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With so many things frustrating me nowadays, sometimes it is tough to pick a topic for my weekly tirade. Sure, I could go with the numerous bits of insanity that make up our current world, but this is one of those weeks where I just feel like throwing in the towel and say, the world is on its own for the next seven days. As if the world cares.
Besides, it has been a while since I turned my attention toward my own backyard. Lord knows there are always plenty of topics and you really don’t have to look very far to find them. They are there for the taking if you want to pick them up, like pieces of trash scattered on the ground.
Trash, there’s one right there, see I told you it was easy. Why is it that with street sweeping and numerous trash cans strategically placed around the City of Temple is there so much of it? I guess I shouldn’t just single out Temple City. San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead and El Monte are just as bad, in some cases worse.
I’m sure Arcadia and Sierra Madre have their share as well, but they just won’t admit it. I don’t go there much, unless I have to, and when I do it is generally at night or I am just passing through, so for me to assess their trash volume would be unfair.
But I can weigh in on the tons of trash I see currently in the other cities, having a long and current history with them, especially Temple City where I reside.
I just don’t get it. In these days when it is hip to be green why do I see so many people ignoring the most fundamental and easiest thing to do for our environment. It makes me absolutely insane when I see someone tossing trash out of their cars or worse, the brazen throwing of trash on the ground just feet away from a trash receptacle.
When the latter happens I have become more reactive to the situation. Maybe because as I have gotten older I have become increasingly cranky and intolerant with stupidity and rudeness. Maybe it’s because I know that the perpetrators can hear me and can’t ignore me, like they do in their cars. Whether they can understand me or not is another thing. That is when my theatre training in pantomime comes in handy. But enough about that, there are other fish to fry.
What else has been bugging me lately? Oh I know, the progression or should I say the lack thereof, of the much contested property at the corner of Rosemead and Las Tunas. The much-ballyhooed “Piazza” development has come to a grinding halt after the demolition of the old buildings took place. I have long since given up any hopes I had of seeing a new multiplex movie theatre there, but I am truly fed up with seeing a giant dirt lot with a tattered green tarp kind of surrounding it.
Come on guys, what is the major malfunction going on over there? You have the city council’s blessing and have had for quite some time now, so get on with it! For all of us who opposed its construction forcing us to look at that vast dirt wasteland is just adding insult to injury. If you weren’t ready to get started you could have left the movie theatre there for a few months more so we could have enjoyed it while we waited.
And speaking of waiting how much longer do the residents of Temple City have to wait for the downtown area to get some businesses and restaurants we can really use? We have been hearing about a revitalization plan for years now but nothing has been done. The only new businesses we have seen have been bridal shops, nail salons, sushi stops, and dentists. Sorry Happy Jack.
Maybe my thoughts about what revitalization means differ from what the city council’s does. The council’s seems to mean to slap a fresh coat of paint on the old facades of old businesses and match the funds put up by the business owners. It is a nice deal for the business owners, but does it serve the needs of the community?
Now I like trying on the occasional bridal gown while eating sushi after having my teeth drilled and getting my nails done as much as the next guy, but there is more to life than those simple pleasures. And it sure would be nice to drive down our main drag and see some places that would make it look like we knew what century it was.
I must admit I get very aggravated when my kids head for different areas because the city they live in has nothing to offer them. There is just so many times they are willing to go to go to Carl’s Jr., McDonalds and Subway. To be honest, they burnt out on those long ago. If the city council wants to know what the city needs just ask the kids. It will not only help you in the short term, but you will also have a handle on the future.
Jamba Juice, Roebek’s Juices, Baja Fresh, Hot Wings, Chili’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Panda Express, Arby’s, The Elephant Bar, Islands, TGI Fridays, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Souplantation, Del Taco, Popeyes, Zankou Chicken, and Macaroni Grill to name but a few.
Now before all the naysayers on the city council start saying, “Oh those won’t fit and the parking is far too limited”, it is time for you all to start thinking outside the box instead of just throwing up your hands in defeat without even trying.
Sure, all of these places won’t fit in the spaces available in the downtown area, but many will like Jamba and Robek's Juice, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Panda Express and Baja Fresh will. Look at the majority of those franchises in their existing locations. All are in small storefronts just like the ones that line our main drag and I do mean drag. Putting parking spots at an angle along Las Tunas Drive instead of parallel parking as it exists now can double the parking in the downtown area. Excuses raised, excuses answered.
As for the larger ones, you need to look at properties that have been long vacant or have gone undeveloped and are nothing more than wasted space. At the Northeast corner of Longdon and Rosemead would be an excellent spot for an Arby’s restaurant and I’m sure they would be more than willing to open one there if you checked into it. Considering the closest one is deep into Alhambra, it would be a perfect location for one.
Over at the corner of Rosemead and Las Tunas on the Northwest side there is a building that used to be a Men’s Warehouse clothing store. This property has long been empty, and given its size, it would be an excellent spot for a Souplantation, Chili’s, Islands, or The Elephant Bar. Any of those places would help spruce up the area and keep those tax dollars in Temple City as opposed to sending them to all of the surrounding areas.
Well that’s enough about that and I feel better for getting that out of my system. It’s not that I expect our city council to act on any of these suggestions, as they are probably too busy deciding what shape our next city entrance signs will be, but at least I can say I tried.
Uh oh, I’m out of time and space and I didn’t get to the other thing that’s been bugging me of late, the baseball and softball programs at the high school. There are some serious problems I need to address in that arena and I really wanted to get to them. That will probably require an entire article so it’s better that I don’t get started on that topic now.
There’s always next week or the week after that or the week……
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