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Chamber Salutes 4th of July Committee and Friends of Sierra Madre Little League
The Chamber of Commerce took a very active role in the 4th of July festivities this year. As many of you are aware, the Sierra Madre Volunteer Firefighter's Association decided to discontinue as the Beer Garden sponsors, and so the 4th of July Committee joined with the Sierra Madre Chamber and the Friends of Sierra Madre Little League to put on this year's Garden. We think it went pretty well for a first year effort.
Friends of Sierra Madre Little League took on the major role of staffing the Garden, with the Chamber's role to be more one of logistics, arranging for the beer trailer, fencing, electrical and lighting, etc.
With the exception of one or two small glitches, everything seemed to run pretty smoothly. There are a couple people though, that I think should be singled out for the role they played in making it all work.
Co-Chairs Matt Bosse and Colleen McEvoy and the rest of the Committee put together a great weekend of festivities. The parade, which had the same number of entries as last year's, seemed shorter because the "launch" and procession went more smoothly, so there were fewer big gaps in the parade. The concert was packed, the beer garden was packed, and the games in the park were seamlessly transitioned to new leadership. As always, the Nightblooming Jazzmen were well received.
Pete Siberell, as the head of the Friends of SM Little League, did a great job organizing and overseeing the staffing of the Beer Garden. He had a lot of help from Ed and Leanne Dominguez, and electrician William Martinez was a big help with the electrical and especially providing equipment. We wouldn't have been able to get all the lighting hung without his ladders. And Steve Tanner also did a lot of running back and forth to make sure the alcohol license was in order.
Susan Clifton did a great job as the City liaison, and Chief Diaz also came through helping to clear up one of the aforementioned glitches. Thanks to all of them for making the Chamber's first foray (in recent years anyway) into a more active involvement in the 4th of July festivities a fun (and rewarding) experience.
But one person that really needs to be singled out is the Chamber's own president, Matt Krantz, who spent long hours away from his business to work on making sure all the electrical and lighting was in place. Every person that was involved in the set up and tear down of the Beer Garden agreed that we would have been in big trouble without Matt. So thanks, to you, Matt. You did a great job. | |
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Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce Weekly Update - Here's another way to stay updated - join us for "Coffee with the Chamber" each Thursday morning, anytime between 7am and 9am, at the Chamber office (37 N. Auburn, #1). |
Greetings!
This week is the first week of Friday Night Live, featuring Tea for Two. Come down and enjoy the live music and take advantage of the shopping specials that our downtown merchants are going to offer... |
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City Council Passes Revised Business Permitting Standards Ordinance 1296
The ordinance, based on Planning Commission's Resolution 09-10, made significant changes to the City's business permitting regulations that will have a very positive effect, by making it easier for businesses that want to move to, open, or relocate within Sierra Madre to do so. The amendments include updating the list of permitted and conditionally permitted uses in the commercial zone, and updating the corresponding design and development standards. The changes to the Sierra Madre Municipal Code remove the downtown overlay standards which severely limited the uses allowed in the commercial zone and and they also eliminate the requirement that all such uses require a Conditional Use Permit, which was both time consuming and costly. With the new standards only certain businesses will be required to get a CUP, and many types of businesses are permitted outright. Also significant is the fact that the ordinance that was passed included a clause that states that the City should start accepting plans using these regulations immediately, even though there are still readings that need to take place, etc. before it's officially law.
The Planning Commission considered this issue at its May 21st, June 4th and June 18th meetings. The Chamber took an active role in the discussions, and believes that the Planning Commission's recommendations are a significant improvement over the current status, and much more business friendly. Former commissioner John Hutt also took an active role and provided a lot of valuable insight to the process. The Chamber wants to thank the Planning Commission for all the time and effort they spent to develop a much more business-friendly ordinance that should encourage businesses to open and/or remain in Sierra Madre. And kudos also to the City Council, for approving the Planning Commissions recommendations unanimously. |
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66 East Montecito Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024
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 Kiwanis to Present Emergency Alert System Program at Aug. 4th LuncheonA group of volunteers led by Hank Landsberg of (Chamber member) Henry Engineering and Chamber Board member George Maurer has been working to get the City to install an emergency alert system. In something of an "all that's old is new again" twist, the system would employ A) the town fire horn that used to be used decades ago to notify firefighters when and where they were needed, and B) a low-frequency AM radio station.
Recent emergencies have shown that it would not be unlikely that cell stations/cell phones would be rendered inoperable, even if temporarily, and phone systems would be hindered by outages, and overload. For many, lack of electricity would cause landlines to be inoperable, and the City's emergency blog and others would be inaccessible.
The proposed AM station would be accessible by transistor or car radios even if electricity was out. A toggle recording box would allow repetitive broadcasting of multiple messages that could be easily be accessed by a large percentage of the population. In addition, the horn could be used to signal people. Both these comparatively low-tech systems could be installed fairly inexpensively, are reliable, and accessible.
