CRA News February 2008

Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association

From left: Marcia Hovick, Harriet Shanner and Jonnie Webb attended the dinner at Jack London’s after the January CRA meeting. Marcia, founder of Children’s Experimental Theater, was a featured speaker at the meeting. Jonnie and her son, Paul, organized the dinner.

CRA Candidates' Forum

Come Celebrate with the Citizen of the Year

The 19th annual Citizen of the Year Celebration will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, at the Carmel Woman's Club, San Carlos and 9th. Event Chair Barbara Livingston and her decorations committee, Faith Traxler, Pamela Smith and Mary Taylor, have planned a memorable afternoon. Refreshments and delicious hors d'oeuvres catered by Michael Jones of A Movable Feast and cake provided by Magdy Ibrahim of Pâtisserie Boissiere will be served.

Fifth District Monterey County Supervisor and CRA member Dave Potter will preside as master of ceremonies, building the suspense until this year's honoree is announced.

Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. There is no charge.

Previous Citizens of the Year are Jim Wright, Joyce Stevens, Enid Sales, the late Jack Billwiller, Skip Lloyd, Noel Mapstead, Clayton Anderson, Roy Thomas, Jean White, Bob Kohn, Linda Anderson, John Hicks, Noel Van Bibber, the late Jim Holliday, Frankie Laney, Nancy and Bill Doolittle, Merv Sutton, Barbara Livingston and Olof Dahlstrand.

President's Message
Small town politics -- democracy in action

by Roberta Miller

"Political action is the highest responsibility of a citizen."
      -John F. Kennedy

All the political sound and fury one hears on television these days, beginning in our nation's Capitol and echoing "from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam," might make Carmel's political affairs seem of no importance and thereby marginalized. But this simply is not true for most Carmelites. Consider the possibility that local political matters could have a greater impact upon our lives and our pocketbooks than much of the brouhaha in Washington, D.C.

There is an old saying that "all politics are local." And it is here, at the level of our small town, the smallest common denominator of political interaction, where we the people, together with our elected officials, have a significant role to play. It is here that many local political decisions impact our lives in favorable ways and even sometimes unfavorably.

It is here in Carmel-by-the-Sea that we have a small but lively City Hall, where we the people, along with our elected mayor and four council members, can fraternize. The mayor serves for two years, while council members serve four year terms.

It is here that we even have our very own election day -- April 8th this year. Even though I vote absentee, this day is special in my mind. In the morning, I always saunter down to my polling place at Sunset Center, hand the friendly volunteers my ballot receipt and get an "I Have Voted" sticker. Then I stroll into town and stop for coffee. On election night, I gather with other community residents at City Hall to wait for the ballots to be counted and the announcement of the election results. That's right! We can do this! In fact, we do this every two years. Tradition!

It is here, every two years, the Carmel Residents Association sponsors a candidates' forum. Tradition! The democratic process is at work front and center.

With mutual respect and civil discourse, the public and the candidates exchange information. We the people gain information about the candidates and their stands on important issues, their campaign platforms, voting records, philosophies, long-term vision and expectations. In turn, the candidates gain information about what issues are important to the public as they share their thoughts and questions. It is here that the citizens of Carmel will be helped in their decision on which candidates will get their vote.

Our vote is personal and consequential. It matters because the people we elect have a lot to do with our quality of life, the preservation of Carmel's natural beauty and the community character we hold so dear. With one hand, our elected officials determine how our taxes, revenues and annual budget will be spent, which projects will be funded, which consultants will be hired, who is appointed to our commissions and boards and which law suits to pursue. With the other hand, our elected officials can also take away. They can reduce our city staff, reduce maintenance of our infrastructure -- streets, buildings, storm water drains. They can reduce beach and shoreline repairs, reduce the number of new trees planted and reduce community services. These local issues may seem like small potatoes in the big picture, but they are our potatoes. How can we not vote?

"Choosing not to participate in the political process relieves one of the responsibility for making tough decisions, but on the other hand, not participating in the process is akin to giving up. People who don't participate in the process cannot complain about legislation or regulation that they think is a mistake."
     (from a publication of the New York State Society of CPAs)

CRA members merit extensive coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle

Remembering the houses that Olof Dahlstrand built

Olof Dahlstrand says he is humbled by the attention to his architectural creations culminating in a three-page spread in the Jan. 9 Home & Garden section of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Before going to Cornell University to study architecture, Dahlstrand visited Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Wisconsin, and was forever changed.

After working for the architectural practice of Fred Langhorst, a former Taliesin fellow, and for the prestigious firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for eight years, Olof struck out on his own and in the 1950s built eight houses in the East Bay, which are part of Bay Area Modernism. The Chronicle writer, Joanne Furio, describes the houses:

"Like Wright's Usonian houses, designed to be archetypes for the American middle class, the Dahlstrand homes used clerestory windows, built-in furniture, soffited ceilings, native materials (like redwood), radiant heat under concrete floors, small galley kitchens, wall materials that extend from interior to exterior, mitered plate-glass corner windows and low, cavelike entrances that offer a sense of protection from the outside world." He also placed sliding doors between children's bedrooms to create a common play area in the daytime and separate sleeping areas at night.

