During November the VC Municipal Water District has been gauging interest in a sewer assessment project to serve the South Node area of the Country Town, about 300 connections.
Costs include:
• Expanding the treatment plant to 150,000 gpd (gallons per day), $3,127,070.
• Seasonal storage tank, $6,200,000.
• Pressure collection system, $1,539,050.
Total: $10,866,120.
The district sent letters to property owners in the South Node asking interested parties to make a $1000 deposit to enable the district to begin the next planning phase. They had until the end of November to pay the deposit.
VCMWD recently completed a preliminary engineering study for the expansion of the Woods Valley Ranch Water Reclamation Facility to serve an area adjacent or near to the Woods Valley Ranch development.
It needs to identify interested owners before proceeding with a preliminary design, obtain permits and receive regulatory approval.
Owners of several properties near the treatment plan have told the district they are interested in participating in an expansion and made deposits. Others have sent letters of interest.
But the district really needs to get firm commitments before proceeding further.
Preliminary estimates are that it will cost $36,000-$40,000 per equivalent dwelling unit for pressure sewer mains, treatment capacity, wet weather storage and disposal.
If the project goes forward customers would also be required to install a grinder pump at the site to connect to the sewer system at a cost of $4,000 for the unit, without installation.
The district anticipates creating an assessment district of about 300 edus.
For this size of a service area it is felt that a pressure system would be most cost effective. The system would be designed to use a grinder pump. Sewage would be ground up and pumped to the treatment plant, using small diameter collection lines buried about four feet deep.
The treated water would be reclaimed to be used on the Woods Valley Golf Course.
As a comparison, the previous sewer proposed by the County Dept. of Public Works in 1997 to serve 600 edus would have cost under $20,000 per edu.
The reason why the per connection fee is so high, according to the district is “the proposed system is relatively small in capacity, it requires wet weather storage of the treated water, and requires a fail safe disposal area.”
In addition, there are large parcels to serve with long distances between them.
Persons interested in seeing copies of the initial reports and a copy of a map of the potential boundaries of the assessment district, can see them at the district office, 29300 Valley Center Rd.
Questions? Call 749-1600.
What Valley Center or Pauma resident made the most impact in the news in 2004? Who was the greatest force for good in our community?
We want your nominations!
Think of this person as being the local equivalent of Time Magazine’s Person of the Year.
You have the chance to put in your two cents worth with a new award, introduced this year by The Roadrunner.
It’s called Newsmaker of the Year. It will honor the person who has been in the news most frequently, had the greatest impact or done something of great benefit to the community during the year.
Who might this person be? It could be someone who has put in many hours helping fire survivors. It could be a community activist. It might be someone who performed a selfless act that helped many people. It could be someone who was a hero, someone who is a public official, or even a candidate for public office.
The possibilities are wide. The only restriction is that this person needs to have taken his or her actions during 2004.
We invite nominations for this award. We will make the final determination from the nominees received. So please feel free to write an essay as to why this person should be given the award. Deadline is Dec. 31, 2004.
Drop nominations off at The Roadrunner office, or mail them to POB 1529, Valley Center CA 92082, or email them to editor@valleycenter.com
With $250,000 remaining to be raised locally, supporters of the VCHS theater are opening the final fund-raising effort.
In coming weeks The Roadrunner will show the progress of this fund-raising in our “raising the curtain” cartoon. Often fund-raising efforts are depicted using imaginary thermometers. We thought a curtain raising on the theater was more appropriate.
There is no actual name for the 575 seat facility, as yet, although the district has been referring to it as the Valley Center-Pauma Joint Use Multi-Use Facility. That refers to the fact that the theater is a joint project of the VC Parks & Rec District and the VC-Pauma Unified School District.
It will be a theater that, according to architect Ric Davy “won’t have a bad seat in the house.” It will be a professional quality venue, comparable to the smaller theater at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, capable of hosting drama, music, dance and all aspects of the performing arts.
The theater, which should be completed by this summer, will cost $6.4 million. Some of that is matching funds from the state.
The school district is responsible for raising a total of $1.7 million. Early on the community helped raise the first $325,000.
