Community Corner

Monrovia City Manager's Update - February 19, 2021

The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health is adopting a staged approach to allow certain venues to safely reopen.

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Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

February 19, 2021

Hello Monrovians,

Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

This update has been prepared to share with you everything that is taking place in Monrovia. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Sincerely,
Dylan

Email: dfeik@ci.monrovia.ca.us
Phone: (626) 932-5585

Highlights in this Issue

  • Outdoor Facility Rentals for Recreation Activities
  • Library Services During COVID-19
  • Youth Sports Programs
  • Supporting Local Businesses During COVID-19
  • Oakglade Sediment Hauling & Maintenance Activities Completed
  • Frontier Communications Working Through Citywide Upgrades
  • Chick-fil-A and Starbucks Virtual Neighborhood Meeting

Outdoor Facility Rentals for Recreation Activities

The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health is adopting a staged approach to allow certain venues to safely reopen. The current Safer at Work and in the Community Order allows for outdoor church services and shared use of outdoor facilities for recreation activities.

The Community Services Department is now accepting facility rental requests for review and consideration. All applications must include a COVID-19 plan, stating how the applicant will ensure compliance with the guidelines, including physical distancing and face coverings conformity.

For more information on our facility rentals, contact the Monrovia Community Center at (626) 256-8246.

Monrovia Public Library Services During COVID-19

Ever since the Monrovia Public Library (MPL) closed its doors to limit the spread of COVID-19, the library continued to offer premier programs and services online. Staff and volunteers continually make themselves available through Zoom for literacy programs and veterans services. In addition to providing e-books and homework assistance, MPL also hosted virtual game nights, book discussions and makerspace videos.

Curbside Pickup Service - From July 2020 through February 2021, the community has borrowed over 24,000 items from MPL through the curbside pickup service.

Virtual Programs - MPL has received over 30,000 views from online storytimes, craft, STEM and other videos on social media and YouTube.

Holiday Programs - Throughout the holiday season, MPL hosted 4 virtual holiday programs with 286 attendees!

Youth Sports Programs

Youth Sports Programs are permitted and must be in compliance with the conditions laid out in the Checklist for Youth Sports. This applies to recreational youth sports leagues, club sports, travel sports, and sports sponsored by private and public schools serving students in TK-12 schools. It is not intended for use by adult sports leagues, or amateur adult sports, which must remain closed per the State Health Officer Order. Furthermore, youth sports activities are limited to activities that enable all players and coaches to maintain a physical distance of at least six feet between each other at all times, and an eight feet distance during times of heavy physical exertion. These activities include but are not limited to training, conditioning, and skills-building activities.

Supporting Local Businesses During COVID-19

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Governor’s and County Health Officer’s Orders set quite a few constraints. Throughout these unprecedented times, the City of Monrovia has supported local businesses in a variety of ways, including:

  • Approving the emergency regulations to prohibit commercial evictions for non-payment
  • Providing Temporary Outdoor Business Operations permits
  • Reconvening the Monrovia Street Fair & Market

As the response to the pandemic continues to evolve, the City of Monrovia remains dedicated to keeping the community safe while removing barriers for struggling businesses.

Oakglade Sediment Hauling & Maintenance Activities Completed

This past week, Los Angeles County Public Works/ Flood Control completed sediment-hauling operations, where sediment was trucked from the basin at the top of Ridgeside / Oakglade to the disposal location within the Sawpit Wash area. The material placed at the Sawpit wash has been flattened and the Oakglade Debris Basin is now restored to its design capacity to capture material from future rain events. Stay informed on the Post-Bobcat Fire Mitigation Efforts.

Frontier Communications Working Through Citywide Upgrades

For the next couple of months, Frontier Communications will be working throughout the City to make extensive improvements to their communications network. Work will be taking place on overhead lines and structures as well as underground vaults and work should be expected throughout the entire area of the City. Given the large scope of work, Frontier has contracted with a number of contractors to execute this work on their behalf. As such, the following is a list of contractors that have been hired by Frontier and have permits issues by the City.

  • Line Works
  • Briones Communications
  • Legacy Communications
  • Smartech Communications
  • C-One Communications
  • Allied Plus Low Voltage
  • Trinity Communications
  • Quantum Communications Services
  • Under the Radar.com
  • LV communications

Frontier Communications is required to notify property owners and residents 72 hours prior to any work for improvements that might directly impact their property. Please note that some of the overhead facilities may be on lines that run through private backyards.

