by TImothy Rutt

The city of Pasadena has scheduled three meetings about the environmental impact report for the planned construction of parking lots and soccer fields in Hahamongna Watershed, but local activists are riled about the timing and notification –or lack thereof — for a meeting this week that was cancelled.

Local forest activist Lori Paul told Altadenablog in an email that “many of us failed to receive the usual e-mail notice of the Hahamongna Watershed Park Advisory Committee (HWPAC) meeting in Pasadena scheduled [May 22]. Then, after word spread about the important meeting via e-mail, apparently due to illness on the part of one or more Commissioners (?) and a resulting lack of quorum, the meeting was cancelled… less than an hour before it was due to start at 6 PM. The HWPAC web page (where meeting dates, locations, and agendas are posted) was not updated with an alert re: the last minute cancellation. “

What this means now, Paul said is that the next HWPAC meeting will not occur until July 24, after the Multi-Benefit/Multi-Use public meetings take place.  

The Multi-Benefit/Multi-Use public meetings involve discussion of a Pasadena city plan to construct soccer fields and additional parking lots within the park, which has drawn opposition from Hahamongna preservation activitsts.

This is not related to a separate Hahamogna EIR that will be undertaken by the LA County Department of Public Works.  That EIR involves a separate county plan to clean decades of sediment out of the watershed and, activists say, endanger the black willow woodland and wetland habitat that have established themselves in the area.  Those meetings have not yet been scheduled.

Meetings for the multi-benefit/multi-use EIR (i.e. for sports fields and parking lots) are, according to the City of Pasadena website: 

Wednesday, June 27th, 6:30pm – Community Meeting
Pasadena City Yards, 2nd floor Large Conference Room
This meeting WILL NOT kick off the CEQA process. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information only.

Thursday, July 12th, 6:30pm – EIR Scoping Meeting #1
Salvation Army Fellowship Hall, 960 East Walnut, Pasadena, CA 91106
(Parking lot is entered from Mentor, south of Walnut)

Saturday, July 14th, 10:00am – EIR Scoping Meeting #2
Salvation Army Fellowship Hall, 960 East Walnut, Pasadena, CA 91106
(Parking lot is entered from Mentor, south of Walnut)

The website is at: 

http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/EkContent.aspx?theme=Navy&id=6442464162