Cell Phone Reception and Park Basketball

Courts to Benefit From Duarte Agreement

What do some cell phone customers and basketball players in Duarte have in common? They can both expect to benefit from construction about to begin at Royal Oaks Park on Vineyard, north of Royal Oaks Dr.

As a result of a lease agreement between the City and AT&T and T-Mobile to improve cellular service in the area, the carriers will replace two 30 foot high, existing basketball court light poles at Royal Oaks Park with two 51 foot high poles with antenna. New energy-efficient lighting fixtures featuring improved optics to reduce glare onto adjacent properties will be mounted on the poles. The new lighting will include an automated control system that allows both remote and manual clock programming of the court lights.

In exchange for the use of the park and installation of the cellular antenna, pre-paid lease payments by AT&T and T-Mobile will fund an immediate total reconstruction of the basketball courts. Two concrete, regulation-sized basketball courts with new backboards and support poles will be installed.

The project will also include the construction of an 865 square foot equipment building just east of the basketball courts that will be shared by the two carriers.

Construction is expected to take several months and be completed by this summer.

For more information about the project, call Director of Parks and Recreation, Donna Georgino at (626) 357-7931.

Duarte High School Students

Participate in Job Shadow Day

Joining Duarte Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director Diana Burckhard (center) on Job Shadow Day are Alexis and Luis, students from Duarte High School.

Duarte Gold Line Station

Location Sign Unveiled Jan. 30

Elected officials from Duarte, Monrovia, Los Angeles, and others were joined by representatives from the City of Hope, Duarte Chamber of Commerce, and the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension to unveil the Gold Line Duarte Station location sign in Duarte's "golden" sunshine Saturday morning, January 30. The location is on the north side of Duarte Road, west of Highland Avenue, across the street from the City of Hope.

Duarte Sets Community Meeting Feb. 2

to Update Residents on Gang Suppression,

Intervention, and Prevention Programs

Duarte has set the second in a planned series of Neighborhood Watch community meetings to keep the public up-to-date on what the City is doing to suppress, intervene and prevent gang violence. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at Maxwell School Cafeteria, 732 Euclid Ave. The public is welcome to attend.

Duarte Sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Haynes, Director of Public Safety, Brian Villalobos, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department gang experts will discuss recent gang and criminal activities as well as successful, effective efforts to curb violence. They will also provide an overview of the gang suppression, intervention, and prevention programs that the City and law enforcement are utilizing to help keep Duarte neighborhoods safe.

“Our number one priority is ensuring the safety of our residents. Curbing street gang activity and locking up the bad guys are at the top of the list,” said Villalobos. Since Dec. 1, 2009, Sheriff’s deputies have made 41 arrests, among them 8 of the identified top 10 gang members.

Assistant Sheriff Paul Tanaka and Temple Station Captain Joseph F. Fennell have committed to the City to focus enforcement on both Duarte Eastside and Duroc Crips gangs.

To bolster the effort:

• Four Operation Safe Streets (OSS) detectives have been assigned to the Temple Station, whose jurisdiction includes Duarte. Sgt. Ron Hester has been assigned to oversee the OSS detail.
• Hard core and active Duarte Eastside and Duroc Crips gang members are identified and when appropriate gang enhancement charges are filed.
• Temple Station is working with both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to pursue federal charges against gang members.
• Monthly probation and parole searches are coordinated
• Monthly Duarte and Monrovia Area Gang Enforcement (D.A.M.A.G.E.) operations are scheduled to foster cooperation and intelligence sharing between the Monrovia Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department.

On the intervention and prevention sides, OSS detectives and Duarte Special Assignment Deputies are working with Parole and Probation officers to closely monitor parolees and probationers in an effort to keep them from re-offending. The City of Duarte is working closely with the Foothill Workforce Investment Board (FWIB) to employ at-risk youth and young adults. Since last Summer, more than 55 Duarte youths and young adults have been trained and placed in jobs through both the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (Cal-GRIP) program and other youth employment programs.

The many preventive programs that Duarte has instituted include youth mentoring programs, volunteer programs for middle school and high students, and sports and recreation programs. The Duarte Teen Center offers anger management classes, narcotics counseling and teen parenthood classes, and the City has coordinated with the Los Angeles Office of Education to establish a Youth Leadership program for all Duarte youths.