The article, with numerous large photos, features a private house tour and dinner for the families who now live in seven of these houses -- three are original owners. (An eighth house has fallen into disrepair.) According to Olof, these people who were living in his houses had not been aware that there were other examples of his architecture in the area and were thrilled with the idea of meeting each other, seeing all of the houses and sitting down with each other and with the author of NorCalMod, Pierluigi Serraino, who discussed Dahlstrand's work. At the end of the evening, which also happened to be Olof's 91st birthday, each guest was presented (a complete surprise to Olof) with a beautiful book, Olof Dahlstrand: The Usonians, the Magnificent Seven of the East Bay by Bea and Bill Welty, who occupy one of the seven houses. This book can be purchased on line at links.sfgate.com/ZBZF.

Furio notes that "Dahlstrand's work is now considered so significant that UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design has requested that nearly all of the architect's papers be donated to its archive, including the records for all the homes he designed in the East Bay. The move will further secure Dahlstrand's place in the Bay Area's architectural history."

After moving to Carmel, Dahlstrand produced another body of important work, but that is a subject for a future article.

Ten days after the Dahlstrand tribute (above), the San Francisco Chronicle Home & Garden section lauded the work of contractor and preservationist Enid Sales. Chronicle author David Weinstein writes of Enid Sales, "In a career that has stretched for more than 50 years, Sales helped define the modern movement for historic preservation both as a builder and as an advocate."

Starting out renovating Victorians in San Francisco, Enid obtained her contractor's license, the first woman in the state to pass the test.

As San Franciscans became more concerned during the 60s about the loss of their historic houses, the city's Redevelopment Agency was persuaded to survey the historic buildings in the Western Addition. As head of this agency's residential rehabilitation program, Enid preserved more than 350 of these Victorians.

One of her more famous actions was saving thirteen Victorians by hoisting them onto flatbeds and moving them across town to what is now the Beideman Place Historical District. "We did it in the middle of the night," Enid told us, "and had to cut the power for the trolleys. One got away and rolled down the street, to everyone's horror, before it was caught."

After leaving San Francisco, Enid moved to Healdsburg, where she restored more houses, including a 1900 farmhouse.

In Carmel, Enid Sales is known for her fierce advocacy of the preservation of Arts and Crafts cottages, often to the consternation of developers, especially because of her willingness to sue (often successfully) when all else fails.

Perhaps Enid's most well-known success is the First Murphy House, which she was instrumental in saving. Again, that house arrived at its current location on a flatbed truck, rescued from its Mission Street location, where it was slated to be torn down.

She has fought to save the Flanders mansion and had it placed on the National Register of Historic Resources.

One of Enid's less talked about accomplishments was placing Sunset Center on the National Register and then successfully advocating against demolishing the building, as was suggested by the first feasibility study. Even those involved, who disagreed with her at the time, (including your editor) now acknowledge that her efforts were instrumental in creating the stunningly-restored building we enjoy today.

A recent success was the grand opening of the Marsh Building, which Enid helped to save. Formerly a grand Asian antique store, the property was owned by the adjacent church, which fought hard, according to Enid, against her attempts to place the building first on the California and then on the National Register. "They wanted to demolish the building, said Enid, "and we weren't going to stand for that! Luckily, after we got it on the Register, a buyer came along and the church agreed to sell. Now the building has been returned to its former glory."

The Carmel Preservation Foundation, Enid's brainchild, has worked hard for city policies which protect Carmel's history. The California Preservation Foundation named her preservationist of the year in 2006.

Weinstein concludes his article with the pronouncement that "at 85, Sales current project is to turn Carmel's shopping district into a National Historic District."

Should utility lines be undergrounded?

A look at the city's 1998 ad hoc committee
report on utility wire undergrounding

Think about how much more beautiful our village would be without unsightly utility poles on every corner, sending multiple tendrils into each house. This aesthetic improvement would necessitate burying those lines.

So why hasn't it been done? Mainly money.

Some background-
The Central Commercial District and Scenic Road utilities were undergrounded in the 70s, although some overhead wires remain around the business district perimeter. The city supports undergrounding, according to Planning Services Manager Brian Roseth, and, unless there are environmental issues such as the disturbance of major trees, requires all new homes and substantial remodels to underground all wires to the nearest pole. "We do the minimum," he said, "because we don't want to hit them with a huge bill." This means that unless an entire street decides to take down all the utility poles, the undergrounding remains sporadic.

Although the 1988 General Plan had language supporting the undergrounding of utility lines, it is not included in the revision done in conjunction with the Local Coastal Program. Roseth said that during the current General Plan Update process he hopes to work toward new policies on the subject.

