Guest commentary: Hanging flower baskets getting TLC from La Jolla MAD
La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District report
Replacement brackets and hardware for the hanging flower baskets in Zone 1 of the La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District have arrived from the manufacturer and will be installed in the next few weeks.
The project will be labor-intensive when it comes to removing antiquated hardware and monitoring the condition of the current geranium plants living in the hanging baskets before properly rehanging the flower baskets with the new hardware, but the result should be a greatly improved appearance.
An effort to beautify utility boxes in the district by covering the surface with artistic vinyl wraps continues to progress. Enhance La Jolla is partnering with the La Jolla Village Merchants Association to spend up to $20,000 of grant money from San Diego County to provide directional signage in the public right of way.
In a continued collaboration with Enhance La Jolla, which administers the Village Maintenance Assessment District, the La Jolla Village Merchants Association has identified the first of several utility boxes intended to be wrapped in images designed to help people find their way around.
This neighborhood enhancement will accomplish two important things: an augmented sense of community in guiding locals and tourists alike to popular attractions like The Cove, Scripps Park, the Children’s Pool and key commercial retailers, and the improved appearance of the many dozens of large utility boxes.
A committee composed of three Enhance La Jolla directors has solicited and vetted cost estimates from several artists for the project and will work with LJVMA to reach a final decision on the firm that will design and apply the vinyl wraps to the utility boxes.
LJMAD staff met recently with leadership of the La Jolla Woman’s Club, furthering the possibilities of community partnership in The Village. The club’s facility makes up a considerable footprint within the district boundaries, and a productive and beneficial dialogue between both parties has begun on ways to possibly enhance the perimeter of the facility that is in the public right of way.
Lastly, LJMAD has an increased focus on janitorial matters, specifically the collection of trash in public receptacles. MAD personnel are working with both the janitorial vendor and the San Diego Environmental Services Department on improving strategies to mitigate overflowing refuse, especially at the height of the summer season.
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 manager of the La Jolla Maintenance Assessment District. ◆
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