Ah... October! That wonderful month when you start craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte even if it is 100º outside, when children embrace their true natures as superheroes, and when orange really is the new black.
But October is our favorite month for a different reason - It's National Community Planning Month! When else can we get little nerdy about Planning all while celebrating our Monrovia community? Ok, ok, we're nerdy all year long and we never stop celebrating Monrovia, but October gives us a convenient excuse to press our pocket protectors and glasses into action.
This year's National Community Planning Month theme is VERY topical, "Planning is Essential to Recovery," and centers on how cities are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that this community will find a path through today to a stronger tomorrow because, in Monrovia, resiliency is in our DNA! In fact, we are already planning for and building that tomorrow.
Thinking back to January of this year, nobody could have anticipated that a public health lockdown would keep us all in our homes for months, or that Monrovia would face its biggest wildfire in decades. But we've adapted. We've learned new ways to communicate - using paint and chalk and rocks. We've learned new ways to connect - with art and Zoom and signs. And we've started a whole new conversation - with essential workers, COVID pods, and public health officials.
And through all of that, we are still here. We're still planning. We're still building. We're still celebrating! Here are some of the moments from the past seven months that stand out the most to us.
As city staff, we are proud to serve residents, business owners, and visitors who have demonstrated strong commitment to meeting today's challenges together.
Like everything this year, we will be celebrating National Community Planning Month in a virtual manner. So stay tuned to this space for information, meetings, pictures, and maybe even a few chuckles.
