Monrovia City Manager: Aztec Hotel 'Potentially Unsalvageable'

Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa is doubtful about the future of the Aztec Hotel. He writes:

 

"[T]he very historical significance of the structure [the Aztec Hotel] contributes to the high cost of renovation which makes the situation potentially unsalvageable. As a hotel, the economics of the property are challenging to say the least; as any other adaptive reuse, the significant rehab cost erodes the market value. Still, there are elements in the building that could inspire a long-term investor's imagination and vision. We shall see."

 

Source: http://goo.gl/gpPOH

 

- Brad Haugaard

Muskets in Monrovia

There will be a Civil War reenactment from noon to 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday (June 11 and 12), featuring soldiers with period gear, musicians, clothiers, etc. There will be stories, President Lincoln will talk about his times, and there will be a musket demonstration. The event is at the Monrovia Historical Museum, 742 East Lemon Ave. It is a fundraiser and tickets cost $8 for adults and $4 for children. http://goo.gl/1tAcU

- Brad Haugaard (thanks to Becky Shevlin for the tip.)

Monrovia Economics: Getting Better

On the economic front, Monrovia City Manager Scott Ochoa says that things are getting better, but life's still tough.

"The good news," he writes, "is that sales and property tax revenues are beginning to recover... . While it would be a stretch to consider this year as an economic juggernaut, we are meeting our conservative revenue estimates."

The "bad news," he says, is that "we continue to have to economize on costs."

He said the "foundation" of the city's business model is "attracting new businesses that generate new property and sales tax revenue; attracting employers whose employees shop and dine and live in Monrovia; and attracting the private investment that generates the momentum to sustain itself."

Source: http://goo.gl/gpPOH

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Senator vs. Mussels | Hearing Postponed | Anti-Cancer Event

~ Legislation to combat the spread of invasive mussel species, authored by State Senator Bob Huff, who represents Monrovia, has been approved by the state Senate and now moves to the Assembly. http://goo.gl/qdUvr

~ Hearing for former elementary school teacher from Monrovia postponed in molestation case. http://goo.gl/LoJfT

~ A successful anti-cancer event. http://goo.gl/69NPb

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Art Walks This Summer

There will be three free Art Walks in Old Town Monrovia featuring local artists on the last Saturday of each month this summer, on June 25, July 30 and August 27, from 7-10 p.m.

Local artists will set up along Myrtle Avenue to show and sell drawings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography, hand-made glass and ceramic artworks. There will also be live music, face painting, gallery receptions and the JACK  FM 93.1 Street Team.

At the June 25 Art Walk, Paint-N-Play 2 Studio & Gallery will feature the 'Los Angeles Windows Collection' by photographer Stephen Colman, with live music by the Locke Brothers.

At Paint-N-Play Art Studio and Gallery, 418 South Myrtle Ave., the first 50 kids (12 and under) can paint a ceramic piece for free. Sponsored by MAFA.

Live art demonstrations will include ceramics wheel throwing by Monrovia High School Ceramics, plein-air painting and clay sculpture. Artists Frank Zgonc and Heather Shaw will bring back the "Brush-Off," which is the two artists painting on each other's canvases as a collaborative effort. 

Old Town Merchants will be holding sales and special events, including the popular Traditional Music Gathering at The Dollmakers, 412 South Myrtle. 

- Brad Haugaard (from press release)

Monrovia Chopped Again?

Here is a proposed redistricting map that shows Monrovia apparently getting chomped between a couple assembly and senate districts: http://goo.gl/WghrO (Here is the home page: http://goo.gl/6XbvD )

Alex Zucco, who brought this to my attention (Thanks, Alex), writes: "Here are the 'visualizations' - both the Assembly and Congressional seats have Monrovia in two districts, State Senate is harder to tell...it looks like since they call below Duarte 'Mayflower Village' they are trying to brand it as a different town - not a neighborhood."

