Mayor Talks Local Business During Walk

Physical fitness, more family activities and building up business, were just a few of the topics discussed during the first Walk with the Mayor event this past Saturday at .

The walk was part of the Healthy Family Fun program created by the Community and Personnel Services Department. The program focuses on monthly outdoor activities for families to enjoy together.

“It’s an opportunity for us to encourage people to get out and enjoy our community,” said Mayor Joe Mosca. “We have an amazing community, so we want to see people get out, get fit and see our community, meet their neighbors and bond with their families.”

From the park, walkers trekked down Sierra Madre Boulevard toward Baldwin Avenue, making a pit stop at for a pick-me-up, and then heading back to the park. With only a small group joining him, Mayor Mosca was hopeful that more will attend in the future as word gets out.

During the coffee break, the mayor answered some questions and discussed one hot topic of concern—the lack of business interest in Sierra Madre. “We really need to focus on economic development in the city. We can try to bring in businesses that fit into the community,” Mosca said.

One new business is the former KFC site on the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd and Lima Street. It will soon be a Mexican Restaurant (rumored to be called “Taco Fiesta”), which makes local resident and avid walker Adolph Torres quite happy, “I am looking forward to that,” he said. “I keep walking by to see if it is open. I can’t wait!”

Another business in the works will replace the family favorite Restaurant Lozano on Baldwin across from Bean Town, which closed several months ago. It will soon be the home of Wistaria Grill, a restaurant that Mayor Mosca said he is pleased to see.

“They are our newest restaurant and it will be great” said Mosca. “It will be one of the more upscale places to have dinner on a Friday or Saturday night.”

According to Mosca, a major concern has been the fact that Sierra Madre residents are going to neighboring Arcadia, Monrovia and Pasadena to shop, especially when it comes to items such as clothing and groceries.

A second concern is empty buildings former businesses are leaving behind. Bill Peters, a local writer, questioned the site of the former Skilled Nursing facility which takes up two acres along W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Mayor Mosca noted that city council will be meeting with a company interested in developing that property as an assisted living facility twice the size (building upward) as the current site.

“This is an established assisted living company that not only develops sites but develops them for their own use. They would manage the facility,” Mosca said. The company, who was not named, has built state-of-the-art assisted living facilities throughout California, according to Mosca.

Mayor Mosca hopes for continued growth in the city as residents have pointed out the decline “We do shop at Taylor’s,” noted Peters. “There is not very much business going on [there]. It looks kind of depressing.” Mosca agreed with Peters’ sentiments, stating, “A lot of our folks are used to shopping elsewhere. What will it take to get them shopping here?” The conversation continued during the walk back to Vista Park with nothing but a positive outlook for the future of Sierra Madre.  

Each Walk with the Mayor will be held the first Saturday of each month in 2011. The next one will be held on April 2. If interested, meet at Sierra Vista Park at 9:00 a.m. There is no registration for the activity, just show up with comfortable shoes and Mayor Mosca is happy to answer questions along the way.

In addition to the Walk with the Mayor, upcoming Healthy Family Fun programs include the Huck Finn Fishing Derby and Mount Wilson Trail Race Kids Fun Run “Huck Finn Day is always a good event for kids and their families to come together,” Mosca said. The Huck Finn Fishing Derby takes place each year at the pond behind the baseball field and offers prizes. This is the second year that it will feature camping and will take place March 26 to 28.