Duarte has recently submitted a Cal-Grip Grant to hire a Gang Alternative and Prevention Program Deputy Probation Officer who would work with the Duarte Unified School District elementary schools to identify and work with at-risk youth from kindergarten to sixth grade.

“The importance of the community’s role in helping to keep Duarte a safe place to live and work is vital,” said Villalobos. “We need the community’s help. Every Duarte neighborhood should be involved in Neighborhood Watch. It’s a program that works. We also want the public to know that if they have information about a crime, but may be concerned about ‘getting involved’, Duarte Public Safety has an Anonymous Tip hotline where they can leave a detailed message.”

The hotline number is (626) 359-5671, ext. 462. For information about starting a Neighborhood Watch program, call Aida Torres, Duarte Crime Prevention Specialist at (626) 359-5671, ext. 316.

Proposed Duarte Ordinance Seeks to Further

Deter Bear Pillaging of Trash Containers

It’s been two years since Duarte, in an effort to control pillaging bears, imposed an ordinance modifying the permitted time that trash containers may be placed curbside by residents of the hillside Duarte Mesa area. While the restrictions have proved somewhat successful in deterring trash day bear activity on the Duarte Mesa, it hasn’t stopped the bears from wandering further down the Duarte hillsides to other residential areas in search of trash day goodies.

On Jan. 26, the Duarte City Council will vote on expanding the area covered by the ordinance to include portions of the Hearthstone and Fish Canyon neighborhoods. Residents of those neighborhoods would also be barred from placing their trash receptacles that do not exclusively contain recyclable materials to be placed on any street, alley, highway, or parkway prior to 6 a.m. on the day of the regularly scheduled collection.

“Bears are now present not only in the Mesa area, but bears are now seen regularly in portions of the Hearthstone and Fish Canyon neighborhoods. The further incursion of the bears into other residential areas as they search for food presents an increased threat to the public health, safety, and welfare because of actual and potential bear-human interactions,” said City Manager, Darrell George.

According to the State Department of Fish and Game, removal of food sources is the only permanent, long-term solution to bears in residential areas that abut bear habitat.

If adopted, the amended ordinance would apply to portions of the Fish Canyon area of the City, specifically the 200 Block of Greenbank Ave., 200 Block of Bettyhill Ave., 200-300 Block of Melcanyon Rd., 100-300 Block of Opal Canyon Rd., 3200-3400 Block Tannencrest Dr., 200 Block Mountaincrest Rd., 3200-3300 Block of Shady Lawn Dr., 2800 and 3100-3500 Blocks of Brookridge Rd., 3400 Block of Fallcreek Rd., 2900-3000 and 3300-3400 Blocks of Deerlane Dr.

Also portions of the Hearthstone area of the City, specifically: 400 Block of Woodbluff Ave., 2500 Block Westvale Court, 2600 Block Sunnydale Dr., 2500-2600 Blocks Starcrest Dr., 10-90 Block of Crestview Court, 60-100 Blocks of Cedarwood Ave., 2700 Block Briar Summit, 50-300 Blocks of Las Lomas Rd., 40-90 Blocks of Westvale Rd.

For more information, call the City of Duarte, (626) 357-7931.

Mayor Finlay Cuts Ribbon at Duarte's

Sonic - Now Open 6 a.m. to Midnight

Duarte Mayor Margaret Finlay and Councilmembers John Fasana and Tzeital Paras cut the ribbon to officially open Duarte's Sonic Drive-In at a private party on Jan. 17. Franchise owners, friends and car hops, who insured everyone had a super sonic time, joined in the fun.

Above are Jazmine Jenkins, 18, of Monrovia, Christina Hoover, 26, of Pasadena, and Philip Greer, 19, of Monrovia going through their carhop training at Duarte's soon-to-open Sonic Drive-In.

On the right are: Jenkins; Jessica Zamora, 17, Monrovia; and Greer.

The new 1,760 square foot Sonic Drive-In will provide customers with a unique outdoor dining experience. Sonic's distinctive use of drive-in stall speakers allows customers to place food orders without ever leaving their cars. Carhops personally deliver orders right to the customers' cars. The Duarte location will feature 22 drive-in stalls, outdoor patio dining, and a drive-through.

Sonic hired 130 crewmembers for the Duarte location including cooks and carhops. It will open at 6 a.m. Monday, January 18.

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