About a year ago, a subcommittee of the Valley Center Planning Group worked with property and business owners along VC Road to create and locate a list of nine landscaped median segments between Woods Valley and Cole Grade Roads.
The County Dept. of Public Works has now come back with projected costs for these median segments. Costs include gutters, drains, curbs, maintenance walkways, water supply, irrigation systems, planting and hardscape materials.
The projected total cost for the nine landscaped segments is about 1.5 million. This number is to be fine-tuned by mid-March according to the County.
The projected cost per segment and how the segments run follows:
1-- 880 LF Dairy to Sunday Dv, $150,000.
2-- 460 LF Sunday Dv to Tire Store, $80,000.
3-- 530 LF Tire Store to Old Road w/320 LF striped section in middle, $90,000.
4-- 1,500 LF Calle De Vista to Lilac Road, $252,000.
5-- 1,640 LF Lilac Road to Chaparral Terrace, $275,000.
6-- 870 LF Chaparral Terrace to Canyon Road, $150,000.
7-- 690 LF Canyon Road to Stevens Parcel, $116,000.
8-- 1,100 LF Miller Road to Indian Creek Road with an opening at Fisher Parcel, $185,000.
9-- 1,260 LF Indian Creek Road to Cole Grade Road, $212,000.
(Editors’s note: For you math whizzes, we also realize that the above totals $10,000 more than the County’s total projection. Perhaps there is a discount if all nine are built at the same time?)
In addition, DPW is projecting about $40,000 in on-going maintenance.
Another group, the recently constitued Citizens for Valley Center Parkway, is attempting to find a donor or donors willing to commit to the projected 1.5 million construction cost and the projected $40,000 annual maintenance cost before June 30.
Actual funding of the commitment(s) would come later, closer to the actual construction of the widening of the road and construction of the medians through the central town.
Committee members, (who include Ruth Baak, Fran DeWilde, Ann Godwin, Jesse Hutchings, Mary Meade. Sandy Smith, Jon Vick, Andy Washburn and Lou Wolfsheimer) understand that donors typically receive recognition in some form, and they are willing to offer tasteful signage in each segment of the median. An example of signage such as that used in Fallbrook is shown below.
Photo Here:
Another issue the group is addressing are the pathways along each side of the central town road widening. The County is building a 13 foot wide compacted dirt pathway adjacent to the curb without fencing with the exception of one side of the segment from Valley Center Oil to Miller Road which will be an “enhanced pathway”.
An enhanced pathway is intended for pedestrians and equestrians. It is separated from the roadway and on private property by split rail fences. Citizens for Valley Center Parkway wants to secure funding of from $232,000 for a single fence or $465,000 for dual fences for the balance of the pathways.
The members hope that all or a portion of this project could come from donated materials and labor. In addition, the County has given the group a cost of $250,000 to landscape the road edges.
Again, the group realizes that recognition is appropriate for donations and is willing to offer plaque signage along the segments of the fencing for donors for this project.
The group, in addition, wants to address the possibility of historical markers. Many sites along Valley Center Road tell the story of early Valley Center. Members would also like to see the agricultural importance of Valley Center highlighted through interpretive markers. They envision these markers along the pathways on both sides of the road. The cost of these markers plus installation has yet to be determined.
A fourth idea they have discussed are welcoming signs. These potentially include names of our many churches and names of service clubs in addition to an actual sign welcoming motorists to Valley Center. Again, the cost of the three signs and installation has not yet been determined.
The subcommittee needs to obtain the $1.5 million commitment for the medians by June 30 if medians are to be guaranteed to be a part of the road widening. The other items can still be added at a later time if funding is not found by that date. Anyone having questions or ideas concerning donations, call any of the members of the committee including Jon Vick at (760) 751-0300, Mary Meade at 751-8545 or Brian Bates at 749-5358.
The theme of Saturday’s pageant was “La Noche Bella,” and for the newly crowed Miss Valley Center, 17-year old Ciera Graham, it was undoubtedly a beautiful night.
The enchanted evening was enhanced by seductive, steamy Spanish music and a backdrop of Spanish scenes painted by local artist Patricia McConnell.
