In the News
Affordable Housing Programs
| Groundwater Contamination at Airport Assessed
Seniors Save on Taxi Rides
| Red Engines Make Comeback
Know More Government | Cannery Row Mural Lives On
Public Service Center Project Moves
Ahead in Review Process
What’s new with the proposed Public Service Center?
An environmental impact report will be written regarding the Public Service Center project. The analysis will look at how the project will affect issues such as traffic, parking, landscaping, historic preservation and neighborhood character.
In May, the City Council confirmed they want to continue with the project. Also a bell tower or campanile, housing an
elevator, will be included in a shorter and simplified version of the original design.
The project will continue to go through the City’s development review process and be brought before various commissions.
Background on the project …
The needs of the community and City staff continue to outgrow existing space at the Civic Center, with offices in cramped spaces
scattered around City Hall. To address this issue, the City has developed plans to create a “one-stop” public service center.
The center is designed to enhance customer service and house essential services under one roof including planning, zoning and
construction. There would be plenty of storage for City records, museum artifacts and historic photos.
The new facility would reduce staffing and maintenance costs.
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Know
More Government
No Shoes, No Shirt Required
See your City in action and hear first-hand about decisions that affect the community – without even putting on your shoes. Watch the Monterey City Council on cable
Ch. 25 starting this summer. Now you don’t have to leave the comfort
of your own four walls to attend Council meetings and participate in the decision-
making process. Tune in to the City on Tuesdays at 4 and 7 p.m. and see your
City work for you. Watch local media updates and check the Web for start dates.
Visit City on the Web
Don’t stand in line; go online. Report a problem, keep up to date on City news and events, make a suggestion or learn the steps you need to take to remodel your home.
It’s the most convenient way to know your City. |
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Seniors
Save on Taxi Rides to Other Cities
For more info or to see renderings and video animations, link to monterey.org/civiccenter
.Seniors Save on Taxi Rides to Other Cities Seniors can now save 50% on taxi trips from anywhere within
the cities of Monterey, Seaside, Sand City and Del Rey Oaks.
- How do seniors save 50%?
Through the City’s Taxi Scrip Program, seniors can purchase a $20 booklet of taxi scrip from the City for $10. Scrip is used
like cash to pay for cab fare with the Yellow Cab Co. to travel within the designated cities.
- What are the rules?
Seniors must be at least 65 and live in the Monterey City limits.
- Where can scrip booklets be purchased?
Booklets are available at the Monterey Senior Center, Hilltop and Casanova Oak Knoll park centers and at the
City’s Revenue Office.
For more info call 831.646.3944 (suggest@ci.monterey.ca.us).
Seeing Fire Red
Red Engines Make Comeback
Traditional red fire vehicles are back in Monterey, with the addition of two fire engines and a rescue vehicle to the public safety fleet.
Why new fire engines?
The state-of-the-art engines maneuver more quickly through narrow City streets. They have a computer-controlled water pump, hydraulic ladder racks and increased storage space. These vehicles replace two 27-year-old units.
What about the new rescue unit?
A toolbox on wheels, the rescue vehicle carries needed equipment that once had to be stored
throughout the City’s three fire stations. The new unit allows public safety personnel to respond to many emergencies with a single vehicle that holds all the required equipment.
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New Income Limits Set for Affordable Housing Programs
What City programs are available?
Affordable housing programs at the City include down-payment assistance loans, the City’s Home Purchase and Resale Program as well as rental
assistance programs.
What are some of the income limits?
A family of three can now earn up to $48,400 per year and qualify as moderate income. A single person can earn $45,200 per year and
still qualify. Income limits are set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) based on the median income for the Monterey area. HUD income limits set eligibility requirements for
all City housing programs.
To get a copy of all household income limits or for help determining if you are eligible for City
housing assistance, link to the Housing Web page at www.monterey.org/housing or call the City’s
Housing Office at 831.646.3995.
Health Risks from Groundwater
Contamination at Airport Assessed
- Background:
We have been closely following the cleanup efforts of the water contamination found some 30 feet under the Monterey Peninsula Airport.
Since TCE (tricholorethylene, used to degrease metals) was found in the groundwater, the Army Corps of Engineers has determined the contamination plume extends from the airport through the Casanova Oak Knoll neighborhood to the Safeway supermarket
on Fremont Street.
The Corps of Engineers is the lead agency for the analysis and cleanup effort because the contamination
occurred while the U.S. Navy had an active air base on land leased from the airport between 1942 and 1989.The contamination does not affect water provided by the California-American Water Company (CAL-AM).
- What’s new?
Last fall the Corps of Engineers tested air trapped in underground pockets for potential contaminates at eight locations – five homes, the Casanova Oak Knoll Community Center and two airport sites. No chemicals related to the TCE groundwater plume were found in the air at these underground sites. The Corps will also look at other possible ways that people
could be exposed to plume contaminants or contaminant releases. They will
ultimately determine the health risks associated with such exposure. The Army Corps has hired a toxicologist to perform the assessment. Water treatment systems to cleanup the TCE plumes are also being designed. The systems will operate until the groundwater quality is approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, a division of the California Environmental Protection Agency. The systems will operate for
a minimum of one year.
- More info:
The City’s role in this cleanup process is to ensure that information is available, and that the interests and concerns of the neighborhood are addressed by the responsible public agencies.
For added info, call the Army Corps hotline at 1-800-227-0951 or call the City’s Public Works Department at
831.646.3920 (jgonzale@ci.monterey.ca.us).
Arts & Culture
Cannery Row Mural Lives On
Neither a decade of wear and tear nor recent windstorms could weaken the spirit of the Cannery Row Mural. Today the mural’s spirit of cooperation,
creativity and community enthusiasm continues to tell the tale of the Row’s lively past.
More than 12 years ago, local artists and the City collaborated to create the
400-foot piece of art that camouflages the stalled hotel development on Cannery Row. The original mural design
came from sketches (pictured) by the late Bruce Ariss that depicted the “Row” during
its heyday. Ariss had been a close friend to author John Steinbeck and his long-time friend Ed “Doc” Ricketts. Ariss spent much time on Cannery Row sketching and documenting the people and activity.
In 1999, the original, weather-beaten mural pieces were sold at public auction. The City once again asked artists, including many of the original 50 artists, to interpret the infamous life of Cannery Row.Visit the Row and see the stories unfold.
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