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CRA News September 2004
Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association
 The beauty of Pfeiffer Big Sur Falls was a special reward after a wonderful hike through Pfeiffer Big Sur Park, according to (from left) Sherry Shollenbarger, Nina Bayer, Nancy Collins, Wies Norberg and tour leader Milos Radakovich. The group, which also included tour organizer and photographer Frankie Laney, enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Big Sur Lodge after their outing. Watch CRA News for announcements of future hikes with Milos. |
CRA Meeting -- An exciting opportunity for senior citizens!
| Thursday, Sept. 23 -- CRA Meeting | |
| 4:45 p.m. -- Ingrid Tower -- "HomeShare
and Other Senior Programs" Vista Lobos Meeting Room, Torres between 3rd & 4th |
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Ingrid Tower, director of the Alliance on Aging HomeShare Program, is our Sept. 23 speaker. She will describe this unique program which matches a homeowner with a compatible person needing living quarters. She will tell of successful matches and present to us a participating pair. A former teacher and human resource manager, Ingrid Tower has lived in Pacific Grove since 1975. Since she rejuvenated the HomeShare Program in October 2000, over 300 clients have been matched.
The HomeShare Program provides a practical and cost-effective way for seniors to avoid taking the big step of moving into a retirement or assisted-living facility. At the same time, home seekers of all ages and backgrounds may find affordable housing in a very expensive area.
Interested homeowners and home seekers are carefully interviewed and screened in order to assess compatibility for sharing a home. The "match making" service also includes reference checks, assisting in writing match agreements and staying in touch with those who have been paired.
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Slashed city budget creates more questions than answers As of July 1, 2004,
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a very different city! That is the date when
the layoff of two dozen valuable employees became a reality.
As residents, we
will have to cope with far fewer library hours (11 employees were
cut), fewer people in city offices to answer phones or help with
day-to-day problems. It will take longer to get a building permit
and without a code enforcement officer, it will be harder to keep
track of those details which make Carmel unique. Could a decrease
in the quality of life and village ambiance translate into fewer
visitors or lower property values? |
What is the Carmel Residents Association?
While we are in the process
of asking all of our members what they think about the Carmel Residents
Association (see the survey which was enclosed in the printed version
of the September 2004 CRA News), we thought we should also explain to
non-members who might read our newsletter what we are all about.
The organization has endured, grown and prospered since its founding seventeen
years ago in 1987. Carmel Residents Association board members attend city
council and commission meetings, actively advocating policies and actions
which protect and enrich the quality of life of Carmel. We have supported
the Design Traditions Project, sound urban forest and beach practices
and strong historic preservation policies in the Local Coastal Plan. We
have also urged the City Council to retain historic properties, such as
the Flanders Mansion and the Scout House, for future generations.
At times, the City Council or even some of our members might not agree
with a position taken by the board. We feel strongly, however, that citizens
who love their community should be able to disagree and discuss differences
respectfully, understanding that good people can see matters differently.
We sponsor many educational and community activities. Our monthly meetings
feature speakers on a variety of topics, many but not all involved with
city government. We also learn about regional and even world affairs.
One of the Association's most well-known activities is the monthly Beach
Cleanup, now in its 13th year. Hundreds of volunteers have contributed
9,509 hours picking up tons of litter.
In 1998 the CRA sponsored a fundraiser featuring cartoonist Charles Schulz,
raising $29,000 for the library. Over the years, the organization has
contributed over $40,000 to various city departments.
Social activities provide a great opportunity to interact with old friends
and make new ones. "Dines Out" and social hours after meetings, the twilight
barbecue in Pebble Beach, providing free hot dogs in Devendorf Park on
July 4, special hikes, catered dinners at the Outdoor Forest Theater,
as well as a gala holiday dinner, keep members busy. In addition, CRA
sponsors the Citizen of the Year Celebration, impartial forums for local
elections and certificates of appreciation for local businesses.
President's Message
We need each other!
by Sherry Shollenbarger
In this month's newsletter, you are
being asked to complete and return a questionnaire regarding your perceptions
of life in Carmel, how to continue financing the quality of life that
you seek here and how you wish for the Carmel Residents Association to
function regarding these issues.
In reading our mission statement, you see that
we were formed to actively promote and maintain the quality of life here
in Carmel. I wish to address this aspect of our organization, as life
around us changes so rapidly.
