City Services, Programs Rated High by Community

We asked and you responded, yet again. Thank you for your input.
In the 1998 Citizen Survey distributed last fall, community members had the opportunity to let the City know how we are doing at various levels.
Many of you – nearly 700 responses were recorded – took the time to let us know.
The survey, which rates our present programs and projects and shapes future ones, provided us with a mountain of valuable information and insights. You said we are doing a great job in most areas, but in some we need to improve.
This City Focus includes articles about some of the major issues raised by respondents and discusses some of the ways the City has been or will be addressing these concerns.
In general, respondents continue to be very satisfied, as they were when we distributed a similar survey almost two years ago, with the services they receive from the City, whether it be fire, police, library or recreation services. Overall, 85% of respondents rated the job the City is doing as either “excellent” or “good.”
When asked if the City should add, reduce or eliminate services, about 18% of those with an opinion said the City offered services that should be reduced or eliminated, but no overall consensus on a specific service or program was voiced.
However, more than 60% of respondents (an increase of nearly 10% from the 1997 survey) said the City should expand or provide new services not currently offered. Potential expanded or new services that ranked high include street maintenance, crime prevention and safety and parking.
Street maintenance and zoning enforcement are areas that citizens said we could improve upon. These and other issues related to the survey will be discussed in upcoming City Focus articles.
As for issues that are important to the future of our City: over-development or slow/balanced growth; traffic concerns; and preserving open space and historic sites ranked highest.
The City will continue to use your responses and other input to evaluate programs and activities and plan for the future.
Again, thank you for sharing your opinions. Please keep telling us what is on your mind.

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Police, Community Partnerships Help Create Safer Neighborhoods

Innovative, non-traditional methods, creative problem solving – that’s the philosophy behind public safety at the Monterey Police Department.
“We – the police – can’t control crime by ourselves. We must form partnerships with you, our citizens,” says Police Chief Gary Brown.
“Working together we can identify and address the causes of crime and fear as well as other quality-of-life concerns.”
Under the umbrella of Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) our Police Department continues to promote a more proactive approach to dealing with public safety issues such as those identified in last year’s Citizen Survey.
Survey respondents said they wanted to expand some existing crime prevention and safety programs or create new ones.
While respondents said they felt safer in business districts compared to other years, the Recreation Trail and City beaches and parks continue to raise concerns among respondents.
In response to the 1997 Citizen Survey, we began waterfront patrols, using bikes and all-terrain vehicles, that put officers in contact with community members on a routine basis. Based in part on the most recent survey input, we have added new programs and enhanced others to address safety concerns and perceptions.
As an example, two patrol lieutenants assigned to equal portions of the City are working closely with the neighborhood and business associations to develop a framework for identifying problems and working on community solutions. This complements our Community Action Team (CAT) officers already assigned to specific neighborhood/business areas, who continue to target local issues.
Our Monterey Volunteers in Policing (MVP) patrol unit is a fixture downtown and very recently began patrolling neighborhoods in a specially marked MVP police car. And this year, the renewed Traffic Division is again specifically developing strategies for dealing with City traffic issues.
Additionally, some four-legged friends have joined our team. Argo and Charp, German Shepherd police dogs, are now on patrol and the Mounted Horse Patrol Program will continue to focus on community events.
Active community participation, along with these programs and activities, will help the City continue to improve the quality of life in Monterey.

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Team Effort Helps Resolve Traffic Issues