$250,000 has been donated by the Sherman Finger family of Pauma Valley.
$250,000 has been raised from the Staples family in Fallbrook.
$250,000 has been given by the County of San Diego from Supervisor Bill Horn’s discretionary funds.
$250,000 was donated by the Shiley family of Pauma Valley.
There are $125,000 in potential donations, according to Supt. Karen Jobe. Some of these funds are potential grants being worked on by the VC Parks & Rec. district.
That leaves $250,000 that needs to be raised to pay for the theater.
The Roadrunner will help to start raising the last fold of the curtain on the theater with $2,500 in matching funds for donations made before Dec. 31, 2004.
Every donation counts as we work together to complete this great project for our community.
By DAVID ROSS
Business owners: If you find that the land use designation of your property in the two Villages area is being changed and you don’t like the change, bring your complaints to a meeting of the GP2020 subcommittee scheduled for Dec. 8, 7 p.m. at VC Community Hall.
Comments, pro and con, received at that meeting will be forwarded to the VC planning group meeting scheduled for Dec. 13, 7 p.m. at VC Community Hall. They will then be referred to the County Dept. of Planning & Land Use.
The County is building a list of referrals of owners’ comments within the north and south nodes of the Villages.
Using public comments and comments from the planning group the county map, which is a refinement of the so-called “preferred map,” which included comments from the planning group, looks at the two Villages parcel by parcel.
It will be further refined during December, using the comments from the Dec. 8 & 13 meetings.
According to VC planning group Chairman Sandy Smith, “At the Regular meeting of the planning Group on the 13th, we will also be voting on commercial/industrial outside of the Villages recommendations from the subcommittee. We also may be forwarding more recommendations on residential/commercial/industrial uses inside the Villages, but it’s difficult to know what exactly until after our meeting on the 8th.”
The GP 2020 subcommittee has also been looking at the possibility of extending limited commercial zoning to several locations outside of the Country Town area.
One area it has looked at is land owned by the San Pasqual Indians at the corner of Lake Wohlford & Valley Center Roads, currently used for a parking lot for casino employees.
At the most recent meeting of the subcommittee a representative of the San Pasqual tribe said it wants to have about two acres of commercial zoning on that 14 acres.
The subcommittee is also looking at converting the zoning of the Konyn Dairy from agriculture to C-1 zoning. This would allow the property to be converted to residential or commercial, if a sewer becomes available. The question there is, what would be done with the effluent?
The subcommittee is also pondering putting recommending some industrial zoning for the land across the street, where Hidden Valley Pump is now.
At the Dec. 13 meeting of the planning group, two things will happen:
• The circulation network (i.e. roads) for the Villages will either be approved or refined.
• The group will try to come to a consensus on where the limit lines of the Villages should be.
Both the County and the planning group lean towards shrinking the size of the Villages. However, because there may be some additional commercials areas outside of the Country Town, the effect will be to increase the total number of commercial parcels.
.One area the group wants to expand commercial to is near Circle R at Old Hwy 395 & Nelson Way and Old Castle & Indian Hills.
They are asking DPLU to look at the feasibility of converted three areas to C-4, rural commercial. This would allow a small market and other similar uses.
Other changes proposed:
• To take the Old Motel on VC Rd is currently, 17-Estate Residential and change it to commercial and part of the Village.
• To take the Jaffe Bros. Packing House, 28560 Lilac Rd, which is currently A-70 Limited Agriculture and make it C-4 rural commercial with a B designator.
• Convert two acres near Paradise Mountain Road & N. Lake Wohlford Roads to commercial.
• Change Bates Nut Farm from A-70 ag zoning to five acres of commercial, C-4 zoning.
Referrals so far
At the Dec. 8 meeting the group will address the following concerns of commercial owners:
Northern Village
1. Arnold, 29433 Cole Grade Road; existing designation is Estate residential, 1 du/2, 4 acres. Requesting 1 du/2 acre.
2. Bose, 28511 Cole Grade Road, existing designation, General Impact Industrial. Requests remaining Medium Impact Industrial.
