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CRA News September 2003
Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association
|
|
CRA Meeting -- Why do we need a Stormwater Utility?
| Thursday, Sept. 25 -- CRA Meeting | |
| 4:45 p.m. -- Jim Cullem, Director
of Public Works Vista Lobos Meeting Room, Torres between 3rd & 4th |
|
Before you vote--a chance to learn about the proposed fee
Jim Cullem, Carmel's Director of Public Works since 1988, will be our Sept. 25 speaker. As we go to press, the City Council has voted to postpone the mailing of a ballot for the Storm Water Utility Fee until after they discuss it at their Sept. 2 meeting. So, Jim's talk will be very timely. In addition to explaining what is involved in this proposed ballot measure, he will answer questions on his other areas of responsibility, such as streets, beach work, etc.
Jim Cullem has an impressive background. A civil engineer who graduated from West Point and earned a master's degree from M.I.T., he served in the U.S. Army for over 21 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. While in the military, he graduated from the US Army Command & General Staff College as well as the Army Ranger and Army Airborne schools--all daunting challenges.
Jim is responsible for the city's vehicle and street maintenance programs, as well as the city's storm drainage and beach protection systems. He manages the Public Works department's staff, directs and coordinates the work of a firm providing city engineering services and manages most of the city's construction contracts. He is also the city's representative for state and federal grants for storm repairs, and for street and drainage projects. Recently, he secured grants of $250,000 and $171,000 for the Junipero re-paving/streetscape project between Ocean Ave. and 8th.
Jim and his wife, Eleanor, reside in Monterey and have two grown children and two grandchildren. His favorite activities are skiing, hiking and jogging, and he's known to play "at golf" whenever the opportunity presents itself and time permits.
(See Editorial for more details on the proposed Storm Water Drainage Utility Fee.)
President's Message
Status of 2003-2004 City Budget
by Larry Rodocker
| Two months since approved, city budget with public was shared, |
| Where expenses shown and revenues projected were compared. |
| Everybody happy, process done, a sigh of relief, |
| But wait! Expenses greater than revenue -- beyond belief! |
| This is what city is proud to show -- |
| An out of balance budget with negative cash flow. |
| City administration has feeling of dread, |
| Color of ink should be black, not red. |
| Not to worry -- solutions in new revenue streams. |
| But this won't happen, even in the best of dreams. |
| Wait says city, another place to go, to seek -- |
| To find revenue, plug the leak. |
| Go to reserves, draw down, make them small, |
| Then our image will be polished, we can stand tall. |
| This is why we have reserves, for the rainy day, |
| But capital reserves used in expense budget to pay? |
| It's only money, what difference will it make? |
| Just no capital improvements till 2007 -- nothing at stake. |
| Infrastructure gets shabby, roads full of holes, |
| Don't worry, we'll go where the wind blows. |
| But tourists like destinations bright and clean, |
| Not run down, unkempt, as a neglected scene. |
| Reserves drawn down $1,040,000 to balance fiscal year, |
| Two months later, reserves down $1,200,000 -- nothing to fear. |
| If rainy days continue on reserves, things get dark, |
| We'd better call Noah to build us an ark. |
¡ CRA Olé !
Fiesta in the Forest
CRA's popular Twilight
Barbecue at Stillwater Cove evolved this year into a marvelous Fiesta
in the Forest, held at the woodsy, cozy Indian Village in Pebble Beach.
By the end of the evening, the one hundred plus members who attended
all seemed to agree that this new spot was perfect. Although the sunset
at Stillwater Cove is unforgettable, it was nice not to have the tide
encroaching on the first tier of tables and there was much more space
to circulate and talk.
Don Carr's Mexican decorations were superb and his many hours of behind-the-scenes
layout of tables, construction of an entrance, etc. transformed Indian
Village into a Mexican village. Even the traditional menu took on a
Latin flavor with tortillas, refried beans, rice with sour cream and
peppers, guacamole and salsa, in addition to Pierre Prodis' famous barbecued
chicken. Because so many people asked, Susie Carr agreed to share her
rice recipe, which is reprinted below.
