Dear Wilmont members, residents and friends,Please Join us on Tuesday April 1st from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Wilmont’s April Zoom Meeting 
Our April meeting will be next Tuesday, April 1st (we generally meet on the first Tuesday of every month) from 7 – 8:30 PM via Zoom. 
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89200106747?wd=aRUb7rDySRbWMRv80mH9J110D7g1Qx.1. The link to our monthly meetings can always be found on our website www.wilmont.org. 

Wilmont updates:
New local businesses, Saturday Yoga at Reed Park starting Saturday, June 7th, 8 -9 AM and we are again going to have Second Saturday live music and outdoor movies at Reed Park in August, September and October.  

Marc Verville, Resident and Chair of the SM Audit Committee will discuss and take questions regarding his and others concerns regarding the Great Park and the housing issues around that.  For the record, Wilmont Board of Directors approved and sent letters to City Council supporting the Great Park Coalition.  Our thought is if we don’t advocate for a Great Park, we will never get it.

Sunny Wang, PE, is the Water Resources Manager  for the City of Santa Monica.  There will be a water increase on the agenda of the City Council on 4/1.  He will talk about that and we have asked him to discuss the issue regarding the increase given that it is for long-term capital infrastructure lasting 50-100 years which should be a bond, where are we on the path to 100% water self-sufficiency, would we have had enough water if the fire had gotten south of Pacific Palisades into Santa Monica and how do our rates compare to other cities?
Kara Taub, Montana Merchants will give us an update on how local businesses are doing given the fires and the rain and cold weather.
CALL FOR ACTION Participate in answering 3 QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PARKS.  Tony Lopez, Santa Monica Senior Park Planner, is asking hundreds of residents three questions about parks as the city works to update its RECREATION & PARKS MASTER PLAN.
Send him your answers at [email protected] by Friday, April 5th
1.  If asked to describe what you love about your neighborhood to a visitor to Santa Monica, what would you say (1-2 sentences)?
2.  What improvements to existing parks and open space within your neighborhood would you recommend?
3.  Imagining the year 2050, what parks and open space amenities would you envision now being a part of your neighborhood?

Participate in Santa Monica Aging and Disability Community Survey –

Please complete the survey: https://www.santamonica.gov/aging-and-disability-action-plan  by Tuesday, April 1stHope to see you next Tuesday 4/1 at 7 PM!

THANK YOU

WILMONT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WILSHIRE-MONTANA NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION
Monthly Board Meeting Minutes
March 4, 2025 (via ZOOM)
 
Board members in attendance:  John C. Smith, Elizabeth Vandenburg, Elizabeth Brooks, Manju Raman, Betzi Richardson, Rosemary Sostarich, Stephen Martin, Lynette Kozdron, Susan Foxley
                                                                                       ***
 
7:00    Board member John C. Smith calls the meeting to order.
7:00    Local Updates:
-- City is financially “in the red”
            -- Council holding special budget meeting at Main Library
-- Council has declared public sites at 4th, 5th & Arizona and Bergamot “Surplus.”  -- Miles Playhouse at Reed Park “soft-opening” in late March
-- New security system at Reed Park
-- Stronger police presence helping curtail drug use at park.
-- LA County is giving city $95,000 grant for Reed Park events
-- Wilmont’s Summer Music and Movie events helped!
-- Council to allow sleeping bags in parks again.
-- Vice-Chair Manju Raman encourages members to attend Public Safety and Reform Oversite Commission meetings urges community to be more involved.
 
7:15    SM Transportation Director Anuj Gupta and staff highlights Transportation Annual Report. Ridership UP after Covid declines. Big Blue Bus upgrades and future initiatives will be undertaken in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. City staff’s Kyle Kozar discusses Wilshire Boulevard projects to improve safety for pedestrians, drivers and all other roadway users. Q&A: No plans to add more street lights, copper wire thefts continue to be a problem. Chair Elizabeth VanDenburgh raises the issue of Gelson’s project at Ocean Park and Lincoln Boulevard as highest number of injury crashes of any intersection in Santa Monica. Kozar discusses improvements at the intersection and on Lincoln. Smith cites study showing fatal and injury events rose markedly this past year.
 
7:45    Recreation and Parks Master Plan discussion with Santa Monica Senior Park Planner Tony Lopez. Three questions posted on website, www.Wilmont.org and sent in newsletter to members.
 
8:15    Chair Elizabeth Vandenburgh begins process for nominations and selection of Wilmont Executive Board, with results as follows:
Chair              Elizabeth Vandenburg 
Vice Chair:    Manju Raman                 
Treasurer:     Rosemary Sostarech 
Secretary:     Elizabeth Brooks          
Membership: John C. Smith                
 
The vote is 8-0 in favor of all above nominees.
 
8:30    Adjournment. 
 
Submitted by Elizabeth Brooks, Wednesday, March 19, 2025