So, what is holding up the opening of Monrovia Canyon Park?
I got a tour of the park with City Manager Dylan Feik. The main park opening-preventers, he said, are:
1. The need to remove heavy duty debris such as broken concrete.
2. All the paved areas need to be resurfaced, and obviously that needs to happen after the big trucks remove the heavy debris.
3. Water will be pumped up to the top of the park, but the pumps run on electricity, and Southern California Edison has to provide the connection. And, of course, Edison has been a bit busy lately.
While there are other things to do, much of that work can be completed after the park has reopened. Anyway, the long and the short of it is that there is still no firm opening date.
But here is an overview of what you can expect to see when the park does open, and some future plans as well.
Ranger’s kiosk.
The ranger’s kiosk will be enclosed. Nice for the ranger in bad weather.
Rest area.
There is a rest, conversation and meditation area next to the stream just past the lower bridge.
A small amphitheater has been added near the cabin, which will also be refurbished on the inside.
Pump station.
A water pumping station has been installed next to the restrooms. It is one of two. The other is located near the park gate.
The rock wall just past the last curve to the upper parking lot completely collapsed during the rains following the Bobcat fire. The wall has been replaced and given a very sturdy foundation. Can you tell where the old wall ends and the new wall begins?
Fiber cable has been installed throughout the park, so there should be no dead spots for Internet connectivity.
Damkeepers house.
Dreaming into the future, Feik is thinking that someday the ratty old damkeepers residence could be torn down and replaced with a modest structure for small events. The view is pretty awesome!
- Brad Haugaard
Thanks for the update it’s very helpful. We have to be realistic with contractors and timelines, many moving parts literally and figuratively. People need to adopt the mindset of nature….nature is in no hurry yet everything is accomplished.
ReplyDeleteThe city has set all of its own goals and all of its own timelines to meet those goals, yet still fails to meet them over and over. That’s embarrassingly bad project management.
DeleteI have not been to the park since it was closed, and since then, moved out of the country for my degree. I'm going away again and feel quite disappointed that I may not be present for the reopening! It's funny because in the UK parks are constantly undergoing maintenance but there aren't pesky electrical lines and wildfires to make things worse.
ReplyDeleteYou will probably have a phd before park gets reopened.
Deletemake that a double PHD before the park gets reopened.
DeleteWeak! Who keeps blowing past the deadlines? It’s like the never ending project.
ReplyDeleteThe waterfall was one of a few reasons we moved to Monrovia. Now my kids have no memory of it. I’m not sure those reasons really explain why hikers and bikers can’t access the trails and dirt road which are in amazing shape and have been for a long time.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I see no reason as to why the entire park had to remain closed while work was done on the lower sections with its infrastructure. Perhaps there is one but with how little communication there’s been none has ever been provided. MCP is the most convenient access to ANF; it seems ridiculous to cut that off so that a corner of the park could get more artificial features.
DeleteI remember when they used to do the fountain to the falls run and even put up permanent street signs around town to highlight the way to the falls.
DeleteCome down Overtuft via the Mt Bliss road a few times as of late, the condition of the road is fantastic given how destroyed it was after the post-Bobcat flood at the end of 2021; thank you to the volunteer crews who helped make this happen!
ReplyDeleteThe clean-up of the road to White Saddle was done by Forest Service.
DeleteThe pictures look great! I’ve been wondering what’s been going on with the park. However I don’t see any reason why people wouldn’t be allowed to enter the park by foot. This article makes the closure look even more silly in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe city is being safe, Better to wait till its safe to do so than allow someone to go in when its still unsafe and end up with them getting hauled by the fire department and the city getting hit by a lawsuit and having to close the park forever.
Delete3 years is ridiculous. You can be safe but not move at a snail’s pace. You are reducing people’s access to nature and parks that they have paid for and continue to pay for.
DeleteBoy I wish it had only been 3 years…it’s 2025 and the rains were winter of 2020. Worse, much of the work around that’s holding everything up had its contract awarded and began just relatively recently.
DeleteThose that wish for their “nature” access to be as safe as an amusement park can wait. Why not allow in people who feel otherwise?
DeleteReplying to Silence Dogood: What do you see in this article that deems the park unsafe to you? The pile of rocks? There’s always a risk with trails, nature, and the mountains but I can guarantee the risks are much more severe on the city streets and sidewalks of Monrovia.
DeleteAs has been mentioned by some, the trails and road up to White Saddle are in great condition, even better than before the closure. This is not about the dangers of nature. This article says there are piles of concrete and repaving projects. I can’t see why access could be had on foot or bike.
ReplyDeleteBuilding all these structures is great, but the most important thing to me is access. I don’t understand how any of this is a reason to close everything? Can they not just rope off these buildings/structures and let people in on foot and bike? Especially when the boy scout camp is up and running and people are able to *drive* up and down from there. Access to the national forest is one of the main reasons I moved here 15 years ago, so it is extremely disappointing that the city is STILL denying us on-foot entry.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this article and its information, but why hasn’t it come from the city? Their communication has been anemic at best. Some infrequent mentions in City Manager updates and replies to social media comments is less than the bare minimum.
ReplyDeleteIt’s obviously too late now, but I wish there had been some dialogue about what people wanted for MCP (let alone how long they’d be willing to wait for it). Plenty of people I know couldn’t care less about an amphitheater and better internet coverage in the park (really?!), but miss the only practical access to Angeles National Forest. There’s always going to be a range of desires, and that’s fine, but shouldn’t we expect discussion and transparency from our governance?
ReplyDelete