Montclair Now

Entires accepted for montclair holiday home decoration contest

2009-11-25T21:49:29Z

The Montclair Community Action Committee will be sponsoring its annual Holiday Home Decoration Contest.

The contest is open to all seasonally decorated houses in Montclair. All entries are due by Thursday, December 10, 2009. Entries will be judged by the Montclair Community Action Committee on Dec. 14.

Winners will be announced at the Montclair City Council meeting on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.

Entry forms are available online at www.cityofmontclair.org or from the City of Montclair Human Services Division (Recreation Facility), located at 5111 Benito St., Montclair.

For more information call (909) 625-9479.

Montclair names 2009 Firefighter and Employee of the Year

2009-11-25T21:27:29Z

Montclair Chamber of Commerce held its annual Firefighters' breakfast at Fire Station No. 1 to recognize the 2009 Firefighter and Employee of the Year.

State, county, city, members of the business community and the Montclair Chamber of Commerce attended the event on Nov. 19.

The Firefighter of the Year Award for 2009 was presented to Engineer/Paramedic Brian Brambila.

The Employee of the Year Award for 2009 was presented to Code Enforcement Officer Robert Hargett.

Fire personnel thanked Chamber Executive Director Kelly Johnson for her efforts over the years and wish her the best of luck in her new job.

(photo of Robert Hargett and Brian Brambila, courtesy of Montclair Chamber of Commerce)

Brian Brambila

Firefighter of the Year Brambila began his career with the Montclair Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic in July 2002.

In March 2008, he was promoted to fire engineer/paramedic. He was born and raised in Southern California and currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga with his wife, Tangie.

He has an associate of science degree in fire technology and is a certified paramedic, an advanced cardiac life support instructor, an EMT/paramedic skills instructor, an EMT-1A skills instructor, and a CPR instructor.

Brambila was selected to receive the 2009 Firefighter of the Year Award because of his hard work and dedication to the Fire Department and the Montclair Fire Fighters Association.

Brambila has assisted new firefighters to successfully complete their probationary program and recently assisted prospective fire engineer candidates with training in preparation for the promotional examination process.

He is the vice president of the Montclair Fire Fighters Association, has organized the Harley-

Davidson fundraiser, the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Fill-the-Boot fundraiser, and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's Tip a Firefighter Night fundraiser at Chili's Grill and Bar.

In his spare time, he enjoys playing softball and soccer, surfing, and coaching youth sports. He likes spending time with friends and family, and physical fitness training and traveling with his wife.

Robert Hargett

Fire Department Employee of the Year Hargett was born and raised in Southern California.

He currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga with his wife, Tina, and their daughter Amanda, who is attending college. Their son, Jeremy, is serving in the military.

Hargett was hired in June 2005 as a reserve code enforcement officer and was hired full-time in August 2007. He is extremely valuable to the Department and a dedicated member of the Fire Department's Code Enforcement Unit.

Hargett is responsible for the enforcement of single-family and multi-family residences in the southern portion of the city.

He participates and assists with the coordination of the Code Enforcement Unit's CAUTION cleanup program, and he trains Reserve Code Enforcement Officers.

As part of the 5-Star Apartment Inspection Program, Hargett represents the department at monthly meetings of the Helena Gardens and Cobblestone Village apartment owners' board meetings.

Hargett has taken it upon himself to attend classes in fire prevention and fire investigation at his own expense and on his own time in anticipation of assisting the Fire Prevention Bureau with inspections, public education, and fire investigations.

At the annual Open House events, he has provided valuable fire prevention information through demonstrations on stop-drop-and-roll and Exit Drills In The Home (EDITH).

On several occasions, he has volunteered to assist with Fire Department public relations events and fundraisers for the Montclair Fire Fighters Association.

City cleans up bus shelters

2009-11-25T21:20:02Z

Recently Public Works Department street maintenance crews began cleaning and repairing the city-owned bus shelters.

