La Verne staff outline Route 66 centennial and America 250 plans; council backs further development

City staff presented preliminary plans March 2 for local programming tied to the Route 66 Centennial and the national America 250 semi-quincentennial, and the La Verne City Council agreed to move the concepts forward for development.

Andrea Blockinger, the staff presenter, described three America 250 initiatives the city could align with: "America's Stories" (highlighting local historical figures and landmarks), "America's Field Trip" (encouraging visits to iconic sites), and "America Gives" (a year-long volunteerism campaign). Proposed local activities included a social-media history campaign, guided walking tours of public spaces and landmarks, car-show concepts for Route 66 that would require coordination with Caltrans, street sign toppers and banners, and volunteer clean-up events that could piggyback on Chamber and nonprofit efforts.

Blockinger emphasized prioritizing low-cost options and staff's plan to return to council with concrete proposals, cost estimates and proposed partnerships within about a month. Council members supported the focus on small, visible elements (banners and street sign branding) and suggested partnering with the Historical Society, University archivists, the Chamber of Commerce and local schools.

Council member Crosby said banners and signage would show community pride, while Laauo urged staff to reach out to local universities and oral-history projects to strengthen historical content. Staff noted some higher-cost elements (a Route 66 monument program) would be more expensive and could be pursued only with outside funding or long-term planning.

Action taken was direction for staff to develop a detailed implementation plan, including partner outreach and budget options, and to return for council approval.