VC Parks & Rec board Thursday night voted not to seek annexation of various properties outside of the district, including the Paradise Mountain area.
The board voted 4-1 (Ron Lamb, Fran DeWilde, Eric Jockinsen, John Scibilia, voting yes; Tom Bumgardner voting no) to temporarily shelve the idea after learning that costs, whether or not the measure succeeded, could have totalled $13,200 in fees to LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission), plus $4,000-$5,000 to get a legal description of the territory in question.
According to Gen. Mgr. Joyce Johnson, the board has committed to going forward on a funding election in November of 2004. On Thursday it voted to hire legal counsel to help it prepare the legal documents in advance of such a vote.
The board will have to hold a public hearing at some future date before officially voting to put the measure on the ballot.
If the voters approve an improved cash stream for the district, it would then have the money to go forward with annexation procedures at a later date.
But at this time, “We can’t take anything away from the bottom line. If the election had failed, we would have been out that money.”
VC Parks & Rec’s finances have been increasingly close to the vest in recent years. The district gets very little in property tax money and almost all of the maintenance budget for the parks comes from fees collected for the use of facilities such as VC Community Hall. Maintenance also comes from volunteer labor from organizations such as the Optimist Club and the Dos Valles Garden Club.
The district does get $800 from each house that is built, but this PLDO (Park Land Development Ordinance) money can only be used for capital expenditures, not day to day maintenance.
Last November the voters failed to pass Prop. GG by a few percentage points.
The proposition, which would have raised about $14 per parcel per year within the district, garnered 2803 yes votes (61.3%) and 1768 no votes, 38.6%. It needed 66.67% to pass.
The garage and part of a house on Regina Glen Way near West Oak Glen burned Wednesday evening.
The house, which a records search showed is owned by Gary & Mari Garcia, is a single family dwelling. The garage was totally destroyed.
The residents suffered from smoke inhalation, for which they were treated and released.
Capt. Kathy Holgate of the VC Fire Dept., estimated damage to the house of $250,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Sheriff’s arson and bomb squad. That is standard operational procedure for all house fires.
The fire was reported at 6:30 p.m. and, according to Capt. Holgate, Rincon CDF’s fire engine was in town to pick up equipment when it was redirected to the fire. Other trucks weren’t far behind.
After fire crews arrived, “We had it knocked down in 20 minutes,” said Capt. Holgate. Salvage work took considerably longer. Fire crews spent the rest of the night at the smoldering hulk of the garage and the unburned part of the house.
About 15 firefighters and five engines from Valley Center and Rincon CDF took part in putting out the blaze.
VC Optimists Wednesay evening honored the memory of the late Tommy Thomas with a tree planted at VC Community Center. According to Optimist Ron Rayhawk, “It is a liviing memorial to our friend Tommy Thomas who has given so much to the young people of our community. It was donated by the Optimist Club as a gift to the community that he loved so much, so that we all may remember Tommy.”
Following a two and a half year procedural encounter with the County’s Dept. of Planning and Land Use, Pauma Valley Community Church received final approval to begin construction for the area’s first youth ministry building.
The new 3,000 sq. ft. two-story building will house meeting and classrooms for children, especially youths from ages 12 to 20, to gather for social and educational opportunities adjacent to the present sanctuary located at the community’s town center on Hwy. 76.
Founded in 1961 as the first nondenominational church in Pauma Valley, it also serves the growing number of families in Valley Center, Pala, Rincon, Palomar Mountain and Santa Ysabel. Its members also include families from Escondido, Fallbrook, and Ranch Bernardo. During its early years the church was visited by the Rev. Billy Graham when he would stay at his home in Pauma Valley.
According to Pastor David Craig, the annual Vacation Bible School and the ongoing Sunday School children’s activities will finally be augmented by an up-to-date facility for youths to have a place of their own in Pauma Valley seven days a week. It will provide a sage environment for after-school and early-evening activities. Though the building is scheduled for opening within six months, a search for a full-time youth minister is now in progress.
The Valley Roadrunner
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