It’s official! What has been known as the Valley Center Community Services District since its formation in 1966 is now Valley Center Parks & Recreation District.
It IS only a name change and not a change of the district’s legal function. However, for many years people have had a hard time putting parks and recreation and community services district together in their mind.
“It gives the community a real idea of what our purpose is,” says Gen. Mgr. Joyce Johnson, who this week celebrated her second year at the post.
“We are parks and recreation. There has been a lot of confusion. We get calls from people asking us where to get a license for something to ‘Where do you rent a flat-bed truck?’ to ‘Where do you rent Porta-potties? I guess the term ‘community services’ suggests that kind of function.”
She adds, “I think it’s important that the community knows that it still legally remains a community services district , which gives us more powers to expand our responsibilities.”
They couldn’t change the VCP&R’s actual functions without going to the voters.
The board is currently exploring a possible bond issue.
“Being that Valley Center is developing the way it is, the question is should we be looking at buying land for the future whether or not we can develop it right away? Operating expense money has always been an issue,” says Mrs. Johnson.
The district has an operating budget of about $258,000, of which $54,000 comes from its tiny share of local property taxes.
NOTE: We’re not talking about the money that the district has available to buy land and which it gets from developer fees.
The rest comes from user fees, which include leases, such as the school’s lease of the pool, user fees from all the service clubs that use VC Hall, the Little League, revenue from the softball fields and girls softball, and fees for weddings or events that use the gazebo or hall.
With the arrival of good weather, the district’s best money-making season will arrive.
The district has always been pretty minimalist in its staff functions. For instance, Mrs. Johnson is the only fulltime employee. Part-time employees include Records Clerk Patricia McConnell and Secretary Tiffany Lopez .
The staff also includes Pool Manager Betsy Arcand, caretakers at Adams Parks and landscaping supervisor and janitor for the athletic fields.
The Parks & Rec district administers the following properties:
* Adams Park, 6 acres, which includes tennis courts and swimming pool. The land is leased from the school district in a joint powers agreement.
* J.M. Scibilia Softball field, 3 1/2 acres.
* VC Community Hall and ballfields, 11 acres.
* Aerie Park which is 42 acres leased, but only 11 is useable land.
* Nine and half acres at the corner of Lilac and Valley Center roads (next to the fire station). This land is not developed, but the board hopes to eventually build a community center there.
* The old barrow pit area, 5 1/2 acres on School Bus Road behind the water district offices and adjacent to Scibilia Field. The district has plans to develop into a multi-use field at this location.
The Parks & Rec District contains less territory than the other special districts that comprise “Valley Center.” It doesn’t, for instance, include the Paradise Mountain area.
Mrs. Johnson has a vision for developing a park system for VC.
“If you want to go by what the county benchmark is for how much parkland a community should have, we should have ten acres for every thousand people. We are behind. If we project 45,000 people in 2020 we need to think in terms of what the needs of the community will be.
“Right now in Valley Center we look around and we see our backyards as being parks and people don’t realize that overnight you could open your eyes and have a housing development open up in your backyard. So the development of park lands will be important in the future. It will pass us by if we’re not careful.”
Before she became general manager, Mrs. Johnson was also office manager and secretary for the district for many years.
“I’ve watched Valley Center grow for all the time I’ve been at the district. I’ve seen the growth in how busy we are. That’s why we need to get with the times and be able to accommodate this future growth. Open space is going to be very limited.”
* * *
If you are interested in what the Parks & Rec District does, its board meets the fourth Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
Board president is Eric Jockinsen. Vice Pres. is Greg Marcon. Directors are Fran DeWilde, Ron Lamb and John Scibilia.
The VCP&R’s hours are 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Its phone number is 749-8852
By FRANK LEE
Frank Lee was ambushed and shot four times on Jan. 23 after he stopped to help a “stranded motorist.”