The work includes pressure washing the structure and concrete pads, replacing roof tiles, replacing wood bench boards and hardware, repairing welds to the structure and bench supports, sanding and painting, and replacing the "Montclair" sign on the front of each shelter.

Crews have started with the shelters around Montclair Plaza on Moreno Street, Central Avenue and Monte Vista Avenue.

Over the next few months, all 20 city-owned bus shelters will be completed.

Holiday food and toy drive set for Dec. 3

2009-11-25T20:20:56Z

Business Helping Families will host its annual Holiday Food and Toy Drive and open house and business connections barbecue.

In cooperation with Montclair Human Services Division -- bring your toys, food and/or monetary donations to the Montclair Chamber of Commerce office and enjoy a casual lunch cooked by Montclair Firefighters Association.

All donations will directly benefit Montclair families. Monetary donations provide for perishable food purchases.

Visit the chamber from noon to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at 5220 Benito St., Montclair.

Bring your donation and enter to win tickets to the Ontario Reign on Dec. 16 and 18.

Information: (909) 624-4569.

Also, the Human Services Division will accept canned food and toys for Montclair's families in need through Dec. 11.

Collection bins are at the Recreation facility, the City Hall lobby, Fire Station No. 1, and the Police Department.

All food and toys will be distributed during the city's Holiday Toy and Food Basket Program.

Tree lighting ceremony slated for Dec. 3

2009-11-25T20:19:35Z

The city will hold its annual free community tree lighting ceremony -- complete with a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The event will include a community holiday sing-along, led by the Montclair Walkers Choral Group at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Montclair Community Center, 5111 Benito St., behind City Hall.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive to light the community tree and will then be available for complimentary family photos.

In addition, children are encouraged to bring their holiday wish lists to the event. All lists can be deposited in a specially marked mail box and will receive a response letter from Santa.

Community members can buy gift lights on the community tree in honor or in memory of loved ones.

Lights are available for $10 each and all money raised from the sale of gift lights will be used to benefit youth programs in Montclair.

Participants are also encouraged to bring a donated canned and/or packaged, nonperishable food item to the event for the city's holiday food basket program.

For the health and safety of those receiving the food baskets, outdated, dented and bulging cans, or open packages cannot be accepted.

The event will include free refreshments and is sponsored by the Montclair Community Action Committee and the Montclair-Ontario Junior Women's Club.

Information: (909) 625-9479 or www.cityofmontclair.org.

City to update housing policies

2009-11-23T20:22:01Z

The City Council and Planning Commission participated in a joint study session to hear a presentation on the progress of the city's Housing Element.

On Nov. 18, David Barquist of RBF Consulting walked the council and commission members through a detailed PowerPoint presentation that outlined the reasons for the update, state and legislative requirements and the various steps and components involved in completing the process.

In response to a question from Councilman Leonard Paulitz, Barquist explained his team is gathering data to develop an "existing conditions baseline" of the housing stock in Montclair.

From there, the consultant will develop a menu of housing policies that will ultimately be recommended to the commission and council for consideration.

Barquist indicated it is his goal to have the Housing Element completed and submitted to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for approval by early spring.

Earlier this month, the first of two community workshops on the Housing Element update was conducted by the consultant at the Police Department.

City staff and members of the public and local organizations participated in a "Post-It note" exercise to discuss perceived housing challenges and opportunities in Montclair.

The consultant will include the ideas and suggestions discussed during that exercise in the

analysis of existing conditions as the process moves forward.

The public will be afforded another opportunity to provide its input on the Housing Element update at a second workshop at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Police Department's community room, 4870 Arrow Highway.

Montclair hosts joint session to discuss housing element

2009-11-17T18:34:05Z

MONTCLAIR - The city's future housing needs and challenges will be just two of the topics to be discussed in a joint session of the City Council and Planning Commission this week.

The meeting on Wednesday is a part of the city's housing element update, which ensures future policy is reflective of community needs, challenges and opportunities through 2014.

