Montclair Now

Montclair hosts joint session to discuss housing element

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:34:05 -0800

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

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:23:39 -0800

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

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:46:11 -0800

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

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:45:17 -0800

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

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:55:41 -0800

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

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:56:10 -0800

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

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:50:17 -0800

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

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:07:11 -0800

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

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:44:28 -0800

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.

Fall festival for famililes

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:23:46 -0800

Family fun and raising funds for a worthy cause is what Care and Company's Fall Harvest Fiesta is all about.

The event -- from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 at Bethany Baptist Church, 9950 Monte Vista Ave. -- will offer games for children, food, vendor booths as well as provide information about the nonprofit and its hygiene pantry.

Entrance fee is $1 per person. Children under 3 can get in free.

For more information, call (909) 240-1551 or visit www. careandcompany.org.

Fire Department to host open house/breakfast

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:33:08 -0800

The Montclair Fire Department will host its annual open house/pancake breakfast on Saturday.
The open house is from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the breakfast is from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Station No. 1, 8901 Monte Vista Ave., Montclair.
The Montclair Fire Fighters Association will host the breakfast. The breakfast is $3 a plate; all proceeds will be donated to local charity groups.
Come join the department for breakfast, tour of the station, and learn about fire safety and prevention.
There will be periodic demonstrations of firefighting tools and equipment as well.

From the City Manager's report

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:29:03 -0800

Fire crews completes roof-top training

During September, all Montclair Fire Department suppression crews participated in roof-top ventilation training.

The training was done at a city-owned residential structure scheduled for demolition -- the same structure that was used for urban search and rescue training in July.

Because the entire roof of the structure was still intact, it was the perfect location for this hands-on training.

Each crew had many opportunities to make openings in the roof with a variety of ventilation tools and equipment.

Included in the training exercise was instruction on ladder placement, chainsaw safety and use, where to cut, and communications. They practiced sizing-up the structure, sounding the roof, and puncturing the interior ceiling.

Neither props nor simulated training could ever be as effective as practicing on the real thing.

E-mail system keeping out unwanted items

The city's Barracuda spam and virus firewall, purchased in 2004, is keeping the e-mail system free of viruses and spam.

The system is an integrated hardware and software solution designed to protect the organization's e-mail server from spam, viruses, spoofing, phishing, and spyware attacks.

For every business and organization worldwide, e-mails are an essential form of communication.

Following are some interesting facts about our e-mail system:

Since 2004, the city has received more than 10 million e-mails (10,017,330, to be exact)

8.6 million e-mails have been blocked as spam
More than 17,000 e-mail messages have been blocked because of viruses
The city receives an average of 6,000 e-mails daily

Information Technology staff continuously updates the system with current spam and virus definition to monitor and block the latest Internet threats.

Bowling tournament for Special Olympics

The Special Olympics of the west San Bernardino area, along with the Kiwanis Club hosted a bowling tournament for the Special Olympics late last month.

Held at the Montclair Bowlium on Sept. 26, 180 Special Olympics athletes from Southern California participated.

Police reserve officers Randy Ortiz and Joe Kuskie and Reserve Captain Ron Foss participated in the tournament and were honored to present medals to all of the athletes.

Fundraiser to help Steven's Hope

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:54:35 -0800

Islands Restaurant in Montclair will be the site of a fundraiser for Steven's Hope.

Simply print out the coupon and bring it to the Island's restaurant between 4 and 9 p.m. Oct. 14 to 5220 Moreno Street, Montclair.

Islands will present Steven's Hope 20 percent of you bill to support Steven's Hope The offer is good for dine in or take out orders.

Information: (909) 399-9331

From the City Manager's report

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:10:57 -0800

The Montclair Community Collaborative welcomes the community to celebrate its 13 years of success.

hree Outstanding Community Partners and one Outstanding Community Leader will be honored at a celebration entitled "Community Partners are Flowers in Life's Garden" at 4 p.m. Sept. 28 the Council Chambers, 5111 Benito St., Montclair.

Outstanding Community Partners include Jose Dominguez, for providing a clean, safe, and affordable apartments for less fortunate families, Foothill Family Shelter and director of redevelopment/public works employee Marilyn Staats.

The city will also recognize Outstanding Community Leader honoree Leticia Gavilanes, Health Education Specialist for the city's Por La Vida program.

Reservations are suggested: Morayma Cordova, (909) 445-1616 or morayma.cordova@omsd.k12.ca.us

Last week members of the city's Detective Bureau conducted a counterfeit Xbox and PS3 video games buy/bust operation.

A detective met with the suspect who was going to sell counterfeit games significantly cheaper than the retail cost.

A search warrant was served at residences in Montclair and El Monte. More than 500 counterfeit video games, Xbox 360 video consoles, and a stolen handgun were recovered. The retail price for this merchandise is more than $25,000.

San Bernardino County West End Narcotic Enforcement Team assisted in the service of the warrant in El Monte.

The Montclair Police Department will host an Open House where community members can tour the new facility and see the department in operation.

The Open House will also feature displays of Police and Fire safety equipment from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 3 at 4870 Arrow Highway, Montclair.

In conjunction with the Open House, the Montclair Police Officers Association will offer a $3 pancake breakfast. City employees and community members are encouraged to attend.

Questions may be directed to Lieutenant Michael deMoet at (909) 448-3606 or Administrative Aide Trudy Burson at (909) 448-3609.

This past May, Sergeant Bryon Kelly joined the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society Team in Training Program in preparation of the Nautica Triathlon in Malibu.

Since May, Bryon has raised more than $4,000 for LLS and has logged over 100 hours of training.

On Sept. 12, he completed his Olympic distance triathlon which included a 1.5k ocean swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run.

Bryon completed the event in 3 hours and 3 minutes, which was just 3 minutes over his goal.

Tip-A-Cop raises $2,000 for Special Olympics

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:44:40 -0800

Montclair Police Officers Association hosted its annual Tip-A-Cop fundraiser for the Special Olympics and raised $2,000.

This year's event was the most successful year ever -- exceeding last year's event by more than $700.

The event was at Buca di Beppo Restaurant in Claremont earlier this month and athletes from the Southern California Regional Special Olympics Team also participated.

Participating MPOA members were officers Brian Blyther, Matt Bora, Ron Goble, Steve Griffin, Megan Stafford, Elizabeth Jolin, Gloria Perez, James Michel, and Sergeant Brian Ventura. Police Chief Keith Jones also took part.

Besides raising funds for the Special Olympics, Tip-A-Cop bonds the community by developing partnerships with law enforcement agencies and local restaurants.

Officers use the table-waiting opportunity to educate the public about the fundraiser and the Special Olympics, and they "solicit" tips as donations. The "tips" to the Officers are in addition to those given to the regular servers.