CRA News February 2003

Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association

Nancy and Bill Doolittle, whose good works are legendary, are Carmel Citizens of the Year for 2002.

Nancy and Bill Doolittle Named Citizens of the Year

The success of the Citizen of the Year Celebration is due in large part to the committee cochaired by Jean Southern and Carol Hilburn, which made all of the arrangements, from flyers to food. Jean and Carol would like to thank all of the hard-working members of this group: Barbara Livingston, Don Hilburn, Carolyn Hardy, Frankie Laney, Helen Dietz, Janet McTurk, Larry Southern, Judy and Bernie Furman, Larry Rodocker, Lou Ungaretti, Mary Condry, Mellanie Moran, Nina Bayer, Peggy Purchase, Roberta and Monte Miller, Sally Williams, Shirley Humann, Sue Jarman and Suzanne Paboojian. Thanks also go to Magdy Ibrahim of Patisserie Boissiere for the beautiful cake, to Terrence Farrell for the beautiful classical guitar music, to Gwen Romano, who provided the delicious food, to the Chapman Gallery for help with framing the Vern Yadon painting presented to the Doolittles, to Richard Peterson of Carmel Engraver for the plaque on the painting and to Mission Linens for donating table cloths.

We greatly appreciate the efforts made by local elected officials who either presented or sent certificates to the Citizens of the Year. Attending the ceremony were Mayor Sue McCloud, Fifth District Supervisor Dave Potter and Congressman Sam Farr. State Assemblyman John Laird was unable to attend but sent a certificate to the Doolittles.

Special thanks go to former Carmel Chief of Police and Master of Ceremonies Don Fuselier for his time and effort.

From left, Karen and Chuck Gang and Kay Prine were seatmates at CRA Dines Out at Nico Ristorante after the January meeting.

From left, Judy Furman and Zaza Skidmore enjoyed catching up with friends before sitting down to a spectacular dinner at Nico Ristorante.

COUNCIL WATCH

Demolition, fire, traffic, morale and pollution--a mixed bouillabaisse on council's plate

No one could have been bored at the City Council's Feb. 4 meeting! Starting off, the council voted 4-1, with Barbara Livingston dissenting, to radically change the definition of demolition. Promoted as a simplification for applicants, a demolition will now be the complete removal of all above and below ground elements of a structure except for a basement. Previously, a project was called a demolition if it removed more than 50% of essential parts of a building. Under the new ordinance, a project which used to be called a demolition will now be called rebuilding. Councilwoman Livingston had checked with 75 cities in California and all use a more strict definition than the city's new 100% rule.

Speaking on behalf of the CRA Board, Linda Anderson said that with this change there will probably never be another "demolition" in Carmel because by merely leaving up a chimney or door frame, the project would be classified as a "rebuild." The transcript of the Planning Commission hearing on this change included discussion about problems with the Coastal Commission and 'getting rid of the stigma of the term demolition.' "In our opinion," she concluded, "it would be far more honest to call a spade a spade, a demolition a demolition, rather than hide the essential destruction of Carmel houses with the term 'rebuilding.' " Whether the Coastal Commission will continue to only look at demolitions or will want to see rebuilds is unknown.

A Public Safety Team report on Fire Station options, which all residents should read, is available for purchase at Copies by the Sea. [Please see the President's Message for details.]

A consultant team, Quality Wise, presented the results of its $10,000 study to the council. This report is also available at Copies by the Sea. Through interviews and surveys of the council, management, general employees and 10 residents, the group evaluated how well these groups work together, communicate and their level of trust. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best, the city scored an overall 2.6, which the consultants said was fine, but which Larry Rodocker, who had used this process in his corporation, thought was mediocre. The quotes throughout the study paint a picture of a dedicated work force suffering from very low morale and a lack of trust in the council and the administration. City Administrator Rich Guillen said he thought that this report would help him move towards a better working environment without having to pay the consultants for further help.

A $20,000 traffic study, which will review previous studies, look at circulation patterns, traffic congestion and safety issues, was approved 4-1, with Barbara Livingston dissenting. Concerned about budget shortfalls and paying another consultant, Councilwoman Livingston quoted the late Everett Dirksen, who said, "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon we're talking about a lot of money." Monte Miller, speaking for the CRA Board, said, "With revenues down, traffic is also down. Our new Traffic Commission and Police Chief have the expertise to handle our own very minor traffic problems without another consultant."

