City Meetings this Week

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The Daily Bulletin reported that Claremont is having a special meeting regarding the the City's cell tower policy tonight at 6pm in the Claremont City Council Chambers at 225 W. 2nd St.:

CLAREMONT - The Planning Commission last week denied a Claremont resident's request for additional safety measures at La Puerta Sports Park.

Joyce Sauter said she was concerned for the safety of young athletes in the park due the placement of a wireless antenna inside a light pole and construction of an underground electrical vault.

There will be a special meeting on the issue today.

That information may be a little off. The Planning Commission doesn't convene until tomorrow for its regularly scheduled meeting. Tonight's meeting is for the Architectural Commission. The agenda for tonight's special meeting only lists one item: review of the architectural and site plans for Claremont McKenna College's Kravis Center. That matter was carried over to tonight because of a lack of quorum when the Architectural Commission's last met on November 24th. The city staff report expains.

Now that the lawsuit filed by residents of the neighboring area has been settled, the project can move forward.

There is a "wireless facililties" agenda item for tomorrow night's Planning Commission meeting. That item concerns the City's proposed revisions to its wireless tower ordinance. There was also an agenda item regarding a proposed T-Mobile cell tower at the northeast corner of Base Line Rd. and Padua Ave., but there didn't appear to be anything concerning the La Puerta Park cell tower.

Tonight's Council Meeting

The Claremont City Council meets again tonight, beginning with another one of their closed sessions at 5:15pm at City Hall. Do you get the impression this is where the real business of the people gets done?

The Council reconvenes at 6:30pm in the Council Chambers for its public session. Here's what's on tap tonight:


CLOSED SESSION

In their ultra-secret bunker, the City Council will:

• Meet with their labor negotiators, City Manager Jeff Parker, Assistant City Manager Tony Ramos, and personnel manager Shawna Urban to discuss negotiations with the Claremont Professional Employee's Association.
  
  
• Discuss the Protect Our Neighborhood lawsuit against the City and Claremont McKenna College.
  
  
• Meet with Jerry Tessier regarding price and terms for the Padua Theatre renovation.

REGULAR SESSION

When the Council reconvenes, they'll give a report on their closed session actions, then jump into the regular part of the meeting, beginning with public comment. Among the agenda items are:

• A second reading of the residential parking ordinance.
  
  
• Authorizing City Manager Parker to sign a lease agreement with Tri-City Mental Health to lease that agency the city's Youth and Family Support Center facility.
  
  
• Awarding a $2.2 million contract with Mega Way Enterprises of Pomona to build Phase 1 of the Padua Ave. Park. According to the staff report, Phase 1 will include one unlit soccer field and 52 parking spaces.
  
  Additionally, the staff report says that the City is expecting to receive $850,000 from the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for aspects of habitat restoration and water conservation. The city's agenda report seems to indicate that if the City receives the money, staff wants the council to shift $850,000 of money already budgeted for Phase 1 and go forward with Phase 1A, which is the lit soccer field and 58 more parking spaces.
  
  This money transfer keeps the RMC's hands nominally clean when it comes to taking out the sensitive habitat they are supposed to be saving, but in reality it allows the City to go forward not only with removal of habitat but also with introducing sports field lighting that is not in keeping with the City's Draft Sustainability Plan or the rural area lighting restrictions for Northeast Claremont.
  
  The report says the total for Phases 1 and 1A is $3,667,859. If the City receives the RMC money and goes forward with Phase 1A, it will have to appropriate another $527,000 from the City's General Fund Reserve to build Phase 1A with its lit field.
  
  The RMC was supposed to vote on granting the $800,000 to the city yesterday, and the staff report seems to indicate that the deal was a done one ahead of time, so it's likely that the council will be voting on raiding the General Fund Reserve for that extra $527,000 to go forward with Phase 1A.
  
  The Daily Bulletin's Wes Woods II had an article on the Padua Park agenda item in today's paper.
  
  
• Considering the Police Commission's recommendation for the Corey Nursery site at 1650 N. Monte Vista as the best location for the proposed new Claremont Police Station. The Council is also being asked to direct staff to seek funding for the station, which is projected to cost between $20-25 million.
  
  
• Considering recommendations from the Architectural and Planning Commissions on streamlining approval of wireless communication towers. Not enough of these in town, and the do generate a steady revenue stream.
  

• An appointment to the Human Services Commission to replace Commission Chair Gwen Carr, who recently resigned her position. Carr was a casualty of former Human Services Chair Valerie Martinez's Preserve Claremonster scheming. No good deed goes unpunished is the lesson here. Maury Feingold will replace Carr on the commission.