Enhance La Jolla has been busy this summer making some visible changes to The Village.
The nonprofit, which manages the Village Maintenance Assessment District and has authority to carry out projects throughout La Jolla, provided updates at its July 17 board meeting about efforts to replace hanging flower baskets, add new planters and flowers to area streets, provide additional landscaping care on Torrey Pines Road, plant new trees and more.
Among them is a new project to add large pots to Girard Avenue and fill them with flowering plants. A few already have been installed, and more will be added as funding allows. Several board members said the new pots and plants are a visual improvement.
The board of Enhance La Jolla meets July 17 at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
The board also is working to secure donations to replace trees in The Village area. One, on Herschel Avenue, was removed after it was knocked over by a vehicle in the middle of the night. Another, on Draper Avenue in front of the La Jolla Recreation Center, was dead for some time and was removed.
“We’re really a visual organization; everything we do has something to do with the [look] of the community,” said Maintenance Assessment District Manager Brian Earley.
Another project is to landscape, pick up trash and remove weeds from the area of Torrey Pines Road and La Jolla Parkway, which is considered a gateway to La Jolla.
Enhance La Jolla President Ed Witt said the board earlier this year received two donations earmarked for the work, which began a few months ago and is continuing.
“The initial work is noticeable; it’s significant what was done,” said Enhance La Jolla board member Mark Diercks.
An additional ongoing project is replacing the hanging flower baskets that line the streets of The Village, mostly Girard Avenue, and adding new ones.
“We have eight new baskets up and 12 more are coming,” Witt said.
Earley said some of the brackets or chains that hold baskets in place are rusted or need to be replaced.
“Some of our first-generation baskets have very thin, small chains and they are rusting, so we are going to be removing some of those,” he said.
Other Enhance La Jolla news
Board election: Ahead of its next quarterly meeting, Enhance La Jolla will hold an election for four available board seats. A committee is expected in coming weeks to seek new nominations and confirm those running for reelection.
From there, ballots will be sent to eligible voters within the Maintenance Assessment District. The results will be announced at the October meeting.
Next meeting: Enhance La Jolla next meets at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St. Learn more at enhancelajolla.org. ♦