JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004

IN THIS ISSUE:

Colorful New Playgrounds

Have a Little Fun at the Library

Help Support Recreation for All

City Crews Collect Recycling, Too

2004 State of the City Event: "A Culture of Creativity"

City Hall Will Close in June

Danger In a Flash

Keeping Our Restaurants Squeaky Clean

Pasadena’s Cultural Plan

Canadian Gardener Converts to California Style

Faster Water Testing

Cleaning Up Our Water Wells

Seismic Study On Tap for City Reservoirs

Etcetera...Etcetera

Noticias en Breve

Colorful New Playgrounds

HO CAN FORGET THE FEELING of zipping down a slide, swinging to the clouds or taking in the view from the top of a jungle gym? Thanks to a $2 million project to spruce up city playgrounds, new generations of Pasadena kids are enjoying the same exhilaration.

With the final bolt tightened on the play structure at Robinson Park in February, the city is wrapping up a six-month project to replace the aging equipment at nine city parks. Little ones are already climbing all over the new play areas at Brookside, Eaton Blanche, Hamilton, Singer, Sunnyslope, Victory, Villa and Washington parks. With the goal of capturing the interest and imaginations of our parks’ youngest visitors, the new equipment features a colorful variety of climbers, slides, bridges, towers and ramps, with unique features at each site. New landscaping, decorative walls, bridges, walkways, benches and paving were added as a bonus. Another seven parks, including Allendale, Brenner, Grant, Jefferson, La Pintoresca, McDonald and San Rafael, received upgrades to make sure all play equipment meets current safety standards.

Why the changes? Playgrounds are important! Neighborhood parks are the perfect place for kids to breathe fresh air, get a little exercise, build their strength and skills and meet new playmates. They’re even more important for kids who don’t have a sprawling backyard; parks provide wide-open places to play right around the corner.

With accessibility in mind, the recent upgrades have also ensured that children of all abilities can join in the fun. Thanks to ramps, railings and more, all of the new equipment is accessible to children with disabilities and their caregivers. Above all, safety and durability were the goals; when used the right way, the new equipment will let Pasadena families enjoy a day at the park – worry-free – for years to come.

For a list of city parks, go to www.cityofpasadena.net/publicworks/PNR/parks.asp or call 744-4321.

Have a Little Fun at the Library

The kids don’t get to have all the fun! Grownups can find plenty of enjoyment at Pasadena’s public libraries in a variety of ways.

For one, you can sign on as a volunteer at any branch, helping with book collections and special programs, staffing The Store at Central, teaching computer classes and more. Through a new project, you can also lead architectural tours of Central Library, telling visitors about everything from the library’s founding in 1882 to   the sculptor who designed the children’s wing fireplace. Call 744-7076 to sign up.

Or brush up on your computer skills, learn to use the Internet and more at free classes held at Pasadena Public Library. Classes are taught in English and Spanish. For more information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/library/PubTraining.htm for dates and times.

Help Support Recreation for All

ARA BEZJIAN LOVES HIS WEEKLY ART CLASS, where he shares thoughts ranging from his independence and what he would do if he were governor.

He’s just one of the many satisfied customers of the city’s Adaptive Recreation program, specially designed for residents of all ages with disabilities. The program offers Pioneer and Interact groups for adults and teens, weekly art classes, monthly dances and special events, therapeutic horseback riding, training for the Pasadena Special Olympics and much more.

How can you help? We’re looking for additional funding to provide an improv program at Victory Park and an art show at the Coffee Gallery in Altadena. (Donations are tax- deductible through the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation). We also need volunteers to share skills and talents, and ideas for future programs. To pitch in, email jackiescott@cityofpasadena.net or call 744-7257.

City Crews Collect Recycling, Too

FEBRUARY 2 IS THE DATE single family residents begin having their curbside recycling collected by the city’s own crews, who also collect refuse and yard waste. This move means improved response times because residents will only need one number to call for service changes or questions.

With the switch, there won’t be any extra costs or changes to the type or number of recyclable materials that the city collects; acceptable items are listed on the lid of the recycling container and in the 2003-2004 Annual Trash Schedule and Recycling Information brochure that was mailed to all single-family residents in mid-December.

The brochure also tells residents what to do with household hazardous waste and bulky items. If you lost your copy, a limited supply is available by calling the number below.

The Public Works Department emphasizes that all three containers – refuse, yard waste and recycling – can only be filled to capacity so that lids close completely. This keeps pests away and trash from flying, and the Pasadena Municipal Code requires it!

For more information on the City’s refuse and recycling program call 744-4087 or go to www.cityofpasadena.net/publicworks.

City Hall Will Close in June

FIVE MONTHS AND COUNTING! From June 1 to 14, offices at Pasadena City Hall will move into interim locations. Municipal Services, currently in room 121 at City Hall, will relocate to a temporary office building across the street from City Hall. Most other offices and employees will move to 117 E. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena (the northwest corner of Colorado Boulevard and Arroyo Parkway). Telephone numbers will not change.

City Hall will be closed until June 2007 for a restoration and seismic retrofit. The building’s historic exterior will remain intact and will be restored to its original 1927 condition. Much focus has been placed on the retrofit but little has been placed on the restoration: All ironwork and plaster surfaces will be repaired and repainted; paint will be stripped; cast stone elements will be preserved; copper trim, gutters, downspouts, roofs and cupolas will be repaired; tile in corridors will be repaired or replaced; doors and windows will be refinished; and exterior light fixtures will be repaired and cleaned. In addition, while the building’s historic interior spaces will be restored, office areas will be reconfigured. City Hall will be brought up to current building codes, including life safety, disabled access, air conditioning, heating, plumbing and electrical; and communications systems, including broadcasting of City Council meetings, will be modernized.

Our faithful information booth volunteers will relocate to the interim City Hall so you’ll be able to maneuver through the building with ease. In case you forget the location once the move takes place, there will be plenty of signage and directories at and near City Hall. And, of course, our customer service operator is always on hand during normal business hours at 744-4000 to answer your questions.

Since its completion on Dec. 27, 1927, Pasadena City Hall has remained one of the most distinctive public buildings in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cost for building Pasadena City Hall was $1.3 million and was funded by a bond issue. For the final design, the San Francisco architectural firm of Bakewell and Brown turned to the style of 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, who, like the California mission-building padres, had studied and admired the Roman architect Vitruvius. Palladio represented the simple, serene, classical style of the early Renaissance in contrast to the Gothic style of medieval times and the rococo style of the later Renaissance.

The budget for the retrofit and restoration is about $93 million and is funded from a variety of sources. Your purchase of commemorative post cards, t-shirts, tote bags and other items in room 121 helps fund the restoration of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in City Hall’s grand entrance on Garfield Avenue.

In coming months, there will be tours and other events to give Pasadena residents a final opportunity to visit the building before it closes for three years. Look for more information in upcoming issues of Pasadena In Focus and local newspapers.

The City Hall Restoration Oversight Committee, comprised of community leaders and experts in the fields of seismology, architecture and historic preservation, meets the second Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. in the Management Conference Room (323) at City Hall and meetings are open to  the public.

For more information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net and click on City Hall Project or call 744-7073.