PASADENA, Calif.—On Monday, Feb. 6, at the regularly scheduled council meeting, the City Council approved a contract to move forward and begin the process of seismically retrofitting and renovating the Pasadena Central Library. Gruen Associates and their qualified team of subconsultants were awarded the contract for professional design services for the retrofit project. This includes preparation of environmental documentation, final construction drawings and cost estimates for construction. The contract is for an amount not to exceed $6,104,109, which includes a...
Pasadena Public Library
Community Invited to Tunes, Toys and Trees Holiday Concert and Tree Lighting at La Pintoresca Park
PASADENA, Calif.—Come one, come all to the Tunes, Toys and Trees holiday concert and tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 10, 4-7 p.m., at La Pintoresca Park, 45 E. Washington Blvd. Enjoy a variety of festive activities at this fun-filled, family-friendly event, including a “lil elves” play zone for toddlers, a toy giveaway and free photos with Santa, arts & crafts provided by Armory Center for the Arts, and the tree lighting ceremony with Councilmember Tyron Hampton. The concert will...
Pasadena Community Invited to the Reimagined Jefferson School Campus Open House
PASADENA, Calif.—Join City representatives on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for an open house and tour of the Jefferson School campus at 1500 E. Villa St. This event is hosted by the City of Pasadena in coordination with District 2 Councilmember Felicia Williams and will feature kids’ crafts, food and games, police and fire vehicles, fire extinguisher demos, resource tables, and free COVID-19 and flu vaccinations. The Jefferson School, which was closed in 2020, is now...
Voters to Decide on Continuation of Pasadena Public Library Programs and Services, Measure L
PASADENA, Calif.—Pasadena public libraries play an essential role in providing safe, accessible and 100% free educational resource centers for everyone. Individuals and families, no matter their socioeconomic status, can count on Pasadena libraries to provide them with the resources they need to succeed and the answers to important questions they can't otherwise find. In addition to their original purpose of providing information, Pasadena libraries provide early and digital literacy programs, school readiness programs, and free computer and Wi-Fi access. “It's...
24/7 Homework Help at Pasadena Public Library
PASADENA, Calif.—Pasadena Public Library recently launched HelpNow, an online live tutoring and eLearning platform. HelpNow provides tools for learners of all ages through qualified tutors using state curriculum and standards whose expertise best fit the learner’s specific need. Accessible through the Pasadena Public Library website, this live real-time homework assistance is available by laptop, tablet or phone. HelpNow provides subject-specific tutoring. Language arts and mathematics tutoring in English and Spanish is available 24/7. Core K-12 subjects tutoring in Mandarin, Cantonese,...
Pasadena Public Library Services Continuation Measure to be Placed on November Ballot
PASADENA, Calif.—On Monday, July 18, the City Council unanimously voted to place the Pasadena Public Library Services Continuation Measure on the Nov. 8, 2022, ballot. Voters will decide whether to continue a dedicated, special revenue source for Pasadena Public Library programs and services. If voters approve this measure, it will continue to generate approximately $2.8 million annually for the next 15 years in dedicated, locally-controlled dollars for Pasadena's libraries. Since its inception over 135 years ago, Pasadena Public Library has...
City of Pasadena Cancels Black History Parade Due to Omicron Concerns, Variety of Family-Friendly Programming to Continue
PASADENA, Calif.—In an abundance of caution, the City of Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and the Black History Planning Committee have canceled the 2022 Black History Parade and Festival due to COVID-19 concerns. Usually held on the third Saturday of February, the parade and festival last took place on Feb.15, 2020. Fortunately, the City and Black History Planning Committee will host a wide variety of FREE family-friendly events this year in celebration of Black History Month. All events...
City Releases Request for Proposals (RFP) for Professional Design Services for Seismic Retrofit and Renovation of Pasadena Central Library
PASADENA, Calif. - On May 3, 2021, City officials were forced to order the closure of the Pasadena Central Library located at 285 E. Walnut St. A recent structural assessment conducted by the City revealed that most of the building is comprised of unreinforced masonry (URM) bearing walls that leaves the building vulnerable to seismic activity. The building must remain closed until seismic retrofit of the building is completed to meet life safety requirements. On Monday, Nov. 1, the Department...
City of Pasadena Encourages Community To Prepare Now for Next Big Earthquake
PASADENA, Calif.—In an earthquake, collapsing buildings have the potential to kill people. That is why the City of Pasadena works hard to put preventive measures into place to protect residents and businesses. In 2019, the Pasadena City Council passed an ordinance on soft-story buildings. Building codes are updated by the state every three years; however, with an aging building stock in a seismically active region, Pasadena understands that local ordinance updates may be necessary above and beyond state codes to...
Assemblymember Chris Holden Presents $4 Million Check to Retrofit Pasadena Central Library
PASADENA, Calif.—On Sept. 27, 2021, at the start of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting, Assemblymember Chris Holden presented a check for $4 million to the City of Pasadena and Pasadena Public Library to help repair the nearly 100 year-old Central Library. After a long closure of Pasadena Public Library facilities due to the pandemic, many looked forward to the reopening of the Central Library and its nine branch libraries. In April, the first to open was the Central Library....