Carmel at the present time has a minority of local homeowners. We are
aware of neighbors who live on streets with many darkened homes. We are
fewer and fewer and must find a way to reach out to each other to work
towards open exchange of our views. As citizens we must be aware of the
changes taking place and expect accountability from our council and from
ourselves.
I would like to suggest that we need open discourse--public forums--to
address sensitive local issues. Many residents of Carmel observe their
city changing and feel overwhelmed by their powerlessness against outside
forces. Process is important. It is the very basis of the formation of
our government. To that end, I hope that we will call our mayor and council
to make contact, share our ideas with them directly and attend City Council
meetings.
For those who choose a different path, I ask that you become (or remain)
active in your community with those volunteer groups that you support.
If you are not living here full time, but anticipate doing so, become
aware of the changes taking place that may impact the future that you
desire here.
I chose CRA and the responsibility of being president because I see how
our 530 members support Carmel. While some fight to preserve its heritage
with bold political moves, others offer up their services, such as the
volunteers who faithfully show up once a month for the beach cleanup.
They, in turn, are supported by our local businesses Caffe Cardinale,
Carmel Bakery and the Carmel Pine Cone, who donate coffee,
sweets and free advertising. Together, camaraderie is built. We have members
supporting St. Bernards, Friends of Sunset, Carmel Foundation and Yes!
for Carmel. We have members who serve on the City Council and others who
have been on city commissions and committees. This can only help our community.
There is room and respect for all talents.
We are at a crucial juncture where the present and possible future problems
of our city demand that we find solutions by reaching out towards one
another. Your responses will help form a more complete profile of our
membership. Thus, we can work towards a community where all citizens are
an integral part of its future. Thank you.
Cultural and Recreation Commissions Combined
The City Council voted 4-1 at its August
meeting to combine the Community and Cultural Commission and the Community
Activities and Recreation Commission into a single five-member group.
In dissenting, Councilman Mike Cunningham commented, "We've got
ten good people doing good work. Why would we turn them down?"
But Mayor Sue McCloud argued that because the Cultural Commission
no longer has jurisdiction over Sunset Center, "some people would be tripping
over each other."
Cultural Commissioner Carol Hilburn, who has since resigned, said,
"The Cultural Commission has nothing to do with bricks and mortar. There
should be a special place for it in a cultural Mecca." Lucia Dahlstrand,
Chair of the Cultural Commission wrote, "Because the arts and cultural
activities have been the soul of life in Carmel since it was founded,
this aspect of our community should never be neglected. Special attention
to the cultural core of Carmel is particularly important in these times
when an increased emphasis on cultural tourism can help improve the city's
financial well-being through increased tax revenues."
Mayor McCloud and Councilman Erik Bethel felt that ad
hoc committees could work on various cultural activities.
Members of the Recreation Commission were supportive of combining the
two commissions, which has been suggested several times over the years
but never implemented because the function and mission of the two bodies
is so different. Many current and former cultural commissioners feel that
the focus of the new group will be mainly on recreation and activities
rather than on culture.
Statewide Coastal Cleanup
Saturday, September 18
9 a.m. - noon
* Volunteers meet at foot
of Ocean Avenue
* Please bring gloves
Big cleanup day for California
Each year in September the
California Coastal Commission sponsors a statewide coastal cleanup with
thousands of people participating. Because of the Carmel Residents Association's
on-going monthly effort, the state turns to our group to handle the Carmel
Beach portion of the coastal cleanup.
Kay and Harvey Kuffner will be in charge of the day's work
and will facilitate measuring everything that is collected. This information
is compiled by the Coastal Commission and used to encourage policies and
legislation which protect California's precious coast.
Please note: Sept. 18th is the 3rd Saturday and the cleanup begins
at 9 a.m.
Students help with cleanup
In July, 40 enthusiastic
high school students from the Monterey Bay area, all members of the
People to People program, started by President Eisenhower to
promote world peace, volunteered to help the Residents Association's
effort to clean Carmel Beach.
According to their delegation leader, Theresa Thompson, "the
beach cleanup is a way to foster citizenship among our students, get
them involved in community awareness and focus on team building." Soon
after their visit, the group traveled to western Europe to interact
with other students and talk about ways to solve world problems other
than warfare.
In addition, mothers and daughters from the National Charity League
have been cleanup participants for over a year.
CRA PROFILES
by Walter Gourlay
Fran and Alex Vardamis--an extraordinary
couple
To hear them tell it,
Fran and Alex Vardamis are just "an ordinary couple who have led an
unexciting life." Don't believe it.
