FRIDAY LETTER
Tour of Honor Visitor
Cindy Lloyd was out doing some landscape maintenance at the Memorial Arch and she met Geoffrey Rineberg "Rhino" from Garden Grove, CA. Geoffrey was on his 9-day Tour of Honor motorcycle ride and checked off Carmel's Memorial Arch from his list. Thank you to Rhino for stopping by and thank you Cindy for providing him with a history lesson, sending us the photo, and for your loving landscape hands.
Monterey Cities & County Eviction Protections Webinar (5.26.21)
ECHO is conducting webinars to inform the public, particularly tenants and property owners, about the County's Eviction Moratorium, the Tenant Protections Act of 2019, the Tenant Relief Act of 2020, and SB 91. The following webinar provides information regarding the halt on evictions put in place by State protections. To register visit the ECHO Housing website.
Memorial Day at the Farmers' Market (5.27.21)
Next Thursday, May 27, Carmel Host Lions and American Legion Post 512 will have a table at the farmers' market and will be collecting non-perishable food, household supplies, toiletries, and baby items for the Veterans Transition Center in Marina.
Monterey Symphony Balcony Session (5.28.21)
The Monterey Symphony will hold another online balcony session on Friday, May 28 at 4:00 pm. To attend this event register on the Monterey Symphony website.
This Week in Public Works
Spring at the North Dunes
Native dune flowers are currently in bloom at the North Dunes. Spring is a great time to visit the North Dunes to see the variety of native dune vegetation that grows there. When you visit, please make sure to keep dogs on leash to protect this special habitat.
Dedicated volunteers of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club have been hard at work removing invasive weeds sprouting at the dunes under the guidance of our contract biologist, Joey Canepa. The volunteer efforts, aided by a dry winter, are paying off as we are seeing a significant reduction in non-native invasive species this spring!
1 Down, 2 Up
Forestry’s Mike Tope and Giuliano Picciuto removed a large pine tree that died from a combination of drought stress, engraver beetles, and blue stain fungus. However, two new trees were planted. The first is an interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni) planted on Monte Verde Street northwest of Sixth Avenue. The second new tree is an interior live oak planted in front of the Normandy Inn on Ocean Avenue.
Forestry and Parks Maintenance Work Never Ends
Leo Hernandez and Mike Tope repaired a water line on the Scenic Pathway that services one of the foot wash stations. Larger projects, such as grinding down a massive Acacia tree stump at the south lower parking lot at Sunset Center, are contracted out.
Electric Vehicle Revenue Milestone
Over the past year, the City’s net revenue generated from users of the nine Electric Vehicle Chargers installed at public parking lots surpassed $10,000. Seven charging stations are located in the Sunset Center north parking lot, and two are located in the southwest corner of the Vista Lobos parking lot.
14 More Piles of Fire Fuel Gathered at the Mission Trail Nature Preserve
A big thank you to the Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve for their volunteer efforts to clear and gather 14 large piles of fire fuel, ivy, invasive brush, and acacia sprouts. All 14 piles were picked up by Public Works this week. While Jesse Garibay and Dom Marquez are wonderful co-workers, it does get a bit lonely in the backhoe, so operator Jaime Aquino picked up a little hitchhiker.
CAWD Work on Scenic Road Next Week
The Carmel Area Wastewater District (CAWD) will be drilling to collect soil samples along Scenic Road, between Ocean Avenue south to the City limits, to facilitate the design of an upcoming sewer pipeline rehabilitation project. If you must drive in this area between the hours 8 am to 5 pm during the week of May 24th, please allow extra time as you may experience intermittent traffic delays.
Please excuse the District for any inconvenience this may cause. The City will be monitoring this work to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. For questions or comments, please call CAWD (831) 624-1248.
Smokeless Fire Pits Return to Carmel Beach
In accordance with the City’s Coastal Development Permit 18-231 and the Beach Fire Management Pilot Program, five (5) smokeless fire pits were placed out on Carmel Beach this week between Tenth and Twelfth Avenues.