Since that night he has been told by many people, “ ‘That’ll teach you to stop,’ but somebody stopped for me!” That Good Samaritan was Brandon Cesmat, who Lee credits with saving his life that night. This is Lee’s story:
* * *
Wednesday Jan. 23, 2002, was a nice clear cool day here in Pauma Valley. Any thoughts that I was harboring about doing the Catalina Marathon on March 16 had better turn to serious action now.
My run for that day was fantastic. Starting from the campground running down Hwy 76 to Magee Road, up Magee to an old tourmaline mine. I had the opportunity to explore the mine for about a half-hour.
They are beautiful mines that sparkle with crystals. Overall a great run of about 15.6 miles and a definitive answer to myself that I would be able to compete in my seventh straight Catalina Marathon and my first race in the age 60 category.
I sat around the lake after a shower, drank some tea, read a little, cooked a nice meal and left for Kathy’s, my girlfriend’s house in San Marcos, about a 45 minute drive away, around 6 p.m.
We had nice evening and I left around 10:30. I stopped for take -out coffee at a Circle K and decided to venture into the Pala Casino and see if I had won on the weekly pick. I took $8 with me and left my other money locked in the car. After about a half-hour, that $8 turned into $30 and I decided to leave. I was tired and relatively happy winning a few bucks.
My best guess it was 11:45 to 11:50 p.m. I remember thinking that it had been a good day and that my youngest daughter, Stephanie, would be 18 in another day, Friday, Jan. 25. My 1985 Mercedes was finally running very, good after months of trouble. It also had new paint and it felt and looked good, although it was 17 years old.
It was a beautiful night, the stars were shining, the eastern sky was brilliant, I was just coming down the final hill until I reached the campground now about a mile or so away.
I saw a passenger van pulled over on the other side of the road with the headlights and interior lights on. The blinkers were flashing and the hood was up.
It was an older passenger van with a rear extension. It kind of looked like a church van without markings. The driver was standing outside the van and it looked like he was alone. I pulled over onto the opposite shoulder and asked if he needed help, he said he needed a jump.
I backed up across the highway and pulled up within two feet in front of his van. I released my hood release and asked him if he had jumpers. He said yes and walked on the passenger side of his van towards the rear of the van.
I got out of my car and went to the front to lift my hood. I lifted the hood and was checking to make sure about the hookup and suddenly I heard or felt something coming from my right side.
As I turned my head I felt excruciating pain, I saw splattering and realized that something bad was happening.
The person I had stopped to help was standing within four feet of me looking down. In his left hand he was pointing a revolver and he was shooting me.
I was in total amazement and absolute fear. I screamed at him and started to run away across the highway. Bang! Bang! I felt a pain, I turned to look and he was 8 maybe 10 feet away and —Bang! I felt an incredible force take my breath away.
The blood spurted from my chest, my knees wobbled and I was forced to a crouch. I keep trying to run uphill, the amount of blood pouring all over me was frightening!
Bang!. . .Bang! . . . Click! . . Click! . . He was out of bullets. I kept running up the hill. I figured he was going to reload, and come and get me. Seconds later I heard the screeching of tires and felt light reflections.
I looked and the vehicles were going down the road in the west away from me. I guess that let me feel some relief because, I either laid down or passed out on the shoulder of the highway for anywhere from 2-6 minutes.
My head was on the asphalt. When I opened my eyes I saw the deep blue night sky with a light misty cloud drifting through the stars and thought how beautiful it was.
The intense pain quickly overcame my illusion and I realized that this was really happening. I got up, my glasses were gone, blood was caking and still gushing, panic and fear were starting to overtake me.
For at least 15 minutes I tried to flag down help. Finally a very brave man stopped, he put me in his blazer, with blood all over me and he got me to the security of the Pauma Country Club.
If he had not picked me up when he did, I would have died. Four bullets hit me, two were light grazing shots, one carved a canyon an inch deep nine inches long, requiring about 45 stitches, across my forehead. The other entered my chest about one inch to the right of my heart and went through my lung and exited out my back.
They estimate that I lost nine pints of blood.
