Community Corner

Monrovia City Manager's Update | July 24, 2020

The foothills above Monrovia are occupied by wildlife: bears, coyotes, deer, mountain lions, and bobcats.

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Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

July 24, 2020

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. At a glance, you’ll find information on exciting news, programs and events! If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe, Monrovia!

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

Sincerely,
Dylan

Highlights in this Issue

Living with Wildlife

The foothills above Monrovia are occupied by wildlife: bears, coyotes, deer, mountain lions, and bobcats. Sometimes these wild animals venture out of the foothills and into residential neighborhoods. Most of the time, the wildlife comes and goes without notice.

Please help keep bears and other wild animals safe!

Reduce conflicts with bears by using these tips from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help protect your home and property. Most animals naturally fear humans and will not bother you. Access to food encourages unwelcomed behavior and can result in property damage, threat to human safety, and potential death of the animal.

Properly Store Food & Trash

  • Install or request bear-resistant garbage cans
  • Freeze wet and smelly food (meat, bones, fish) until pick-up
  • Store garbage cans in garage and wait to put trash out until the morning of collection day
  • Keep garbage cans clean

Remove Attractants

  • Harvest ripe fruit from trees and remove fallen fruit from the ground.
  • Only use outside bird feeders from November through March
  • Hang birdfeeders so they are inaccessible and attached to sturdy posts or trees.
  • Clean barbecue grills after each use.
  • Keep pets, pet food, and water indoors.
  • Do not leave groceries, trash, animal feed or other attractants in your vehicle.
  • Keep doors, windows, and garages closed and locked; scents can lure bears.
  • Do not leave scented items outside: candles, bug repellant, sun tan lotion, etc.

If You Encounter a Bear

  • DO NOT run from or approach a bear.
  • DO scare the bear away! Once a safe distance away, make lots of loud noise such as banging pots and try to appear as large as possible.
  • Remove yourself from danger and call 911 once safe.

Additionally, bear resistant barrels are available from Athens Services for residents who wish to prevent trash barrel from being broken into by bears.

Southern California Edison to Install New Infrastructure in Chantry Flats Area

On Friday, July 17, Southern California Edison (SCE) experienced a failure within their system that caused Emergency Services within the area to have communications issues. Upon inspection, SCE discovered that their infrastructure was no longer in working condition.

Starting the week of July 27, SCE will begin a 3 - 4 week project to replace the infrastructure. During this time, residents may notice helicopters near the Chantry Flats area in Arcadia. The new infrastructure helps ensure that Emergency Services in the area have a reliable power source for public safety equipment.

SCE will be staging equipment in the Highland side of the Hillside Wilderness Preserve (HWP). Given the location within the HWP, staff will be performing inspections regularly during the 3 - 4 week period to ensure the all precautions are taken in protecting the HWP.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or email pwcomments@ci.monrovia.ca.us.

Foothill Unity Center Back to School Drive

Due to COVID-19, the Foothill Unity Center is unable to host the traditional Back to School event, but they are determined to ensure that local students still are prepared to start the new school year off on a positive note.

Supplies Needed:

  • Brand new backpacks (no blue or red)
  • Blue and black pens, pencils, 24 pack crayons, markets and colored pencils, eraser packs and erasers
  • Filler paper, compositions books and spiral notebooks
  • Three ring binders and folders
  • 12 inch rulers

Visit the Foothill Unity Center online to learn more about how you can donate items. Your help is greatly needed and appreciated!

ChalkDemic presented by the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts

Amateurs, families, students and professionals are invited to register for ChalkDemic! Help spread art all over from the driveway or sidewalk of your home while competing for prizes.

Email Christine at christine@monroviafirearts.org for a registration form and additional information.

Biking Classes presented by Metro

Metro sponsors classes at varying skill levels to get you comfortable with your bike and riding in an urban environment.

Head to Metro's webpage, a resource hub for those who are interested in learning about biking in LA and eventually making biking part of their travel routines. You can sign up for FREE classes to learn how to bike in an urban environment. This website should provide everything you might need to get biking!

City of Monrovia COVID-19 Emergency Rental (ERA) & Emergency Utility Assistance (EUA) Programs

The City of Monrovia COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance (COVID-19 ERA) and COVID-19 Emergency Utility Assistance (COVID-19 EUA) Programs is now accepting Eligibility Intake Forms through Thursday, July 30, 2020. Residents who are income eligible and whose income has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic emergency will be able to apply for assistance of a one-time payment of up to $500 for rental assistance and for a one-time payment of up to $150 for utility assistance. These programs are funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic, Security (CARES) Act and will provide approximately 120 rental assistance grants and approximately 135 utility assistance grants to qualified applicants.

Program Procedures:

  • Step 1: Applicant will complete initial Eligibility Intake Packet located on the City website and submit it to City Staff by email.
  • Step 2: Once the eligibility intake period has reached the deadline of July 30, staff will begin screening the submitted intake forms for eligibility. If the applicant is deemed eligible, staff will put qualified applicants into a lottery system that will randomly select eligible households.
  • Step 3: City Staff will contact the randomly selected applicants and request further required program paperwork and documentation to confirm eligibility.
  • Step 4: Once eligibility has been confirmed they will have 10 business days to submit all required documents. Staff will then begin submitting the supplemental one-time rental and/or utility payments on behalf of qualified and accepted households to their landlord and/or directly to the chosen utility service provider.

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:

Raffle tickets will be pulled each Thursday and the winners will be notified by Public Works Staff.

Since June 4, we have received 905 reports for abandoned bulky items! Thank you for reporting these items!The winner for this week’s drawing is….Elyse Cottone!

If you have any questions, please contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575.

COVID-19 At a Glance

Latest Facts & Figures

Jurisdiction

Residential / Non-residential Settings in Monrovia

*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 underway in the Northeast Section of the Monrovia Renewal project. This represents the final section of work for Monrovia Renewal, which is the largest public works project in City history! The Northeast project section includes the area of the City that is bound by the City limit to the east, Myrtle Avenue to the west, Greystone Avenue and Hillcrest Boulevard to the north, Colorado Boulevard and Royal Oaks to the south.

  • Phase 1: May & June
  • Phase 2: July & August
  • Phase 3: September & October
  • Phase 4: November & December

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 July 27, work will include:

Concrete removals, concrete pouring, root pruning, and street slot patching on the following streets:

  • Encinitas Avenue, Palm Avenue, Lime Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Jasmine Avenue, Heliotrope Avenue, Wildrose Avenue, Shamrock Avenue, and Oakdale Avenue

Sewer Repairs on the following streets:

  • North of Foothill Boulevard on Encinitas Avenue
  • Greystone Avenue between May Avenue and Canyon Boulevard

Excel Paving, the contractor for this project, will be circulating notices to impacted residents prior to initiating work and posting necessary park restrictions in the work area. Please keep a look out for any notifications and abide by any parking restrictions. Regular street sweeping will not take place in the work area during construction so please focus on the posted construction parking signage.

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

Neighborhood Watch Report

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 356 service events, resulting in 76 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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