Monrovia City Manager's Update - November 20, 2020

Monrovia CA

21 November, 2020

2:16 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Monrovia: November 20, 2020 Hello Monrovians, The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and we've never had one quite like it. We are scaling down grandiose meal plans for something smaller, outdoors and with limited seating. We are buying meal ingredients weeks in advance, even online, to avoid busy checkout lines… as some grocery stores choose to limit patrons to 50! Holiday shopping – as we've always known it to be – will look different as well. Black Friday shopping and standing in line…nope! As you make your online purchases, please do not forget how much your favorite local businesses have struggled this year and perhaps make extra efforts to shop local. Countywide, COVID-19 cases are now exceeding 5,000 daily just before holiday season when families normally gather together. We should all anticipate another Safer at Home Order if the increasing trend continues (4,500 cases as a 5-day average is the decision point for the County). COVID-19 has been very challenging for all of us, obliterating our traditions and customs and affecting the most cherished and enjoyable things we look forward to. As we sit down and embrace the holiday where thanks is given, let us be thankful for our good health and strive to serve others less fortunate. Have a safe and wonderful weekend and please do all you can to help prevent further spread of COVID-19. Dylan Email: [email protected] Phone: (626) 932-5585 Highlights in this Issue State Issues Limited Stay at Home Order to Slow Spread of COVID-19 Monrovia's Financial Standing on the State Auditor's List 2020 Holiday Home Decorating Contest Santa Tours Holiday Parade at Home Monrovia Police Officer's Association Gives Back for the Holidays Spark of Love Toy Drive Art in Public Places Logo Contest Winner Athens Services Trash Collection Reminders State Issues Limited Stay at Home Order to Slow Spread of COVID-19 In light of an unprecedented, rapid rise in COVID-19 cases across California, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today announced a limited Stay at Home Order requiring generally that non-essential work, movement and gatherings stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in counties in the purple tier. The order will take effect at 10 p.m., Saturday, November 21, and remain in effect until 5 a.m., December 21. This is the same as the March Stay at Home Order, but applied only between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and only in purple tier counties that are seeing the highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations. Monrovia's Financial Standing on the State Auditor's List One year ago, the California State Auditor released a report that named Monrovia as the #10 California city facing fiscal challenges. Regrettably, the State Auditor did not reach out to the City for the latest financial data before publishing these findings, and the information used was outdated and focused on narrow pieces of data. At that time, the State Auditor Report was missing a significant amount of crucial information in their analysis, as the City has made significant strides since 2016-17 to improve our financial position. This week, the California State Auditor's office updated the online local government high-risk dashboard. Monrovia has moved to the #21 position on the list and over time, will continue moving in the favorable direction, perhaps even as other cities' financial conditions worsen due to COVID. As a result of the leadership of the City Council and hard work of our Administrative Services Department, the City continues to be in solid financial shape and we look forward to long-term positive trends. For additional information, please take a look at an article released by the Pasadena Star News: State auditor releases updated rankings of California cities' fiscal health. 2020 Holiday Home Decorating Contest We are now accepting applications for the 2020 Holiday Home Decorating Contest. What better way to celebrate the spirit of the holidays then by decorating your home! Contest registration will close on Monday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. Judging will take place on December 10 - 13 Addresses of all entered homes will be included on the Holiday Home Decorating Contest Map Awards will be given out to the following categories: Best Still Display Best Outdoor Display Mot Effective Use of Lighting Best Neighborhood Effort Santa's Workshop Award Holiday Spirit Award Judges Award Children's Choice Award Come join in on the fun by decorating your home for the community to see! Santa Tours Holiday Parade at Home We invite you to enjoy this year's Santa Tours and Holiday Parade from your home! This ever-popular program is set to take place during the week of December 7, when Santa Claus will be driving down every street in Monrovia. Since we cannot gather for the Annual Holiday Parade in Old Town Monrovia, we are expanding Santa Tours to bring the Parade to you. Be sure to check the schedule and prepare your chairs, blankets, holiday sweets and hot cocoa! Due to COVID-19, we are unable to invite families to ride on Santa's Sleigh. Monrovia Police Officer's Association Gives Back for the Holidays With the pandemic restrictions causing many annual holiday events to be cancelled, the men and women of the Monrovia Police Department were inspired to give back to the community. In the spirit of the holidays, the Monrovia Police Officer's