Chick-fil-A and Starbucks Virtual Neighborhood Meeting

Chick-fil-A and Starbucks recently teamed up to propose new drive-thru restaurant locations at the southwest corner of Encino Avenue and Huntington Drive (former Claim Jumper restaurant site). The project also proposes to offer close to 8,000 square feet of property to the City which could be used in the future as a pocket park.

To introduce themselves to the community, Chick-fil-A and Starbucks held a virtual neighborhood meeting on February 4, 2021. At the meeting, representatives from both companies provided an overview of their proposed projects and were there to receive input and answer questions. The proposed project needs approval by the City’s Planning Commission and City Council. Staff anticipates the public hearing and review process to begin this spring. Watch the meeting.

Cloth Face Coverings

When you are leaving your home, carry a face covering with you. A clean face covering should be worn anytime you are in contact with other people who are not a part of your household in public or private spaces.

Cloth face coverings increases prevention of spreading respiratory droplets when talking, sneezing, or coughing. If everyone wears a cloth face covering when out in public, such as visiting a business, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 can be reduced for the entire community.

In addition to wearing a cloth face covering when you leave your home, be sure to continue to practice physical distancing and wash your hands often.

2021 Water Conservation Coloring Book Calendars Now Available!

Prompted by the rise of safer at home activities, we would like to provide our community with this coloring book calendar for the whole family to enjoy! Make each month uniquely yours with snapshots of our charming city. Please complete the WATER CONSERVATION CALENDAR INTEREST FORM to select your option to obtain a calendar.

Traffic Signal Improvements Continuing at Intersections along Duarte Road, Adjacent to METRO L Line (formerly GoldLine)

City staff is excited to share that the traffic signal at the intersection of Duarte Road and California Avenue is scheduled to be updated on Monday, February 22. Staff has been actively working with Metro and LA County Public Works to implement traffic signal improvements including updated software for the traffic signal controller and an improved timing program to better manage traffic flow at the signals along the L-Lines. To date, the intersections of Mountain Avenue and Duarte Road and Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road have been updated with the aforementioned improvements. Based on staff observation, residents and motorists in the area will notice:

  1. Reduced down time for the railroad gates
  2. Signal priority to the traffic lanes that have been waiting the longest once the train arms go up

The improvements here along with improvements made at Myrtle Avenue and Mountain Avenue are part of an overall enhancement to the Duarte Road corridor as well as L Line intersections. The public is encouraged to contact us with any feedback or questions about the work that is taking place.

The public is encouraged to contact us with any feedback or questions about the work that is taking place. Please contact the Public Works Department at (626) 932-5575 or pwcomments@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

General Plan Update

The General Plan is the City’s long range planning document and lays out goals and policies to help guide future growth of the City. The City of Monrovia is asking for input from the community to complete a survey to help guide the upcoming Focused General Plan update.

This year, the City will be working with our land use consultant, MIG, to update the Housing Element and the Safety Element of the Monrovia General Plan, as well as create a new Element – the Environmental Justice Element.

The Housing Element focuses on planning for community’s future housing needs. State law requires that all cities and counties update their Housing Element on a regular basis. This update will cover the 2021-2029 planning period. The completed element will identify housing needs of the community and establish policies, programs and strategies specifically to address those needs.

The second element of the General Plan that will be updated is the Safety Element. Recent changes to state law require that all cities adopt climate adaptation and resiliency strategies including wildfire planning within the Safety Element.

Finally, the third element included in this year’s General Plan update is the Environmental Justice Element. This element is brand new and will be adopted by the City for the very first time. The Environmental Justice Element will focus on communities within the City that bear increased burdens, including high poverty, high unemployment, and air and water pollution.

There will be several opportunities for the community to participate in this important update. If you would like additional information or to be added to our contact list, please contact the Planning Division at planning@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Report Bulky Items around Town and Be Entered to Win a Gift Card

Have you seen bulky items around town? If you report them into Public Works, you will be entered into a raffle and could win a $50 gift card to a Monrovia Business! If you are out and about around town and see furniture, boxes, or other items in the Right of Way (not on Private Property), please report them to Public Works. In turn, Athens Services will pick these items up within about 48 hours.

How to Report Bulky Items:

The winner for this week’s drawing is… Stephanie Joseph! Since June 2020, we have received 3,215 reports for abandoned bulky items. Thank you for reporting these items!

