
The Los Angeles Conservancy is rallying supporters, asking them to attend the board's monthly meeting to demand that the commissioners upgrade their commitment to preserving historical assets at the West Coast's largest port.
Thursday's meeting is critical, since the commissioners are scheduled to vote on the final Environmental Impact Report for the Port of Los Angeles Master Plan Update. Conservationists feel the Port is not making a strong enough commitment to preserving historic buildings and sites.
"The Los Angeles Conservancy strongly believes that the historic buildings of Terminal Island should be preserved and reused rather than demolished," the Conservancy wrote in its position paper. "The proposed Port Master Plan Update limits opportunities to revitalize these places through adaptive reuse and, in some cases, calls for their demolition."
Port Department staff members, in their report to the commissioners, say that they have identified facilities associated with the former Japanese Fishing Village as being eligible for listing as a historic resource and have updated the draft Master Plan to accommodate the preservation of historical resources.
This isn't the first time that conservationists have expressed disappointment in the Port operations. A year ago, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Harbor's Terminal Island as one of America's most endangered historic places.
"Terminal Island presents an incredible opportunity to transform a vital piece of America's industrial past for new uses while also preserving an important part of our nation's cultural history," the president of the trust told Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times.
The commissioners meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro.
Los Angeles Conservancy Terminal Island website:
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/terminal-island
LA Times: Not a safe harbor for history
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/07/local/la-me-port-preservation-20120607
Port of Los Angeles Board of Commissioners agenda:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2013/August%202013/08_08_13_Regular_Agenda.asp
Port of Los Angeles Draft EIR Motion:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/Board/2013/August%202013/080613_Item_4.pdf