Association (MPOA) is coordinating their very own holiday drive, with safety measures in place, to continue to spread joy! The MPOA will be selecting a few families to provide them with much-needed items to celebrate the holidays. Due to the pandemic, the MPOA is not requesting physical donations for this event. If you would like to make a general donation or contribution to the MPOA, please visit their website at www.monroviapoa.org. Spark of Love Toy Drive Monrovia Fire & Rescue is proud to, once again, partner with the Spark of Love toy drive. This year has proven to have its challenges, and it has changed how toys will be donated. To help minimize contact, fire stations will not be accepting toys. Even though Monrovia firefighters won't be directly collecting toys, supporting Spark of Love has never been easier! Safe, quick, and convenient donations are possible through the Spark of Love toy gift registry. Here are a few ways to donate: Buy a toy at myregistry.com/giftlist/sparkoflove Text to Give: Text "SPARK" to 24365 Art in Public Places Logo Contest Winner The Art in Public Places (AIPP) Program is excited to announce that Dan Sipple's design has been selected as the AIPP official logo! In August 2020, AIPP launched a logo contest and the community's response was very positive. Twenty-three proposals were submitted from a variety of residents ranging from design professionals to a six-year old. Each of the designs thoughtfully connected Monrovia and public art, which made it extremely difficult to narrow down the field. While all proposals conveyed unique aspects, the AIPP Committee believed that Dan Sipple's logo fully captured the spirit of the stated requirements. This new logo reflects Monrovia culture and characteristics, include the words Monrovia and Art in Public Places, incorporate Myrtle leaves and reproduce well in different sizes and formats. We hope the community enjoys the new logo! Athens Services Trash Collection Reminders Athens Services wants to remind you of the following 3 things to ensure a successful service day: Have all containers out at the same time. Make sure there are no items sticking out of the top of your container. Lids must be able to close. Still have a question? Athens has the answer! You can contact Athens Services at athensservices.com/request or (888) 336-6100. Relocation of the Monrovia Street Fair & Market - Effective Friday, November 20 Over the last several weeks, staff has been working with the Monrovia Old Town Advisory Board, Old Town business owners, and the Street Fair Operator – Raw Inspiration, related to the possible relocation of the Monrovia Street Fair & Market to the 500 block on Myrtle Avenue. Currently, the Street Fair is staged in the 700 and 800 blocks of Myrtle Avenue from Olive Avenue to Chestnut Avenue. This location has worked well; however, the proposed relocation to the north, could prove to be better for everyone. The City is currently closing Myrtle Avenue every Friday and Saturday nights for expanded outdoor dining. By extending the closure to the south one block to host the Street Fair, creates a continuity between the two programs and may generate more foot traffic for all businesses in Old Town. MOTAB reviewed the proposed relocation at its November 10 Board meeting, and approved the plan for a trial period through January 2021. At that time the Board will evaluated the move to determine how things are working for the community and Raw Inspiration. The relocation will go into effect on November 20, 2020. Gravel (Sand) Bags Available for Residents as We Approach the Winter Rain Season As you begin to prepare for the winter rain season, the City has made gravel (sand) bags available for the resident use this season. Gravel and bags are available at Recreation Park in the parking lot off of East Olive Avenue, near the skate park and Barney Glen Baseball Field. Recreation Park - 620 S Shamrock Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016 Please note that the gravel bags are self-serve. The City will provide the needed bags and gravel and residents must provide their own shovels, gloves and eye protection. To ensure that there is enough for all of the resident who may use them, we ask that you please take only what you need. Traffic Signal Timing Improvements in the Works for Gold Line Intersections Recently, City staff has been engaged with the cities of Arcadia, Duarte, Pasadena, as well as LA County Public Works, Metro and Caltrans to study traffic signal improvements at intersections adjacent to the Metro L Line (formerly known as the Gold Line). The agencies are working to coordinate improvements in response to the complaints and concerns that they all have received related to the traffic signals along the railroad. In Monrovia, the intersections of Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road, California Avenue and Duarte Road and Mountain Avenue and Duarte Road are set to receive software upgrades in the coming weeks. The enhanced software will enable more advanced traffic signal programming to improve traffic flow and congestion at these three intersections. Earlier this week, City staff, LA County Public Works, Metro and Caltrans began testing out the proposed traffic signal timing at these locations with the goal of having the improvements implemented at all three (3) intersections by the end 2020. We will be sure to provide additional information in future updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Public Works at (626) 932-5575 or [email protected]. Annual Tree Trimming to