Each is a published author and acknowledged scholar. And together they
have traveled widely and witnessed, first-hand, many of the chaotic
events of the post-World War II period.
Fran was born in New York City and attended Queens College in Flushing,
New York, graduating in 1956 with a degree in English. After graduation,
she taught English at various high schools in New York, Europe and around
the United States.
Alex, born in Bangor, Maine, was a cadet at the United States Military
Academy when Fran met him. She explains, "I became a typical West Point
'Drag'; that's what they called the girls cadets dated." After Alex
received his commission in the Army, they got married.
In 1965, Alex was assigned to the English faculty at the Academy. In
preparation, he attended Columbia University Graduate School, earning
an M.A., and, later, a Ph.D., in English and Comparative Literature.
He taught at West Point from 1967 to 1970 and served in Vietnam after
that assignment.
At Columbia, he became interested in the poetry of Robinson Jeffers,
and wrote his dissertation on the poet. Jeffers' literary reputation
varied from extreme adulation in the 1920s to disapproval in the 30s
and 40s, in part because of his opposition to war and because his style
of writing differed radically from that of the then-fashionable New
Critics. Alex's book, The Critical Reputation of Robinson Jeffers
(Archon, 1972) summarizes the shifts in Jeffers' literary reputation.
Near the beginning of his army career, Alex served as an exchange officer
in Germany, and in preparation he and Fran studied German at the Defense
Language Institute in Monterey. Later he was a Research Fellow at the
Harvard Center for Science and International Affairs and published extensively
in the field. In 1979, he returned to Europe as Military Attaché in
the American embassy in Oslo, Norway. Before leaving for that assignment,
Fran and Alex studied Norwegian at the Foreign Service Institute in
Washington, D.C. For a similar assignment in Greece, the pair returned
to the Monterey area and studied Greek at DLI.
Life in Athens proved to be tumultuous. The terrorist organization,
"17th of November," was actively targeting American diplomats. This
experience provided background for the Greek-based novels of political
intrigue Fran would later write.
Upon returning to the States, Alex became Director of European Studies
at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1986, he retired
from the Army to accept a position as Assistant to the President and
Associate Professor of English at Dickinson State University in North
Dakota. For ten years he taught English at the University of Vermont.
He also had the opportunity to return to Norway, this time to Stavanger,
where he taught American Studies in the Fulbright Program.
When Alex retired from teaching, he and Fran moved to Carmel.
Alex has returned to his earlier interest in Jeffers. For the past four
years he has been president of the Tor House Foundation, and has lectured
and written on Robinson Jeffers. Recently he published a satiric-literary
novel, Dingus Dreaming, based loosely on the daydreams of a strong-willed
and highly intelligent mongrel who once deigned to live with them. (For
a review of this novel, go to Fiction
Writers of the Monterey Peninsula). He (Alex, not Dingus) frequently
publishes op-ed pieces in the San Francisco Chronicle, Los
Angeles Times and other newspapers. Alex is now polishing a second
book, tentatively named Dingus on the Road.
Fran's life and career has neatly dovetailed with her husband's. Needless
to say, she has acquired extensive foreign language skills. She did
advanced studies in Norwegian at the University of Oslo. She translated
into English The Carriage Stone by the politically controversial
Norwegian writer Sigbjørn Hølmebakk (Dufour 1996). Her
translation was highly praised in the New York Times Book Review.
While in Norway, she worked as a translator and received a grant from
the Nordic Council for the translation of a short story collection by
the prize-winning Norwegian author Øystein Lønn.
Fran has made a name for herself with her own writing, a series of novels
taking place in Greece and the Balkans: Russian Doll, Ancestral
Voices, and Pity the Children. (All Silk Label Books, available
from Amazon or local bookstores.) The three books are murder mysteries
with a background of political intrigue and violence, featuring Yannis,
a police chief in Athens, who combines crime-solving with compassion
and understanding for the victims and criminals he is pursuing. A fourth
book, in which Yannis shows up in Vermont, will soon be published.
The couple first visited Carmel while studying German at DLI in 1961.
When they returned to study Greek, they rented a house on Scenic Road
and after a long search found the home in which they now live. Fran
serves on the Harrison Memorial Library Board and the Board of the Friends
of the Library. She is also active in the Tor House Foundation as editor
of the Tor House newsletter and membership chair. Both Alex and Fran
have worked as docents at the Monterey State Historic Park, and Fran
volunteers at the Cooper Store.
