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Community Corner

Neighborhood Council Spruces Up LAPD Substation

Improvements made to the North Cherokee Avenue building by Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council volunteers are unveiled Monday.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Service Center on North Cherokee Avenue revealed its new look at a ceremony Monday.

The community beautification effort, known as “Project Hollywood,” was spearheaded by the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council.

Members of the council painted, scrubbed, and cleaned—putting “hundreds of hours of sweat equity” into the substation building’s facade—which took them more than a month to complete, said Dietrich Nelson, one of the volunteers.

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“What we’ve done here has begun a change in the Hollywood area,” said Nelson, who represents Area Six on the council. “We’ve done this for the neighborhood. We’ve tried to make them proud.”

The volunteers cleaned grout off tiles, spent hours cleaning the front windows, and added two big, potted plants to spruce up the building’s facade, among other work, said Valorie Keegan, who organized the effort.

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She said the council spent about $1,600 on the beautification project in an area its new sign dubs "Yucca Village."

“This should look terrific coming down the block,” Keegan said. “We worked really hard. I think the entire project is important for the neighborhood.”

Council member Robin Moreno agreed. She is the program director for Project Saving Grace, a nonprofit housed at the LAPD substation at 1718 North Cherokee Ave. that provides counseling, social services, and other assistance primarily to women with children.

“It looks great,” Moreno said of the improvements. “It’s a wonderful thing to make a stand in our community.”

She said the refurbished facade is already making a difference. Some community members have told her they didn’t realize the building was a substation until the new signage was put up.

Devin Strecker, communications manager at the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance, said this type of project is exactly what his organization hopes to see more of in the community.

“We’re obviously thrilled with it,” he said. “We’re trying to encourage property owners to clean up and repair their properties.”

Nelson hopes the volunteers' efforts will have a far-reaching impact.

“We wanted to change the look and the exterior to match the good work that’s done on the inside,” Nelson said. “It just took a village to put this together. If it inspires the neighborhood, then it’s worth it.”

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