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Chopped in Redistricting? | MHS vs. Bullying | Joplin

~ Monrovia School Board member Alex Zucco tweets about redistricting, saying that "some maps [are] showing #Monrovia spilt in 2 -- AGAIN! ... What happened to keeping cities in 1 District?" Amen.
 
~ Monrovia High students beat up on bullying. http://goo.gl/MY8WU
 
~ New Beginnings Family Church tweets that its relief-supply team has arrived at Joplin.
 
- Brad Haugaard

Put Monrovia's Plymouth School on Traditional Schedule?

Here's the agenda of the School Board's 7:30 p.m. June 8 meeting. http://goo.gl/EVlPp

It looks like the highlight is whether to switch Plymouth School back to a traditional school year effective Aug. 1, 2011.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Relay Against Cancer | Benefit Sale | Church Team Nears Joplin | Freeway Chase

~ Relay for Life tomorrow (Sat., June 4). More than $55,000 raised so far for American Cancer Society. At Recreation Park at 11 a.m. http://goo.gl/I7LBN UPDATE: Here's a Star-News article: http://goo.gl/I0fDD

~ Rummage sale scheduled to help children whose parents died. At Wild Rose School, Friday, June 17 at 9 a.m. through June 18 at 2 p.m. http://goo.gl/o5vLf

~ Team from Monrovia's New Beginnings Bible Church has passed Oklahoma City on its way to deliver relief supplies to Joplin. Pastor's blog post on entering Texas here: http://goo.gl/PP0nW

~ Monrovians arrested following short freeway chase. http://goo.gl/Owmc9

- Brad Haugaard

Lunch at Claim Jumper

Got BBQ chicken salad off the lunch menu. Good, but the potato cheese soup (pre-eaten, so not shown) is awesome!

- Brad Haugaard

Red Lobster Remodel

The Red Lobster restaurant on Huntington is being remodeled, but is still open.

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Council: Land to Gold Line? Gear for Fire Department; Deal With Forest Service

The Monrovia City Council will hold be a special budget study session at 6 p.m. on June 6, and then a regular meeting on June 7 at 7:30 p.m. At the regular meeting the Council will:

 

- Hold a hearing on whether to sell to the Gold Line the land bounded by Evergreen Avenue, Shamrock Avenue, Duarte Road and California Avenue.

 

- Consider buying $27,782.91 of protective gear for the fire department, paid for by a federal grant. http://goo.gl/MDflV

 

- Consider working a deal with the Forest Service to cooperate if there is a forest-city fire. http://goo.gl/gHT2s

 

- Brad Haugaard

Goodbye Santa Teresita Hospital

At its June 7 meeting, the Monrovia City Council will consider zoning changes to facilitate a project to tear down Santa Teresita Hospital (mostly in Duarte but on the border of Monrovia) and replace it with the "Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita." This project will include "skilled nursing facilities as well as assisted living and independent living units in a campus type setting for seniors." The project "will be developed in four phases and the first phase includes construction of a 22-unit assisted living facility located in Monrovia." http://goo.gl/C81ZS

 

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia Pastor Blogs Joplin Trip | Lutz Hopes Problems Can Be Fixed | Woman Not Charged

~ The pastor of a Monrovia church taking relief supplies to Joplin, Missouri, is blogging the experience along the way. http://goo.gl/CNXpD

~ Mayor Mary Ann Lutz hopes problems identified by CalTrans audit of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments can be fixed. http://goo.gl/oDkDS

~ Monrovia woman not charged in Altadena shooting incident. http://goo.gl/hqDbM

- Brad Haugaard

Monrovia PD to Receive $20,000 Alcohol Control Grant

According to the Monrovia PD's Neighborhood Watch Report, the department's Special Enforcement Team was selected to receive a $20,000 grant for fiscal year 2011-2012 (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) "to address alcohol related problems within the city." The program "will focus resources on licensed establishments that have a disproportionate amount of calls for service." The money will pay for overtime expenses and equipment.

- Brad Haugaard