Burbank At Mobile Energy Solutions, construction is taking place on a new bus that will continue the city of Burbank’s pattern of environmentally sound public transportation. Hydrogen fuel, emitting only water vapor, will power the 37-passenger bus when it begins running next summer along five routes throughout the city that cater primarily to workers in the media districts. The new bus will have a similar look to the condensed natural gas vehicles in the city’s fleet with a slight change to make it stand out. “We are looking to silver and white so it looks a little jazzier,” said Marisa Garcia, an administrative analyst with the city. The Coachella Valley Sunline Transit Agency and the AC Transit in Oakland are the two other areas in the state with hydrogen fuel cell buses. Burbank marks the first for the Los Angeles area. A big part of the nearly $2 million price tag gets picked up from a $1.3 million state grant from the Alternative Fuel Incentive Program. Martin Marietta Composites, Mobile Energy and the city divide the remainder. Colorado-based Mobile Energy was one of two companies that approached the city to take part in a pilot program for a hydrogen fuel bus. The city submitted applications to the California Air Resources Board for both projects. The bus design is complete and the tooling, or having the equipment used in construction, is nearly complete, said Dale Hill, founder and CEO of Mobile Energy. Construction of the Burbank bus is being undertaken in parallel with another that will be delivered to another transit agency. Using fuel cell technology does not make the construction time longer. Starting from scratch has allowed engineers to make the vehicle 30 percent to 40 percent lighter. Retrofitting an existing bus to house the hydrogen fuel cell equipment would have caused limitations, such as where batteries can be located, Hill said. “When building from the ground up you get better weight distribution and lower center of gravity which will give you a better handling vehicle,” Hill said. Working in Burbank’s favor as site for the bus is its hydrogen fueling station, itself a pilot program. The city uses five hydrogen fuel cell cars and General Motors is test marketing the vehicles in the Los Angeles area. The city will own the Mobile Energy-built bus after one year, at which time the city will determine to keep it on the streets, Garcia said. “There has been support from other local agencies to financially support the bus to keep it in service longer,” Garcia said. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Camp: Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) hosted a ceremony for members of the contracting and construction community to celebrate the graduation of 75 contractors who completed the LAUSD Small Business Boot Camp. The mission of the Small Business Program is to increase the pool of qualified firms to compete for LAUSD bond-funded construction contracts. The Boot Camp, as part of the LAUSD Small Business Program, has helped the LAUSD cultivate new contractors with $50 million to date awarded to graduates of the program through the district’s $20 billion school construction program. The Small Business Boot Camp has consistently exceeded its 25 percent small business participation goal, with 72 percent of construction program contracts awarded to competitive small businesses this fiscal year. A total of 550 small businesses have completed the program. Burbank Shuttle: BRC Imagination Arts won a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in the attraction category for its Shuttle Launch Experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The 44,000-square foot attraction was designed with direct input from NASA and numerous shuttle astronauts and is said to be the most realistic space shuttle simulation available. The company’s mission was to re-create the sensations and excitement of a shuttle launch, said CEO Bob Rogers. “The Thea Award is further confirmation we’ve done just that,” Rogers said. The award is the 12th Thea given to the Burbank-based firm. Promotores: More than 1,000 promotores (peer-to-peer heath promoters) gathered in Burbank Nov. 30 for a two-day conference to discuss critical healthcare issues affecting California’s underserved, low-income and minority communities. The conference, held at the Burbank Marriott Airport and Convention Center, 2500 N. Hollywood Way, was organized by Visi & #243;n y Compromiso, the statewide network of promotores organizations. Promotores work throughout the United States and Latin America, serving as an interface between providers and the communities. They disseminate information on how to access healthcare services and lobby institutions such as school districts to take proactive steps in improving the health of their constituents. Kaiser Permanente underwrites several promotora-based programs on the West Coast. The promotores conference featured 20 different workshops, including buying healthy groceries on a tight budget; the mental health of immigrants and patient rights. Calabasas Auction: Props used in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Mary Poppins” will be among the items for sale by Profiles in History at its next Hollywood memorabilia auction. The props, costumes, photos and other items will be made available for bids on Dec. 13 and 14. A full-scale model T-800 endoskeleton from “Terminator 2” is expected to sell for up to $100,000, while the T-Rex head from “Jurassic Park” could capture up to $80,000. A cape worn by Christopher Reeve in the first “Superman” movie, Walt Disney’s personal script for “Cinderella” and Austin Powers’ groovy suit will all be on the block. “I find people buy their memories,” said Profiles in History owner Joe Maddalena. “The baby boomers have come into the spending part of their lives.” Video: The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences will give its Lifetime Achievement Award to Ken Kutaragi, creator of the PlayStation video game console. Kutaragi will be honored for revolutionizing the global in-home entertainment market with the creation and success of the PlayStation. The launch of the original console in 1994 made it the most popular gaming system of its era, resulting in a shipment of more than 100 million units worldwide. “If it wasn’t for Ken and his concept of the original PlayStation, there wouldn’t be the billion dollar industry there is today,” said Joseph Olin, president of the Calabasas-based