November 14, 2015 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and phone reminders

Attendees

2 members

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:30 am

    • Utility undergrounding program
      • The City Council’s Municipal Services Committee is considering terminating the electric utility undergrounding program or changing it considerably.  Even if it is decided to terminate it, it might still continue for years to meet a vastly reduced goal.
      • The funds fraud scandal discovered last year drew a lot more attention to it and its unrealistic promises given the extreme expense and time required to install underground and the difficulties of repair and maintenance.
      • The Mayor reportedly has said he is in favor of eliminating the program.
      • There are potentially legal issues involved in terminating the program because every ratepayer has been paying a fee on every electric bill for decades under the promise that eventually all the electric lines would be undergrounded.
      • It was acknowledged a few years ago that at the rate its been happening so far it will take another 40 to 50 years just for the major streets, and hundreds of years for the rest.
      • Even when the city and PWP have the funding and everything worked out on their end, one of the biggest problems has been getting the phone and cable companies in sync to also underground their lines.  Without that, the poles cannot be taken down, and since the purpose of undergrounding is mostly aesthetic, and the phone and cable lines are the fatter, lower to the ground lines…
      • While it is true that underground lines aren’t subject to wind and squirrel damage, they are very subject to water and underground animals, to people accidentally digging them up, overheating, fires.  Wires damaged above ground are easier and less expensive to diagnose and fix.
    • Goodrich electric receiving station wall
      • The Goodrich electric substation is on the north side of Foothill, just west of PCC-CEC and east of the 210 bridge.  It is where Pasadena’s electric system is connected to the the rest of the world via Edison’s high power lines.
      • Currently the facility has a 22 foot concrete wall facing Foothill, but just a chain link fence around the rest of it.
      • For “security”, the chain link fence will now be replaced with a 1260 foot long, 22 foot high pre-cast concrete panel wall similar to the one already along Foothill.
      • The work is expected to take place in the next 4 months at a cost of about $2.3 million.
    • Council District community meeting Nov 19
      • Council member Gene Masuda is holding his annual community meeting
        • Thursday November 19
          6:30 – 8 pm
          Ganahl Lumber, 3003 E. Colorado Blvd
      • Scheduled topics are preparation for El Nińo and a proposed Arroyo Seco Music and Arts Festival.
      • There will also be a raffle of two Rose Parade tickets at the end of the meeting.  You are asked to contribute a non-perishable food item for a Thanksgiving food drive to enter the raffle drawing.
      • (Note, the Council District will be raffling Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game tickets online again this year.  From Friday November 27 to Sunday December 6. Parade tickets are free. Game tickets must be paid for by December 11. www.cityofpasadena.net/District4 )
    • Crown Valley Nursery open
      • A new plant nursery, Crown Valley Nursery, opened on October 1 in the space north of Sierra Madre Blvd where Perssons used to be.  It is open to the public.  3115 Sierra Madre Blvd.  (626) 433-8533
      • From the Council District announcement: “The owner Mr. Marvin Khudadian of Crown Valley Nursery says,”we intend to offer complete landscape services to clients.  Services will include on-site consultations, landscape design/build services and quality maintenance programs. It is our full intention to educate clients on water saving smart irrigation systems, sustainable landscape solutions and energy saving LED lighting systems.”
      • The city announcement says they open at 9 am Monday to Saturday, but their Yelp page says they open at 8 am.  Monday to Friday they close at 5 pm; Saturday either 4 pm (Yelp) or 5 pm (city).  They are closed Sunday.
      • There is currently a discount being offered on Yelp.
      • The nursery has also leased from Edison the two lots under the wires between Sierra Madre Blvd  and Orange Grove Blvd., a total of about 11 acres.  Those two southern lots will be used only for growing.  Their use is still being designed with development expected in early 2016.
    • Gold Line to Azusa opening scheduled
      • Passenger service is now scheduled to start on the Gold Line from Sierra Madre Villa east to Azusa on Saturday March 5, 2016.
      • That’s 11.5 miles and new stations in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, downtown Azusa, and APU/Citrus College Station.
      • If tradition holds, you’ll be able to ride for free on opening day.
    • Watering now restricted to Saturday only
      • The city’s water shortage ordinance now restricts watering to one day a week, Saturday, until March 31.
      • From June 1 to November 4, PWP’s water saving meter shows 23% water savings.  The state water board imposed a requirement of 28% for Pasadena, with potential fines if that isn’t met by February 2016.
      • Still, don’t forget to water your trees!  We’ve had almost no rain here since September and nothing significant is in the forecast.  There was some significant rain in areas to our east and west, but not here.
    • Fire Station 37 Open House Dec 5
      • Fire Station 37 is “our” fire station, on the SE corner of Foothill and Halstead.  It is holding on Open House on
        • Saturday December 5, 2015
          9 am – 11 am
          3420 East Foothill Blvd.
      • Council member Gene Masuda and Fire Chief Bertral Washington are hosting.
      • Refreshments will be served.
      • “The morning will include demonstrations, information tables, and a chance to meet and greet the women and men of the Pasadena Fire Department, along with other City Officials, and community health and safety partners.”
    • 3175 Alameda sold
      • The boarded up house at 3175 Alameda that has been a neighborhood nuisance since 2007 has finally been sold.
      • It looks like a construction company purchased it for the unbelievably high price of $417,000.  They must be planning to build a mini-mansion.
    • Neighborhood Connections meeting result
      • Jennie stopped by to represent us at the Neighborhood Connections office’s Meet and Greet on Saturday October 17 at Jackie Robinson Center.
      • She brought back a bunch of materials, including:
        • Our Neighborhood Association’s “certification” that we are a “neighborhood association in good standing”, dated July 23, 2015, with number 04139226.
        • A sheaf of publications from Neighborhood Connections about creating and running associations.  Looks like mostly the same stuff we got in 2005.
        • A card from the Pasadena Museum of History asking for volunteers to work with school children on weekday mornings.  Visit www.pasadenahistory.org
        • An advertisement for the Pasadena Citizen Service Center.
    • Local Crime Summary
      • For the last month, from crimemapping.com:
        • Friday October 16, 11:07 pm, 3100 block Foothill Bl, Grand Theft Auto
        • Tuesday October 20, 12:27 pm, 400 block Vineyard Pl, Residential burglary
          • According to an account in the Pasadena Star News, a neighbor observed three young men trying to break a window of the house and called police.  The police responded immediately and arrested three teens aged 15 to 17 from Los Angeles.  They were in possession of burglary tools and reportedly took the Gold Line to get here.
          • Most of the neighborhood was alerted to the activity by a police helicopter suddenly circling very tightly at an extremely low altitude over our homes.  There were also numerous police cars driving fast.  A neighbor down the street noted five cruisers, a canine unit, and two detective cars.
    • anything else attendees wish to discuss
      Next meeting is December 12, 11:15 am, at Hastings Branch Library meeting room
    Adjourned about 12:45 pm