Fireworks Not Permitted

Fireworks are spectacular but dangerous. Out of concern for public fire safety, the City of Monterey prohibits the sale and discharge of all fireworks within the City limits.
Community members can still enjoy fireworks by joining us for the radio-synchronized firework display that is launched in the Bay, just off of Wharf II.
The festivities get underway at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 4.
Please help make this a fire safe Fourth of July by not using fireworks.

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Buildings Get Facelift

New paint, roofs, signs and other exterior improvements are coming to many of the City’s commercial areas thanks to the City’s Facade Improvement Program.
One project already in the works is the painting of Mariposa Hall on Lighthouse Avenue (pictured at right). The applicant chipped away the building’s paint to find that the historic building colors were green and off-white. The new paint scheme reflects the building’s historic roots.
This fiscal year the City awarded 11 grants totaling $40,000 to local businesses to improve their storefront facades. The facade program was developed to help enhance the appearance of existing commercial areas.
Qualifying improvements ranged from helping to fund major storefront remodels to new paint jobs such as the one at Mariposa Hall. Individual grants were limited to $5,000 or less per property.

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Planning Commission

Helping Shape the City’s Future
Good planning is essential for effective communities. Every city has the responsibility to decide how to use its land and guide the form and shape the city will take in the future.
The Planning Commission is entrusted to help set land-use goals and evaluate individual project proposals to ensure that they are consistent with the City’s adopted plan. Almost every decision of the Commission must strike a balance between private benefit and the overall public good
Composed of seven members, the Commission creates a vision for future development in the City. To define that vision, the members:

1. Conduct research on growth and development
2. Establish community development objectives
3. Outline planning strategies to achieve the community’s objectives

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Architectural Review

Preserving Monterey’s Unique, Historic Make-up
Monterey is full of character. From New Monterey to Old Town, from Fisherman’s Flats to Cannery Row. Each of our neighborhoods – commercial and residential – has distinct features that make it special.
In order to maintain these unique attributes, the City established an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) to encourage and promote development that is harmonious with the surrounding area, as it exists.
The seven-member ARC is composed of citizens with expertise and/or interest in design and architecture. ARC reviews all aspects of a proposed project that deal with the outside appearance.
Some of these include access, on-site circulation, grading, tree impacts and building placement. The Committee also analyzes landscape areas and planting, architectural style, bulk, mass and color to make sure they conform to the adopted guidelines.

What projects go to ARC?
Projects must demonstrate conformance with all applicable zoning standards before architectural review. Projects with proposed waivers in setback, lot coverage, floor-area ratio or parking must first be reviewed by the Planning Commission or Zoning Administrator before going to ARC.
ARC meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. in the Council Chamber.
For more information about ARC or design guidelines please call the Community Development Department at 646-3885.

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Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts

Promoting Public Arts Throughout the Community
Monterey’s history and wide variety of public art make it a unique community. As we work to document our history and enhance our cultural arts program, the City has established a group of community members to help guide our community’s path.
The Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission acts on matters affecting the operation of Colton Hall Museum and regarding the City’s art and history collections, including public art.
The seven members visit sites; attend workshops and meetings; analyze projects; and then recommend policies to the City Council. The Commission is also charged with promoting cultural arts in Monterey. Members oversee a cultural arts grant program that provides support every year to a wide variety of programs and events in the City.
That’s one of the main reasons Commission Chair Mary Buskirk volunteered for the position.
“I am totally committed to promoting the arts and to protecting the historic treasures of the Monterey region. Serving on the Commission gives me an opportunity to have a positive impact on both.”
The Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 4 p.m. in the Council Chamber. For more information, call our Cultural Arts/Historical Facilities Division at 646-3991.

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Historic Preservation

Working to Preserve City’s Diverse Past
Monterey’s heritage is rich with resources. We have artifacts and remnants that reveal stories of other times and other eras. The Native Americans who first settled here. The Spanish and Mexicans who once governed the area. The transition of Alta California to statehood. The Cannery Row when sardine was king.
The Historic Preservation Commission is the steward of this heritage. The Commission oversees restoration of the City’s historic structures and recommends policies to the City Council.
In addition, the Commission is leading the way in revising the City’s historic preservation ordinance and developing programs to encourage property owners of 19th and 20th-century buildings to designate their structure as historic.
Commissioner Paul Davis, a licensed architect, takes his commitment to the Commission seriously.
“The City’s history and character are very important to me since I grew up here. I am also interested in reviewing projects from a technical perspective using my architectural background.”
The Commission, which has seven voting members and several non-voting members, is unique among City commissions and committees because it is certified by the State Office of Historic Preservation to meet historic qualification requirements. All members are either historians, design professionals or have extensive experience supporting Monterey’s history.
HPC meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber. For more information, please call our Community Development Department at 646-3885.

