Politics & Government

City Of Monrovia: City Manager's Update | January 14, 2022

At the next City Council meeting, staff will be presenting the first order item to begin making repairs to Monrovia Canyon Park. I am re ...

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Press Release Desk, News Partner
(City of Monrovia)

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

01/14/2022 9:41 AM

Hello Monrovians, 

Find out what's happening in Monroviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the next City Council meeting, staff will be presenting the first order item to begin making repairs to Monrovia Canyon Park. I am recommending the CIty's contract engineer, Merrill Johnson, provide project management, coordination and construction oversight to the Canyon Park Repair Project. As it sits today, we estimate to repair the park is just over $10 million dollars. While most of the funds to repair the park will come from federal or state assistance, or from insurance proceeds, the City will be rebuilding Canyon Park in the year to come. When the park reopens to the public, it will have new roads, parking lots, trails, signs, etc. Construction won't begin for several months so once the project management contract is approved, work can begin to prepare bid documents, plan and design the repair projects, and so on.

Though unfortunate we cannot currently use the park, I am excited to play a part in helping rebuild and repair the park to "like new" condition. Also this year, residents will see major renovations to Lucinda Garcia Park and we should begin work on the Library Enhancement Project. We will have design and architectural renderings for upgrading the Community Center and in the near months, we will be preparing plans to upgrade facilities at Recreation Park. As you know, our beloved Rec Park is also in need of repairs in many areas including the ballfields, parking areas, pathways, etc. And finally, if you haven't heard, the new Chick-fil-A and Starbucks development does include a land donation to the City. The project developer is donating a piece of land to the City for use as a public park...so we will also begin planning and designing a new park. 2022 should be a wonderful year for Monrovia's parks and open spaces, as well as our recreational facilities.

Find out what's happening in Monroviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely, 

Dylan

Email: [email protected] 
Phone: (626) 932-5585

Highlights in this Update

  • COVID-19 Update
  • 2022 State of the City 
  • Monrovia Reads Honors Annette Simpson
  • City Facilities Closure on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Monrovia Community Garden Workshop 
  • American Red Cross Announces National Blood Shortage Crisis 
  • San Gabriel Valley Transit Feasibility Study

COVID-19 Updates

Pick-Up Testing Kit
LA County Department of Health Services launched a new program designed to increase and facilitate access to COVID-19 tests for LA County residents unable to obtain appointments.  The program allows residents to pick up a PCR test kit, perform the test, and return the completed kit to designated locations for processing. Residents will be notified of their test results within 24-48 hours. Learn more about the Pick-Up Test Kit Program.  

COVID-19 Vaccines
The following documents and webpages have been updated to include information regarding CDC's latest booster dose changes: 

2022 State of the City Address

Join us for the annual State of the City Address where our Mayor and City Council will come together to share some of the City’s accomplishments from the past year, and give you a first look at upcoming projects! This year’s event will take place on January 24, at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas, at 7 p.m. 

In-Person attendees must be vaccinated and wear a mask. In compliance with the LA County Department of Public Health Order, all guests will need to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccinations prior to entry to the event.

For those unvaccinated or who would like to watch from home, the event will also be livestreamed for your convenience at cityofmonrovia.org/StateoftheCity.

Monrovia Reads Honors Annette Simpson 

Local organization, Monrovia Reads, named Monrovia Public Library’s Annette Simpson as their Monrovia Reads Literacy Legacy Award winner! Annette has provided storytimes, programs, and services to the families of Monrovia for over 20 years. We are so proud of her and appreciate all that she does to make Monrovia great. Annette will be honored at the annual Monrovia Reads So All May Read fundraiser on May 19, 2022, at the Doubletree Hotel in Monrovia.  Tickets will go on sale in March on the Monrovia Reads' website at www.monroviareads.org. Congratulations, Annette!

City Facilities Closure on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Day, Monrovia City Hall, Public Works Yard, Community Center, and Library will be closed on Monday, January 17. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, January 18. 

Monrovia Community Garden Workshop 

The Monrovia Community Garden workshop, Debunking Garden Myths: Applying organic science-based principles in the garden, on January 29, will now be held virtually.  

