SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER  2004

IN THIS ISSUE:

Festival Celebrates Art and Nature

Tender Land Blooms October 9

Do You Need a Building Permit?

Public Works Crews In Your Neighborhood

City Hall Retrofit Update

Buddy Up for Rideshare Week

A Shot of Protection

Update Your Student's Disaster Kit

West Nile Virus Update

A Fresh Idea

High-Tech Home Gardening

New Meters Are Fast And Accurate

More Power to Us!

Call Center Hours to Change

Etcetera...Etcetera

Noticias en Breve

Festival Celebrates Art and Nature

asadena will have its passion for art and science on display for all the world to   see during "The Tender Land: Pasadena Festival of Art, History, Music and     Science" starting next month. During this citywide celebration, more than 30 Pasadena cultural organizations will unite to present a series of performances, concerts, exhibits, films, lessons and tours exploring our relationship with nature. 

With its name taken from the opera by 
Aaron Copland, "The Tender Land" implies 
the fragility of nature. Dozens of local arts 
and science organizations, from the Norton Simon Museum to Caltech, will share their unique interpretations of the theme through special programming. Highlights will include concerts by Grammy Award winners Paul Winter and Southwest Chamber Music, a performance of Richard Strauss's "Four Last Songs," Ecuadorian songs, photography exhibits, a one-of-a-kind children's garden, sound-and-sculpture art, an outdoor film festival, a re-creation of a Gabrielino-Tongva Nation village, a display of treasured landscape masterpieces and much more.

With support from the city, Pasadena Arts Council, Pasadena Arts Commission, Pasadena Arts Alliance, Parsons Foundation and Patagonia Pasadena, other participants include Armory Center for the Arts, Art Center College of Design, The Huntington Library, One Colorado, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Symphony and Shumei Arts Council of America.

At the same time, the Pasadena Unified School District will weave "The Tender Land" into its classroom curriculum this fall for students of all ages. 

Watch for reports and essays in Pasadena's local newspapers, free bus tours and printed festival programs at kiosks citywide. For more information, visit www.tenderland.org. or call 793-8171.

Tender Land Blooms October 9

"The Tender Land" festival kicks off with a free Family Day celebration Saturday, Oct. 9, and dozens of events planned citywide. Free shuttles will 
run between venues from noon to 6 p.m. 

That day, you and your family can enjoy a mini-festival at the Huntington Library plus exhibits, hands-on activities and performances at the Pasadena Museum of History, PCC, Caltech, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Armory Center for the Arts, Armory Northwest and Art Center College of Design. Plus, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music will perform from 1 to 4 p.m., One Colorado presents its Land Sea Sky film series in the courtyard at 8 p.m. and the Pasadena Symphony presents soprano Jane Eaglen at 8 p.m. (tickets start at $10). 

The excitement continues through January, so check back frequently at www.tenderland.org or call 793-8171 for more information.

Do You Need a Building Permit?

Even small home improvement projects may require a city building permit – a simple document that is more important than you may think. It proves your project has been thoroughly checked by a city building inspector, protecting you from shoddy construction that could harm your home’s value and put your family and neighbors at risk. Residents who try to build without a permit risk having to pay double the permit fees, and illegal work that doesn’t meet city codes must be undone.
Which projects require a permit? If you erect, alter, repair, enlarge, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any part of the structures on your property, a permit is required. This includes:
  • Building or replacing a fence or wall
  • Reroofing
  • Paving in your front yard
  • Installing or replacing a heating and/or air conditioning unit
  • Installing or replacing a water heater
  • Changing out windows
  • Electrical, plumbing and mechanical upgrades or alterations
  • Garage conversions 

Learn more by making a quick call to 744-4200 or visiting the Permit Center at 
175 N. Garfield Ave. for helpful handouts, applications, one-on-one advice and more. 
The center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 
from 8 a.m. to noon. 

Public Works Crews In Your Neighborhood

FROM 7 .A.M. TO 4 P.M. every weekday in September and October, city workers will be in Pasadena neighborhoods to conduct an audit of residential pickup routes for trash and recycling. 

The purpose of the audit is to gather information necessary to balance the daily employee workload and improve service levels for all customers. During the audit, workers will walk through neighborhoods on days that trash, yard waste and recycling containers are out for pickup to verify the number, size and serial number of the containers and the addresses to which the containers are assigned. The workers are employed by the city’s Public Works Department in the Street Maintenance and Integrated Waste Management Division. They will wear city-issued safety vests and carry identification badges that are displayed in plain view.

For more information about the audit or about trash and recycling programs, please call 744-4087 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

City Hall Retrofit Update

THE HOUSING DIVISION is the only office remaining at Pasadena City Hall (room 101) and is expected to relocate to the second floor at Fair Oaks Renaissance Plaza, 665 N. Fair Oaks Ave., in late September.

Municipal Services (formerly room 121) is now in place in a new modular complex at 280 Ramona St., off Garfield Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets. Municipal Services includes city cashiers, business licenses, animal licenses, parking tickets, utility turn on/off and more. Other operations in the modular complex include Public Works engineering, traffic management, seismic retrofit office, treasury and collections, fire and police retirement, and the accessibility and disability coordinator.

At 117 E. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena, you’ll find most of the other offices that were previously at City Hall, including:

City Council Field Representatives
City Clerk’s Office
City Manager’s Office
Finance Department
Human Resources Department
Human Services and Recreation Department
Mayor’s Office
Public Affairs Office
Public Works Department

All phone numbers will stay the same. Once a

general contractor is on board, one-half of Garfield

Avenue will be closed to through traffic between
Union and Ramona streets throughout the project. 
Occasionally, certain streets surrounding City Hall 
will be closed. City Council meetings are held at the 
Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly St., Mondays 
at 6:30 p.m. If you ride the Metro Gold Line to 
meetings, present your ticket to the front desk 
attendant for a free token for your ride home; if you 

park in the structure at the southeast corner of 
Holly Street and Arroyo Parkway, present your 
ticket for a free validation. Subject to City Council

 approval, a general contractor for the seismic retrofit

and restoration will be in place in late November.

Dozens of subcontractors will be hired for the three-
year project. Pasadena businesses interested in being considered during subcontractor selection are making sure they are included in a database that will be provided by the city to the general contractor. 

For updates, visit www.cityofpasadena.net and 

click on City Hall Project or call 744-7073.