Of their travels, Fran says, "I've loved every place I've ever lived.
I was never happy to move on, but I was always anxious for new adventures."
Both say Carmel is an ideal locale. Here they can enjoy natural beauty,
cultural offerings such as the Golden Bough, the Forest Theater, and
the Bach Festival, all within walking distance. When their volunteer
duties don't overwhelm them, they even find some time and tranquility
to write about Dingus, Yannis, and murder in Athens.
West Nile virus hits Monterey
County
by Carmel Fire Department Captain
Mitch Kastros
About two years ago we
started hearing a lot about the West Nile virus on the news, but it
was not affecting us directly. Unfortunately it has been discovered
on the Monterey Peninsula, and at least two people have become ill with
it. The disease is carried and transferred by mosquitoes, and so far
authorities have been unable to determine the source and origin on the
Peninsula.
The risk of severe illness is highest for people over 50 years of age,
but people of all ages can contact the disease.
As with fire and other health-care safety, prevention and awareness
can go a long way towards avoiding problems with this disease. Things
that can be done individually and through teamwork are to avoid mosquito
bites, keep mosquitoes away from places you live, work and play, and
help the community control the threat of the disease.
You can avoid mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants,
and socks and shoes when outdoors during peak mosquito hours, dusk to
dawn for most species. For added protection, spray your clothing with
insect repellent containing DEET (see label on the can). Do not spray
repellent containing permethrin or DEET directly onto the skin. Protective
clothing and optional use of repellent should be utilized, or, if you
wish, avoid outdoor activities in the evening and early morning.
You can take some simple and mostly inexpensive steps to mosquito-proof
your home and place of work. Eliminate standing water, where mosquitoes
lay their eggs, and recheck after watering the garden, after a heavy
fog or rainfall. Turn containers over and sweep puddles into places
with good drainage or absorption. It's also a good idea to check your
water pipes for leaks both around the property and under the structure
in crawl spaces. You can check for leaks by turning all water off and
looking at your meter. Call 620-2030 if you need help. Install or repair
screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from coming indoors.
Finally, make sure your rain gutters are clean and free of standing
water.
Dead birds are a possible sign that West Nile virus is circulating in
a particular area. Report these findings to local authorities so investigations
and testing can begin.
Be active in the community with regard to the prevention of this problem.
Start with preventative measures in your own home and then team up with
your neighbors (or their property managers) to educate and assist the
members of your block and beyond. This can also be done at work.
West Nile is going to be an issue on the Peninsula for quite some time,
and it is unrealistic to think that all mosquitoes will be eliminated.
However, these simple preventative measures can definitely keep the
numbers down, and manageable, and lower your risk of exposure.
The next Citizens' Emergency Response Training (CERT) course
is scheduled to begin in mid-October. Please contact Leslie Fenton
or Mitch Kastros at Carmel Fire Department (620-2030) for more
information, or to sign up. The fall, 2004, classes, all on Saturdays
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., are:
Oct. 16, Carmel-by-the-Sea Fire Station
Oct. 23, Mid Carmel Valley Station
Oct. 30, Carmel Highlands Fire Station
Nov. 6, Mid Carmel Valley Fire Station
Nov. 13, Carmel Highlands Fire Station
Nov. 20, Mid Carmel Valley Fire Station
Group seeks to raise hotel tax
Carmel residents Patricia
Ann Fairbank, Mike Biele and Jim Brun are sponsoring
a petition which would increase the city's transient occupancy tax (TOT)
from 10% to 12%, raising nearly $700,000 per year. If the volunteers,
who have been outside the Post Office, collect the required 450 signatures,
the measure will trigger an immediate special election.
According to the petition, funds raised from this increase would be
used "in the following specific manner: 1/2% to maintain, protect and
enhance the city's public beach, parks, open space and forest areas;
1/2% to maintain and enhance the city's Harrison Memorial Library, Forest
Theater, Flanders Mansion and Scout House; 3/4% to guarantee funding
the city's Capital Improvement Program; and 1/4% to fund tourist promotion."
The petition continues, "The purpose of the proposed initiative is to
assist the city during the current budget crisis as well as provide
a long-term revenue stream." For comparison, the TOT in Carmel, Monterey
and Pacific Grove is currently 10%; Monterey County is 10.5%; Seaside,12%;
and San Francisco, 14%.
