Cutting the City’s Power Bill

The City is no newcomer to conserving energy; we’ve been looking for ways to lower our electric bill for more than 10 years.
The City currently spends about $720,000 each year for electricity.
How the City saves
Replaced old fluorescent light fixtures with new high efficiency units.
Switched the lighting system in the Lighthouse tunnel – saving energy, and improving the lighting.
Upgraded almost all red traffic lights and many green ones from regular light bulbs to
Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights.
LED lights use one-tenth the energy of a regular 150-watt lamp and require much less maintenance. The remainder of the green traffic lights will be replaced soon.
All told, the City has saved 938-megawatt hours of electricity per year. Enough energy to power almost 223 houses!

Return to top

Fences – What to Know Before Building on Private Property

Traditional fences throughout neighborhoods were made of adobe, Carmel Stone or grape stake.
Today fences are made of many materials in our single-family residential areas.
Generally, fences 6-feet tall or lower are permitted – per the City’s Zoning Ordinance. Fences more than 6-feet tall require a Building Permit.
Some exceptions apply
Fences built in front yards must meet additional requirements:
Fences built in the “setback” can only be 4-feet tall or lower.
Fences built on corner lots cannot obstruct the visibility of an intersection and must be setback from the street.
Fences on sloping lots can also be a challenge. When building a new fence on a sloping lot, call for additional details.
Before building a fence, check with the City’s Planning Division at 646-3885 for current requirements (fell@ci.monterey.ca.us).

Return to top

Opportunity for Citizens to Review Marine Sanctuary Plan Coming Up this Fall

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan is up for review.
The Management Plan outlines the boundaries and objectives of the Sanctuary, and the basic rules that govern it.
As part of the process, all regulations can be modified, and additional rules can be created. Activities that currently happen in the Sanctuary such as fireworks displays, naval vessel visits and sport and recreational fishing will be up for review.
Community members are encouraged to get involved and provide suggestions regarding the Management Plan.
Local citizens helped design the current Sanctuary goals and rules in the early 90s, and Congress adopted the plan in 1993. Congress mandates that each Sanctuary review and update its Management Plan every five years.
The schedule of public hearings on the Management Plan is set to begin in October. Watch for meeting announcements in the local papers, or check the Sanctuary’s Web site.

Return to top

Arts & Culture

Public Sculptures Accent City, Add Historical Value to Community
Thought-provoking and historically relevant public sculptures enhance the community.
Next time you’re out, take a look around.
The Grizzly Bear and her Cubs, the most recent sculpture project, sits on the lawn in front of Colton Hall. The grouping commemorates the now extinct California Grizzly bears that once roamed the hills of Monterey.
A contemporary sculpture garden is located adjacent to the Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St. This garden, a joint project of the City and Museum of Art, offers a place for local artists to display their talents. The sculptures are temporary loans and will rotate as new pieces are proposed.
The Great Blue Heron came to rest at Lake El Estero in 1995. Blue herons are indigenous to the lake. On the Golden Road, shown below, will be installed at San Carlos Beach Park, making the Bay its backdrop. The piece was originally created as a temporary sculpture for California’s Sesquicentennial.
Brochures and maps that guide individuals through the area to additional cultural treasures are available at Colton Hall Museum and all visitor information locations.
For more info, call the City’s Museum Coordinator at 646-3858 (klusmire@ci.monterey.ca.us).

Return to top

And the Survey Says ...

Results from the Community Survey distributed in the City’s Annual Report are in.
Nearly 700 responses were collected. Thank you for letting us know what you think.
The survey gave community members the opportunity to rate City services and programs. Respondents said we are doing a great job in most areas, but in some we need to improve.
Survey questions were divided into the following areas:
1) City Appearance;
2) City Government; and
3) Community Services.

Here’s what we learned …

About City Appearance: Of those who responded to the survey, 98% rated the maintenance of our park system as average or better.
Greenbelt, tree and beach maintenance were all rated average or better by 95% of respondents. Overall City cleanliness received similar marks from 96% of the raters.

