By Mary O’KEEFE

The Montrose Shopping Park Association chose a new board during its January meeting. The slate of officers is Andre Ordubegian, president; GiGi Garcia, vice president; Ken Grayson, treasurer; and Kim Kelly, secretary.

The MSPA was formed in 1968 to represent the interests of local business owners in the shopping park. The organization promotes the shopping park through a series of events including Sunday’s Harvest Market, Wags ‘n’ Whiskers, Kids and Kritters, Montrose Arts and Crafts and the Montrose Annual Film Festival. The MSPA ushers in the holiday season with White Friday on the day after Thanksgiving followed by free weekend trolley rides, pony rides, shopping park visits by Santa and more.

The board meets the first Thursday of the month at 8 a.m. at the Professional Development Center at 2340 Honolulu Ave. The meetings are open to the public.

During this month’s meeting, the board heard from business owners on several issues including the overflowing garbage bins in the parking lots and back alleys of the shopping park. This has been an ongoing issue with the MSPA and business owners. On any given day, cardboard boxes, discarded food and other garbage can be found not in the bins provided but on the ground.

Members of the board felt the problem stems from local residents who use the bins as well as employees of nearby businesses who don’t put the garbage in the proper trash receptacles.

City of Glendale representative Jackie Bartlow suggested putting a task force together to study the issue and to present a conclusion that may include locking the bins to restrict access by non-business owners or to build an enclosed area for the garbage bins.

  Mary Okeefe