academy. The award will be given Feb. 7 during the Interactive Achievement Awards. Chatsworth Animal Care: West Valley Animal Care Center in Chatsworth had its grand opening Nov. 29. Built more than 35 years ago, the center needed to be expanded and modernized to meet the needs of the growing West Valley population. The $13.9 million expansion project broke ground in 2005 and will bring the facility to a total of 96,000 square feet of parking and landscaping. Funded by city bonds approved in 2000 under Proposition F, the expanded center features a new spay and neuter clinic, larger and more modern animal holding areas and special holding areas for farm animals, birds and exotic animals. Glendale Women: Three valley women,Kathy Van Houten of Glendale, Lynn White-Shelby of Burbank and Barbara Zellner of Palmdale, all members of the Verdugo Glen Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association , attended the 58th National Women’s Leadership Conference in Greensboro, N.C. Verdugo Glen Chapter President Donna Hempel received the “Star” award and official ABWA Seal of Approval in recognition of best practices in group management. Pacoima Education: The Montague Charter Academy community cut the ribbon on its newly renovated school library, made possible by The Wonder of Reading nonprofit organization and a $35,000 contribution by the Wells Fargo Foundation. Wonder of Reading works with schools to renovate and expand library space, restock library collections and trains volunteers to read with student partners for an hour each week. CONEJO VALLEY Thousand Oaks Web: KCLU-FM launched a new Web site to give its 70,000 listeners better access to news. Being able to download local news segments and search the archive for a particular story are two of the upgrades included in the new site a response to listeners who wanted to hear broadcasts that had already aired, station General Manager Mary Olson said. Staff from KCLU and California Lutheran University’s creative media center worked together to create the new Web site. Village: University Village Thousand Oaks, a new continuing care retirement community, had its grand opening Nov. 29 with 500 new residents, guests and community dignitaries in attendance. Designed for people aged 62 and older, University Village Thousand Oaks is located at 3350 Campus Dr. on the northwest corner of Campus Drive and Olsen Road. University Village features a variety of housing options and a comprehensive package of services, amenities, activities, fine dining and transportation. The community will also offer skilled nursing and assisted living with Alzheimer’s care in the adjacent OakView health care center, scheduled to open during the first quarter of 2008. Information: (800) 915-2112 or www.uvto.com. Lullabies: A Thousand Oaks-based online literary magazine has published an anthology of frightening tales and poems to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. Twenty-nine writers from across the globe contributed to “Midnight Lullabies,” the selections in which convey how frightening the world can be in the mind of a child. The anthology is a sort of modern “Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales,” with pieces such as “Under the Bed,” “Red Riding Hood’s Revenge” and “Night Fears.” All proceeds from the book’s sales will go toward Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to children and adults in more than 70 countries. “Midnight Lullabies” is available at www.Amazon.com, www.BookSurge.com, www.Abebooks.com and www.Alibris.com. Service: Community Counseling Services at California Lutheran University presented an award to Ana Alvarez on Dec. 1 in recognition of her service to parents and children. Alvarez, an outreach director for Conejo and Park Oaks elementary schools in Thousand Oaks, received the first Friends of the Community Counseling Services Award during the center’s Holiday Open House. Alvarez helps new families overcome language barriers and adjust to the new culture. She has visited children’s homes, gotten them dressed and taken them to school. She also organizes parent education seminars, bilingual classes and programs that empower mothers and fathers. Community Counseling Services trains CLU students obtaining their Masters in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy while providing low-cost counseling for the public. Information: (805) 493-3390. Westlake Village Opening: University Cardiovascular Medical Group has opened a new facility within the California Health & Longevity Institute in Westlake Village. The new UCMG facility will provide residents of the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas with advanced diagnostic testing and access to clinical studies administered by UCMG and California Heart Center Foundation, its nonprofit medical research and education partner. “This is an exciting opportunity to be able to provide a high level of expertise that’s generally being provided at UCLA in an environment that’s very much user friendly,” Dr. Jignesh Patel of UCMG told the Business Journal. “It’s kind of a new way of providing preventive healthcare to people who want to get a comprehensive evaluation out of the usual healthcare services provided by their regular insurance, so this facility was set up with comprehensive services for looking at all issues relating to a healthy lifestyle which includes a cardiovascular component.” [W/PIC] ANTELOPE VALLEY Palmdale Prevention: The City of Palmdale along with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Prevention Division have come together to provide direct fire prevention services to Palmdale residents. The fire prevention office has been open since September and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The counter and phone hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Jobs: The City of Palmdale’s personnel department is now offering job seekers the opportunity to apply for current city jobs online via semi-private kiosks outfitted with computers located in the office lobby located at 823 E. Ave. Q-9, Suite B. “Applying for a position with the City has never been easier,” said Director of Personnel Bill McLeod. “e installed three kiosks in the lobby which can be used free of charge to apply for City jobs. It will greatly streamline the process,” he said. “Current job openings can be found on the City’s Web site at www.cityofpalmdale.org/jobs.” Listings are also available by calling 661/267-JOBS (5627)