Wilderness Park Pathway to be Considered Tonight

The Claremont City Council tonight will consider an alternative pathway to give pedestrians access to the Wilderness Park that won’t disturb nearby residents.

The vote tonight comes after a June 26 meeting in which the council looked at three options for a Mills Avenue entrance to the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.  The council favored option three, which calls for a pathway adjacent to the west side of Mills Avenue 20 feet from the Pomona Valley Protective Association’s property line.

The proposed pathway would start where the Thompson Creek Channel intersects with Mt. Baldy Road, according to city staff.

Brian Desatnik, community development director, wrote in the staff report to council that the alternative pathway would relocate traffic away from the Adirondack residential neighborhood.

“By doing so, the noise impacts to the residents will be reduced and the pedestrian vehicular conflicts will be greatly reduced or eliminated as pedestrians will be directed to the new pathway for travel to the Wilderness Park entrance,” he said.

That is sure to bring some relief to nearby residents, several of whom at the expressed their frustrations about the effects of increasing park attendance on their neighborhood and what they see as the city’s lack of action.

"Everyday we have a parade under our bedroom window; it’s a loud and noisy parade," resident Avi Hershokovitz said. "There's no place in Claremont that the residents were left to lose their quality of life so dramatically."

In order to get visitors to use the new pathway, the city is proposing to remove the existing walkway on the east side of roadway.  The Mills Avenue Pedestrian Circulation Plan, as it has been dubbed, also involves the installation of a mid-block crosswalk.

The vote calls for the council to approve the plan, adopt a resolution for the crosswalk, allow the city manager to put the project out to bid once a required permit from Los Angeles County Public Works is granted, and authorize an appropriation of $79,414 to cover additional costs.

The additional money is related to an increase in the cost of the project specifically related to design and an unexpected biological survey that was later determined to be necessary.

A total cost of the project, including the , the , and now the proposed additional appropriation, is estimated at $354,414.  The funds for the project are to be repaid with parking meter revenues, which are estimated to be $180,000 per year, according to city officials. 

When construction will begin on the alternative pathway depends on when Los Angeles County approves the permit.

Also planned tonight is a 4:30 p.m. closed session meeting on the proposed purchase of Golden State Water Company-owned facilities.

The Claremont City Council regular session is tonight at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 207 N. Harvard Ave.