La Colonia Juarez became focus of cleanup program

-- ANDREW WAINER

The La Colonia Juarez neighborhood in Fountain Valley was the focus of a

cleanup effort this year as part of the city’s Neighborhood Improvement

and Community Enhancement Program.

It took five hours and eight trash bins for city workers to haul away the

garbage from the area this summer.

City employees excavated 30 tons of trash from the neighborhood around

Avenida Cinco de Mayo, Calle Independencia, Circulo de Juarez, Calle

Zaragosa and Ward Street.

The take included old furniture, clothes, concrete blocks and a small

car.

After the cleanup, city officials joined residents in the largely Latino

neighborhood for a barbecue.

“I think it’s a wonderful change, all this attention from the city that

we have now,” resident David Hernandez said. “I just hope they keep it

up.”

The city is following up its cleanup program with a possible

revitalization of murals in the community.

The city mailed a survey to 110 tenants and property owners in La Colonia

and asked them to rank the priorities for cleaning up their neighborhood.

The first survey indicated that residents wanted the mural wall painted

over, but others have protested and said the survey was not conducted

properly.

Fountain Valley housing coordinator Chris Corbin is compiling the results

of the revised survey. They will be distributed to city officials for

consideration in drafting a plan.

But original mural artist Sergio O’Cadiz said he hopes that the city

keeps a record of the mural whether it is restored or not.

“I hope the city will support the restoration of the whole thing,” he

said. “But if not, I hope they will take pictures of the different

sections and preserve them at City Hall.”

The city will administer yet another survey next year, with an impartial

group overseeing the process.