ASADENA IS BRIMMING with some of the nation’s finest cultural attractions.
Our community’s devotion to the arts is unsurpassed for a city of this size: Pasadena spends four times more on the arts than cities with similar populations and more than four million people visit Pasadena’s museums, galleries, theaters and institutions every year. This gives us a remarkable list of options for a night on the town and these venues bring vibrancy, diversity, revenue and jobs that make Pasadena a marvelous place to live.

The city of Pasadena is mapping out a 10-year plan to make sure arts and culture always have priority in Pasadena. Please provide your ideas at a community meeting and open house Thursday, Nov. 18, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd.

The forum is the latest in a series of community discussions planned as part of Cultural Nexus, an effort to draft a comprehensive cultural plan for Pasadena. The document will become part of the city’s General Plan, making sure the arts are intertwined with every part of our community.

Hundreds of Pasadenans have joined the effort and laid out the plan’s framework. At this November event, please drop in any time during the three hours to check out current plans and talk one-on-one with city staff. Plus, presentations will be made every hour on the hour.

A draft plan is expected to be completed by 2005. For more information, visit www.cityofpasadena.net and click on Cultural Nexus or call 744-7062.

Caltech Garden

Photo courtesy of Caltech

Caltech, one of many scientific and arts institutions in Pasadena, is home to a number of tranquil settings.

Pasadena at Its Cultural Best

More than 30 cultural and scientific organizations are in full gear as part of the “The Tender Land: Pasadena Festival of Art, History, Music and Science” through Jan. 31.

In November and December there are 33 events related to The Tender Land, from art exhibitions, dance performances and children’s programs to symphony concerts, film series and
environmental workshops.

Discover and celebrate the beauty and fragile complexity of the natural world through the perspectives of art, culture and science. For the full schedule, look for the printed festival program at venues citywide, visit www.tenderland.org or call 793-8171.

Deck The Halls with Fire-Safe Displays

Decorations, candles and holiday trees are certainly festive but they’re also common fire hazards. You won’t have to give up your holiday traditions for safety’s sake if you follow these simple suggestions from the Pasadena Fire Department:

Choose a fresh holiday tree and keep it in water. The needles should be green and shouldn’t come off easily.

Don’t put your tree up too early or leave it up longer than two weeks after the holidays. Dried-out trees can ignite and spread fire quickly to nearby gifts, drapes and furniture.

Place your tree in a safe place away from heat sources such as fireplaces and heater vents.

Inspect your holiday lights before you use them to make sure they don’t have frayed wires, gaps in insulation, broken or cracked sockets or excessive wear. Only use lights that are rated by an approved testing laboratory. Turn them off overnight and when you’re not home.

Don’t overload your electrical outlets and don’t link more than three light strands unless the directions say it’s safe. Check the wires often; they shouldn’t be warm to the touch.

Use only nonflammable decorations that are placed away from heater vents. If you’re using an artificial tree, make sure it’s flame retardant.

If you use candles, make sure they’re in a steady holder and place them where children and pets can’t knock them down. Don’t leave lit candles unattended and never leave the house when candles are burning.

Always remember to have fresh batteries in your smoke detectors and practice your family evacuation plans.

For more tips or to ask a question, call 744-4675.

Map Out a Healthy Future

DO YOU HAVE BIG IDEAS for creating a better quality of life in Pasadena? If the answer is yes, here’s your chance! The Pasadena Public Health Department, along with its many partners, is launching a campaign to hear and activate your hopes and dreams for a healthier Pasadena. They’re talking to groups and organizations citywide and they want to hear from you.

For more on The MAP Campaign and how you or your organization can get involved in planning a healthy future, call 744-6149.

Park Those Pocket Bikes

Earth Scooter

POCKET BIKES – scaled-down versions of grown-up motorcycles – are legal only if they have a DMV-issued license plate and the driver has a license with a Class M1 certificate, a motorcycle helmet (not a bicycle or baseball helmet) and vehicle insurance. Without these requirements, pocket bikes are illegal on all Pasadena streets and sidewalks, in parking lots, parks and other public places.

Pasadena police officers are confiscating pocket bikes on the spot and impounding them for 30 days, which costs a minimum of $800. Unlicensed drivers must pay $350 plus extra fines for any additional violations (speeding, no insurance, no helmet, etc.).

Any company or salesman who tells you pocket bikes are street-legal is either misinformed or trying to make a quick buck. For more information, call 744-7159.

Parking Pay Stations Put to the Test

THROUGH MID-JANUARY, individual parking meters have been replaced with new multispace parking pay stations on Colorado Boulevard between DeLacey Avenue and Pasadena Avenue and on Raymond Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and Green Street. (Look for “Pay to Park” and “Pay Here” signs on those blocks.)

Two types of technology are being tested: “Pay and Display” machines issue tickets that you’ll stick inside the front passenger-side window, showing the date and time your ticket expires; and “Pay by Space” machines will ask you to enter the specific number of the space where you’ve parked. (The machine records the time so there’s no need to display a ticket on your dash.) Coins and credit cards are accepted and some of the pay stations accept dollar bills and cash keys.

Once you’ve tried out a pay station, pick up a survey from your favorite shop or restaurant in Old Pasadena or visit the website listed below. Give us your feedback and you’ll be eligible to win a prize as our way of saying thanks!

If the pay stations work out, we may bid farewell to single-space parking meters in the future, removing individual meter posts and meter heads and freeing up more sidewalk space for pedestrians. For more information, email parking@cityofpasadena.net, visit www.cityofpasadena.net and click on Parking Pay Stations or call 744-6470.

City Hall Retrofit Update

The estimated cost of the retrofit and restoration of Pasadena City Hall is about $5.5 million more than the budget due to rising costs of concrete, steel and lumber. On Nov. 4, general contractors submitted base bids for project work limited to life and safety items including the seismic retrofit, mechanical work, fire prevention, plus separate bids related to all other work, including historic restoration, that may not be completed in the initial retrofit phase because of the budget gap. In the meantime, a grant application has been submitted to the California Cultural and Historical Endowment for $5 million to help cover the difference. The City Council will consider approving a general contractor on Nov. 22. A construction fence is scheduled to be installed around the perimeter of City Hall in early December. For more information on the City Hall retrofit, visit www.cityofpasadena.net (click on City Hall Project) or call 744-7073.

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