Continue West Coast Arborists (WCA) has been in town, conducting annual tree trimming activities for the past few weeks. During this period, the activated have been focused in the area of the City between Mayflower Avenue and Myrtle Avenue from Foothill Boulevard to the South City Limit. This work is expected to wind down within the next two weeks. Please note, there will be no tree trimming activities on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Please be mindful of all parking restrictions, traffic control and construction signage in the work area as work is taking place. Staff Working with Southern California Edison to Launch LED Retrofitting of Street Lights Over the past several months, staff has been in discussion and coordination with Southern California Edison (SCE) related to a proposed LED Retrofit Project for Streetlights. SCE owns and maintains approximately 1,700 street lights throughout the City and is proposing to upgrade all of their existing high-pressure sodium lights to LED. LED bulbs use less energy and last significantly longer than the existing high pressure sodium bulbs. In addition, the LED light is a cleaner light that shines clearer with less glare, reducing light pollution along local streets. Under the SCE Program, known as Option E, the City would enter into an agreement with SCE that funds the retrofit of the lights with an Energy Efficiency Premium Charge (EEPC) that would be added to the existing City street lighting bill. Being that the LEDs will utilize less energy, the reduced electricity costs would fund the EEPC and provide an estimated additional $14,000 per year in street lighting electrical cost savings. The light generated by LED lamps look different, and we believe the best way to understand the difference in lighting is to see it. Staff has installed a sample of LED light fixtures along the 400 block of South Ivy Avenue, directly across from Monrovia City Hall. For those who are interested in viewing the LED light fixtures, signage has been placed along the block to identify the sample LED light fixtures. Furthermore, staff is working to provide information and resources of other opportunities to view and observe similar LED street lights in the surrounding communities. This information will be provided on the City website at www.cityofmonrovia.org/streetlights and in future editions of this update. Staff presented the program to the City Council for discussion and feedback at the City Council Meeting on November 17. Based upon the discussion, staff anticipates returning to the Council for further discussion on this item, and possible approval of the agreement, at the City Council Meeting on December 15. While staff is continuing their review in preparation of further discussion with the City Council, we welcome any and all comment and feedback on the proposed project. If you have any questions or concerns about this proposed project, please contact Chris Castruita at (626) 256-8224 or [email protected]. 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: Call Public Works at (626) 932-5575; or Email [email protected] Be sure to provide our name and address to be entered into the raffle. Raffle tickets will be pulled each Thursday and the winners will be notified by Public Works Staff. The winner for this week's drawing is…Naomi Kishimoto! Since June 4, we have received 2,401 reports for abandoned bulky items! Thank you for reporting these items! COVID-19 At a Glance Latest Facts & Figures Monrovia - 986 confirmed cases | 42 deaths L.A. County – 353,232 cases | 7,363 deaths California – 1,059,267 confirmed cases | 18,466 deaths Residential / Non-Residential Settings in Monrovia Burger King Monrovia - 4 staff cases Sierra Auto Cars, Inc. - 5 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention California Department of Public Health To keep the community informed, the Los Angeles County provides updates, which can be viewed on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. City of Monrovia Monrovia Strong 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 - September Phase 2: July - September Phase 3: September - November Phase 4: October - 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 [email protected]. For the week of November 23, work will include: Concrete pouring and restoration on the following streets: Streets South of Greystone: Poinsettia Avenue, Grand Avenue, Sierra Vista Avenue, Heliotrope Avenue, Poppy Avenue, Madison Avenue, Encinitas Avenue, Canyon Boulevard, Kirkwood Lane, Beechworth Avenue, Hill Street, Pine Tree, Ivy Avenue, and Greystone Avenue 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 [email protected]. 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 Monrovia Association of Fine Arts presents ChalksGiving | November 26 - 29 Monrovia City Council Meeting | December 1 | 7:30 p.m. Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Inclusion Meeting | December 3 | 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Monrovia Street Fair & Market | Fridays | 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. E-Waste Drop-off | Daily | Monrovia Public Works Yard Submit a Tree Planting Interest Form Reserve Library Items for Curbside Pick-up | Monday - Saturday Job Opportunities with the City of Monrovia Budget / Finance Administrator Office Aide 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 308 service events, resulting in 60 investigations. View the Neighborhood Watch Report. This press release was produced by the City of Monrovia. The views expressed are the author's own.