Two Women, Three Men Who Helped Crime Victims Honored in Pasadena Ceremony, See P.13 monroviaweekly.com
Thursday, May 14, 2015 - May 20, 2015
Volume 19, No. 20
Community News, Arts & Opinions Since 1996
Lengthy Lawsuit Between City, Sierra Madre Couple Slowly Approaches Trial Date by joe taglieri
SEE PG. 16
Calvary Chapel in Negotiations to Move to Myrtle Avenue by susan motander For months, Calvary Chapel has been working to purchase the building that formerly housed the 4th Dimension “nightspot.” The church has recently sent out information regarding the status of that negotiation. According to the press release from the church, it is in the process of finalizing “details for the purchase.” While the escrow was scheduled to close last month, the church instead opted to further the discussions with
SEE PG. 15
LOCAL NEWS
Jeff and Taryn Hildreth outside their dream home on Montecito Street in Sierra Madre. Due to ongoing litigation against city hall, their dream has become a veritable nightmare. – Photo by Terry Miller
Residents Just Say ‘No’ to Verizon Cell Tower on Ridgeside Water Reservoir During the past several months, Monrovia City Staff has been working with representatives from Verizon Wireless, who have requested that the City consider leasing them space to place a cell tower on the water reservoir off of Ridgeside Drive. Before the City would consider the application, staff informed Verizon Wireless that they would have to do outreach to the neighbors in the area to ascertain issues of concern in the neighborhood. According to local reports and the City Manager’s notes on the website, “an initial meeting that was hosted by Verizon Wireless a few months ago did not go well. Representatives from Verizon Wireless were late to the meeting and were unable to address some very basic concerns raised by the neighbors off of Ridgeside Drive.”
- Courtesy Photo
After five years of legal wrangling, a contentious lawsuit featuring Sierra Madre's Building and Planning Department versus a local pair of aspiring wine entrepreneurs appears to be heading toward the home stretch — an actual courtroom trial that yields a definitive verdict. The case is scheduled to begin in September at the state Superior Court's Burbank venue, according to sources familiar with the lawsuit. The time frame for Jeff and Taryn Hildreth's project to convert their Montecito Avenue residence into an art cafe and wine storage and bottling business dates back much further than the lawsuit — to the late-1990s, when Jeff began excavating the 1910-era home's lower portions with the goal of creating a subterranean wine cellar. The Hildreths claim they had all necessary permits, copies of which they provided to the Sierra Madre Weekly, and were in compliance with the city's building protocol when, more than 10 years down the line, the project came to an abrupt halt. Development Services Department officials levied an order to stop work based on numerous but nonspecific code infractions and their apparent inability to locate the Hildreths' permits, the couple contends in a 2013 court document. Making matters worse, they allege officials ignored their repeated requests for direction on corrections neces-
SEE PG. 15
entertainment
opinion
BUSINESS
Foothill Gold Line Operations Campus to Be Dedicated May 23
Play Review: Beauty and the Beast
Martin A. Gordon: Are We At War?
Business Profile: Old Town Barber Shop
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