The new queen is a senior at Valley Center High School where she plays the flute in the band, bass drum in the drum line and runs hurdles in track. She enjoys all types of music ranging from Mozart and Vivaldi to Blink 182 and AFI.
She likes to snowboard, go to the beach, watch movies, hang out with her friends and when she feels crafty, she makes collages.
In this age of potty mouths, Miss Graham makes the point of saying that she doesn’t swear!
The first steps on her road to a career will be taken when she enrolls at Palomar College in the fall. She’ll take general education before transferring to a four-year university.
She hasn’t decided what career to follow, but in ten years she sees herself out of college with a good job and probably renting a great house while she climbs the corporate ladder.
Ten young women vied for the Miss VC crown Saturday, and at the end of a nail-biting finish, Ciera Graham won the top honor, with first runner-up Tanya Cottrell, second runner-up Kaytee Hayes and third runner-up, Christine Rea.
The newly minted Valley Center sweetheart also claimed the prizes of Miss Congeniality (voted on by her fellow nine contestants) and Miss Photogenic.
Christine Rea won the essay contest. Contestants were given an hour, without any preparation, to write about the person they most admired in history. Miss Rey chose Senator John McCain.
Miss Cottrell won the Cover Girl contest for selling the most ads in the pageant program.
The director’s award, for the contestant who was most helpful to the pageant director, went to Elizabeth Nolan.
Sharing MC honors were former Miss VC and current VC Pageant Assn. President Dianna Greene and Parks & Rec. Chairman Eric Jockinsen. They traded good-natured jibes and barbs throughout the evening.
The opening musical number was performed by outgoing Miss VC Malinda Lasley, who, with the contestants, performed a dance to flamenco music.
Points for choosing Miss Valley Center were based on a 15-minute interview conducted with the judges, on the evening gown competition, and the opening presentations made by the young women.
In this introduction of the contestants to the audience, the future winner, Ciera Graham, compared her life to an orchestra, with the various parts of the orchestra being her family, her friends, and God, the conductor. “I’m like the flute I play, cheery, upbeat and sometimes out of tune.”
Towards the end of the evening the contestants were each asked an impromptu question.
Miss Graham’s question was who would she like to wake up being. She effortlessly batted that one out of the park: “I’d like to wake up being Miss Valley Center so I can give back to this great community!”
Ann’s School of Dance provided several musical and dance interludes, including a ballet to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Lola (from the musical Damn Yankees) and Breakout, a local version of Riverdance.
Judges were Amelia Wong, Don Wilson, Christine Arme (a former Mis Minnesota), Tim Goodfellow and Julie Hardesty, all residents from out-of-town, which cuts down on questions of conflicts of interest.
By DAVID ROSS
October’s Paradise fire was arson, according to CDF investigator Gary Eidsmoe. He’s got two or three suspects in the crime, he says.
Capt. Eidsmoe told The Roadrunner Friday that the determination of arson for the blaze that made hundreds homeless and killed two women was done “through the process of elimination and the interviews that we have been doing.”
The Roadrunner asked Eidsmoe if his investigation had addressed speculation and rumors about a Homecoming kegger party that reportedly took place near where the fire started, which is on the slope of what is known locally as Snake Mountain, behind the Mazzetti & Sons Market.
“We have looked into that and we haven’t found anybody that was at such a party, or where it was located,” said Eidsmoe.
The site of the fire is now being used as a gravel pit. Several fires over the last several years have started on Rincon, most of them within a mile or so of the same location.
Eidsmoe declined to comment when The Roadrunner asked if the Rincon tribe had cooperated with the investigation. When pressed with a follow-up as to whether the tribal government had tried to impede the investigation, he said that it had not done so.
However, the tribal government this week announced that it is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist (s). Rincon and San Pasqual reservations were per capita the hardest hit communities impacted by the fires.
Eidsmoe has presented his case to the U.S. Attorney for San Diego and federal prosecution will be sought.
During the course of his investigation Eidsmoe has interviewed close to 50 people.
“We are continuing on with the investigation and continue to interview witnesses,” he said. “It may take a couple of weeks, it may take a month, it may take six months or a year. It may take me until I retire.”
He retires in 18 months.
If you have information that you feel might help the investigation, call Eidsmoe at 619-590-3121.
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
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