Traffic. Analyzing, regulating and managing it – that’s part of our job.
The City continues to meet and work with community members and neighborhood associations to find ways to resolve traffic problems and alleviate speeding and congestion as much as possible.
Respondents to the Citizen Survey indicated that traffic is an important issue that needs close attention. Our Police Department and traffic engineer have been looking at ways to improve traffic flow while slowing traffic in residential areas.
“We work directly with community members, those with the first-hand knowledge about specific conditions in their area to design solutions to meet everyone’s needs,” says City Traffic Engineer Rich Deal.
Our Police Department reinstated the traffic division this year to focus attention on specific residential and commercial areas. As a team our police and traffic engineer listen to community concerns, enforce traffic laws and try to find solutions that will improve the situation, not move it elsewhere.
For example, individuals often ask that stop signs be installed to slow traffic. Unfortunately, surveys show that speeds between intersections actually increase when a new stop sign is installed. The City prefers to promote traffic calming methods that change the geometry of the road so drivers naturally want to go slower. Depending on the conditions of the roadway, several different types of modifications can be made including traffic circles, spot narrowing, medians, entry islands and intersection realignment.
Successful examples of spot narrowing are at the intersection of Euclid and Ramona avenues as well as the school crossing on Via Gayuba. In both locations, the curbs extend toward the center of the street making the lanes narrower and forcing traffic to slow down.
Another community collaboration was the installation of a traffic light at Monroe and Franklin streets. With the reopening of Larkin Elementary School, neighbors knew that traffic and pedestrian levels would increase. The neighborhood brought their concerns to the City and the solution was to install a new traffic signal.
Bring your traffic concerns to us. For more information, or to make a speed reduction request, contact your neighborhood representative or the Traffic Engineering Division at 646-3920.

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Development, Growth Impact City’s Future

Growth and development – how does it affect our community?
In the 1998 Citizen Survey, 18% of Monterey community members identified “slow or balanced growth and over- development” as the most important issue for the future of the City – the highest single topic response in the survey.
“We are equally concerned about growth and the impacts of growth,” says Plans & Public Works Director Bill Wojtkowski. “We continue to analyze new projects and renovations with the entire community in mind.”
The preservation of the natural and man-made features that make Monterey such a wonderful place to live, work and visit – the forested hills, Bay setting, historic buildings and viable downtown – is stressed by the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. And we work to ensure that growth does not negatively affect our residents.
Many residents remember the traffic and parking gridlock when the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984.
In contrast, with the opening of the new wing in 1996, Aquarium attendance once again increased but this time the impacts on traffic, parking and everyday comfort of residents was substantially reduced because of additional parking in Cannery Row and reliance on the WAVE shuttle system.
In addition to handling the impacts of new growth, the City is also reversing some past patterns, as evidenced by our efforts to reunite the City with the Bay.
The former railroad tracks are now the Recreational Trail, and Monterey Bay Park – also known as Window on the Bay – and San Carlos Beach Park are examples of public ownership that provide public views and public access.
Growth concerns also spark water issues. The availability of water for new development is minimal. The City has an allocation system for our remaining water with priority given to projects that benefit the general public as well as remodels of single-family homes.
Overall, the City reviews new growth to ensure that it will be of benefit to residents. Growth has provided jobs, neighborhood improvements, entertainment, shopping, restaurants and recreational opportunities for residents.
We will continue to work to minimize the impacts of growth and increase the benefits for residents.
Parking, alternate transportation, sign programs help minimize traffic. Balancing Resident, Visitor Needs Takes Creativity. Striking a balance between tourism and residential needs is not always easy, and it requires a diverse approach emphasizing education, visitor transportation and parking management programs.
“The City benefits greatly from the tourist dollars spent in the area,” City Manager Fred Meurer says. “We are able to fund a host of programs and activities that other cities aren’t able to.
“However, we always strive to minimize the impact that tourism has on everyday life in the community, while continuing to promote the area as a visitor destination.”
The recent Citizen Survey indicated that tourism, along with its effects on the community, is an important issue for the future of our community. Some respondents said the City spends too much time on visitor related matters while others said we need to do more to attract tourists.
In weighing these divergent viewpoints, the City continues to work to balance both needs. Some examples of the programs the City uses to address the needs of our residents and visitors include:

• Residential permit parking programs, which place one-hour parking limits for non-residents of a neighborhood.
• The Waterfront Area Visitor Express (WAVE), a visitor transit program used to efficiently move visitors and residents around the City during the summer months.
• Smart Parking brochures and visitor-serving maps provide clear, easily understood directions to minimize the time visitors spend looking for parking.
• The City-sponsored Visitor Information Center distributes destination and parking information and encourages the use of the WAVE.

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Rev 09/30/08 L. Huelga http://www.monterey.org/focus/spring99/communitytips.html