Finally, with Gerard Rose dissenting, the council agreed to join the cities of Capitola, Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in adopting a resolution asking that cruise ships be prohibited from discharging waste materials in the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary.

President's Message
What Is the Right Direction?

by Larry Rodocker

Maintaining a full-service fire department versus outsourcing and upgrading the current fire station versus building a new one at a different site have been important and controversial subjects, as they affect the safety and "wholeness" of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

You are probably aware of what is happening on the fire station project. There will be a seismic strengthening of the fire station, for an estimated $400,000, to be completed during fiscal year 2003/2004, a long-overdue project. While this is being accomplished, decisions will be made as to whether a full-service fire department is needed or if fire and safety protection should be outsourced. If the full-service fire department option is selected, the second decision would be whether the current fire station should be remodelled or a new fire station built at a different site. The third decision is how the position of fire chief should be filled. Since the correct decision has been made to seismic retrofit the current fire station, I will discuss the other options.

The current fire station has been a fixture of our village for sixty-six years. We feel and are secure and protected having this full-service station in our downtown area, knowing that both residents and businesses will receive instant response to any emergency. We should not look at outsourcing our fire protection. It appears this decision is being reviewed and made from a financial position during an economic downturn. However, as we all know, the economy will rebound and become robust again. A decision based on current economy over safety should never occur in Carmel. I've also heard the argument that we have very few fires, but it only takes one if it is your home. Also the rapid spread of a fire in our village due to the trees, wood structures and closeness of buildings should also be taken into consideration.

The next question is whether the existing fire station should be remodelled or a new one built at a different site. I recently spent time touring the fire station and feel that the building could be modernized with the organization and service level able to grow in the remodelled facilities. I also believe the questions of adequate space for administrative offices, fire and EMS apparatus, future changes with vehicle sizes, proper ingress and egress for vehicles, working and living areas for personnel, general storage, equipment and maintenance and community room can be satisfactorily addressed in a modernized facility at the present location. On-site training, parking for staff and parking for responding paid-call firefighters can also be addressed at the present location. We currently have an ideal spot in the middle of town, equidistant from residential neighborhoods--part of our "Carmel character." The estimated costs for a new fire station, excluding property costs, are $4,000,000 to $5,500,000. For modernizing the existing fire station, the costs could conceivably be half of that. (Remember, the retrofitting costs will have been paid.)

A full-time, on-site fire chief is imperative for a progressive fire department. This person would be in a leadership role implementing policies, procedures and controls in a timely fashion. The Quality Wise report [see related article] cites a need to "Increase on-site management of the Fire House." If we combine the position of fire chief and assistant fire chief into one position, a substantial cost saving would be realized.

The last part of this equation is financing. The public safety team recommends selling Flanders Mansion, the Scout House and Rio Park. There are other viable options to which they allude, but show little interest.

Other financial options must be examined before these draconian measures are approved. In conclusion, it is important that in making these decisions we:
  1) Maintain the highest level of safety and security for our residents and businesses;
  2) perpetuate the village character and Carmel way of life;
  3) examine new revenue streams [See related article below]; and
  4) live within our means.

For such an important topic, wouldn't it be wonderful if the City Council, residents, business owners and general community could gather for a town hall meeting in which various opinions could be heard and discussed?

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Mayor Sue McCloud asked us to include the following comment on David Maradei's Coastal Commission Report in the January CRA News.

"David Maradei misspoke in the 3rd paragraph of his article on the Coastal Commission on page 3 of the January issue when he cited 'the self-imposed deadlines set by Mayor McCloud.'

"On 7 Nov 2000, Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2000-137 'to affirm the completion of the LCP as the City's highest planning priority' and 'whereas the City has applied for...funds to aid in completing the Implementation Plan by Dec 2001.' We did submit our LCP as promised by December 2001. Since that date, the Commission staff has been reviewing and seeking clarification of the 800-some pages in our submission. Any deadlines since Dec 2001 have been established by the Coastal staff, not by the Mayor of Carmel."