The City Council recently authorized the volunteer group to move forward with their efforts, with the proviso that there would be no funds authorized beyond the nearly $15,000 that had previously been authorized. A system could be installed and maintained by volunteers, but the City Council stated that they would be more comfortable with a "turnkey" operation that had been installed by professionals, so that the entire system would come with a ten year warranty. While the turnkey system was more expensive, the warranty would provide some assurance that the system would be ready and available when needed.
That means that between $35,000 and $40,000 needs to be raised by the volunteers. In an effort to educate the public as to the value of the system, and to help to stimulate the opening of wallets, there will be a presentation on the proposed system at the Kiwanis Club luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 4th at the Masonic Lodge, 33 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Lunch begins shortly after noon, and the presentation will end at 1:30pm.
While most of the discussion about this system has centered on preparing the residents of the town, this system will be critical for businesses, as well, should the big one hit, or worse. It would be nice to see the business community become involved in helping to deploy and utilize a system that will be critical to not only businesses but the community at large. Please plan to set aside some time on Tuesday, Aug. 4th to learn more about how the business community can help make sure Sierra Madre and Sierra Madreans are prepared for emergency situations.
Cost of the lunch is $11.00 and guests should contact Harriet Lyle at 355-6786. |
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Savor the Flavor GETS IT!  Savor the Flavor will be celebrating its ten year anniversary in September, and one of the reasons they've made it to this ripe old age in a small market like Sierra Madre is that when it comes to marketing, they GET IT.
Unsolicited and totally of their own volition, Savor the Flavor sent out the newsletter you will find at the attached link. This is a winner on so many levels. In the first place, their e-mail list is apparently about 2,000 people. WOW!
Secondly, there's the fact that they have an e-mail newsletter that they send regularly to their loyal customers. Marketing 101 in this electronic age.
Thirdly, they saw the opportunity in Friday Night Live to promote themselves, while promoting the town they live in, and all the businesses that make up that town.
Fourth - they offered incentive. Two dollars off on a bottle of salsa. That's a pretty good savings, and when people come in and buy the salsa and walk out having spent $40 buying other items, that $2 is a little less painful.
What's the last line in the newsletter/e-blast? "Stop in to try your free sample every Friday evening!" An action item that tells the customer what's expected of them, and in this case when. Not just this Friday, but "every Friday evening."
There are half a dozen other reasons why this wins, but it's late, and I need to get this newsletter out. But you should see the point by now. And by the way, in case you didn't figure it out, the image of the lady above is a link to their website, located at www.SavorTheFlavor.net.
Great job Karen, Maddie and Dennis.
What about you? Do you have an e-mail list you can "blast" to tell them about Friday Night Live? All the information you need is found in the article below. Do it now!! And don't forget to include the hyperlink to the Friday Night Live website! |
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Join us from 6:30pm to 9pm each Friday from July 17th to Aug. 28th for live music in Kersting Court, sales promotions, prizes, giveaways and the most important ingredient: FUN!
Shoppers that spend $35 in any one participating retail store or $75 in any one participating restaurant will receive a free tote bag of goodies valued in excess of $50, while supplies last. All tote bags will include a free Sierra Madre baseball cap and three Sierra Madre post cards donated by the Chamber. Also donated by the Chamber in each tote bag will be a free pass to a Sierra Madre Chamber mixer, valued at $10/member, $15/non-members. The tote bags will include two Clubhouse passes to Santa Anita Park's Oak Tree meeting. Cornerstone Electric has donated fluorescent bulbs. Many tote bags will include free ice cream scoops, donated by Sue Lamb of Webb-Martin (Dickson-Podley) Realtors. Each tote bag will include discount coupons for the Sierra Madre Farmer's Market, as well as other discounts, information and items from other Chamber members.
Entertainment Schedule**
July 17th - Tea for Two (Torch/Cabaret)
July 24th - Mercy and the Beets (Upbeat Pop and Classics)
July 31st - Gem City Jazz Cats (Jazz/Swing)
Aug. 7th - Timmie Down (Acoustic Rock)
Aug. 14th - Steve and Steve
Aug. 21st - Sugar Penny
Aug. 28th - The Mellow Dz (Acoustic Rock/Pop)
** (subject to change without notice)
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New Major Sponsor!
Santa Anita Park
Ellen Burry with Shaw, Moses, Mendenhall and Associates Insurance
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Promote Your Business In Our Weekly E-Newsletter Sign Up Now and Save 25%
Would you like to promote your business by offering a discount to your fellow Chamber members? We'll be sending out this newsletter on a weekly basis, and would like to be able to include special discounts available only to recipients of this newsletter. Be one of the first five businesses to sign up, and we'll reduce the advertising rate by 25%. Sign up for a week or a month - or more, your choice...Call 355-5111 for
Offer Expires: After the first five businesses sign up, and we've already got one down, four to go!
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