Without public direction, San Marino's current city manager, current public works director and staff are promoting a slick campaign with taxpayer money to virtually demolish a community resource, touting co$tly "renovations" to what is currently known as the San Marino Center (previously the San Marino Women’s Club). The San Marino City Council is now deliberating about the schemes (sic).
At a recent heart-breaking city council meeting, Mayor Gretchen Shepherd-Romey and council member Dr. Steven Huang were outvoted, and a $350K contract was, many believe, illegally awarded to Crane Architectural Group. And at the most recent city council meeting on September 9, 2020, what started out as a $4 million dollar project quickly rose to $5.3 million -- that's over 25% higher in just one meeting.....
Yet we are supposed to "leave our egos at the door." Well, we cannot leave our wallets and logic at the door, Vice Mayor Ken Ude. Should this plan go forward, we jeopardize not only our pocketbooks and our City's integrity but we also put our giant landmark native oaks north of the building at great risk of harm.
Our public works director could not even get the crosswalks repainted on a repaving project on Mission St. without intervention (a resident called the subcontractor herself after observing the danger for over 2 months). Nor would our planning & building dept. enforce an ordinance which should have prevented a commercial builder from laying solid concrete in the drip-line of a native oak tree earlier this year (rear parking lot at 2461 Mission St.).
Let's give San Marino City Council our thoughts about being fiscally responsible, insist that we preserve the façade of this mid-century building which is undeniably a "potential historic resource" and demand reason, honesty, transparency and a legal process with regard to any and all contractors who work within OUR city.
The City Council will be re-convening on September 25th to continue hearings on this project, and resident engagement is critical NOW. Your important feedback will be compiled, submitted for the public record and reviewed by council. Therefore, make your input official. We must all sign and comment to pause and reassess. DO IT TODAY!
Updates
September 13, 2020
Watching our history face such reckless disregard feels like losing a piece of our own home. I am spent from fighting this alone but reading your personal memories of this building keeps me going. We are currently scouting legal avenues to challenge these contracts because the cost to our landmark oaks and our city integrity is far too high.
September 13, 2020
Seeing this groundswell of support is deeply personal for me because I still remember the character this building brought to our neighborhood before these reckless plans began. The momentum we have built proves that our community refuses to watch our history be demolished for a price tag that keeps climbing.
49 Comments
The city is very anxious to spend our hard earned money behind our back. Where is transparency! Crane was awarded to do the plans before we even knew about it. We don't want to destroy any more of our historic history.
My concern is the process with Crane Architects. More bids should have happened before taking it to the Council. I do not understand the rush nor the need to spend so much money on a building with so little parking space. Why not place the efforts on Stoneman. We are downgrading our recreation center and paying 5 million dollars.
Please listen to the residents. Our city manager doesn’t even live here so it’s not her money that she is spending!
San Marino Center DOES NOT need a $5 million facelift. The estimate went up 25% in 1 month. SM Center only brought in $8,000 in rental fees last year. There is ZERO return on investment. Tall Tale Talt is wrong in not looking at the return on spending $5 million taxpayer money. How about freezing city employee salaries and benefits for 5 years to re-coup the $5 million?
I remember my grandmother was seemingly always running to a meeting held here when I was very young. I believe once was a fundraiser for some historical reason and another might have been.... I want to say it was a AVON meeting? I just always saw this place as a community space that my grandmother was linked with.
No rush on this matter. Cost increases are excessive. Protection for Oak trees needs to be observed.
SMHS class of 1971
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Without public direction, San Marino's current city manager, current public works director and staff are promoting a slick campaign with taxpayer money to virtually demolish a community resource, touting co$tly "renovations" to what is currently known as the San Marino Center (previously the San Marino Women’s Club). The San Marino City Council is now deliberating about the schemes (sic).
At a recent heart-breaking city council meeting, Mayor Gretchen Shepherd-Romey and council member Dr. Steven Huang were outvoted, and a $350K contract was, many believe, illegally awarded to Crane Architectural Group. And at the most recent city council meeting on September 9, 2020, what started out as a $4 million dollar project quickly rose to $5.3 million -- that's over 25% higher in just one meeting.....
Yet we are supposed to "leave our egos at the door." Well, we cannot leave our wallets and logic at the door, Vice Mayor Ken Ude. Should this plan go forward, we jeopardize not only our pocketbooks and our City's integrity but we also put our giant landmark native oaks north of the building at great risk of harm.
Our public works director could not even get the crosswalks repainted on a repaving project on Mission St. without intervention (a resident called the subcontractor herself after observing the danger for over 2 months). Nor would our planning & building dept. enforce an ordinance which should have prevented a commercial builder from laying solid concrete in the drip-line of a native oak tree earlier this year (rear parking lot at 2461 Mission St.).
Let's give San Marino City Council our thoughts about being fiscally responsible, insist that we preserve the façade of this mid-century building which is undeniably a "potential historic resource" and demand reason, honesty, transparency and a legal process with regard to any and all contractors who work within OUR city.
The City Council will be re-convening on September 25th to continue hearings on this project, and resident engagement is critical NOW. Your important feedback will be compiled, submitted for the public record and reviewed by council. Therefore, make your input official. We must all sign and comment to pause and reassess. DO IT TODAY!
Updates
September 13, 2020
Watching our history face such reckless disregard feels like losing a piece of our own home. I am spent from fighting this alone but reading your personal memories of this building keeps me going. We are currently scouting legal avenues to challenge these contracts because the cost to our landmark oaks and our city integrity is far too high.
September 13, 2020
Seeing this groundswell of support is deeply personal for me because I still remember the character this building brought to our neighborhood before these reckless plans began. The momentum we have built proves that our community refuses to watch our history be demolished for a price tag that keeps climbing.
49 Comments
Do NOT let the disfigurement of this traditional post-war style structure to happen. PS it's not mid-century modern, and the Library isn't Spanish style. The Library is designed in the early International style of Irving Gill.
The city is very anxious to spend our hard earned money behind our back. Where is transparency! Crane was awarded to do the plans before we even knew about it. We don't want to destroy any more of our historic history.
My concern is the process with Crane Architects. More bids should have happened before taking it to the Council. I do not understand the rush nor the need to spend so much money on a building with so little parking space. Why not place the efforts on Stoneman. We are downgrading our recreation center and paying 5 million dollars.
Please listen to the residents. Our city manager doesn’t even live here so it’s not her money that she is spending!
San Marino Center DOES NOT need a $5 million facelift. The estimate went up 25% in 1 month. SM Center only brought in $8,000 in rental fees last year. There is ZERO return on investment. Tall Tale Talt is wrong in not looking at the return on spending $5 million taxpayer money. How about freezing city employee salaries and benefits for 5 years to re-coup the $5 million?
I remember my grandmother was seemingly always running to a meeting held here when I was very young. I believe once was a fundraiser for some historical reason and another might have been.... I want to say it was a AVON meeting? I just always saw this place as a community space that my grandmother was linked with.
No rush on this matter. Cost increases are excessive. Protection for Oak trees needs to be observed.
SMHS class of 1971
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Do NOT let the disfigurement of this traditional post-war style structure to happen. PS it's not mid-century modern, and the Library isn't Spanish style. The Library is designed in the early International style of Irving Gill.