-Visioning Program For 2020-
Chapter 3
MY COMMUNITY: WHERE WE GATHER, WORK AND PLAY

West Covinans are proud of their city, but in many different ways the city has become more diverse, making it more difficult to create a shared sense of community across the entire city. For this reason, residents are seeking ways to bring people together regardless of the neighborhood in which they happen to live, their cultural background, whether they are a young person or a senior, a newcomer or a long time resident, or someone who works here while living elsewhere. Members of the disabled population are also seeking full participation in the life of the community. The question is how best to create connections between the various components of the community while also making it "a more interesting place to live" with its own unique sense of place and identity. In this respect many have called for the creation of a new "downtown" or central gathering place to serve the entire community. There are also calls for a performing arts center and other cultural activities as well as a wider range of restaurants and entertainment venues to add variety and spice to city life in West Covina. Success in this respect would also contribute to making West Covina a more self-contained city, one in which residents could meet all or most of their needs without having to go elsewhere. Some of the more specific issues raised by people include the following:

Ethnic Diversity
There is a strong desire to celebrate the increasing cultural diversity of the city even while there is concern the city could divide into isolated ethnic enclaves. Most feel this worse case scenario can be avoided if efforts are made to reach out to one another. Some suggested a multi-cultural welcome wagon to help new residents, regardless of their cultural background, become adjusted to life in West Covina. Some residents felt the City should also sponsor ESL (English as a second language) classes and offer translation services. It was suggested that a cultural room be set up in a community center, featuring exhibits that showcase various ethnic groups now living in West Covina. More community events are needed that will bring citizens together, enabling them to discover that what we share in common is far greater than our differences. The role of the public schools in helping children and their parents become an active part of the larger community was also stressed.

Community Identity
For long-time residents of West Covina there is a strong sense of identity with their community, but this is less true for many newcomers. Many of these new residents commute to jobs outside of West Covina, leaving them with less time to get to know their community. Some suggested that having more jobs in West Covina would enable a larger proportion of the population to both live and work in the city, creating in the process a stronger sense of community identity. In addition, many long-time residents have a wealth of knowledge about the history of West Covina that can be shared with newcomers to help facilitate community identity. It was also suggested that holding town hall meetings in various neighborhoods throughout the city would help create a sense of West Covina as a more inter-connected community. Even landscape design can be used to reinforce the identify of the city by using trees, lamps, sidewalks, and other elements to distinguish the look of the city from surrounding communities.

Central Gathering Place
While the lives of most residents are focused on their homes and neighborhoods, many of these same individuals feel there is a critically important feature missing from the life of the overall community. They spoke of the need for a "downtown" or town center described as a central gathering place that would attract residents from throughout the community as well as business people, shoppers, and visitors. As the new heart of West Covina, this people-friendly focal point for the entire community, need not be a traditional downtown or main street, but something new that could be built on or near existing components that include the Civic Center, The Plaza, the Lakes at West Covina, and Glendora Avenue. Some liked the concept of an "old-town" or other similar design that would serve as the catalyst for the development of a multi-faceted, community destination combining both public and private functions, including civic, retail, entertainment, and cultural activities. Although residents might need to drive or take a shuttle to reach this central gathering place, once they arrive they could enjoy an outdoor pedestrian-oriented environment where people of different cultures, young and old, newcomers and long-time residents can easily meet and mingle.

In particular, some have suggested that Glendora Avenue be renovated as a promenade with outdoor cafes, coffee shops, fountains and artwork integrated with the adjacent The Lakes/Edwards Theater complex. Others have identified the old Wescove Plaza across from the Civic Center as an ideal location for a new central gathering place. Now occupied by vacant stores and other buildings, this site could become a new park that might include an outdoor open-air theater. Some suggested renovating the Wescove Theater on this site as a possible venue for a new performing arts center (see below). By attracting people from throughout the community, these sites alone, or in combination, can function as a central gathering place that facilitates community identity, adds more park and open space, and creates a new cultural venue. Most importantly, it has the potential of making West Covina a truly interesting and dynamic place that would serve the needs of residents from throughout the community who are seeking a focal point that would become the true heart of the city. In the process, this multi-faceted, community focal point would be a fundamental element in making West Covina a more self-sufficient city, designed to serve all the needs of its residents, while further enhancing the image and stature of the city throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Performing Arts Center
West Covina is now seen as a service and retail center for the eastern San Gabriel Valley, but it has the potential to also become a major cultural center. To fulfill that role, some suggested the development of a Performing Arts Center, a venue that years earlier used to exist in West Covina.

The performing arts center could feature not only live music and theater productions, but also include an exhibit hall for displaying work by local artists or to showcase the cultures of all the ethnic groups now living in the city. Many also wanted to see an art film house, either as a part of this center or nearby. Such a cultural and performing arts center would help knit the community together by providing a public place that all members of the community could enjoy as either active participants or as appreciative audiences. Since this issue has been under discussion for many years, it was suggested that the need for a performing arts center be confirmed with the voters before proceeding too far along this path.

A number of alternative sites and options were suggested for how best to develop a performing arts center. Many thought a new performing arts center should be an important element of a central gathering place or new downtown. Some suggested conversion of old movie theaters such as the one at the Wescove Center or the Eastland Shopping Center rather than the construction of a new building. It was also suggested that the creation of a new park across from the civic center in the Wescove Center could also be the site of an outdoor amphitheater that could serve as a performing arts center. Others thought a performing arts center could be built on the BKK site while another suggested a site in the hills behind Galster Park. The performing arts center at Mount San Antonio College is an existing local cultural resource that could be used more extensively by West Covina. If West Covina does build its own performing arts center, it should be designed to complement rather than compete with Mt. SAC.

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