City Of Monrovia: City Manager's Update | November 19, 2021

Press release from the City of Monrovia:

11/19/2021 10:30 AM

Hello Monrovians,  

Hello Monrovians,  

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the California Native Plant Society's annual Plant Sale. The event was held at the Monrovia Historical Museum and over 1,800 new and native plants were purchased and added to Monrovia and the surrounding community. For every plant sold, the Native Plant Society donated $0.50 to the Canyon Park Volunteer Fund. This means $903 was given to support our award-winning volunteers. I want to thank the California Native Plant Society and its local members for hosting such a wonderful event and striving to make a meaningful difference in our community!

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the many upcoming events and activities in the coming week. 

Sincerely,   
Dylan

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

Highlights in this Update  

• Route 66 Markings 
• Virtual MAP-edu Community Meeting 
• City Facilities Closed for Thanksgiving
• Assemblymember Rubio presents Operation Gobble
• Holiday Parade in Old Town Monrovia
• Holiday Home Decorating Contest 
• Santa Tour
• Old Town Monrovia Carriage Rides 

Route 66 Markings 

Our street maintenance department has begun painting roadway markings along the City stretch of the historic U.S. Route 66! Staff began their work on Fifth Avenue and will work their way west to Mountain Avenue over the next couple of days. 

The route was established November of 1926 as the first all-weather highway linking Chicago to Los Angeles! Unlike other highways, Route 66 was the shortest highway that reduced the distance between the Midwest and the Pacific Coast. Many of our Foothill cities are part of the historical route including our very own Monrovia! 

Virtual MAP-edu Community Meeting 

The MAP team’s virtual MAP-edu meeting is tomorrow, November 20, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. We have great speakers coming to address community and housing resources for our homeless and low-income residents. This has been an important topic that has been brought up in our MAP Leadership Academy, so we want to make sure that our residents know of the resources Monrovia has in regards to our low-income and homeless population. Please don’t forget to register on our Eventbrite page. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the MAP team at [email protected]. 

City Facilities Closed for Thanksgiving

In observance of Thanksgiving, please note the following changes to operating hours:

Closed on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26

• City Hall 
• Public Works Yard
• Library 
• Community Center 

We will resume regular operating hours on Monday, November 29. 

Assemblymember Rubio presents Operation Gobble 

You’re invited to the 5th Annual Operation Gobble Turkey & Food Giveaway! On Tuesday, November 23, at 10 a.m., at Gladstone High School in Covina, attendees will receive a free* frozen turkey and/or gift card while supplies last.

*Limit one per household. Given on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, please call (626) 960-4457. 

Holiday Parade in Old Town Monrovia 

The City of Monrovia is excited to announce the return of our annual Holiday Parade in Old Town Monrovia on December 2! The parade will begin at 7 p.m., traveling north on Myrtle Avenue from Chestnut Avenue to Palm Avenue. The Holiday Parade is sponsored by the Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board. Parade application to participate is now available. To register, please complete the application and submit it to the Community Center no later than Monday, November 29. 

2021 Holiday Home Decorating Contest

Celebrate the spirit of the holidays by decorating your home! Monrovia residents are invited to enter the Holiday Home Decorating Contest. This contest is free and open to Monrovia residents only. Residents must register for the contest by Monday, December 6, at 5 p.m. The contest judging will take place from December 10 to December 12, and the winners will be announced on December 14 and be recognized at the Monrovia City Council Meeting on December 21. On Friday, December 17, a map will be published with the addresses of all the participating homes for the community to take a driving tour and see the festive displays.

Awards will be given out to the following categories:

• Best Still Display
• Best Outdoor Display
• Most Effective Use of Lighting
• Best Neighborhood Effort
• Santa's Workshop Award
• Holiday Spirit Award
• Judges Award
• Children's Choice Award

Santa Tour 

Santa Claus and his friends will be touring each neighborhood on top of a decorated fire engine, escorted by a police car and a decorated public works sleigh! Everyone is encouraged to come out and wave to Santa and enjoy the holiday carols. 

Please note that due to safety concerns, Santa will not be having passengers ride along on the sleigh. 

A full Santa Tour schedule can be seen at www.cityofmonrovia.org/SantaTour. Santa has many neighborhoods that he has to visit throughout this entire week. So that you don't miss him, we've installed a tracker on his sleigh to let you know his exact whereabouts at all times!