Agreeing on new revenue not an easy task for City Council
A visibly-frustrated Mayor Sue McCloud
urged her council to come up with a new revenue source to rescue the city
from further cuts which she said couldn't be done "without impacting the
village." City Administrator Rich Guillen said the council needs
to find $1 to $1.2 million to replenish reserves and avoid another raid
on them this year. Audience member Robert Fox said he was "surprised
to hear we have seen this coming and haven't done anything about it."
He added that "increasing revenues is more successful than decreasing
expenditures."
As one alternative after another was shot down by various council members,
the mayor reminded them that action was needed now as it would take six
months to implement most proposals.
Among the discards: a city credit card, raising the transient occupancy
tax (TOT) [See related article], restaurant meal tax,
a parcel tax, a second homeowner fee and a tax on real estate speculators.
There was mild support for a real estate transfer tax (the city attorney
will be asked his opinion). A construction truck impact fee will be investigated.
The few revenue enhancers they agreed upon will only produce a fraction
of the funds needed: pay and display parking for tour busses and the north
lot of Sunset ($188,400 with $60,000 in expenses subtracted the first
year); increasing permit fees ($36,000 to $72,000); resurrection of the
Business Improvement District (city says it would save the $100,000 it
spends on marketing but previously most council members said they would
still vote to spend that amount to attract visitors); rental on
new cell phone towers; refinancing the Sunset loan; and investing city
funds more aggressively.
Clay Berling suggested taking another look at pay and display parking
in the commercial district. It would generate the revenue the city needs
and does not have to go before the voters. However, it is extremely controversial,
with opposition from members of both the residential and commercial communities.
The proposal was tabled until Council members Hazdovac and Cunningham
report on their further investigation of parking strategies.
Photographic history of Point Lobos
Anyone who loves Point
Lobos will want to see a recently-completed photographic history of the
park written by two local authors, Monica Hudson and Suzanne Wood. Published
by Arcadia Publishing, the book contains black and white photographs from
a collection donated to Harrison Memorial Library by Kurt Loesch, Allan/Hudson
family picture boxes and from Kodani photographic albums. Loesch, a CRA
member before he moved from Carmel to Pacific Grove, was instrumental
in setting up the museum at Whalers' Cove.
Monica Hudson is a descendant of the Allan/Hudson family, the original
owners of Point Lobos. Suzanne Wood is recently retired from the government
and now consults for the same agency. She is married to Glynn Wood
of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, who has been the featured
speaker twice at CRA meetings.
The book, which costs $19.99, will arrive in late October or November,
would make a perfect Christmas gift. Copies can be ordered by calling
Suzanne Wood (she will deliver) at 375-8202. Eventually the book will
be in local book stores and at Point Lobos.
Don't look for firehouse girls'
calendar in Carmel!
City officials have spurned
the offer of an initial $23,000 from a group of local women, many of them
CRA members, who thought they had permission to put together a Calendar
Girls project to raise funds to support the retrofit of the Carmel
firehouse.
The group had communicated with Mayor Sue McCloud and Councilman
Gerard Rose about their plan. However, after finishing the photo
shoot, they were notified by City Administrator Rich Guillen, who
had consulted with City Attorney Don Freeman, that the city would
not accept any money from them nor would they be allowed to use the photos
taken at the fire house, nor could they display the city name on the calendar
or imply that the city approved of the project.
It seems that Mr. Freeman was afraid the city could be sued. Talk about
miscommunication!
OUR FAVORITE PLACES
Another popular "early-bird" restaurant
Local residents are always
happy to discover eateries which serve good food at a good price. One
of these establishments, where CRA had a wonderful "Dines Out" last January,
is the Fourth Avenue Pasta House, on the N.E. corner of 4th and
San Carlos.
Early bird dinners are offered for $9.95 every day from 5 to 7 p.m. This
includes any pasta entrée, with soup and salad, or diners can choose from
a list of "Everyday Specials," including New York Steak, Petite Stuffed
Filet Mignon, Sautéed Fresh Rock Fish, Sautéed Fresh Salmon or Chicken
Pesto.
Owned by BDS Pasta, Inc., the restaurant is managed by Dee Shrestha,
who ensures that guests receive a warm welcome.
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"Every city has one period
of magnificence, but it takes a real city to keep renewing itself."
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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
