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Parents ask board to pause Plymouth Elementary fence plan amid traffic, ADA and community‑use concerns
Summary
Multiple parents and site volunteers asked Monrovia Unified's board to pause or rethink the proposed 8‑foot fencing at Plymouth Elementary, citing car‑line circulation, ADA path obstruction, loss of front‑lawn community space and insufficient principal/staff input before bids were issued.
At the Oct. 9 board meeting, several parents and community members urged Monrovia Unified's trustees to pause the fencing plan at Plymouth Elementary and revisit the construction documents before installation moves forward.
Carol Romero, a 17‑year Monrovia resident and parent, said the proposed 8‑foot wall along the sidewalk would reduce space for the car line and for parents waiting at dismissal, and would concentrate student egress to two adjacent gates that she said could be crowded and unsafe for 549 students. "Building an 8 foot wall fence along the sidewalk does not provide enough space for the car line," Romero said.
Other speakers, including Desiree Harbaugh and Jeremy Moe, cited missing site‑level input, rushed bid documents and layout problems such as gates opening into walkways and installed shipping‑container staging that was not adequately sited. Harbaugh reviewed the public record and the timeline of meetings, noting the contract award to Red Hawk Fencing in June for about $2.7 million for five elementary schools and raising concern that final construction documents were not publicly reviewed prior to bidding.
Board members pressed the project manager, Samra Zwady of SAB Management Corp., for details on sequencing, temporary fencing and the schedule. Zwady explained the contractor installs fencing in phases (temporary perimeter, posts, panels) and that gates are a last step; she said staging areas and logistics require some temporary gaps but that permanent closures follow. Importantly, she told the board Plymouth's work is not scheduled to complete until January, allowing time to address concerns presented that evening.
Board members asked the superintendent and project team to meet with principals and host community town halls for the remaining school sites so that final designs reflect site needs. Trustee Golar pressed for additional rounds of site input and said the board should be prepared to accept some cost increases if needed to respond to valid site concerns. Trustee Vonti reiterated the bond's safety motive — citing national school safety discussions — while also acknowledging the need to incorporate site feedback.
The project team said cameras and other security improvements across the district are complete; remaining roofing and gate work timelines were clarified during the Q&A. The board gave direction for the superintendent's office and project manager to convene site meetings, produce communication templates for neighbors and parents, and to return with updates before construction proceeds at the Plymouth site.