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Monterey Public Library

Enriching Lives, Providing Resources
Helping people develop ideas, learn and improve their lives – that’s what the Monterey Public Library is all about. By providing materials and services that enrich the intellectual, recreational and cultural life of the community, the Library serves a purpose unlike any other institution.
The Monterey Library Board of Trustees is charged with continuing this long tradition of enrichment.
Unlike other City boards and commissions, the Library Board of Trustees is an administrative board and hires the Library Director and recommends the Library’s budget to the City Council.
Generally, cultural and educational institutions have similar structures to help ensure that outside influences do not encumber intellectual freedom or the public’s access to information that reflects many points of view. Established by the City Charter in 1911, the five-member Board also selects material for the Library and enforces Library regulations.
Library Board Chair Mary Waldorf says she is proud of a host of activities the Library has recently undertaken.
“All the projects demonstrate admirably how the Library serves one of its major functions: preserving and making available to all citizens the ongoing story of Monterey,” Ms. Waldorf says.
The Board meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. at the Library. For more information call the Monterey Public Library at 646-5603.

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Neighborhood Improvement

Enhancing the Community One Project at a Time
Sidewalks, curbs and gutters, new traffic signals, parks and community centers.
Many such projects are made possible because of the dedicated neighborhood representatives who sit on the NIP Committee.
The Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) Committee makes numerous City projects a reality, projects that might otherwise be delayed or go unfunded.
“This committee is democracy in action,” says Sharon Dwight, this year’s NIP Committee spokesperson. “Each of us on this committee is proud to be part of this unique program that benefits people of all ages in every neighborhood of the City.”
Established in 1985, NIP directs tourist-generated dollars directly back into the City’s residential neighborhoods. Under a City Charter Amendment, at least 16 percent of the money collected from hotel taxes (Transient Occupancy Tax) must be spent on neighborhood and community improvements.
The president or other representative from each of the City’s established neighborhood associations sits on the committee. All members are nominated by their respective association and confirmed by the City Council.
NIP members review all potential projects and recommend to the Council, which should be funded.
“We review each project that is submitted and recommend those that are felt to be of the greatest community need,” says Ms. Dwight, who is the New Monterey neighborhood representative.
Projects can include improvements to parks and recreational facilities; improvements to other public buildings; upgrades or installation of sidewalks, streets, storm drains, sewers, lighting and traffic control devices; or the purchase of open space.
The NIP Committee meets as required. For information, call the Construction Management Division at 646-3997.

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Parks and Recreation

Providing Places, Programs for Enjoyment
Quality recreation and leisure programs and safe and attractive parks and recreation facilities foster a healthy, active community.
Here in Monterey, the Parks and Recreation Commission helps develop the top-rate programs, activities and maintenance schedules we have all come to depend on.
“There are so many exciting projects just waiting to unfold,” says Commission Chair Jeani Cooney. “I’m proud to be a member of the Commission and be able to support and meet the needs of Monterey families.”
The seven-member Commission oversees a diverse program that includes camps, parades, community centers, parks, baseball fields, playgrounds and the Recreation Trail. The Commission helps develop the network of events and programs that meet the needs of all age groups.
Projects the Commission has brought to the community include the Monterey Sports Center, five Community Centers and Dennis the Menace Playground.
Activities in the works include: a skate park, soon to be located behind Frank E. Sollecito Jr. Ballpark; bleacher expansion at Jacks Park; improvements and expansion of the Monterey Senior Center; and expansion of the Monterey Sports Center.
The Commission meets on the first Tuesday of the month at noon and the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber. For more information, call the Recreation and Community Services Department at 646-3866.

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Rev. 02/19/08 L. Huelga  http://www.monterey.org/focus/summer99/citybriefs.html