State law requires local government to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for its physical development. The housing element is one of the seven parts of a local general plan.

Last week, community members, developers, local organizations and city officials met for more than an hour to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities at a housing element workshop.

"It was interesting to hear the community's concern about what they need for housing in the city," said Khalilah Durias, Apartment Association of the Greater Inland Empire public affairs coordinator.

At the first workshop on Thursday, attendees participated in a "Post-It Note" exercise. They were asked to write down three housing challenges and three housing opportunities in Montclair.

Some identified challenges were housing variety, affordable housing and funding. Opportunities included more mixed-use, pride in home ownership and safety.

The goal of the workshops and study sessions is to create the final housing element.

It is expected to take five to six months to complete and willcost about $45,000, said Steve Lustro, community development director.

The housing element establishes city policy and programs regarding:

Maintenance of existing housing stock.
Preservation of existing affordable housing types.
Creation of new housing to meet the needs of all members of the community.
Provision of resources to help people meet their housing needs.

Wednesday's meeting will provide a review of the workshop as well as a housing element presentation and update.

The joint session meeting is at 7 p.m. Nov. 18

at City Hall, 5111 Benito St., Montclair.

Book signing this weekend

2009-11-17T00:23:39Z

Author Larry A. Brown Sr. Book Signing Event

WHEN: 11/21/09

TIME: 2-4 p.m.

WHERE: Borders, 5055 S. Plaza Ln., Montclair, CA 91763

WHAT: Brown will be available to sign copies of his biblical studies book, "The God Walking Program: Steps leading us to the Father's will."

Some building owners reaping benefits of having solar systems on their roofs

2009-11-06T19:46:11Z

The installation of solar panels might just be the next best thing to sliced bread, especially for business owners lucky enough to have flat roofs.

This form of renewable energy is helping save some money for residents and business owners, helped by multiple incentives.

That's the reason in Montclair a sea of solar panels were installed last month atop the Costco on Central Avenue, covering about 85 percent of the store's roof.

The solar array consists of 1,864 solar panels generating enough power to offset Costco's electrical power use by up to 30 percent. It's projected to pay for itself in seven years, said Merry Westerlin, Montclair's building official.

The installation is part of the California Solar Initiative for customers in California's investor-owned utility territories, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Gas & Electric.

As a program administrator for the California Solar Initiative, Edison has helped more than 7,000 of its customers install solar panels on their homes and businesses, resulting in 128 megawatts of new emission-free generation.

"For the average residential customer it covers up to 50 percent of their bill, but it depends on the size of the system they purchase and how much energy they use," said Gary Barsley, Edison's manager of the Solar I IncentiveProgram.

Since the state program began in 2007, SCE has provided more than $174 million in incentives.

Barsley said residents and commercial solar panel instillations have become very popular in the Inland Empire.

Instillation of solar panels is nothing new to Costco said Craig Peal, assistant vice president of energy/building control for Costco.

The big box retailer by the end of the year will have installed 37 solar power systems on rooftops of stores in Hawaii, California and New Jersey.

More installations are to follow, but Peal said it will depend on a variety of circunstances.

"It's a combination of prices, federal and state incentives, and if the building is safe enough (for) the solar panels," he said.

Montclair's Costco also has a rooftop weather station that will monitor real-time site conditions and the amount of power that is produced.

The two systems working together can determine from a remote location if the system is operating at an acceptable level or if it is in need of maintenance or repair.

This is important for a system of this size and cost to keep the system operating as efficiently as possible, Peal said.

He admits the company is not trying to be "green" as much as they're able to make "an investment and a decent return."

"On average, 20 to 25 percent of the building's total electric consumption will come out of these systems," Peal said.

Solar companies offer rooftop panels at wildly different prices, depending on where they're being installed and the kind of incentives available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Parking restrictions in Montclair include several public streets

2009-11-03T19:45:17Z

MONTCLAIR - Parking in the city on several public streets as well as in a bus loading zone at Kingsley Elementary School will soon be restricted.