They told me later that day that I was going to survive. I didn’t believe them or for that matter, anyone else that told me I was going to live. Not until Tuesday Jan. 29 did I believe. I thought I was going to be completely insane. I was having insane hallucinations and nightmares that would make Stephen King’s novels seem like Walt Disney. I knew this would change my life forever
The immediate reaction we all have is don’t stop and pick anybody up. My stopping to help what looked like a non-threatening situation was relatively easy. The man that stopped for me, made a real hard stop. I was a bloody mess on a dark highway, screaming that I had been shot, no cars or vehicles in sight, he didn’t know if I was still being shot or where the shooter was; if I was the good guy or bad guy. He stopped and saved my life. I will forever be grateful to Brandon Cesmat.
They have not found my car or caught the criminals. I am angry but I am also awed. I used to think that I was pretty lucky, and considered some of the things that have happened over the years as miraculous. Well it’s true, I believe in Miracles, I am a Miracle. I hope I am representative of the honor. A special spirit is looking out for me for some reason.
Every day I thank the spirits for giving me the ability to run, the spirits didn’t let me down on the morning of January 24, 2002.
I’m sure there will be good things that eventually will come from this. I have never in my lifetime ever felt the emotional outpouring of love directed my way by so many people at the same time, it is and was electric and unbelievable.
I am leaving tomorrow for the Catalina Marathon, 26.2 miles of mountains in Catalina. I will finish my seventh straight Catalina Marathon.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Life is too important to take seriously.”
I have quoted one of the muses often: “Life is uncertain—eat dessert first.”
I have worn a t-shirt for many years in races, the front says: “DON’T WORRY” the back says “BE HAPPY.”
Update:
Well, I missed the 2:30 boat to Two Harbors and had to wait until 7 p.m. They said it would be a little choppy, 70% or so of the passengers were sick. I was able to set up a sleeping bag on one of the enormous picnic tables. The sky was questionable but it turned out to be a great night sleeping under the stars.
A 12 year old girl, an 85-year-old man, plump, skinny, beautiful, ugly, tall and short. First time runners await the start of the second most difficult Marathon in America. Most have trained for over six months to prepare for this race, most with one goal “Finish.” There are about 565 runners, male and female athletes divided almost equally.
It was a beautiful morning; I know the course and am feeling good. Twelve miles out I had to stop and work on my feet, at 20 miles the same thing, feet. I chatted and ran for a couple of miles with a with woman that was having a rough day. She told me about her running the Great Wall of China Marathon the previous year. She had my undivided attention; it is on the top of my list of races to run, places to go.
At mile 23, I was coming up on a runner, who was in agony, his nerve in his right leg pinched, followed shortly by severe muscles spasms, and major blisters. He was barely moving. We shared a few stories, some aspirin, and some encouragement, and I knew at this point I was going to finish.
I felt great. I could see the finish line less than one half-mile straight ahead.
6 Hrs. 59 Min.
This is almost 30 minutes faster than last year. Something is going on and I can’t figure it out.
Any thoughts?
This is a Giant Bowl of dessert for me, and I hope you can share the pleasure, without your support, it is not possible. I’m somewhat paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people plotting to make me happy.
The Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to impose tough new regulations on garage and yard sales in the unincorporated areas of the County.
“Garage sales have been getting away with murder for years!” declared Supervisor Ron Roberts. “This ordinance will bring accountability to a rogue industry!”
With Bill Horn as the lone vote against, the supervisors heard a first reading of the Fair Garage Sale Practices Ordinance, and, deciding it was such an important piece of legislation, voted to put it into effect immediately without a second reading, or without cleaning up the typos first.
The new law that goes into effect this weekend, requires that “All propretors of garag sales obtane a license one week in advance of the sail.” Licenses will cost $50 or 10% of the estimated gross receipts of the sale.
A license will be denied if three other garage sale licenses have been sold for the same city block area.
The proprietor of a garage sale held without a County license will be fined $100.