Committee members were Susie and Don Carr, Barbara and Steve Brooks,
Dorothy Cole, Mary and Bob Condry, Gloria and Lee Eldred, Regine Godfrey
and Mark Christensen, Kay and Harvey Kuffner, Frankie and Dick Laney,
Roberta and Monte Miller, Carol and Pierre Prodis, Dorene and Larry
Rodocker, Marv Silverman, Sherry and David Shollenbarger, Zaza and Howard
Skidmore, Barbara and Dick Stiles, Lou Ungaretti and Linda and Clayton
Anderson.
|
Arroz con Jocoqui -- Rice and Sour Cream Casserole 3 cups cooked rice |
Statewide Coastal Cleanup
Saturday, September
20
9 a.m. - noon
* Volunteers meet at
foot of Ocean Avenue
* Please bring gloves
* Please note earlier hour.
Questions, call Larry Rodocker, 626-4179. Larry will be assisted
by Barbara and Dick Stiles.
Cleanup sets 5-year record
Fifty-five volunteers
-- a five-year record -- turned out for the warm, sunny August 23 cleanup.
Along with CRA regulars, there were many new participants and a group
from the mother-daughter organization, the National Charity League.
By the time we finished, there was an enormous pile of bulging plastic
bags and other debris. Thanks to the Pine Cone and Monterey
Herald for helping us get out the word!
| CRA members who attended the trip to Glen Deven Ranch, hosted by the Big Sur Land Trust, were so enthusiastic that the board is planning a similar event for this coming May, possibly at another special Land Trust property, the Mitteldorf Preserve. |
May at Glen Deven
Perfect weather, spectacular
ocean views, a great hike and delicious lunch! Arranged by CRA and Big
Sur Land Trust board member Dick Dalsemer, our May meeting was
held at Glen Deven Ranch, former home of Dr. Seeley and Virginia
Mudd. The Mudds left the property to the Land Trust along with an
endowment that partially offsets operating costs. Members enjoyed a
talk by BSLT Executive Director Zad Leavy describing how his
organization has been able to protect more than 30,000 acres of shoreline,
wildlife habitat, streams, forests, and awe-inspiring views. As a result
of the CRA's May visit, the Land Trust received $5,650
in new memberships and additional donations from existing members. If
you don't belong, please consider supporting this worthwhile organization.
A membership form can be found on their web site: http://www.bigsurlandtrust.org
or you can call 625-5523 and they will mail you a brochure.
CRA volunteers cook 500 hot dogs for July 4 celebration
Five hundred is a
lot of hot dogs, so said the energetic CRA volunteers who cooked
and served the traditional fare at the city's Fourth of July celebration.
Despite a nasty fall in his garden the week before, event chair Lou
Ungaretti, with help from Susie and Don Carr, kept things organized.
Everyone enjoyed the music, food and drink -- all at no cost to participants.
If you missed helping this year, you'll have a chance next July.
On hand to help besides Lou and Elisabeth Ungaretti and Susie and Don
Carr, were Dick Laney, Gene McFarland, Mary and Bob Condry, Anne Bell,
Jim Bell, Betty and Dick Dalsemer, Vi and Charles Fox, Bobbie Jungnick,
Terre Martin, Roberta and Monte Miller, Fred Nelson, Peggy Purchase,
Barbara Stiles, Harvey and Melanie Billig, Paul Webb and Linda and Clayton
Anderson.
An added benefit was the $205.16 received in donations for planting
trees in Carmel. The entire sum was turned over to the city support
group, Friends of Carmel Forest.
Travel Safety Tips
by Carmel Fire Department Captain
Mitch Kastros
Lots of people travel
as part of their job or for leisure activities. No matter what type
of traveling you do or when you do it, there is the need to be aware
of things that can affect your safety and the safety of others.
Most of us at some point stay in high-rise hotels, buildings that can
be dozens of stories tall. The tallest fire truck ladders in the largest
cities might reach the seventh to the tenth floors of a multi-story
building, depending on the length of the ladder. Therefore, if you are
concerned about being trapped in this type of building during a fire,
with only an exterior window as a means of escape, you might want to
consider staying on the lower floors. Having this request granted at
the time you make your reservation is usually not a problem.
When checking into your room, the first thing you should do is find
the nearest stairwell. Walk to it, noting the direction from your room,
the number of turns and any potential obstacles. Use the wall as a guide
in preparing for poor visibility in a real situation, and note the number
of hotel, linen and equipment room doors, and turns.