Old Town Monrovia Carriage Rides

Horse-drawn carriage rides will be available in Old Town Monrovia on Sunday evenings in December! The horse-drawn carriage rides are $5 per person, or free for every $20 spent in Old Town Monrovia on that day. The horse-drawn carriage rides will be available on December 5, 12, and 19, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Those interested in a carriage ride should meet at Library Park and please remember that rides are first-come, first-serve. No advance reservations are available.

The Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center presents Oliver!

You're invited to Oliver! The Musical at the Taylor Performing Arts Center, Monrovia High School's 16th professional production for the community. Oliver! will take place alfresco (with heat lamps provided) in Friendship Circle on the campus at Monrovia High School for 2 performances only, Saturday, November 20, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 21, at 6:30 p.m.

Monrovia Association of Fine Arts presents Chalksgiving

It’s Almost Chalksgiving -- Gobble This Up! 

Monrovia Association of Fine Arts presents Chalkgiving, an at-home chalk festival for the whole community, November 25 - 28. You're invited to be part of this warm and wonderful pan-cultural event that celebrates community, family, the arts and gratitude during these challenging times.

To participate, register on the MAFA website at monroviafinearts.org. Then pick up your kit to create chalk art with the theme “What We’re Grateful For” on your sidewalk or driveway at home. And thanks to the generosity of our community partners, you can get the chalk for FREE! 

How would you spend $15,000,000 to better Monrovia? The Monrovia City Council wants to hear from you and City staff are holding outreach activities to hear your ideas, thoughts and preferences for how to spend this money. Come join friends, neighbors, business owners and the city manager and staff at a town hall meeting. Below are meetings dates and times.

• December 4, Library Park, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. 
• December 11, Station Square Park, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.  

If you can’t make it, please submit your ideas at www.cityofmonrovia.org/measurek. 

Water Conservation Kits Now Available 

In July, Governor Newsom declared a statewide drought emergency and signed an Executive Order calling on all Californians to voluntary reduce their water usage by 15% as we faced the state’s most severe drought on record. By October, Los Angeles along with seven other counties, were added to the Governor's affected counties list. Residents were asked residents to preserve water as we face a potential third dry year. On November 9, the Metropolitan Water District declared a drought emergency and is asking local government agencies, including Monrovia, to conserve as much as possible as we attempt to meet the 15% in water conservation efforts.   

The City is continuing to offer FREE water conservation kits to help meet the 15% goal. Please submit the following form to request a kit for pick up at the Public Works Yard located at 600 S. Mountain Avenue. Please note, this is for Monrovia residents only and is limited to one kit per household.

Work Around Town 

Tree Trimming Schedule  
West Coast Arborists (WCA), the City’s contracted tree trimming company, will continue tree trimming in Grid 3. Tree trimming will continue this week through next as they work between Mayflower and Fifth from El Norte to the southern boundary of the City’s jurisdiction. 
Contact: Monrovia Public Works, (626) 932-5575, [email protected]

Water Shut-Offs 
Our Water Production team will be conducting work on Falling Leaf Alley, on November 23, that will result in water shut offs at business located on Myrtle Avenue between Lime and Lemon Avenues. To avoid shut offs during regular business hours, crew will work between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.  
Contact: Monrovia Public Works, (626) 932-5575, [email protected]

Power Outage
Southern California Edison (SCE) has planned power outages to take place on Tuesday, November 23, in the 600 Block of West Colorado Boulevard (8 a.m. - 2 p.m.). SCE will continue to upgrade aging infrastructure, make needed improvements, and complete other repairs.
Contact: SCE, (888) 759-6056

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

• MAP-edu Community Meeting | November 20 | 11 a.m.  
• Louise K. Taylor Performing Arts Center presents Oliver! | November 20 & 21
• Centre Stage's Beauty and the Beast | throughout November 2021  
• City Council Meeting | December 7 | 7:30 p.m. 
• Join the Bobcat Fire Clean-Up Crew
• Make an Appointment for Passport Services at Monrovia Community Center 
• Monrovia Street Fair & Market | Fridays | 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
• E-Waste Drop Off at Monrovia Public Works Yard | Daily
• Subscribe to e-Notifications for Meeting Agendas
• Request a Bulky Item Pick-Up
• Report Abandoned Bulky Item 
• Request your Water Conservation Kit

Job Opportunities with the City of Monrovia 

• Maintenance Worker (Part-Time) 
• Recreation Leader (Part-Time)
• Development Services Technician
• Principal Accountant 

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 385 service events, resulting in 74 investigations. View the Neighborhood Watch Report. 

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