Licenses may be obtained only at the County Offices at Ruffin Road between the hours of 7:45 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. on Fridays. They cannot be obtained by mail or online.
You may obtain the County’s free Garage Sales Are Fun kit at the same time for a one time handling charge of $5.
Some of the more important ramifications of the law are as follows:
* Fairness Clause: It will now be illegal to price items at a garage sale significantly lower than items at a garage sale within 2000 yards of another garage sale.
* Refreshments Clause: Serving of refreshments such as lemonade or ice tea at a garage sale will be subject to inspection by the Dept. of Health.
* Grading Clause: Any yard sale held on grass or near a mudhole must obtain a grading and clearing permit from the County Dept. of Planning & Land Use’s new Unregulated Commerce Section.
* Receipts Clause: All receipts from sales must be forwarded to the state Board of Equalization for calculation of sales tax. Exception: By paying a one time fee of $50 to the County you can avoid this process.
* Signs: Hand lettered signs advertising garage sales will not be allowed under the new law. Only signs printed by companies authorized to do so by the County will be permitted.
You can obtain a list of approved signage printers from the County for a $15 handling charge.
County Administrative Officer Walter E. Ekard told supervisors that the new ordinance was needed to rein in the rampant commerce that has, “for years, stolen money out of the hungry mouth of government.”
Pete Deelmaker, president of the grassroots organization Save Our Garage And Yard Sales bewailed the new law and declared, “If people can’t freely engage in untaxed commerce, the terrorists win!”
The tribal councils at Rincon and San Pasqual immediately offered to host duty free parking lot sales at both casinos.
Horn, explaining his vote, said, “When I was a teenager I was arrested at a garage sale for peacefully trying to bargain the seller into letting me have a color TV for two bucks. To me, this is a freedom issue!”
To get more information on the new law, visit the county’s garage sale website www.weripuoffwithoutcompunction.gov.
April Fool
By DAVID ROSS
North County Assn. of Realtors Pres. Frank Valletta, a VC resident has written a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, asking her to intervene in the study of a possible cancer cluster in Valley Center.
According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday Senator Feinstein has already written a letter to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta asking it to investigate the cases, but Valletta said he wanted to add the voice of North County’s Realtors to the effort.
Valletta, who was given the gavel to the North County organization late last year, writes: “On behalf of the residents of Valley Center, California, and the 3500 members of the North San Diego County Assn. of Realtors, I am writing to urge your immediate intervention into an extremely serious health and economic situation.
“As you are aware, there is a real concern over the high number of youth cancer cases being reported in the Valley Center area. Nothing is more dangerous in such a situation than the lack of information. We are asking you to use your power to focus research and investigation into this matter.”
Valletta goes on to note that while that while health of residents is paramount, “we also see the devastating economic impact that will result from continuing delay in resolving this matter.”
He adds that property owners are “seeing their property values drop and in some cases their life savings eroding away as fear keeps people from buying in an area that is normally desirable.”
The Roadrunner is aware of several potential land purchases that have fallen through because of concerns about the cluster, and of at least one family that is moving because of the fear that its children might be in danger.
Valletta is adding his voice to that of local resident Kerry Carr, who has written letters to many state and federal officials trying to obtain federal assistance for the investigation into an alleged “cancer cluster” that she and several other residents feel is occurring in Valley Center.
Mrs. Carr feels that the federal government has more money to put towards doing studies to determine if environmental factors are at work in these cancers.
According to their figures, 17 children in VC have been diagnosed with leukemia and brain cancer.
The California Cancer Registry has begun an investigation into the allegations but has announced no results.
The Cancer Registry’s website contains the latest information on the study.
The website address is:
http://www.epi.uci.edu/valleycenter/
Or go to The Roadrunner website at valleycenter.com and click on Cancer Registry.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
Copyright © 2000, Palomar Community Newspapers, dba Valley Roadrunner. All rights reserved. This content may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the Valley Roadrunner.