roy Persinko took, it looks like the station came through like a grand dame of cinema. Lots of pics here.

There is more information about the sci-fi action cop series on Twitter and Facebook.

Whole Foods Does It Again!

Is this a great market or what?!

Whole Foods is holding another fundraiser for the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62, a public benefit corporation in the State of California and in the process of applying for 501(c)3 status. Please, come out Saturday, July 28, and have dinner with us between 4 and 7 pm at the market at National and Barrington. Proceeds from the sale of food will go to the Friends.

One More Week to Purchase Photographs to Support Historic Fire Station 62

"Mis Palabras de Cuba" will be on exhibit till the end of this month at the Venice Grind Coffeeshop, 12224 Venice Blvd. in Mar Vista. As noted in our last blog posting which announced the June 10 reception, Neema Ahadian is generously donating the proceeds from sale of his photos to our community center project.

The reception was well attended. Pics in this posting depict various Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 in conversation with Neema, seen in the white shirt.

Neema exudes a certain warmth in his personality that comes through in his photographs. Whether he's capturing the rich diversity of faces in portraits or the patina of age that graces every element on the island—chairs, cars, buildings—there's a note of invitation in every frame. And for anyone who loves the cars of the '50s, man, they still live on in Cuba, be it a '52 sky blue Studebaker work truck trundling down a street almost as pitted as our own or a '55 foam green coupe zipping along on a rain-slicked avenue.

Walk over to the Grind, pick up an iced coffee, and take in the photos. You just might take one home with you.

Neema Ahadian's website can be found here.

Photo Exhibition, Venice Grind, June 10!

A Mar Vista resident will be donating ALL the proceeds to the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 from the sale of his photographs which will go on exhibition at the Venice Grind this Sunday, June 10. If you've never dropped in on this cozy neighborhood hang-out, NOW'S THE TIME! Show up between 5 and 8 pm, grab yourself a double-shot decaf expresso latte, and appreciate the photos while schmoozing with the local glitterati of Mar Vista. Christmas is only 7 months away, so why wait to do your gift shopping till the last moment?

Mr. Neema Ahadian has written us to tell us the details of his exhibition (some photos can be viewed at his website):

I am excited to announce a reception for my first photo exhibition and sale of ….

‘Mis Palabras de Cuba’

Sunday, June 10, 2012

5:00 – 8:00pm

at The Venice Grind

A local artisan coffee shop at

12224 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista CA 90066

The photos, taken on a trip to Cuba in November 2009, illustrate the life and beauty of its people and its cultures. Many photos capture the ghettos of Havana and the surrounding villages and towns. Although Cubans suffer from poverty and are encumbered by the effects of communism, they have learned to enjoy the simplest forms of satisfaction in life.

As a Mar Vista local and a strong supporter of my vibrant community, I am donating all proceeds from the sale of my photographs to benefit friends of Historic Fire Station 62, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of Mar Vista's first community center to house offices for such organizations as girl scouts, the Mar Vista community council, the community emergency response team, and the Mar Vista historical society; a gallery for local artists; cooking demonstrations; educational classes; after-school activities; music; yoga and exercise; etc.

These would be held in a revamped and updated Historic Fire Station 62 on the corner of Centinela and Woodward in Mar Vista.

Please join me at Venice Grind to celebrate this dynamic cause and commemorate my first exhibition and sale!

Good wine, amazing coffee and great company!

We're in The Argonaut!

Today's Argonaut has a top-story article about the newly formed Friends of Historic Fire Station 62, the non-profit that is assuming the lead in converting our fire station to a community center. The report encapsulates the history of the effort thus far and our expectations for the future.

Mar Vista: Historic fire station continues evolution into multipurpose center

By Gary Walker

The News We've All Been Waiting For

First, the birth announcement. Due to the efforts of the Fire Station Ad Hoc Committee of the Mar Vista Community Council, official non-profit status in the state of California has been granted to the Friends of Historic Fire Station 62. Although everyone who has attended meetings has made some contribution to make this happen, the committee's Co-Chair, Rachel Swanger, deserves special recognition for spending countless hours in pulling together the by-laws and seeing us through the 501(c)3 process. Swanger sent out this message:

The Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 is now officially registered as a non-profit, public benefit corporation in the State of California. Moreover, we are in the process of applying for federal non-profit status [so-called 501(c)3]. This status allows us to begin to raise funds for the refurbishment of the station and to begin to plan programming for use of Historic Fire Station 62 as a Community Center.

The Friends of Historic Fire Station 62 may now fundraise. No sooner has the organization been hatched, than the first fundraising event is being launched! Please, come out Wednesday, April 25, to Whole Foods at National Blvd. and Barrington in West LA (upper Mar Vista, really) to shop because 5 CENTS ON EVERY DOLLAR spent that day is going to go toward bringing the fire station back to life!

This is a win-win-WIN situation any way you slice it. You win because you can fund us on Wednesday without having to donate a dime out of pocket. Whole Foods wins because, if you're not familiar with the store, the company can introduce you to their fantastic, healthful alternative to what the supers offer. And we all win because, with the proceeds, we'll be able to take the first step toward having a wonderful community center in our midst!

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase — We're on the Route!

Please stop by Historic Fire Station 62 on Saturday, April 21, to pick up your map to the 4th Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. We'll be on hand from 10 am to 4 pm, ready to direct you on the tour, but ALSO to give you the latest news on FS62! If you come by, you'll receive a preview of some very special news I'll be posting on this blog in the next few days.

Through the magic of Photoshop, Agnes Anderson has created a vision of what our front patch of lawn can look like with just the right love and attention. Go here to see her stunning image of our fire station and to learn more about the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase.

Mar Vista Community Council Comes Through

Much gratitude is to be shown to the four Mar Vista Community Council members who have participated in the annual Day of Community Service by lending a hand at Historic Fire Station 62 two years in a row! From left to right above:

• Marilyn Marble, Zone 6 Director;
• Christopher McKinnon, Zone 5 Director;
• Sharon Commins, Director At-large and Co-Chair of the Historic Fire Station 62 Ad Hoc Committee;
• and Rob Kadota, Community Director.

To learn more about the Mar Vista Community Council and to get involved in its many activities, visit the Council's website. Sign up to have the Historic Fire Station 62 Ad Hoc Committee e-newsletter sent to you automatically.

One Moment in Today's Day of Community Service

Listen to the grand acoustics of the truck bay inside Historic Fire Station 62. Receive a delightful surprise in watching one of the younger helping hands spiff up the place. (Be patient. It'll take a moment.)

Wahoo! Brighten Up Historic Fire Station 62

Remember how much fun we had last year sprucing up the fire station for our Mayor's Day of Community Service? Kind of hazy? Need a reminder? Time to revisit the comraderie and the results of our hard work:



We're having a repeat of last year's fun TOMORROW, May 1 from 9 am to 1 pm at the fire station, 3631 Centinela Ave., up the hill from beautiful downtown Mar Vista. Help us out with these activities:

• Weeding, mulching, and tree trimming
• Painting [low VOC paint]
• Picking up trash and debris
• Sweeping

Coffee Connection will once again be providing yummy coffee drinks. You can also help out by bringing treats.

Come and hear about our plans to form a 501(c)3 nonprofit to support efforts to bring the station to life!

Note: Roy Persinko contributed to the photos in the above montage. He also contributed to our banner photos!