Hot Coffee Continues

For years Beach Cleanup volunteers have enjoyed the aroma and taste of steaming-hot coffee, faithfully donated each month by Rocco Cardinale and his parents. Now that Caffe Cardinale has been sold, the new owners, Steve and Carolyn Grebing, Kevin McCord and Hedi Movahedi have generously offered to continue the tradition.

The Grebings own well-known From Scratch Restaurant in the Barnyard, Hedi Movahedi owns Hedi's Shoe Store on Ocean Avenue and in the Barnyard; Mr. McCord distributes organic juices.

Council member Dick Ely has also said that his Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company on Ocean Avenue would be more than willing to donate coffee. We greatly appreciate his offer.

Jimmy Hopper Lecture

The February edition of the Library's Local History Lecture Series is entitled I, The Foam of Earth -- The Life and Work of James Hopper. Kathleen Gakle, a scholar who has recently completed her master's thesis on James "Jimmy" Hopper, will discuss his life and work. Hopper was an accomplished short story writer and newspaper correspondent who moved to Carmel in the Bohemian era of George Sterling and Mary Austin. Until now, there has been little work on him. This is a rare opportunity to learn about one of Carmel's creative pioneers.

Lectures will be held on Monday, Feb. 24, at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Park Branch of the Library. Be sure to arrive early to get a seat.

Trade-offs for New County Plan Aren't Easy!

We can either decide what we want to look like in the future or just let it happen with Silicon Valley and the developers deciding for us." The choice is ours, according to Assistant County Administrative Officer Jim Colangelo, who led CRA members at the January meeting through the process of putting a new general plan together for Monterey County.

The current plan, last updated in 1982, "has good policy language but not enough teeth." said Colangelo. It creates a "field day for land-use attorneys and some environmentalists who want to fight everything. They like the lack of clarity." Current policies, he says, are pushing us to become another San Jose, with a loss of farmland, development separate from job locations and housing dispersed throughout environmental habitats. "As a county, we have done a great job of building houses on golf courses!" he lamented.

If all goes as Mr. Colangelo hopes, the new plan will "put 20 years of land use battles into one document--settling issues and creating a blueprint for the future." He admits, however, that when you get down to the details, the trade-offs are difficult. The big issues are the same all over the county--water, ag preservation, affordable housing, traffic. But they mean different things to different people. "If you say 'ag-land preservation' in San Ardo, he said laughing, "you get run out the door." They are, for obvious reasons, more interested in preservation of jobs and housing.

The broad goal of the plan is to define areas that are appropriate for growth and those that should be protected. Development should be close to existing cities, leaving enough area between them to maintain a distinction, rather than creating another Orange County, where one city runs into another. Other critical issues are affordable housing near job sites, transportation and water infrastructure funding, preservation of resources, economic development and protection of property rights. But, said Colangelo, subdivisions must be limited. "People have an opportunity, but not a right, to subdivide their land."

After a series of public meetings around the county, a draft plan went to the Board of Supervisors last July. Then came a parade of 270 property owners asking for special changes, of which the supervisors granted 80.

Our county will grow no matter what. In the 1990s, higher birth over death rates alone created a 5,000 per year increase. The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) predicts that county population will go from 400,000 to 550,000 in the next 5 years. "We can't do supply and demand," said Colangelo, "because the demand comes from all over the world. We have to stop somewhere."

Ironically, the Peninsula cities have the lowest housing allocation but most of the jobs. The effort to put more affordable housing at Ft. Ord has stumbled 1) because Marina and Seaside want higher-end housing, feeling that they already provide a great percentage of affordable homes, and 2) because water on the county portion of Ft. Ord has already been allocated to various entities--CSUMB and the army, probably more than they need.

Once the plan is finalized, Jim Colangelo feels that the only way to actually implement it will be through a county-wide ballot measure for approval of a sales-tax increase to fund roads and necessary infrastructure improvements. This would probably take place in two years.

"Pre-planning" Your Home
by Carmel Fire Department Captain Mitch Kastros

A pre-plan is a strategy for something we hope will never happen, while at the same time reducing the chance of that event taking place. Firefighters conduct pre-plans of homes, buildings, city blocks, neighborhoods, forest and grassy areas to help prepare for possible fire and/or safety problems that could occur at any time. Pre-plans also include preventive measures to help detect potential hazards and address them before they become serious problems.

