Tell Us Your Favorite Places, Events | Flushable Items Clogging Sewers
Help Balance the Budget | Graffiti Costs Not Pretty Picture
For Seniors - Activities Keep you Young

Tell Us About Your Favorite Places, Events
Send in photos describing your Monterey.
Define YOUR Monterey. What makes Monterey the unique, vibrant community you and your family enjoy?
From the coast to the mountains, from the parks to downtown and Cannery Row, we have access to a wide range of activities, resources and programs. Be it the arts; recreation classes or sport programs; cultural and educational events; historic tours and lectures; or even Monterey Bay or a neighborhood play area, there are many opportunities for enjoyment and enrichment.
Tell us about what you appreciate most. Even during these challenging economic times, there are many ongoing programs and activities to choose from that make our community a great place to live, work and visit.
Let us know about your favorite community places – be it a community center, the Monterey Public Library, Coastal Recreation Trail, the harbor/ marina, a neighborhood park or business district. Where do you go in your community for fun, to find answers, to learn a new skill? Describe what makes your neighborhood special, the characteristics and environs that
led you to call it home.
Tell us about the community services that enrich your home or work life and why they are important to you and your family – be it volunteer opportunities, the Neighborhood Improvement Program, online request portal, City TV, exercise programs or afterschool activities.
What’s YOUR Monterey? Mail/email brief descriptions along with photos of the people, places and events in your City that define YOUR community.
Photos should include descriptions, names, ages, place/area. Write name, address and phone number on the back of all photos and every attempt will be made to return them. Submit your entry to: What’s YOUR Monterey? via email webmaster@ci.monterey.ca.us  or mail to
City of Monterey, City Hall, Monterey, CA 93940.
Submissions will be featured in future issues of City Focus, on the Web, City TV and in City ads.

So-Called 'Flushable' Items Cause Sewer Clogs, Spills
Don’t put “flushable” products down the toilet – they get caught in our sewer system and lead to backups.
Over the past year, the number of sewer spills caused by objects getting stuck in the sewer line has increased. Some of the main culprits are so-called “flushable” or “disposable” rags and paper towels that get caught on roots and cause blockages.
Our system was NOT designed to carry these items. Help care for your community, throw flushable products in the trashcan.

Background
The terms “flushable” and “dispersible” are not the same. Flushable means that the product goes down the toilet and doesn’t clog on its way. Dispersible denotes that the product dissolves into
a cloud of fibers so it becomes part
of the water flow. Toilet paper is the only dispersible product on the market. Manufacturers of “flushable” cloths and scrubbers claim that products are flushable and somewhat dispersible, which means their products don’t fall apart immediately on contact with water. They count on the product not clogging a drain or system until it finally falls apart before reaching the treatment plant. But so far, no company has found a way to have a fabric hold up to water long enough to do its job and then disperse completely.
The other factor in “flushability” is the texture of the pipes that the product flows through. Iron pipes are often sandpaper-like on the inside because of the rough and often jagged texture that develops as iron rusts. Longer fiber cloths often catch on rough surfaces and cause clogs.
The bottom line? There are no truly flushable washcloths. The ones on the market claim flushability because of their size. As far as we know, there are no “flushable” alternatives.

Keep it clean
Sewer clogs and overflows are health and environmental hazards. Spills can run into creeks and Monterey Bay.
If you have a backed-up sewer line on your property, call a plumber immediately. If you notice a spill in the street or near a creek bed, call 911.
For more info, check with Public Works at 646.3920 or send an email to jgonzale@ci.monterey.ca.us. 

Help Balance the Budget, Tell Us Where to Cut Back
We need your input.
Be part of the process as we prepare for the upcoming budget year 2005-06. The City is facing
a structural budget imbalance for next fiscal year, largely due to State take-aways and rising costs in retirement and health benefits. This is on top of the $5 million we’ve already cut back during the last few years.
Your suggestions are vital to establishing the City’s financial plan and shaping your community’s future.
This spring we are weighing all factors to determine appropriate income and expense levels to come up with a balanced plan that meets overall community needs. Help your City identify services and programs to be reduced or eliminated and focus on the most important activities.

How can you participate?

1) Attend the public meetings and/or hearings during the budget process,
see budget meeting calendar below.
2) Call 646.3799, fax 646.3793 or email suggest@ci.monterey.ca.us your ideas.
3) Stay tuned to local media for opportunities to participate in meetings and work sessions for fiscal year 2005-06.

For more details, call the City’s Finance Department at 646.3940 or visit us online at www.monterey.org/budget.

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Graffiti Costs Not Pretty Picture
Webster defines graffiti as “unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface.” This definition, however, does not encompass the rude drawings, crude words, damage to private and/or public property or communication that incites illegal activity. It also does not address how graffiti affects our neighborhoods.

Graffiti costs community
In 2004, the City alone paid nearly $15,000 to remove graffiti from public property. These
dollars do not include what private property owners had to spend to get their properties cleaned.

Changes to graffiti cleanup regulations in the works
This year, we plan to establish guidelines via a City ordinance for
the timely removal of graffiti. Community input is vital to developing an effective and efficient process, and we will be collecting your suggestions and comments throughout the process.
As always, keep your eyes open and report graffiti to the City at www.monterey.org or call 646.3920.

FOR SENIORS
Activities Keep you Young
Take a fabulous trip. Learn to tap dance. You are never too old to tackle a new adventure or hone your skills at the Monterey Senior Center.
The Senior Center offers all types of classes, including dance, ceramics, sculpture, exercise, needlework and computers.
“Dancing keeps you young,” says tapper Aletha Worrell, 96, a member of the Senior Center “Tap Bananas” who have been performing locally for more than 15 years.
The Senior Center also offers a nutritious lunch four days per week. Or for the adventurous adults and seniors, Golden 55 Travelers presents treks from the farmlands of the Salinas Valley to the wilds of Africa.
For more info, call 646.3878 or visit the Web at www.monterey.org/rec.

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Rev. 02/19/08 L. Huelga http://www.monterey.org/focus/apring05/features.html