City Hall Is Nearly Complete – It’s Time to Celebrate!

fter nearly three years, Pasadena City Hall is gradually getting back to business. City offices are moving back into the building over a two-month period that will continue through the end of June.

The City Manager's Office, Mayor and City Council, Field Representatives, Public Affairs Office, Finance Department and most of the Public Works Department administrative offices have already moved back into City Hall.

The remaining move-back schedule: City Clerk's Office, Human Services and Recreation, Planning and Development’s Economic Development and Redevelopment sections, Fire and Police Retirement System and Human Resources will be back on May 14; Public Works Engineering/ Construction, City Attorney's Office and City Prosecutor's Office will be back May 21; Municipal Services (utility payments, parking tickets, business/ animal licenses) will be back June 4; and several offices that provide internal services to employees will be back by June 25.

And then we'll be ready to celebrate! Please join us Sunday, July 15, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for a special celebration that will welcome the community back to City Hall. From 5:30 to 7 p.m. there will be street performers, special exhibits, strolling musicians, storytellers, children's activities and much more to entertain you while you get some dinner from food vendors (or bring a picnic dinner). At 7:30 p.m., a concert by the Pasadena Pops will begin. With the theme "Music Under the Stars," it promises to be a delightful evening!

The following Sunday, July 22, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., come back to City Hall for tours conducted by Pasadena Heritage, live music, refreshments, special exhibits about the retrofit and restoration of the building, historical exhibits, children's activities, video presentations and more. Formal tours of the building are very rare, so don't miss this great opportunity!

For more information visit www.cityofpasadena.net/cityhall or call 744-4000.

Making History in May

Pasadena has an impressive variety of historic buildings designed by notable architects such as Bakewell & Brown, Greene & Greene, Myron Hunt, Sylvanus Marston, Julia Morgan, Wallace Neff and many others.

This year, Pasadena residents will join thousands around the country as part of a nationwide celebration of National Historic Preservation Month in May. As part of that celebration, the Historic Preservation Commission will sponsor the Pasadena Historic Preservation Recognition Awards, honoring those who have done outstanding preservation and restoration work on their residential and commercial properties. Call 744-7310 for more information.

Our public works – construction and engineering projects carried out on behalf of the community – are renowned as well, including the retrofit and restoration of Pasadena City Hall and the new Viña Vieja Park.

May 20 to 26 is National Public Works Week, a great opportunity for local residents to learn more about major public works projects that are in Pasadena.

For a copy of the Public Works Department's most recent annual report, call 744-4593 or visit www.cityofpasadena.net/publicworks.

Join the Shopping Cart Patrol!

Shopping carts are a great help at the supermarket, but they do not belong on sidewalks and parkways. Abandoned shopping carts are a hazard to traffic and pedestrians and can quickly become eyesores in any neighborhood.

Shopping carts are the property of supermarkets and should not be taken from the premises under any circumstances. Anyone who consistently takes shopping carts off private store property should consider using a foldable, personal grocery cart instead. They are low-cost, easy to use, have sturdy wheels especially designed for concrete sidewalks and don't clutter Pasadena's neighborhoods.

If you see a lone cart during your daily travels, call the shopping cart hotline at
744-8CART to have it picked up within 24 hours.

For more information go to www.cityofpasadena.net and click on Lookin' Good Pasadena.

Get Up and Moving!

What better way to enjoy Pasadena's trees than to walk around the community? Strap on your shoes, grab your family and friends, and do something great for your health!

Up & Moving Pasadena encourages fitness and good health throughout the community. Sponsored by the city of Pasadena, Pasadena Unified School District, local businesses and non-profit organizations, the program provides support and incentives for groups (friends, coworkers, retirees, moms with babies in strollers – you name it!) who create walking programs. Groups determine their own routes, schedules and goals.

A celebratory Up & Moving Pasadena 5K walk around the Rose Bowl Stadium and Brookside Golf Course is scheduled Saturday, May 12, for groups and individuals. There is no cost to walkers, and everyone who signs up will receive free goodies (including
T-shirts!). Registration will begin at 7 a.m. and the walk will start at 9 a.m.
For more information or to sign up for the free Up & Moving 5K walk, call 432-1508 or visit www.upandmoving.org.
While you're at it, don't miss www.EatWellLiveBetter.org. This popular website, also available in Spanish and Chinese, can help you stay healthy and active. Look for tips on nutrition and physical activity, healthy recipes, food pyramid and food labeling information, fitness guidelines and online tools including a body mass index (BMI) calculator. You can also search for the nearest park, playground, nutrition or sports program, personalized to where you live, work and play.

No excuses – get up and moving, Pasadena!

Good Looks and Better Flow on Arroyo Parkway

Arroyo Parkway is in for a major facelift this summer, creating a scenic gateway into Pasadena. Learn more at a community meeting Thursday, June 28, at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Blair High School, 1201 S. Marengo Ave.

arroyo Supervised by the Public Works Department, the Arroyo Parkway Enhancement Project will include new medians with palm trees and lush landscaping, distinctive crosswalks, smooth rubberized asphalt, and sidewalk, curb and gutter replacements. Watch for construction to start this summer between Colorado and California boulevards, with completion set for this fall. Work will continue along Arroyo Parkway between California Boulevard and Glenarm Street in January 2008, with completion scheduled later that fall.
The enhancement project is part of a major effort to cut traffic congestion caused by the gap in the 710 Freeway. A set of eight public works projects are intended to move traffic away from neighborhoods and onto major streets by improving mobility.

For more information and updates, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/publicworks and click on Engineering, or call 744-6736.

Follow the Rules for Portable Storage

Portable storage containers (PODS, for example) are a convenient way to store your stuff temporarily during home improvement projects. But remember that before you set one up on private property, you'll need a temporary conditional use permit from the city's Permit Center at 175 N. Garfield Ave. Permits are $89.50 and are valid for 45 days (they can be renewed).

If the storage unit will be in the public right-of-way – at the curb, for instance – you'll need an encroachment permit instead and a pre-inspection from the Public Works Department's Engineering Services counter at City Hall. Call 744-4195 for more information.

Whether it's on private or public property, your container must not block access to your garage or carport. These rules help ensure that the units are placed safely and that they don't become permanent fixtures in our neighborhoods.

For more information call the Code Compliance Division of the Planning and Development Department at 744-4633.

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