Guest commentary: La Jolla MAD has its eyes on litter and landscaping

Finishing summer 2021 strong, representatives of the La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District worked with the San Diego Environmental Services and Parks & Recreation departments to coordinate litter abatement strategies that kept the district tidy during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Hours after janitorial crews left that Monday evening, the MAD’s overnight pressure-washing crew cleaned sidewalks, beginning in the core commercial areas of the district that visitors most frequented.

Bushes, weeds and trees

Landscaping efforts in August focused on removing low-hanging tree branches, overgrown bushes and invasive weeds in public right-of-way areas. Notably, La Jolla MAD personnel and landscapers coordinated efforts with two separate property owners to trim back vegetation from their properties that was inevitably headed toward becoming perilous overgrowth. The two areas, one on Silverado Street between Girard Avenue and Drury Lane, and the other on Pearl Street between Cuvier and Draper streets, were attended to and will be monitored as part of the rotating landscape maintenance schedule.

Also in landscaping news, two of the 21 jacaranda trees that were planted in December as part of a partnership between the La Jolla MAD and the Village Garden Club of La Jolla were replaced by Armstrong Garden Centers at no cost, per the lifetime guarantee for the trees that the MAD negotiated for the project. The two replacement trees were installed along Pearl Street in front of The Taco Stand and Jack in the Box — two of the most heavily traveled areas in the district.

The 19 other jacarandas planted last year along Pearl Street are thriving, many experiencing their first bloom this past spring.

Flower refreshment

Efforts continue to replace dead and declining floral arrangements growing in hanging planter baskets throughout the district. The work has started on Prospect Street at the intersection of Girard Avenue. Prospect will be the first street in the district to have its hanging flower baskets replaced and reanchored to light posts.

All refreshed hanging flower baskets will have new red and pink zonal geraniums planted in them by the end of September. These evergreen perennials can thrive in small containers with the right care and are drought-tolerant.

Board election

Voting to fill several Enhance La Jolla board positions will occur online Oct. 13-20 at enhancelajolla.org. Voting is open to property owners within the boundaries of the La Jolla MAD.

Election results will be announced during the Enhance La Jolla board of directors meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Community Room of the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave.

If you see an issue needing attention in the district, please call Enhance La Jolla at (858) 444-5892 or email manager@enhancelajolla.org.

Mary Montgomery is district manager for the La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District. ◆