The council’s handling of the tree policy was one of several council decisions appreciated by Claremont residents present at Tuesday’s meeting. In addition, the council approved a 5-year contract with Bank of the West. Occupy Claremont members were pleased with the decision after having pushed the city to move its money from Bank of America to a local credit union since early 2012. The city expects to save up to $14,000 annually beginning with the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
“How’s that for a win-win situation?” said Karl Hilgert.
The Claremont Hills Wilderness Parl parking lot is now open, but according to weekend visitors, the verdict is still out.
The city debuted the newly expanded parking lot last weekend to mixed reviews. For the most part, feedback has been positive from locals and park regulars concerned with overcrowding, according to Eric Flores and Kay Dorn-Giarmoleo, city recreation leaders on hand at the park’s entrance to answer the questions of curious hikers last weekend.
“Residents around here have been really happy, because there has been such an influx of traffic,” Ms. Dorn-Giarmoleo said.
The Claremont City Council Tuesday night reached an agreement palatable to both sides of a longstanding debate over the Claremont Club neighborhood’s pine trees and the city’s tree replacement policy.
While 44 trees have the potential to go, should a certified arborist deem it necessary, the city will not move forward in changing its tree replacement policies as they stand.
For years the city has combated structural damage caused by a series of mature pines in the neighborhood-—including those found on Shenandoah Drive, Davenport, Elmhurst, Gettysburg and Stanislaus Circles. This summer, the city will move forward with a $167,060 project to more extensively repair damaged hardscape.
During the year that Rachel McDonnell has been working with personal trainer Ashgar Ghorbani, she has made remarkable progress overcoming the loss of mobility resulting from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis. Mr. Ghorbani says Ms. McDonnell shows more determination than anyone he has previously worked with over a 36-year career. Read her first person account in the COURIER's Rites of Spring special section on Friday. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont officials maintain their opposition to a proposed water rate increase after an administrative law judge recently recommended the CPUC raise rates to 16 percent in 2013 for Golden State Water Company’s Region 3. The judge also recommended a 2.7 percent increase in 2014 and 1.8 percent increase in 2015. “While we appreciate that the proposed decision does not recommend the entire increase originally sought by Golden State, the end result would still be another double-digit water rate increase on our residents,” said City Manager Tony Ramos in a statement released Tuesday.
A notable item was conspicuously absent from the agenda for Tuesday, March 26’s meeting of the Claremont City Council: gun control.
On March 15 the council listened to nearly 2 hours of back-and-forth debate on whether or not the city should adopt a stance on Dianne Feinstein’s proposed Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. The council opted to hold off on a decision because Councilmember Sam Pedroza was absent. But the council’s decision was made for them when Ms. Feinstein’s ban died in the Senate on March 18.
Pedestrians walk in the southbound lane of Mills Avenue as cars line both sides of the street Saturday morning, the first weekend day of the new parking restrictions at the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. Visitors who used to crowd the intersection of Mills and Mt. Baldy Road now are parking their vehicles on Pomello and Mills as far south as Alamosa and using the roadway to access the park.
Western Dental is yet another Claremont business targeted in a recent chain of commercial break-ins. An unknown burglar entered the business, located at 750 S. Indian Hill Blvd., shortly after 2 a.m. by shattering the front glass window, according to police.
The Claremont COURIER newspaper received notification of awards received in the 2012 California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA) Better Newspaper Contest. Seven first or second place awards and 5 honorable mentions were earned by COURIER staff for work produced from November 2011 to November 2012.
The CNPA sponsors the contest with daily and weekly publications competing in separate divisions based on circulation. There were a total of 28 categories this year, with approximately 3000 entries received from the 700 daily and weekly newspapers in California.
Claremont police are calling on a the US Attorney’s office for a second opinion after a local man wanted for meeting with a child for lewd purposes got away with a lighter-than-anticipated sentence.
Claremont police arrested Donny Wade, a 32-year-old resident of Pomona, on March 13 after being found with a 14-year-old runaway from Utah. Mr. Wade and the juvenile had met through online chat rooms on Meetme.com. Mr. Wade successfully persuaded the girl to come out to Claremont, buying her a ticket on the Greyhound on March 8, according to police.
New Claremont Mayor Opanyi Nasiali congratulates outgoing Mayor Larry Schroeder while new Mayor Pro Tem Joe Lyons applauds on Wednesday during a special meeting of the Claremont City Council. Besides selecting the new mayor the council also certified the re-election of members Mr. Schroeder and Corey Calaycay. More in our next edition. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
The administrative law judge overseeing Golden State Water Company's case for a water rate increase has recommended that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) grant the water company a 16 percent revenue increase for 2013 in the company’s Region 3, which includes Claremont. The judge also recommended a 2.7 percent increase in 2014 and 1.8 percent increase in 2015.
If given the final approval, these increased rates will help the water company reach $314.6 million in revenues in its Region 3, according to the decision published by the CPUC on Tuesday. A decision is expected at the CPUC's April meeting, according to officials.
The Claremont Hills Wilderness Park will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday as construction on the newly expanded north parking lot is completed. The parking lot will debut with the park’s reopening this Friday, March 22.
In addition to the mid-week park closure, Mills Road north of Mt. Baldy and the Wilderness Park’s south lot at Mills and Mt. Baldy will also be closed to traffic. Parking restrictions on Mills and Mt. Baldy along with enforcement of the new parking lot permits and metered parking will begin on April 1, according to the city.
A community forum to discuss the public art master plan is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. The city of Claremont is currently working with a consultant to prepare the plan, which aims to identify a unified community vision, clarify key themes and values and provide direction for the selection and placement of public art throughout the community.
