County’s Smallest City Expands on Big Plans

Orange County’s smallest city has big plans for the new year: more land and a larger Civic Building. The city expects the county Local Area Formation Commission in February to approve a proposed annexation of about five acres. That uninhabited land is now in neighboring Orange, which has already agreed to give up the territory.

The two cities decided to redraw their boundaries because of a widening and straightening of two streets that form a common municipal border. The improvements on Cerro Villa and Mesa streets required both Orange and Villa Park to swap some parcels of land, leaving Villa Park with about five more acres in the process.

In addition to more land, Villa Park plans on having a bigger Civic Building and possibly even more room in its library structure.

“We plan on adding about 1,500 square feet to the Civic Building, and if the bids are favorable, an additional 360 square feet to be built onto the library,” said City Manager Fred Maley.

He said that if a bid for the proposed library addition comes in at $20,000 or less, he will recommend that the City Council approve that construction. The work on the Civic Building itself is estimated to cost about $105,000, he said.

Maley said he expects to open bids Jan. 15 and take them to the City Council meeting Jan. 28.

Councilman Rich Freschi said he wants the City Council this year to push for more citizen participation in government. “One thing we can do is encourage more residents to watch the televised meetings of the City Council on the fourth Tuesday each month,” he said. “I’d even like to see our city vehicles carry a bumper sticker with that message.”

Freschi said he also will try to promote more youth involvement.

“We need to pay attention to the younger people in town,” he said. “I’d like to have the schools rotate and pick their student of the month to be recognized at the monthly council meeting. I’d also like to have students lead the pledge of allegiance at the council meetings.”