Recently in Downtown Pomona Owners Association Category

The Downtown Pomona Owners Association will have an open house and ribbon cutting Tuesday at the organization's new offices at 119 W. Second St.

Activities will take place between 5 and 7 p.m

In addition to serving as home to the association the space also houses a gallery featuring the work of local artists.

Door prizes and other activities will be part of Tuesday's event.

Information on the Downtown Pomona Owners Association is available by going to www.metropomona.com or by calling with questions or the concerns to 909-469-1121.

The 2010 Miss Pomona Scholarship Pageant coronation ceremony is quickly approaching.

The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Pomona Masonic Lodge, 395 S. Thomas St.

Admission to the ceremony is free and open to the public.

A total of 22 qualified young women submitted applications seeking to be the next Miss Pomona, said Larry Egan, executive director of the Downtown Pomona Owners Association, which is organizing the event.

The number of applicants is the highest submitted in at least a decade, said Mickey Gallivan, co-chairwoman of the Miss Pomona Committee.

"I was very impressed with the quality of applicants," said Gallivan, who has been involved with the pageant in the past.

The committee reviewed the applications last month looking at young women's academic performance, school and community involvement and their responses to three essay questions, Gallivan said.

From that pool a group of applicants have been invited to interview, starting next week, with members of the committee.

Committee members include representatives of the Association, elected officials, past Miss Pomona title holders and community members, Gallivan said.

After the interviews three finalists will be selected and will be asked to deliver a speech before a panel of judges during the Jan. 23 ceremony.

The new Miss Pomona will be crowned at that ceremony, Gallivan said.

The newly crowned Miss Pomona and her court of two princesses will be awarded scholarships.

Scholarship sponsorship opportunities are still available, Egan said.

For sponsorship opportunities call the Association at 909-469-1121.

Applications are being accepted from young women interested in entering the Miss Pomona Scholarship Pageant.

The deadline to submit an applications is Dec. 11.

The event is being organized by the Downtown Pomona Owners Association with the Miss Pomona coronation ceremony scheduled for Jan. 23, at the Pomona Masonic Lodge, 395 S. Thomas St. in the city's downtown.

The pageant is open to young women ages 21 or younger who are unmarried residents of Pomona, according to a statement from the association.

Applicants must currently be enrolled as a junior or senior at a high school located in Pomona and have a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Participants are not required to have a talent but they must be able to demonstrate they have a track record of community involvement.

The successful candidate must be able to represent Pomona at a variety of events.

A series of interviews will be scheduled leading up to the selection of finalists.

Scholarships will be awarded to Miss Pomona and her court.

Information on the pageant, applications, along with information on sponsorship opportunities is available by going to www.metropomona.com or calling (909) 469-1121.

City Council members and the Planning Commission met Wednesday evening for what is  expected to be the first of five meetings dealing with the city's general plan amendment.

All members of Planning Commission were present. Council members Freddie Rodriguez and Steve Atchley did not attend. Mayor Elliott Rothman was present for the start of the meeting and then turned over responsibilities of running the session to commission Chairman Arturo Jimenez after saying he had to leave early.

Council members and planning commissioners met at Westmont Park Community Center with representatives of the San Francisco-based firm of Freedman, Tung and Sasaki.

The session included presentations on the city's history, background, layout and design as well as Pomona's economy.

The information presented was intended to create a foundation leading to the discussion of planning concepts and proposals for the city.

A proposed agreement between the Downtown Pomona  Owners Association and the Police Department will go to City Council Monday night for approval.

If approved, the department would provide supplemental police patrols service in the downtown area for one year at a cost to the Association of $120,000 a year, according to a city staff report.

The agreement would also include an option to have the arrangement for one year with an increase for services of no more than 5 percent, the report said.

In addition to the supplemental services of the police department, the Association also pays a private security company to provide security service downtown.

The combination of police and private security provide a 24-hour security presence downtown, the report said.

POMONA - Downtown's Pomona Business Improvement District will live on for another 10 years.

Ballots cast by downtown property owners during the course of more than a month were counted at Monday night's City Council meeting and showed a majority of property owners favored renewing district, known as PBID.

With the district renewed, the Downtown Pomona Owners Association, created five years ago to carry out the duties of the PBID, will now move forward with the planning of downtown events and with contract negotiations for services it is charged with providing, said Carolyn Hemming, president of the association.

"Now we can get back to actual business," she said.

