East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association
2013 Newsletter
No. 8 News from East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association February 21, 2013
Voting time again!
Please vote in our Association’s annual election of officers at our Saturday March 9 meeting, held at Hastings Branch Library from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm.
Officer positions are:
President – chair meetings; officially represent the association to external parties
Vice President – support and act in place of President or Secretary as needed
Secretary – publicize meetings; record and distribute meeting minutes; maintain contact list.
Treasurer – receive, keep safe, track, report on, and disburse Association funds. (So far the Association has never had any funds.)
Nominations for willing candidates may be made via e-mail [email protected] or phone 626 792-2927 by March 5. Please provide the name, address, and a contact e-mail and/or phone number for the candidate.
The “Neighborhood Association”
Anyone age 18 and above who lives within the boundaries is automatically a member of East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association. The boundaries are from Foothill Blvd. north to the south side of Orange Grove Blvd, and from Eaton Wash east to Sierra Madre Villa Ave. There are no membership dues.
The Neighborhood Association mission is to help improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. It does this by:
- helping us get to know and communicate with each other,
- keeping us informed of local developments and issues affecting the neighborhood,
- helping us work together to safeguard and improve our neighborhood,
- providing an avenue for organized feedback and input to the city.
Meetings: Second Saturday of each month at 11:15 am at Hastings Branch Library.
Can’t make meetings? That’s ok. Sign up for e-mail and you’ll receive the meeting summary each month, and an occasional message when something comes up between meetings. We won’t share your e-mail address with anybody.
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: https://eewna.org
Potential Soccer Fields
For about a year, the city has working on a plan to put two youth sized soccer fields on the city owned open land south of the dog park, west of the Edison wires, east of Eaton Wash, and north of the electrical substation and water well. (The same area previously proposed for use as an ice skating facility.)
The adjacent area under the power lines, which is owned by Edison, would become a parking lot. Vehicle access would be from Foothill Blvd through the PCC-CEC parking lot, and/or from Orange Grove Blvd through the park parking lot.
City staff have been talking with Edison on and off for many months. Edison representatives rejected the initial rough proposal, but reportedly have been more receptive to later revisions. Because the use of Edison land would be required, city staff do not want to present a plan to the community unless / until they have obtained agreement from Edison.
Our neighborhood has been promised that there will be no vehicle access through our streets. We have requested that any plan for parking under the wires include substantial landscape screening between it and Avocado Ave. (Additional or modified pedestrian access has not been discussed.)
Still, there is no avoiding that any facility there will have visual and sound impacts to our neighborhood, especially for residents of Avocado Avenue, Avocado Lane, and the western end of the streets. The largest negative impact is likely to come from lights at night.
What we were told in March last year is that the soccer fields would be artificial turf. While very expensive, this would allow them to be used intensively year around, without the rest required by grass. The fields would likely be marked for multi-purpose use, not just soccer. There would be a fence around the fields which would be locked when not in use. When open, an official monitor would have to be present to make sure rules are followed. There would be no spectator seating built; just bring your own chair/blanket.
The fields would be lighted. The lighting would be automatically or remotely turned off every night, perhaps later on Friday and Saturday then weeknights, but.by 9 – 10 pm at the latest.
A large number of parking spaces are required in order to accommodate both the teams playing and teams arriving or departing.
In addition to the soccer fields and parking, there would be restrooms and space for storing maintenance equipment.
Funding would come from a large County grant, and from development fees which must be spent in East Pasadena for recreation improvements.
In March 2012, city staff anticipated that planning could take up to a year and a half and construction another year.
Kaiser Parking Construction
The construction of a parking structure underway behind the Kaiser Medical Offices on the southwest corner of Sierra MadreVilla Ave. and Foothill Blvd. is scheduled to be finished by early August. At that time, employees and visiting Kaiser members will be able to park in the new structure.
After the structure is opened, the surface parking to the east of it will be reconfigured. The result will include increased greenspace along the Sierra Madre Villa Ave frontage. All construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Former Pacific Hastings Theater Site
A long term lease for the former Pacific Hastings movie theater has been signed by LA Fitness. The announcement stated that LA Fitness would lease the entire 43,360 sq ft building for a “full service health and fitness club facility” with a goal of opening in the Fall of 2014.
Progressive Insurance Building
Progressive Insurance is constructing a 20,000 sq ft office building on the south side of Foothill Blvd across from Ralphs. Progressive purchased the 2.5 acre site previously occupied by the Pleasures “Gentlemen’s Club” and Charlie Brown’s restaurant.
Street Name Signs
Street name signs on Avocado Ave and Alameda Streets that were damaged/lost during the big windstorm have been identified again and supposedly will be ordered for replacement. That will take at least a couple more months.
Good Neighbors
Collect their dog’s droppings and put it in the trash.
Don’t feed wild animals. If pets/strays must be fed outside, only put food out for immediate eating and then clean up any leftovers.
Don’t let homeless cats make more. The Pasadena Humane Society has a free program for spaying/neutering feral/stray cats called TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release). http://www.pasadenahumane.org