About City Government: In past surveys, a majority of raters said it was important to purchase property for parks and open space as well as preserve historic resources.
In this survey, we asked you to rate the City’s efforts to date: regarding open space, 94% of raters gave average or better ratings; regarding historic preservation, 93% gave similar marks.
Also, 92% of respondents said the City does an average or better job of keeping them informed about services, events and issues.

Community Services: City services and non-City services were rated in this year’s survey. Here are some of the categories and the percentage of raters that gave average or better marks: harbor/marina services 95%; garbage collection/ recycling 93%; bus service 86%; and availability of parking in business districts 68%.
Other City services, including fire (99% said average or better), library (96%), police (95%) and overall City services (94%) continued to receive high marks from raters.
Thanks for your input. To view the comprehensive survey report, visit the City’s Web site at www.monterey.org/survey
Look for our Community Survey in the Annual Report this fall or send in info anytime.

Return to top

Play a Part, Support the Sports Center Expansion

More than 2,500 community members use the Monterey Sports Center on a daily basis.
Participants line up at 5:30 a.m. to take advantage of aerobics and aquatics classes, fitness equipment, therapeutic training, martial arts and a variety of sports camps and programs.
To address the growing community demands for this affordable recreation and fitness center, plans were developed to expand the building.
And construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
You can help make the expansion a reality.
The City is looking to raise $1.5 million – about 25% of the construction costs – from local businesses and individuals. A majority of the funds, $4 million, will come from the City’s General Fund.
The 15,200-square-foot expansion will allow for larger cardiovascular and weight rooms, a multi-purpose room, fitness testing rooms, more locker space, a larger tot activity room and a snack bar/pro shop. The current 56,000-square-foot building was built in 1992.
If you are interested in helping support the expansion, send in your tax-deductible contribution today.
Make checks payable to: City of Monterey, MSC Campaign c/o Recreation & Community Services Department, 546 Dutra Street, Monterey, CA 93940.
Contributions of $150 or more will be recognized with an honorary plaque displayed in the Sports Center.

Return to top

Supporting Local Schools: How the City Gets Involved

Questions have been raised about the City’s relationship with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and how local government can assist the educational system.
The City is one of many stakeholders committed to the success of our schools. We are deeply involved in a number of activities to help local schools and improve the quality of life for our youth.
Because MPUSD is a separate government agency and serves an area much larger than Monterey, there are some special considerations regarding how we can provide support. Here are responses to some frequently asked questions about our cooperative efforts with MPUSD. If you have additional thoughts or questions, let us know (contact info on page 8).

1) What is the City doing to help our schools?
Some of the City programs designed to help our schools include the School Resource Officer and Youth Diversion programs and afterschool programs at school sites. Also, the City has funded landscaping and playground improvements at several schools that have benefits both during and after the school day.
Our continuing investment in Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula also helps MPUSD with their mission. We are now working on several major projects that will help the schools lower their operating costs.

2) The City appears to have plenty of money to spend on programs and projects. Why can’t some of this be used to help local schools?
As described in the previous answer, the City is spending a substantial amount of money to help local schools. At the same time, the City is not permitted to simply give money away, no matter how important the cause. That is why our involvement is structured the way it is.
Also, the City has many obligations and expectations that must be fulfilled. As conditions exist today, the demands for new City programs and facilities far exceed our ability to fund them all.

3) Can the City help maintain and/or repair school buildings/property?
We are doing just that. Our Neighborhood Improvement Program funds have helped improve playgrounds at several schools. There may be opportunities in the future for the City to invest in school facilities if and when they can also be made available to the broader community.

4) How can the City partner with the school district?
Our community’s needs and interests are so complex and interrelated that no single organization – not cities or schools, nonprofits or businesses – can meet these challenges alone. The City has begun working with MPUSD and others to rally all of these local assets, and more, to help meet the needs.
We are just scratching the surface, however, and much work needs to be done. If you would like to get involved, let us know.

Return to top

Rev. 02/21/10 L. Huelga  http://www.monterey.org/focus/summer01/news.html