City Briefs
Negotiations Keep Grocery Services Downtown |
City Welcomes Fire Chief
City Teams Up with Residents
to Resolve Concerns
New Buildings Improve
Services, Conditions
Focus on Trees - Pay Attention to Plants During
Construction
Park Cleanup Helps Neighborhood Shine
Negotiations Keep Grocery Services Downtown
 Grocery services will remain in downtown
Monterey, and a facelift is scheduled for the City-owned property at 570
Munras Avenue.
In February, the City Council authorized a lease to developer
Foothill Partners to remodel the existing building, home to a Safeway store
for many years, and bring in a Trader Joe’s grocery store and adjoining
retail space. The developer will work to attract businesses to the site
which will complement the grocery services.
The City is also looking to secure a short-term lease arrangement
with Safeway, Inc., to maintain services on site while Foothill Partners
works on the rehabilitation process. This will minimize the time that
grocery services are limited.
Over the last several years, the City sought to attract appropriate
development projects to the downtown gateway property in order to maintain
grocery services in the neighborhood.
City Welcomes Fire Chief
Fire Chief Sam L. Mazza is now leading the
public safety efforts at the Monterey Fire Dept.
Mazza brings more than 32 years of experience having previously worked as
the unit chief for the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF)
in Monterey and San Benito counties. His regional knowledge and leadership
capabilities will ensure that we move forward strategically.
City Teams Up with
Residents to Resolve Concerns
Keeping neighborhoods safe and beautiful –
that’s what neighborhood revitalization is all about.
In a focused effort, the City is working with community members in
Oak Grove, Villa Del Monte, Casanova-Oak Knoll and Del Monte Grove-Laguna
Grande neighborhoods to identify issues and concerns and problem solve
collaboratively with the property owners.
This year, the City is holding a series of community meetings, in
partnership with neighborhood associations, to identify opportunities and
strategies for improvements and upgrades. The goal is to resolve
neighborhood complaints through concentrated code enforcement, housing
rehabilitation grants and loans and specific services for targeted
populations.
Meeting schedules are posted at
www.monterey.org and mailed to
area residents. Visit the Web or call 646.3885 for more details.
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New Buildings Improve Service, Conditions
 Our public safety teams now have workable office space, in the form of two
portable buildings set up behind Fire Station No. 1 on Pacific Street. These
offices will enhance customer service levels while upgrading working
situations for some City staff. Our fire administration staff and police
detectives once operated out of crowded rooms housed in old, dilapidated
bungalows.
The modular buildings were specifically built to accommodate our
public safety needs and were designed to be harmonious with the City Hall
complex.
 FOCUS
ON TREES...
Pay Attention to Plants During Construction
Protecting trees during excavation and
construction preserves valuable resources and allows plant life to withstand
changes to their environment.
Mature trees, especially our local native species of coast live
oak, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress have a low tolerance for root injury
and soil disturbance. The damage is not always obvious, as many trees
decline in health and vigor years after construction projects.
The City tree preservation ordinance provides guidelines and
requirements for protecting trees and shrubs during demolition, excavation
and construction. Requirements include fencing the tree to buffer the root
zone from chemical damage due to concrete and paint while protecting from
disturbance and compaction from equipment and material storage.
Whenever possible, trenching must be kept away from the base of
trees as root damage and subsequent decay is a primary cause of tree
instability, disease and death. If root pruning is unavoidable, cuts must be
made cleanly with a saw, keeping root bark intact and the wound free of
ragged edges. Hand digging to expose buttress (large anchor) roots near the
trunk can prevent damage by backhoes and other equipment.
To learn more about protecting trees, log on to
www.monterey.org/publicworks/trees or call the City’s Urban Forestry
Division at 646.3860.
Park Cleanup Helps Neighborhood
Shine
Laguna Grande Park sparkles, thanks to a
dedicated community effort to collect and remove assorted trash and garbage
from the area.
Community members worked alongside City staff to comb the park for
unwanted items, and in the end, hauled away more than three large truckloads
of waste. Recyclable materials were sorted into bins provided by Monterey
City Disposal Service.
To learn how to get involved or lead efforts in your area,
contact Volunteer Services at
646.3719 (www.monterey.org/volunteer)
or check with Public Education Officer Eric Stidham
at 646.3819.
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