Join local expert Gio Leos, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., as he leads this workshop on famous garden myths and what the science behind them actually demonstrates. Chili flakes in the soil? Companion planting? Hugelkultur? He will lead attendees through a great interactive workshop and then the Garden Leadership Team will be on hand to answer your gardening questions after the workshop from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This will be a great time and all levels of gardening are welcomed! 

Register for this online workshop or email [email protected] for more information.

American Red Cross Announces National Blood Shortage Crisis

The Red Cross has experienced about a 10% decline in the number of people donating blood since the pandemic began. In recent weeks, the Red Cross has had less than a one-day supply of critical blood products – well below the ideal five-day supply. The Red Cross works with hospitals around the clock to help meet the needs of patients, but blood product distributions to hospitals are currently outpacing the number of blood donations coming in. 

During this blood crisis, the Red Cross is asking the community to roll up a sleeve to help ensure people receive the care they need. Make an appointment to give blood or platelets as soon as possible by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). 

San Gabriel Valley Transit Feasibility Study

The SGVCOG is partnering with Metro to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate and improve mobility in the San Gabriel Valley. The Study will evaluate short-term and long-term transit options designed to enhance communities and the lives of residents, commuters, and visitors. The Study aims to focus on transit-dependent populations and equity-focused communities constrained by existing transportation systems. All San Gabriel Valley stakeholders are recommended to provide input through the survey below:

Monrovia Conserves 

Despite recent rainfall, California has experienced historically high temperatures and lack of adequate rainfall over the years, resulting in drought conditions and increased reliance on groundwater. This combination of events has lowered our water availability to near-record levels.

California Drought Emergency  
In July 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom called upon the entire State of California to reduce water consumption by 15% and declared drought conditions in a vast majority of counties, including Los Angeles County.

Monrovia's Water Conservation Plan
As Monrovians, we must do our part to reduce water consumption. In December 2021, the Monrovia City Council implemented Phase II of the Water Conservation Plan, requiring a mandatory 10% reduction in water consumption to reach the statewide reduction mandate.

As a result of establishing Phase II of the Water Conservation Plan, violations of mandatory water conservation measures may result in administrative citations. Additionally, customers who fail to reduce their water usage by the required 10% will be billed a penalty of two times the cost of a water billing unit (748 gallons of water) for each unit in excess of what is permitted. For a typical residential unit, the standard penalty is $4.88 per unit in excess.

Moving forward, residents and commercial customers should not exceed 90% of their base period allocation. The base period allocation is defined by actual water usage during the same month in 2020.

Tools to Help You Conserve

Work around Town 

Power Outage - Southern California Edison has planned power outages to take place: 

  • Saturday, January 15
    • 300 block of West Hillcrest Boulevard for a pole replacement with a crane, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
    • 400 block West Hillcrest Boulevard, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
  • Sunday, January 16 
    • 1000 block Norumbega Drive, 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
  • Wednesday, January 19
    • 700 block East Greystone Ave, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Contact: Southern California Edison, 1(800) 655-4555

2022 Residential and Commercial Solid Waste Rate Schedule 

Representatives from Athens Services notified the City of their formal request to institute a 4.61% increase for solid waste services effective January 1, 2022. This request is permitted under the City's Franchise Agreement with Athens and represents a 3.61% CPI adjustment plus a 1.0% annual increase. The actual dollar cost impact of the rate adjustment is as follows: 

  • For the typical residential customer enrolled in the 90-gallon trash / recycling barrel program), solid waste services will increase by $1.56 / month, from $34.91 / month to $36.47 / month.

  • For the typical commercial customer enrolled in the one 3-yard bin, which is serviced once per week, solid waste services will increase by $9.06 / month, from $203.62 / month to $212.68 / month. 

COVID-19 At a Glance 

Latest Facts & Figures 

Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia 

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  Resources

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 webpage.

Key Dates, Programs & Virtual Events 

Jobs with the City of Monrovia 

The City of Monrovia is now recruiting for the following position:

  • Director of Public Works
  • Senior Accounting Assistant
  • Fire Cadet (Volunteer)

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 

This report lists the total number of calls for service received over the last seven-day period. View the Neighborhood Watch Report. 

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

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