In 1998, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea asked some of its best and brightest to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee on Utility Wire Undergrounding, to study this issue, specifically in the residential district, and to make recommendations. The committee, chaired by Melanie Billig, included Alice Englander, Paul Brocchini, Rob Carver, Cavan Hardy, Burt Kleinberg, Walter McCarthy, Bob O'Neill, Jim Price and Noel Van Bibber -- a good cross section of our village.

It seems worthwhile to dust off this report and take a look. Although ten years have passed, basic issues have not changed.

Some of the findings of this committee and quotes from their report follow --

The pros of undergrounding

• Aesthetics--"It's hard to find someone who is against removing the poles and wires associated with overhead utilities and placing everything underground."
  
  
• The forest would benefit--"In the long run, trees will be healthier because the ones that live along the pole lines won't need to be topped and side-trimmed to allow proper clearance."
  
  
• Reliability of service-- "Each year the arrival of winter storms on the peninsula is accompanied by power outages, often associated with high winds and fallen trees or limbs. Usually the power outage is no more than a nuisance, but all too often the outage lasts for hours, sometimes days, and causes a severe impact on residents, businesses and emergency services. Reducing these power outages by undergrounding utilities is certainly a worthwhile objective."
  
  
• Safety--"The threat from overhead power lines ranges from potential electrical shock to electrocution and fire. PG&E service personnel are probably in the highest risk category followed by firemen, tree trimmers and kite flyers, etc. Fires caused by downed power lines burn many acres and destroy homes each year." "By comparison, underground utility accidents are much less likely to occur and rarely cause damage to property or individuals."

The cons of undergrounding

• Money--"Yes, it can seem expensive. But, as noted in this report, there are many funding mechanisms that can make it easier and more palatable than simply writing a check. In addition to the undergrounding costs, there are costs associated with the actual connection to each house and there may be additional expenses related to bringing electrical service up to code."
  
  
• Undergrounding can also present aesthetic problems--"Although the lines are run in a conduit under the street, the utilities also need boxes at various points in the system, which would normally be pedestal mounted above the ground ... In Carmel, the boxes could be 'hidden' with appropriate placement and landscaping."
  
  
• Difficulty of repairs--"A failure in an overhead system is readily detectable and much easier, and therefore less expensive, to repair. Crews can be dispatched even during the height of the storm to effect necessary repairs. Failure in an underground system requires more sophisticated detection systems. Repairs are more costly and usually take longer. A major outage could well result in a lengthy street closure."
  
  "Underground utility systems are vulnerable to moisture, flooding, corrosion and earthquakes. They are also more vulnerable to damage during excavation by utility companies or contractors. The above-ground components of underground utility systems, such as pedestals and transformers, are subject to many of the same threats as overhead facilities."

The Committee's recommendation

"The committee on Utility Wire Undergrounding in the R-1 district recommends to the City Council that undergrounding of utility wires be done in all residential areas of the city. The city should develop a Utilities Conversion 5-20 Year Master Plan for Undergrounding which will define objectives and prioritize areas for undergrounding. Also, the committee recognizes that significant steps have already been taken to place overhead wires underground in some areas, particularly in the commercial district, and to provide mechanisms for future undergrounding in the residential areas. We recommend that these efforts continue.

"In order to implement a residential undergrounding plan, we believe that the city should consider creative financial mechanisms such as 1) an ordinance requiring that an underground lateral connection from the residence to the street be done within one year of property transfer, 2) localized billing [an amount authorized by the PUC to add to utility bills to be used to retire bonds] and 3) the establishment of an Underground Fund.

"We believe that the current city policy of requiring major remodels and new construction to underground laterals from the house to the street has not been applied consistently. It appears that exemptions have been granted fairly liberally and we believe this should be more tightly controlled by means of an appropriate ordinance."

Note: PG&E does make some funds available to cities for utility undergrounding through its Rule 20 Program.

Our Favorite Places

Monterey Bay Window Washing

Suzanne Paboojian writes about CRA members Dorothy and Greg Cole's business Monterey Bay Window Washing. "After all the winter storms, you might need this company! They do a superb job -- windows sparkle! The Coles give prompt free estimates and do most exterior cleaning services, whether by power wash or another method requested by the property owner. I recommend them to all my clients." *

This small business provides excellent services to residential and commercial businesses on the Monterey Peninsula, including windows, skylights, mirrors and chandeliers, glass restoration, post construction cleanup, awnings, roof and gutters, power washing (deck, patios, walkways, driveways, house siding, etc.) and additional cleaning services.

Monterey Bay Window Washing has a 48- hour rain guarantee, is bonded and fully insured. Among their clients are The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Beach Club & Spa, Spanish Bay, Hyatt Monterey, Highlands Inn, Bruno's, Nielsen's, Nob Hill/Raley's, Whole Foods, Il Fornaio, Sunset Center and Perspectacles, as well as Enid Sales' house and many others.

Suzanne says that the Coles keep their crews employed even during slow times. And, they were inadvertently left out of the Yellow Pages this year.

So, put some sparkle into your life by calling Monterey Bay Window Washing at 624-9555.

* [Suzanne Paboojian is an agent with Coldwell Banker Del Monte Realty.]

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