Without knowing if the PBID would be renewed, the Owners Association leadership opted to hold off entering into some agreements, such as a contract for police services, Hemming said.

"We're in negotiations with police for a new police contract that we can now sign because we are going to be around," Hemming said.

The PBID was established five years ago with the mission to provide security, maintenance and marketing services to downtown using funds property owners agreed to assess themselves.

This year was the first time the district was up for recertification.

Some property owners opposed its renewal saying they weren't benefitting from it.

Supporters said the PBID has made a significant impact in the gradual but on-going revitalization of downtown.

During a public hearing, 23 people spoke or simply asked to be listed as being in favor of the PBID.

Among those who spoke in favor was downtown developer and property owner Jerry Tessier.

Tessier, one of the partners involved in the restoration of the Fox Theater, said that once Fox is completely operational it is could attract about 250,000 people a year to downtown.

"I can't imagine those people coming to Pomona five years ago," he said.

Tessier told the council, "There is no plan B if the PBID gets scratched. It's a giant step backward."

Before members of the City Clerk's Office began counting ballots council members voted unanimously to cast the city and its redevelopment agency's votes in favor of the renewal.

To be renewed, more than 50 percent of the ballots cast had to be in favor. With the city's votes, approval was by 71.7 percent.

The City Council adopted a resolution giving a handful of non-profit groups such as churches, a lower assessment rate within the PBID. They will pay 5 percent of the full amount but will have reduced services, Egan said.

Downtown Pomona businessman and property owners David Armstrong said Tuesday he voted against the PBID and is comfortable with his vote.

His mind could change, he said, but "that will depend on what happens here in the future."

Armstrong said city leaders must take steps to create policies and regulations that ensure matters related to parking lot maintenance, cleanliness and security tied to large events are addressed by city leaders.

He is advocating for some responsibilities assigned to the Vehicle Parking District, which is in charge of overseeing city-owned parking lots, to turn over some responsibilities to the Owners Association.

Armstrong said he plans to meet with elected officials and city staff to draw attention to his concerns.

Addressing such points is critical, he said.

Some property owners feel they are not receiving a portion of service but must still pay their share of the assessment, Armstrong said.

Egan said the association will take up these matters with the city.

"We will work very closely with the city and closely on cleanliness and security issues," Egan said.

During the meeting a representative for a self-storage business on the northeastern end of the downtown area said his business didn't benefit from the services tied to the PBID.

Councilwoman Paula Lantz asked how the business was included in the district.

Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong said that early in the process, which came late last year, when property owners where asked if they were interested in renewal was the time for business to request being left out of the district.

Egan told the council he was contacted early on by a representative of the storage business and informed him he should take his request before the City Council and to do it before the renewal process had reach the end.

Hemming said the Owners Association has plans for numerous projects in the coming years that range from the creation and establishment of signature events that introduce and continue familiarizing visitors to the area to median landscaping for Garey Avenue.

Other plans call for adding camera systems that offer security as well give people a chance to see the kind of activities taking place downtown via the Internet, she said.

After a two year absence, the Miss Pomona Pageant will make a come back this year with an event organized by the Downtown Pomona Owners Association.

The association announced it will take over the responsibilities of organizing the event and has set Oct. 25 as the date for the selection and coronation of the winner and her court.

Ceremonies will be at the Fox Theater, said Larry Egan, executive director of the association.

"The Miss Pomona Pageant is a very special event to many residents, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to bring this experience back," said Lorena Matarrita, co-chairwoman of the Miss Pomona Committee.

Matarrita is also a former Miss Pomona who held the title in 2004.

A combination of circumstances made it difficult for the city's Cultural Arts Commission to carry out the pageant that last two years, said Mickey Gallivan, co-chairwoman of the Miss Pomona Committee and a member of the commission.

For organizers a major element of putting on the contest is visiting schools to explain the pageant doesn't involve bathing suits, Gallivan said.

Instead the pageant is one "that is based on scholarship and community service," she said.

To run for Miss Pomona, contestants must be residents of the city who are unmarried juniors or seniors at a high school located within Pomona.

Contestants must have a 3.0 or better grade point average, be under the age of 21, have a track record of community involvement and be available to represent the city at various events.

Applications will be available through the area high schools when school begins in August.

The winner and her court will receive scholarships.

Having the association take over the pageant will help have more community groups and organizations become involved in the event, Gallivan said.

Matarrita said steps are being taken to build a show around the event that will include the performances by student groups and others.