Monrovia Creating Online Neighborhoods

Monrovia's Neighborhood Services is promoting a social networking site called NextDoor.com, which people are using to:

- Find a new home for an outgrown bike
- Track down a trustworthy babysitter
- Quickly get the word out about a break-in
- Find out who does the best paint job in town
- Organize a garage sale
- Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog

The city has launched seven neighborhoods, with seven more in the pilot phase. The largest so far has 47 members and calls itself the Monrovia Bears. The Wildrose neighborhood, which has 15 members, was the first to get started almost six months ago.

"I have used Nextdoor to welcome new neighbors, give away my couch and post information to keep our neighborhood looking good," said Heather Greer, a member of the Wildrose neighborhood. The founder of the Little Italy neighborhood, Christine Voyvodich, has gotten 21 of her neighbors to sign up.

Other online Monrovia neighborhoods include: Julian Fisher, Tree Streets, East Colorado, Sprouts, Mary Knoll, Monrovista/Hurstview, South Madison, Grand Avenue, Mayflower, Alamitas and 5th Avenue.

To find out more, attend the Neighborhood Conference next Saturday, August 11, at the Monrovia Community Center, 119 W. Palm Avenue, starting at 10 a.m. Free classes, meet city leaders and staff, receive a free lunch and raffle prizes, and learn how to get more involved in the creating the neighborhood you want.

Classes include: Monrovia Moving Forward, Making an Impact using Social Media, Unity in Diversity, Developing Leadership, Citizen Engagement, History of Monrovia, Developmental Assets for Kids, Code Enforcement, Social Services Panel, Disaster Preparedness, Government 101, and the Power of Presentation. Contact Neighborhood Services at (626) 932-5563 or email map@ci.monrovia.ca.us to get more involved.

Source: City of Monrovia press release

- Brad Haugaard