Mission unveils Suddenly, new She’s old, but life-sized owners at a she’s beautiful bas relief new place — INSIDE THIS WEEK BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 95 No. 24 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com June 12-18, 2009 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Cypress Inn evacuated during midnight fire Youth center’s board A fire burned unde- By MARY BROWNFIELD suspends dances tected inside a wall at the Cypress Inn AN ELECTRICAL fire forced the evacua- until firefighters tion of the Cypress Inn for several hours late due to teen drinking ripped it apart to Saturday night, but the damage was mostly con- douse the flames. fined to one room, no one was injured, and the Meanwhile, dozens guests got a taste of the town’s hospitality when a By MARY BROWNFIELD of evacuated hotel nearby church and a restaurant took them in out of guests waited in the the cold. FTER POLICE cited seven teens for being drunk or street until a nearby A Though the slow-burning fire evidently started possessing alcohol at and outside a Carmel Youth Center church and a restau- rant took them in. awhile earlier, police officers and firefighters dance May 29, the CYC board of directors decided not to were summoned to the downtown inn, which was host any more dances until better programs are in place to PHOTOS/BRUCE MEYER, VIVEK MEHRA at capacity, just before 11:30 p.m. June 6 after deal with the problem. someone reported smelling smoke and a fire “We are currently developing a closer relationship with alarm activated. the Carmel Police Department, with plans to develop a diver- Arriving first, police officers didn’t see any sion/substance abuse aware- flames but found smoke and began evacuating the ness program with classes to 44-room hotel. be held at the CYC,” board “It worked pretty well,” reported Carmel president Michelle Arnold Police Sgt. Paul Tomasi. Police officers and the said. She added that the youth Move follows night manager went door to door, waking people center would consider a part- and checking their names off a list as they made it nership with an existing anti- arrest of to safety. Many were dressed in pajamas and drug and alcohol program at bathrobes, and some toted dogs with them. Carmel Middle School, “to seven kids Rooms of those unaccounted for were opened and see how we can educate our on a single night cleared, to ensure no one was left behind. younger youth as well.” “The hotel was almost completely evacuated With the police depart- when we arrived, and the last few guests were ment located next door to the exiting as we got there,” said Carmel Fire Capt. youth center and officers on Bruce Meyer. “Some of them with bags packed.” patrol during the dances, it’s not unusual for one or two kids to be busted for alcohol. That Fire inside a wall number climbed substantially at the most recent event, and Police told firefighters there was smoke in the Sgt. Ken Shen said end-of-the-school-year celebrating was hotel, and Room 115 appeared to be the source. probably the reason. In the room, Meyer removed his gloves to feel The first to receive a citation was a 16-year-old girl the wall and found it hot. The thermal imaging allegedly caught with alcohol outside the youth center just camera indicated the temperature was higher than after 8 p.m. She was released to her father. it should have been, and Meyer knew the hotel’s Two 15-year-old boys were taken into custody about 30 kitchen was on the other side of the wall and won- minutes later for possession of alcohol and then turned over dered if that might be the source. to their parents. “But the farther up I felt, it got very hot — just Just before 9 p.m., another 15-year-old and another 16- too hot,” he said. “And then smoke started coming year-old were found intoxicated at the dance, and police cited out of the smoke detector.” the boys and released them to their parents. He had never seen anything like it and thought At 9:20 p.m., police determined another 15-year-old male See FIRE page 22A See DRUNK page 23A P.I. searching for stolen gold coins Sunset Center raises curtain on By KELLY NIX ney general’s office to get someone indicted,” Villars said Wednesday, while declining to its ambitious new schedule A PRIVATE investigator tracking $2.5 identify the suspect. million in gold and silver coins stolen from an The Pine Cone contacted Villars after court By CHRIS COUNTS elderly Pacific Grove woman four years ago See COINS page 23A says a suspect has been identified in the theft, SUNSET CENTER’S performing arts and an indictment could be forthcoming. schedule is getting a big makeover for the The precious coins, owned by 101-year-old Council favors 2009/2010 season. Executive director Peter Lillian King, went missing in 2005 when King Lesnik unveiled the new lineup at a launch was removed from her oceanfront P.G. home party June 10. after police found her living in squalid condi- green building rules “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I tions. think this is the best season I’ve put together,” While King’s grand niece, Cynthia Hurley, By MARY BROWNFIELD said Lesnik. pleaded no contest to taking some of the He is particularly thrilled about booking coins, and others were later reported missing THE CARMEL City Council announced Esperanza Spalding, a jazz prodigy who sings from a Monterey storage unit, more than $2 last week it supports requiring people to use and plays bass. “She’s turning the jazz world million of the precious coins were never more environmentally friendly practices and on its ear,” Lesnik noted. found. materials when building homes and business- A big fan of the Pilobolus dance company, But Monterey private investigator Karen es. he’s excited they’re on the new schedule as Villars, who is working to recover the coins, The council had been asked to weigh in on well. said she has new information in the case that the merits of a potential green building pro- “They’ve been together for more than 30 could break it wide open. gram, and members encouraged planning and years, and their work is at the highest level it’s “There have been some very interesting building services manager Sean Conroy to ever been in terms of artistry,” Lesnik said. developments,” she said. bring a proposed law forward for considera- Jazz prodigy Esperanza Spalding, who “I’m turning some reports over to the local sings and plays standup bass, will per- See SUNSET page 18A form at Sunset Center next season. police departments and possibly to the attor- See GREEN page 10A Get your complete Carmel Pine Cone every Thursday evening in convenient pdf format via email. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone June 12, 2009 Partnership with museum foundation raises eyebrows in P.G. By KELLY NIX Grove Inc. to lease and operate the museum for 15 years. ADA charges,” Byrne said. “You should really know what The agreement would cost the city $150,000 per year plus that will cost because those are usually very expensive. You THOUGH THE Pacific Grove City Council moved the cost of custodial services for the first three years. The need to have some of those answers before you make a defin- quickly last week to approve an ordinance that would allow a foundation would lease the building and its collection, man- itive agreement.” nonprofit to operate the city’s financially troubled museum, age employees and be responsible for fundraising. P.G. resident Dan Miller said while the agreement on its concerns over the agreement loom. Jason Burnett, president of the museum foundation, told face seems to save the money, the city might not see much of At the June 3 council meeting, in an effort to keep the the council last week the agreement would keep the museum a savings after all. museum open, the council approved a public/private partner- open without cutting operating hours. “You start adding all these things up, and guess what? I’ll ship that would allow the Museum Foundation of Pacific “We have all sorts of ideas that we have heard from others bet the cost will come real close to what we were paying and that we have ourselves to take a good institution and before.” make it better,” he said. Esther Trosow, who used to work at the museum and is Did you know... But several people at last week’s council meeting said a critical of the partnership, said the city’s budget and finance decision was being hastily forged and there were too many committee should have reviewed the agreement before it was Watering the Flower People- Back unanswered questions with the lease. brought before council members. “There are hidden costs,” in the ‘60s, Carmel, fearing that it “This document was available essentially today,” said for- she said. For instance, she said the city would need to hire would become another Haight- mer P.G. mayor Jeanne Byrne, “which means the public has- consultants to inventory the city’s exhibits. Ashbury, adopted an ordinance n’t had an opportunity to scrutinize it.” The 2008/2009 Pacific Grove budget reduced support for against free-range hippies.