by Timothy Rutt
Some good Scouts (and adult helpers) helped spiff up the Cobb Estate gate area as part of a Long Beach Boy Scout's Eagle project.
Kyle Blair, 14, and crew spent Saturday refurbishing a bench in the old bus shelter, building a formal trail going up to the fire road, putting up a new section of fence, and removing the arch that stands over the gate and its supporting structures. The metal pieces will be taken to the shop, refurbished, and re-installed at the site.
The idea came from Ted Hatch, who had built metal structures for the National Forest Service in the past. He suggested the Cobb Estate gates as Blair's Eagle project, and they recently received the nod to begin. Blair is a member of Troop 14 in Long Beach.
The original project, as proposed last fall, would have been more ambitious and created a gate on the south entrance which provides access to the property. That was turned thumbs-down by many individuals and groups who watch the Cobb Estate, who favored unimpeded access to the property.
Blair's revised project would not create any gates, but would improve the existing gate and surrounding area. The group constructed a retaining wall along Loma Alta Drive and created a safer trail up to the fire road that many hikers take. They also installed eight feet of fence that matched the existing fencing behind the bus bench area. A new wood slat bus bench was also installed in the stone structure -- although buses haven't used it as a stop for years.
The main gate to the estate is usually closed, and only opened to allow entry to emergency vehicles and Southern California Edison crews who maintain the electrical lines on the border of the estate. The arch above the main gate has been banged up a bit by tall Edison trucks.
The plan is for the arch to be repaired and straightened out. The metal structures atop the stone pillars, which hold the arch, were also removed for repair and refurbishment. Finials -- "roofs"-- that were part of the original structures will be restored. The height of the structures will also be increased by a foot so that Edison trucks will no longer bang up the arch when they go through the gate.
Hatch said that another Eagle Scout project is scheduled for the summer: a raised archway for the entrance south of the gate, high enough to admit equestrians. There will also be some flood control measures taken to allow rainwater that now flows out to the street to run into the storm drain on the estate's road instead.
Hatch said that the Forest Service and the Altadena Crest Trails Working Group had approved the work, although we were unable to reach representatives of either group at press time.
UPDATE: Rob Staehle of the Altadena Crest Trails Working Group said that the scouts had been working with them for several months, making presentations and incorporating suggestions for improvements. "I wish every group working with the trails would do such a good job," he said.
