The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea continues to benefit from a number of volunteers and non-profit organizations who have stepped up to help us maintain and beautify the City during these difficult economic times resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. At the December 7, 2020 Special City Council Meeting, Carmel Cares Chief, Dale Byrne, gave a presentation regarding the purpose, arrangement, accomplishments, and pursuits of Carmel Cares. Carmel Cares works closely with Carmel Gives who uses the Carmel Chamber to execute grants. The City’s partnership with Carmel Cares and Carmel Gives has been particularly productive, diverse, and exciting, and we hope this partnership continues for years to come.
According to their website, “Carmel Cares is a group of Carmelites dedicated to keeping Carmel-by-the-Sea a beautiful, inviting and safe place. We help by partnering with the City of Carmel and non-profits whereby our volunteers work on maintenance and improvement projects as well as community engagement programs. We do most of the work ourselves, but also fund various projects through a partnership with CarmelGives.org and the Carmel Chamber of Commerce. Email us at CarmelCares1@gmail.com to volunteer or donate. To learn more go to www.CarmelCares.org”
Carmel Cares is also continuing to champion volunteer community engagement groups. “Tree Tenders” is a program which allows residents to adopt seedlings and raise them until they are ready to be planted in Carmel’s urban forest. The “Median Minders” allows residents to adopt and maintain nearby median islands and easements throughout the City. A third, newer community group called the “Pick up Posse” is also being organized to support trash pickup wherever encountered in the public right-of-way. Participation in all of these groups has been continuously increasing since the City’s partnership with Carmel Cares was established. Carmel Cares, and these community engagement groups, operate under the guidance of the Public Works Director, City Forester, and Public Works Superintendent.
The City’s Donation and Gift Policy No. 2017-02 establishes a formal process for the acceptance and documentation of donations made to the City in a responsible, transparent, and accountable manner. Donations of items valued at $2,499 or below may be accepted by the City Administrator. Donations of items valued at $2,500 or more must be accepted by the City Council. A Donation Acceptance Form is filled out and issued to the donor for all non-labor donations.
At this time, the City Council should accept the following generous donations:
- John Deer Gator utility vehicle w/100-gallon water tank/pump for Public Works/Forestry - $22,450 (see narrative “A” below)
- Cellular iPhone Pro 12s for Police Department - $17,000 (see narrative “B” below)
- Toyota sidewalk cleaning machine - $10,380 (see narrative “C” below)
- Professional Landscaping fees for Scenic Pathway - $10,000
- Forest Theater seating area upgrades and staining - $5,600
- Forest Theater entrance gate reconstruction - $2,680
- Library Shrine (previously accepted by Council but prior to valuation) - $5,000
- Two Magazine Racks on Ocean Avenue (previously accepted) - $5,000
- Backflow device housing at Sunset Center (previously accepted) - $5,000
- Rigid FlexShaft large diameter drain-clearing plumber’s snake for facility maintenance - $1,420
- Rigid FlexShaft small diameter drain-clearing plumber’s snake for facility maintenance - $911
- Approximately one ton of Carmel stone boulders - $1,000
The total amount of the above-listed donations is $86,441.
The combination of Carmel Gives and Carmel Cares is distinguishable because not only have they donated equipment and materials, but they have also contributed hundreds of labor hours to benefit the City. Council should recognize the following efforts over the past few months:
· Scenic Pathway – Extensive and detailed tree and brush pruning, weeding, removing overgrown ice plant and dead plants, cleaning beach stairs, fine grading the pathway, and supporting irrigation repairs
· Forest Theater - Gate reconstruction, weeding, raking, spreading wood chips, etc.
· Vista Lobos Park – Clearing debris, weeding, pruning, and spreading wood chips
· Free “Voice Map Tours” for visitors
Key Donation Narratives:
A. The all-purpose utility vehicle (Gator), with bed-mounted 100-gallon water tank, allows for temporary parking in tight spaces and rapid deployment of a water hose for watering trees and plants. Public Works will assess the need to keep or auction the large, antiquated water truck for bigger watering projects.
B. New cellular phones for use by the Police Department will improve telecommunications and meet new requirements by the Department of Justice. These phones will aid the department in the following ways:
1. The Department of Justice recently advised all law enforcement agencies that effective January 1, 2021, we can no longer share personal data over unencrypted radio channels. Unlike all other police agencies in the county, our radios do not have the ability to transmit encrypted radio traffic. We are continuing to work through this problem, which will ultimately involve purchasing a new radio antenna for which we have applied for grant funding.
2. The cell phones will also replace the iPad system we currently rent from our parking management company. These iPads are used to write citations for all violations. The new phones will save the City thousands of dollars per year as we would no longer need to rent iPads.
C. The sidewalk cleaning machine will not eliminate the need to hire a contractor to periodically clean all downtown sidewalks at one time, as has been done approximately annually in the past. Rather, it gives staff the flexibility to promptly clean segments of sidewalk that have become noticeably dirty. This machine will be able to be deployed in an hour compared to waiting at least a month to conduct a public bidding and contract award process to hire a private contractor.