The public as well as Ontario-Montclair School District and Montclair Public Works Committee officials requested the changes.

The changes:

Elimination of parking for trucks carrying more than 10,000 pounds on both sides of Brooks Street from Ramona Avenue to a point 480 feet east.

"While the trucks on Brooks Street are parking legally, drivers pulling out of these industrial areas say when they exit the driveway, they can't see because the trucks restrict their view," said Steve Lustro, community development director.

Restriction of parking on the north side of Howard Street between Wesley and Essex avenues for street sweeping between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays.

Bus parking at a bus dropoff area will be allowed between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday at Kingsley Elementary, 5625 Kingsley St. The school has not bused students in a while, but that changed this year.

"We have some students that qualify for busing, so we now have buses coming to that school," said Jim Kidwell, OMSD deputy superintendent of human resources.

"This way when the buses do come to the school, they can get in and get out easily."

It will cost $1,000 to purchase signs, posts and hardware to implement the changes.

The signs are expected to be up in 30 days. Affected property and business owners would be notified regarding the restrictions before the signs are installed.

City Manager's report

2009-10-30T17:55:41Z

Here's a link to the Montclair City Manager's report for Oct. 23-29

http://www.ci.montclair.ca.us/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4740

Montclair Yamaha unexpected closure

2009-10-27T20:56:10Z

Yesterday I posted an entry about Montclair Yamaha's unexpected closing and move out.

I just got a message from Steve Lustro, the city's community development director, explaining the loss to the city.

"Any loss to the City's sales tax base in this economy is significant. Our hope is that the store reopens soon," he said.

Montclair Yamaha's closure

2009-10-27T00:50:17Z

If you're wondering about Montclair Yamaha's unexpected closing and move out, you might have to continue scratching your head.

I contacted Steve Lustro, the city's community development director, via e-mail to see if he happened to know anything about this and he said, "Actually, it came as a surprise to us too."

"There are signs in the windows that say something about the store being closed "temporarily" because of a change of ownership, but to my knowledge, nobody here at the City has spoken with anyone regarding what will happen with the store," the Lustro's e-mail read.

He said the city was not notified in advance about the store closure.

I'm waiting to see if there is any significant loss to the city's revenue or what the city is now going to do.

I'll keep you posted as more news comes in.

Free water conservation & landscape fair

2009-10-21T17:07:11Z

Chino Basin Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and local water agencies, will host the fourth annual Regional Water Conservation and Landscape Fair.

This fair is free from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at Chino Basin Water Conservation District's facility, 4594 San Bernardino Ave., Montclair.

There will be free water saving devices and raffles throughout the day with the grand prize -- at 1:30 p.m. a high efficient clothes washer will be raffled.

Since outdoor water use accounts for approximately 50 - 70 percent of a typical home's water consumption, the fair will focus on outdoor water conservation with information provided by vendors on water wise landscaping, efficient irrigation practices and rebate programs.

In addition drought tolerant plants for sale.

There will also be various information booths demonstrating ways to reduce your indoor water use.

The event will include a performance by the National Children's Theatre, a petting zoo and pumpkin patch, a giant slide, face painting, and exhibits by the local police and fire departments.

Information: (909) 626-2711 or Dfigoni@cbwcd.org

City to update housing policies

2009-10-13T21:44:28Z

MONTCLAIR -- The city is currently updating the Housing Element of its General Plan for the period 2006-2014.

The Housing Element establishes city policies and programs regarding maintenance of existing housing stock, affordable housing, creation of new housing, and providing resources to help residents meet their housing needs.

An important part of the Housing Element update process is determining the housing needs of Montclair's residents.

The city will conduct a Housing Element Workshop on from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Community Room at the Montclair Police Department, 4870 Arrow Highway.

Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to provide input on current and future housing needs, challenges and opportunities.

Further information about the Housing Element update may be obtained by calling Michael Diaz, city planner, (909) 625-9432.