3. Burditt, 28630 Valley Center Road, existing designation is Estate Residential. Currently used as Old VC Motel (retail/office). Requesting commercial/office 28630 VC Rd (1.37 AC)
4. Chipman –, 14702 Fruitvale Rd., existing designation is A70 limited ag. Requesting VR-2 density. North side of Fruitvale (40 AC)
5. Donahue, private road off VC Road. Currently general impact industrial. Operating outdoor storage. Plan calls for changing to medium impact industrial.
6. Gabriele, private road off VC Road. Existing designation is rural residential. Currently undeveloped. Owner requests to build a small to medium retail bakery and coffee shop. Plan calls for C-4, rural commercial.
7. Geiger, 29235 Valley Center Rd. Existing general commercial. Requests retaining this zoning. Current use is as a day care center.
8. Hiepler, Miller Road, existing designation is rural residential. Requesting general commercial or C-2 office/professional.
9. Hinijosa, 28747 VC Rd. – Existing designation is rural residential. Requesting to operate barber shop, behind medical clinic on VC Rd (2.7 AC)
10. Hofler VMD, 29209 Cole Grade Rd.– Vet split zoning. Current use is veterinary clinic and residence, dog day care (currently a non-conforming use). Requesting all commercial.
11. Lee, 29200 Valley Center Road. Existing service commercial. Requests the same designation for gas station. Plan calls for general commercial.
12. Nelson, Valley Center & Miller Roads. Existing designation is RV-7, variable family residential. Requests the same designation. Plan calls for general commercial.
13. Stephens, 28714 VC Road., existing service commercial (The Courtyard, retail/office). Request is to retain property value. Plan calls for Rural Commercial.
14. Stephens, Canyon Road. Existing designation is rural residential. Requesting R7, variable family residential.
15. Stephens, 28532 Cole Grade road, existing general commercial, C-36. Request same zoning. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
15. Vuksic –Residence. Requesting commercial NE intersection of VC & Miller Rd (6.76 AC). Plan calls for general commercial, C-1 or office commercial, C-2
Southern Village
1. Barry – rural residential. Requesting commercial west side of VC Rd (5.2 AC).
2. Burditt, 27961 Valley Center Rd., existing service commercial. Currently occupied by Fat Ivor’s Restaurant. Requesting designation consistent with use. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
3. Doran, 27905 VC Road. Existing designation is C-34 general commercial. Requests retaining current zoning. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
4. Harmon, Old Road & Valley Center Roads. Existing designation is general commercial. Request is to retain current zoning. Plan calls for C-1 general commercial.
5. Houston, 28017 VC Rd. existing designation is service commercial. (Currently ornamental iron manufacturing and sales). Requests to continue current business under medium manufacturing and sales impact industrial or C-1 General Commercial. Plan calls for C-3 Neighborhood Commercial.
6. Johnson, 27318 VC Rd., existing general commercial. Requests retaining the same designation. Plan calls for C-1 general commercial.
7. Olson – residential. Requesting commercial west side of VC Rd (2.62 AC) for antique mall. Plan calls for C-1 general commercial.
8. Pateman – commercial. Requesting commercial east side of VC Rd. for outdoor storage. Plan calls for C-1 general commercial.
9. Rattray, Mirar de Valle Rod., existing rural residential. Requesting general commercial.
10. Smith, 27939 VC Rd., existing service commercial (John Deere dealership). Requests designation to allow existing business operations with outdoor storage. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
11. Thomas, 27847 Valley Center Rd., existing service commercial (tire shop and Terry’s Auto). Requests retain service commercial. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
12. VC Municipal Water District, Lilac Road (across the street from VC Community Hall.) Existing is rural residential. District plans to put district operations here on one parcel.
13. Valley Center Oil (Bohorquez), Old Road & Valley Center Road. Existing service commercial. Requests continuing current business as gas station. Plan calls for C-1 General Commercial.
Maps of the proposed Villages changes are available at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/cnty/cntydepts/landuse/planning/GP2020/pubs/vctc/workshops.htm
These maps will be the ones the planners will work from on the 8th and 13th.
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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