For instance, when the fire department pre-plans a building, we learn the best ways to get in and out. We find out if there are flammable liquids, chemicals, confined spaces and electrical issues in the building. We determine what the building is made of and what the potential is for collapse during a fire. We learn where the natural gas and electrical mains are, and alternate escape routes if our primary one is blocked.

We can all use this same type of strategy to pre-plan our own homes with regard to fire and life safety. For example:

• Are our bedrooms upstairs or downstairs, do we sleep with the door open or closed, and what are our escape routes if we wake up to a fire? We should have more than one escape route and a safe place outside for everyone to meet.
  
  
• Do small children or adults with limited or no mobility live with us, and is there a plan to get them out of the house if necessary?
  
  
• If there is a medical emergency in our home, can bedrooms and other critical areas of the house be easily accessed to remove potential patients?
  
  
• Have we moved flammable liquids away from furnaces and water heaters and out of the house?
  
  
• Are our smoke detectors working and tested regularly?
  
  
• Are swimming pools and hot tubs secure from having someone accidentally fall in?
  
  
• Is the kitchen safe for children to not get burned or cut, and are cabinets and medicine chests childproof?
  
  
• Do we know how to properly access "911" and report an emergency?

These are some of the things to consider when pre-planning our home, and similar strategy can be applied in the workplace as well. Not everyone's home is the same, but it is fairly easy to spot a potential problem or hazard that shouts, "Watch out!" If you need assistance in pre-planning and locating hazards in your home, call the fire department at 620-2030 and ask for "B" Shift to come and help you.

OLD CARMEL
by Connie Wright

Frank and Jane Gallatin Powers

Carmel-by-the-Sea is celebrating the centenary of the formation of the Carmel Development Company and it seems fitting to celebrate the lives of two of its little known, but important citizens as well.

Frank Powers (1864-1920) was a Berkeley graduate and a successful San Francisco attorney when he married Jane Gallatin (1868-1944), the daughter of Albert Gallatin of Sacramento, who made a fortune during the Gold Rush. Frank became interested in land speculation and bought up large amounts of Carmel real estate until he owned about three-quarters of what is now Carmel. When the Carmel Land Development Company was founded, Frank Powers was president. Frank Devendorf was not a stockholder or board member, but rather, a paid employee. Powers provided much of the money for the Development company and the financial direction and legal expertise, while Devendorf provided the managerial skills for selling the property. Devendorf was not the sole father of Carmel.

When the Powers moved to Carmel in 1904, Jane was a well-regarded professional painter and a San Francisco socialite. Frank loved every tree, rock and cove of Carmel and every person he ever met, and was fascinated by the arts. Their house on San Antonio near the Carmel gate was a log cabin with a dirt floor. A barn on the property, built in 1864, became Jane's studio and was the first artist's studio in Carmel. Jane and Frank had four children: Madeleine, Polly, Dorcas Jane and Gallatin. Jane became a founding member of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, the forerunner of the Carmel Art Association. Both Jane and Frank encouraged their artistic San Francisco friends to settle in Carmel. In 1912 Jane fell in love with a painter named Funk and went to Italy with him, leaving Frank and the children behind. She returned shortly, but Frank altered his will leaving her only a monthly allowance. Frank sold their Carmel property in 1920 and died six months later. Jane soon moved to Paris with Polly, Dorcas Jane and Gallatin. Before leaving, she burned all of her Carmel paintings. Jane set up studios in Paris, Capri and Rome, where her paintings were shown. Both Polly and Dorcas Jane married Italian nobility. Dorcas died in 1929 and the depression severely curtailed Jane's monthly allowance. In 1941, Polly and her husband were interned by the British, and Jane's funds were completely cut off, as was communication with her frantic family in America. In 1944 she was discovered by her grandson in Rome, living in abject poverty with very little food, but surrounded by 14th century antiques. Jane died shortly after his visit. In 1980, dozens of her Italian paintings were discovered in the basement of daughter Madeleine's Carmel house.

Frank and Jane Gallatin Powers have lived on through their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, who have been and are presences on the Monterey Peninsula, but the city of Carmel has seen fit only to dedicate a footpath in Jane's memory.

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