Support your local sidewalk

BY GLEN RASMUSSEN

The Streetscape Committee is a joint committee of Promote La Jolla and the La Jolla Town Council. It functions under an agreement with the city of San Diego, and it deals with beautification, cleanups, public spaces, sidewalks, trash and other “streetscape” issues, including the planted hanging baskets.

As a former Town Council trustee and newly elected PLJ board member, I am honored to be the chairman of this committee. We have excellent volunteers on this committee who organize focus groups to carry out the needed Streetscape functions. We meet at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at 1150 Silverado. More volunteers are needed to help us keep La Jolla beautiful and to make it more beautiful.

The work of the focus groups is carried out continuously. Without our work, there would be even more news racks (we are getting rid of the abandoned and unauthorized ones), the streets would be dirtier, the trash cans would overflow more than they do, there would be no workdays where volunteers clean up blocks of La Jolla and there would be no hanging baskets.

With the financial troubles of PLJ (per an ongoing series of articles in this newspaper), these most essential functions of Promote La Jolla cannot be carried out. There are at least two: the most conspicuous are hanging baskets and street cleaning.

There is no money from business fees to support needed continuous watering and replanting of the hanging baskets. There is no money to pay the Urban Corps to pick up trash, sweep the sidewalks and gutters, and provide extra emptying of overflowing trash cans.

These are but two of the programs Promote La Jolla cannot fund, but they are the most important because trash won’t pick itself up and flowers won’t grow without maintenance. Merchants and residents are urged to pick up trash and cigarette butts. Many do; thank you.

I am requesting residents and merchants to individually sponsor a month or two of the Urban Corps. The cost for a month of two-day-a-week extra trash can emptying, sweeping and gutter cleaning is $885. The nonprofit Urban Corps provides jobs for disadvantaged youths doing the cleaning. It is a win-win program.

I am requesting residents and merchants to individually sponsor a month or two of La Jolla Gardens three-day-a-week watering and replanting the beautiful hanging baskets. It is a lot of work. Russell of La Jolla Gardens has been around La Jolla since his Bennett’s Nursery days. The cost for a month of work with the hanging baskets is $2,075.

If you are interested in sponsoring a month or two, please send tax-deductible checks to the La Jolla Town Council Foundation, P.O. Box 1101, 92038. Write on your checks “one month” or “two months of Hanging Baskets” or “Urban Corps.” We will recognize you for the benefit of the community, and your support will encourage others to help.

Come to the Streetscape meetings to share ideas; we’re doing the best as volunteers that we can under these circumstances. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I’m in the Bluebook.

Glen Rasmussen is a longtime La Jolla resident.