Speaking of turns, in a real escape scenario, stay on the side of the
hall of your next turn. In other words, if your next turn is left, stay
against the left wall as you crawl towards the stairwell. Do not lose
contact with the wall for this is where you will maintain your equilibrium
and sense of direction. If you have to find the stairwell during a fire,
there is a good chance that your visibility will be limited or eliminated
due to smoke or a power outage. Room doors may be left open by panicking
people trying to escape, and elevator doors may be opened to nothing
but the elevator shaft due to malfunctions caused by the fire. Knowing
that a gap in the wall is an open door to a space you do not want to
enter is important. People in a panic will be a tremendous challenge,
so knowing your surroundings will help you stay calm and help get you
to safety. Writing down pertinent information and keeping it in your
room will help you remember important details.
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to use an elevator in a fire.
Most elevator doors have sensors that respond to heat, causing them
to open at the desired floor under normal circumstances. In a fire,
however, the sensors can easily be fooled and direct the elevator car
to the fire floor, open the doors and keep them open, trapping everyone
on board.
Stairwells in high-rise buildings are constructed of non-combustible
materials, usually concrete and steel, and are well ventilated. But,
you should only attempt to escape through the stairwell if you can gain
safe access to it.
During a fire, before opening the door to your room, feel it with your
hand, and if it is hot to the touch, do not open it. If it is not hot,
stay low and open the door slowly. It is now decision time, so if there
is any doubt about safely making it to the stairwell because of dense
smoke (close the door immediately), unfamiliar surroundings and poor
visibility, panic from others or any other hazard, stay in your room.
This is probably the safest place to be at this time, and packing a
certain tool, discussed below, in your suitcase before leaving home
could prove to be a lifesaver.
A role of duct tape can be used to seal cracks and small openings to
prevent deadly gases and smoke from entering your room through vertical
door gaps and air and heater vents. Wet towels can be used to block
the gap at the bottom of the door and, if there is a significant amount
of smoke outside of your room window, keep it closed. Remember, help
is coming, and if you do the things we have discussed, you can help
yourself find a way to safety, or buy some valuable time if you cannot
leave your room.
We will include additional travel safety tips next month.
Farewell to a talented writer
Pine Cone reporter Tamara
Grippi has moved, with her husband, Ron, to San Ramon. Over
the five years she covered City Council meetings and other Carmel events,
we have appreciated her fair, accurate reporting. On behalf of all CRA
members, we thank her for her good work in Carmel and wish her well in
the future.
|
An "oldtimer's" view A long-time resident of Carmel recently said, when talking about his concern for the local environment, "I'm sure you understand that we who remember the bygone 'olden days' react to anything which disturbs our sensibilities formed when the world was different. In a little book I read years ago, these sensibilities were described as those of persons 'who still hear the sound of the wind through trees which were cut down years ago.'" |
OLD CARMEL
by Connie Wright
Jeanne D'Orge: Eccentric Benefactor
She was born in Lancashire or Cheshire,
England, in 1877, or 1879, or 1887, as Lena Yates or Emma Yates. During
her life, she also used the names Lena Dalkeith, Lena Dalkeith Burton,
Juniper Green, Jeanne D'Orge, Jeanne Cherry, Johnny and Mrs. Carl Cherry.
She was fey and enjoyed changing her birth date and her name as the fancy
struck her. She spent her early years in Edinburgh, London and Paris,
where, in 1906, she met and married the geographer Alfred Burton, 22(?)
years her senior. He became the dean of M.I.T. In New York, she joined
the radical, iconoclastic poetic group Others, and published in Others
Magazine, Scribners and Poetry. At the famed Armory
Show in 1913 she joined the Others poets William Carlos Williams, Marianne
Moore and Wallace Stevens in a poetry reading. In Boston, as a dean's
wife, she loathed the stuffiness and propriety of her setting.
Jeanne D'Orge came to Carmel in 1920 with her three children and moved
into a house on San Carlos, 2 N.E. of Santa Lucia, now owned by CRA members
Roger and Allene Fremier. The newly-retired dean followed in 1921. Both
Jeanne and Dean Burton became involved with the Forest Theater, where
Carl Cherry, Dean Burton's former student, was in charge of the lighting.
Jeanne had a reputation as a restless and unfaithful wife. Dean Burton
introduced her to Carl. Something electric happened between them despite
the fact that he was 22 (?) years her junior and not physically attractive.
He was gangly, ugly and looked like an elf; she was hefty. According to
Carmel tradition, in 1928 Jeanne woke the two of her children who were
living at home to tell them that she was moving out of the house and in
with Carl (on the corner of 12th and Dolores). It was the Depression and
they lived mainly on sardines, hard boiled eggs, coffee and whatever food
the neighbors left them. Jeanne refused to marry Carl at first because
she considered marriage an archaic institution, but to soothe Carl's mother's
feelings, she capitulated and they were married in 1930.
