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Montebello E-News

 April 30, 2009

Our conscience is not the vessel of eternal verities. It grows with our social life, and a new social condition means a radical change in conscience.
Walter Lippman

1.  Announcements

2.  Is Anyone Asking the Right Question?

3. About Montebello E-News and “My Montebello”  

Scholarships for 2009 high-school seniors.  The Montebello Friends of the Library is pleased to announce that it will be awarding scholarships to your graduating students who would like to participate in a writing essay contest.  These funds will be available to students to purchase books, upon registration at their chosen college.  A student must have, minimally, a 2.0 grade-point average, graduate in June, 2009, and be from one of these high schools:  Montebello, Schurr, Bell Gardens, Vail.  A student with a library card may reserve a computer to type his or her essay.  The essay will be in two parts, “What book has influenced you in your goals?” and “Why I want to go to college”.  The deadline is at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2009.  Note:  the Friends of the Library will pick up the essays from a school representative, not from students.  To ask questions and learn of additional requirements, please contact Mrs. Mary Bea at 323.724.3709.

Centennial celebration.  Montebello High School is having a hundred-hear celebration.  Details will be shared in coming months.  If you wish to know what you can do now, e-mail Denise Hagopian at montebelloreunions@msn.com .

Spring concert.  Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m., Schurr High School.  The Taiko Center of Los Angeles is performing at Schurr High School.  Also performing will be Schurr High School's Drumline and RCC Tap Ensemble.  We hope you can add this fun event to your calendar and support the band on May 9.  For more information on the Taiko Center of Los Angeles, log onto http://www.taikocenter.com/ .  To order tickets for the event, contact fundraising@schurrmusic.org .

Ask the questions, get the facts.  Montebello Hills Specific Plan Joint Study Session, Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Montebello City Council Chambers, 1600 W. Beverly Boulevard, Montebello, California 90640.  From a Montebello resident:

Dear friends and family,

I try to keep informed about upcoming changes in Montebello.  Because I go to lots of meetings, many of you have asked me questions about the Montebello Hills new housing development. Here is a great opportunity to hear first hand what the developer is planning and what the Environmental Impact Report says. The plans are beautiful and the cleaning of the oil sites are great. Landscaping, irrigation and natural habitat. I have watched this project progress for the last 15 years. Montebello needs more houses, green parks and public walking trails. Be interested in the future of our community, get informed and sign up for email information. ….

From another Montebello resident, about preparing for the study session:

...Check to see what significant negative impacts are listed and then go to the mitigation measures and see if they are adequate. If they are inadequate or if there could be alternatives which would do less or no damage or even improve the situation, comment on that and tell what must be done to fix it. ...  Here are some resources to look at to help in formulating your comments:  www.saveourmontebellohills.com, http://cira.ornl.gov/hhra.html, http://www.coyotehills.org .  Coyote Hills has a similar habitat and situation with a ‘development’ proposal. Some of the information applies to ours and can be used with proper changes.  The Canyon Crest Project in Brea and Pacific Heights Project in Hacienda Heights are also similar. ...

Montebello beautification.  The City of Montebello, Municipal Services Department, Parks & Recreation Division, proudly announces its Business & Neighborhood Beautification Program. The month of May is Montebello Beautification month! The Department of Municipal Services, Parks & Recreation Division, will be recognizing residents and business owners for their efforts in making the City of Montebello a cleaner and more attractive community in which to live, work, and play. You can submit your nomination through the mail or deliver to the Parks & Recreation Office:

•        A non-returnable photograph of the residence or business to be nominated.

•        A brief paragraph,100 words or less, describing the residence or business.

•        Include the nominator’s name, address, and day/evening telephone numbers.

Deadline for entries is Thursday, May 14, 2009.  For further information, please contact Marie Bagwell, Community Service Supervisor at (323) 887-4575.

Things are heating up with regard to the disposition of the Montebello Hills Specific Plan.  Two things are missing in the discussion and debate:

(1) small groups of friends getting together to evaluate the assertions and reach their own conclusions;  we have no “facilitator” in place to encourage this behavior;  it is insufficient to have a meeting at city hall at a time when many people are having dinner;

(2) questions with a long-range view;  a fundamental question is whether the Montebello Hills Specific Plan would be considered sustainable growth, not just for future residents in the hills, but, also, for the rest of the residents of Montebello.

Someday we might wake up with an uncomfortable feeling that we need to restructure our interdependent consumer economy in order to have a sustainable future.