COVID-19 At a Glance

Latest Facts & Figures

Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia

  • Glen Park at Monrovia - 2 staff cases, 8 resident cases
  • Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center - 3 staff cases, 7 resident cases
  • Redell Pine - 2 staff cases, 5 resident case
  • Wyland House - 2 staff cases, 1 resident case
  • Miracle Works - 14 staff cases

Facilities that have no reported positive COVID-19 cases for 14 days are considered to no longer have an outbreak and removed from the list. Confirmed cases of employees from residential/non-residential settings get counted under their home city.

Additional details on cases and deaths were not provided by the County of Los Angeles. View the Public Health Statement Regarding COVID-19 and Patient Privacy.

Stay Informed

Monrovia Renewal Construction Updates

Work is nearing completion in the Northeast Section of Monrovia! In the coming weeks, Excel Paving Company will complete the final sections of concrete improvements and begin preparing for road reconstruction activities.

We appreciate your patience and support while we work to execute these improvements throughout our community! Should you have any questions, please call the Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or email monroviarenewal@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

For the week of February 22:

Fine Grading and miscellaneous patchwork will take place on the following streets:

  • Streets North of Foothill: Madison Avenue, Encinitas Avenue, Ivy Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Greystone Avenue, Hill Street, Kirkwood Lane, Beechworth Avenue. Prospect Avenue and Pine Tree Lane.

Base paving and cap paving will take place on the following streets:

  • Ivy Avenue from Greystone Avenue to Hillcrest Avenue
  • Prospect Avenue from Canyon Boulevard to May Avenue
  • Sierra Vista Avenue.

Cold Milling, Overlay, and Cap Paving will take place on the following streets:

  • Streets North of Foothill: Madison Avenue, Encinitas Avenue, Ivy Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Greystone Avenue, Hill Street, Kirkwood Lane, Beechworth Avenue. Prospect Avenue and Pine Tree Lane.

Overview of the Cold Milling (Grind) and Overlay Process:

As a part of the cold milling (grind) and overlay, the streets will be ground up to 2” deep in a multiple step process:

  1. Day 1: A machine will grind the existing roadway surface no more than 2” deep to create base material. This surface can be driven and parked on.
  2. Days 2 & 3: On the second day, crews will pave 2” of new asphalt on these sections.

During this process, it is important to remember:

  • There will be parking restrictions in place during work hours, however, vehicles will be permitted to park on the street at the end of working days. PLEASE ADHERE TO ALL POSTED PARKING RESTRICTIONS.
  • Driveways will be accessible every night; however access may be limited during daytime work activities.

For the week of March 1:

Concrete placement will occur on the following areas:

  • Streets North of Foothill: Madison Avenue, Encinitas Avenue, Ivy Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Greystone Avenue, Hill Street, Kirkwood Lane, Beechworth Avenue. Prospect Avenue, Pine Tree Lane, and portions of Primrose Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

Manholes will be raised and lowered to allow for paving activities and will occur on the following streets:

  • Streets North of Foothill: Madison Avenue, Encinitas Avenue, Ivy Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Greystone Avenue, Hill Street, Kirkwood Lane, Beechworth Avenue. Prospect Avenue and Pine Tree Lane.

We appreciate your patience and support while we work to execute these improvements throughout the community! If you have any questions regarding Monrovia Renewal, please feel free to contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or monroviarenewal@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Monrovia Strong

The Monrovia Strong webpage was created to share with the community different resources to help you and your family get through these challenging times.

Visit Monrovia Strongto explore the many activities and resources. We're in this together, Monrovia!

Development Spotlight

Several significant projects are working their way through the review process and stages of construction here at the City. Among these are the Adaptive Reuse of the Monrovia Market Building (approved on Oct. 1), the Overton Moore Pacific Self Storage Project in the former Verizon Building in Old Town (approved on Nov. 19), 127 Pomona Multi-Family Development with 310 units at Station Square (approved on Jan. 21), the Alexan Multi-Family Development with 436 units at Station Square (approved on Feb. 4), and the Arroyo at Monrovia Station Multi-Family Development with 302 units (Planning Commission approved on Feb. 12). For more details, visit the Development Spotlight or Building Monrovia webpages.

Key Dates, Programs & Virtual Events

Job Opportunities with the City of Monrovia

  • Police Communications Operator (Part-Time)
  • Police Officer (Lateral)

The City of Monrovia offers interested individuals a chance to keep themselves notified on our job openings through the job interest card. This card will help interested individuals receive notifications about positions that open within the city without having to continuously log on to view our employment opportunities page.

Neighborhood Watch Report

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 334 service events, resulting in 65 investigations. View the Neighborhood Watch Report.

This press release was produced by the City of Monrovia. The views expressed are the author's own.

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