PLEASE use only clean, dry wood in these pits and extinguish fires using only water. In past years, we have seen all kinds of trash burned in these pits, including books, flip flops, seaweed, and even whippet canisters. Equally problematic is finding pits where beach sand was used to extinguish the fires instead of water. Covering a burning fire with sand will just keep it smoldering longer, making it very difficult and dangerous to clean the fire pit the next morning. Anything other than water and wood in the pits leaves behind contaminated and/or hazardous waste, all of which has to be hauled away (including the sand) and will quickly ruin the pits.
 
Community Planning & Building News
Public Survey Still LIVE – Future Outdoor Seating in the Public Right of Way
We want your feedback!
Our survey to gauge general public sentiment about future permanent outdoor seating/dining in the public right of way continues through the end of May. The survey aims to gather feedback on some of the largest and most complicated topics surrounding permanent outdoor seating. Available online via the City’s homepage, the survey has already received over 1,200 individual responses! City staff will be advertising the survey at the weekly farmer’s market, the post office, along with other places to try and get as much participation as possible. For those who cannot access the survey online, paper copies are available by calling the Community Planning and Building Department at (831) 620-2010. Paper copies will be entered online by staff after return.
The benefit of an online survey is the ability to filter and analyze data based on specific criteria. Following completion, the results will be analyzed by Community Planning and Building and presented to the Ad-Hoc Committee for review. After that, staff will present the City Council with a report on the outcome of the survey and any related recommendations from the Outdoor Seating Ad-Hoc Committee. This survey is still an early step in a long process to determine if permanent outdoor seating in the public right of way is appropriate in the Village. If the concept continues to move forward, there is a great deal of regulatory work that would need to be done. This includes setting up fee structures and determining consistency with the City’s General Plan, Local Coastal Plan, Zoning Code, and Design Guidelines, all of which would take time and careful consideration.
Everyone is encouraged to participate in this very important outreach effort. To access the survey, please visit the City’s Homepage at: https://ci.carmel.ca.us/. The link to the survey can then be found at the top of the page:
We’re Still Digital!
The Community Planning and Building department has once again opened for in-person application submissions (currently from 8 am-Noon), and we’re excited to see everyone again! However, in the ongoing effort to maintain electronic files and create a more efficient service for the public, we will continue to require that all individuals who are applying for planning or building permits in person also include a digital copy of all plans and documents being submitted.
Digital copies should include PDF versions of the plans, application forms, and all supporting or supplemental documents. These digital copies may be provided on a CD, USB Drive, or through email submission. Application submissions will be considered complete once digital versions are submitted and accepted.
We also encourage individuals to continue to utilize our electronic permit submission system and reach out directly to Community Planning and Building if any questions arise at 831-620-2010.
Link to online application portal: https://carmel.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/carmel
Preparing for Fire Season
Monterey Fire Department will begin conducting fire safety inspections throughout the City on June 1, 2021. If you have specific fire prevention questions or would like to be present when the inspection is being completed on your property, please reach out to the Fire Department directly by calling or emailing Fire Prevention at 831-646-3908 or fireprevention@monterey.org if you would like to be present during an inspection, or if you would like to discuss fire safety with one of our fire fighters.
Memorial Day Press Release
On Monday, May 17, City of Monterey City Manager Hans Uslar, Pacific Grove City Manager Ben Harvey and Chip released a press release encouraging visitors to the Peninsula over the Memorial Day weekend to visit responsibly.
Upcoming Meetings
Community Activities Special Meeting - Tuesday, May 25 @ 9:30 am
HML Board of Trustees Regular Meeting - Wednesday, May 26 @ 9:00 am
Many thanks this week to our intrepid City Council for a successful budget workshop - we appreciate your commitment to ensuring we have adequate reserves, address our pension liability, and remain vigilant about beautifying the Village. And thank you to the Finance Division and Executive teams for drafting a cautious yet optimistic budget that begins to build back services. Anda to the adopting hearing on June 8, 2021!
Take good care.
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