As a wedding present, the mother-in-law gave the newlyweds a two-story
Victorian house on the corner of Guadalupe and Fourth, the Augusta Robertson
house. Jeanne had been learning to paint and wanted an artist's studio,
so carpenters sawed off the second story, boarded up the windows and installed
skylights. Then the house, now the Carl Cherry Foundation, was a proper
studio and also a workshop for Carl's inventions. He was, some said, a
crack-pot tinkerer, but in 1936 he invented the blind rivet, which was
self sealing and easily installed by one person, thus speeding the manufacture
of airplanes. The invention, widely used during World War II, earned Carl
a fortune.
Jeanne's painting was highly unusual. Canvas was too expensive, so she
used Dupont window shade material, and scraps from Carl's workshop, pieces
of masonite and sheets of glassine and aluminum. One of her methods was
to spread the surface with a layer of machine oil, then cover it with
paint applied directly from the tube. This she would manipulate with brushes,
a whiskbroom, fork, her fingers or a comb, forming a soft outline in which
she sometimes depicted processions of hooded figures, engaged in rituals
in somber colors. Self taught, D'Orge said that she wanted to stimulate
the imaginative process in her viewers and did not want to sell her frequently-untitled
paintings, preferring to exhibit them at the Cherry Foundation, a few
at a time, while she read from her poetry. Despite the fact that she had
little exposure to the public and that the quality of her painting was
uneven, she had a show at the Park Lane Gallery in New York, at Santa
Barbara in 1957 and at the De Young Museum in 1962, where 47 of her paintings
were shown. There was also a retrospective show in Santa Barbara in 1977.
There are some 1200 of her paintings at the Cherry Foundation.
With their new wartime wealth, Carl and Jeanne determined to continue
to live as poor people and devote the money to the Cherry Foundation.
Its purpose was to "further the culture of America by sponsoring experimental
fine arts, sciences and education."
Carl died in 1947. Jeanne was, for a time, out of her mind with grief,
but continued to administer the Foundation, which sponsored a variety
of concerts, lectures, plays, puppet shows, dance recitals and seminars,
nearly all of them free, with world class lecturers and performers. In
1956 Jeanne persuaded François Martin and John Ralph Geddis to bring their
puppet theater to this area. The Tantamount Theater, off Laureles Grade
in Carmel Valley, became Jeanne's home. She built a one-room studio next
to the theater, and Martin and Geddis took care of her for almost the
rest of her life. After a falling out with them, she died at the Cherry
Foundation in 1964.
She often appeared on the streets of Carmel wearing a big pink hat, ankle
length Chinese robes and paint-stained tennis shoes.
OUR FAVORITE PLACES
Em Le's -- a delicious bargain
Mary and Bob
Condry write, "Em Le's (east side Dolores between 5th and
6th) early dinners from 4:30 to 6 p.m., are no longer a well-kept secret
-- the restaurant fills up quickly! If you haven't tried their $9.95
early-bird special you should. Choices are salmon, sand dabs, prime
rib, lamb shank, chicken piccata and spinach cheese ravioli, plus another
special or two. The attractive dinners, including fresh vegetables and
rice, are served with a delicious salad or soup, bread and nice dipping
sauce.
"Owner Nassir Elmachtoub is ably assisted by his son Ya,
the only one of his many sons, he says, who is interested in the restaurant
business. Nassir has a great deal of experience, including 16 years
at Casanova Restaurant, and it shows. Try it. You won't be disappointed!"
CRA member candidate for Wastewater Board
Long-time CRA member Bill
Englander has decided to run for director of the Carmel Area Wastewater
Board. Up for re-election on Nov. 4 are Charlotte Townsend and
Joyce Stevens. Other members of the Wastewater Board are Bob
Kohn and Ken White. The position Englander seeks was created
when Art Haseltine decided not to run.
Although it doesn't get a great deal of publicity, this group oversees
the treatment of our wastewater and ensures that it is clean when returned
to the environment -- a critical service which most of us simply take
for granted.
Bill Englander spent thirty years as a programmer and consultant to water
and wastewater utilities, has participated and spoken at many water agency
seminars and has written two text books on the subject.
Remember that your City Council is on T.V.
City Council meetings
are taped and re-broadcast
Sundays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon on
KMST Channel 26
