January 19, 2005 - Top Stories
It was the VC Chamber of Commerce’s biggest night of the year.
There was the installation of the new president, Tom Bumgardner, and recognition of the Citizen of the Year, Julie Stroh, and the swearing-in of new officers— and it all occurred in Valley Center, for the first time in many years.
“It’s nice to have this in a Valley Center facility,” observed MC Jim Dorschel as he looked around the dining facility that was provided by Valley View Casino. This is the first time that the banquet room had been used for a non-casino event.
Miss Valley Center Pageant Director Karen Greene presented this year’s queen, Ciera Graham, and noted that the 2005 pageant has been pushed back a couple of months from previous events. It will be held April 16 at the VC Middle School auditorium.
School Supt. Karen Jobe introduced Teacher of the Year Laurene Collings. Mrs. Collings has been in teaching for three decades and is currently at the Lilac School.
The audience also gave a group “Attaboy!” to Coach Rob Gilster in recognition of the VCHS Jaguars’ CIF Championship.
Eric J. Morgan, who led the effort to convince voters to vote for Prop. CC last fall, was honored by Parks & Rec board Pres. Eric Jockinsen as Volunteer of the Year. Rogers is also very active with youth sports, and helped to start a middle school lacrosse team in VC.
He gave credit to many other volunteers on the Prop. CC campaign, which was ultimately unsuccessful, and promised “We’ll be back!”
VC’s honorary mayor, Donna Jorgensen, was honored with plaques from Assemblyman Dennis Hollingsworth’s office, as delivered by his aide, Tom Rogers. Fifth District Supervisor Bill Horn’s aide, Dorothy Steinbeck, also presented her with a plaque that proclaimed “Donna Jorgensen Day” throughout the county. She was also given a plaque by outgoing Chamber President Nicky Lovejoy, who noted that Jorgensen raised $3,470 in her mayoral campaign. The money went to VC’s youth.
In introducing this year’s Citizen of the Year,
Julie Stroh, Dorschel commented, “A lot of people go above and beyond so it’s often hard to single out someone. But this year’s choice seemed to be a natural one.”
Last year’s Citizen of the Year, Tom Bumgardner, praised this year’s winner, Julie Stroh, and said she had discovered the secret for getting people to help her.
“All you have to do is ask!”
Mrs. Steinbeck, who presented a plaque from Horn, declared of the honoree, “They’re all her children!” and added, “Her energy levels alone leaves me breathless.” She noted that she was also being honored with “Julie Stroh Day” by the Board of Supervisors.
Mrs. Stroh spoke briefly about her goal as a volunteer, to make things better for high school students. “That’s my passion,” she said.
She was given a standing ovation.
Also honored was outgoing Chamber president, Nicky Lovejoy, who was given plaques by Rogers and Mrs. Steinbeck for two years of service as president.
Rogers, of Hollingsworth’s office, praised Mrs. Lovejoy’s leadership, singling out the Chamber’s role in helping to bring relief to fire survivors.
Mrs. Lovejoy spoke briefly about the milestones that occurred during her tenure, most particularly the new Chamber website.
“Please use it,” she said.
Officers installed were: Tom Bumgardner, president; Jim Dorschel, Irwin Jones, Donna Jorgensen, Brenda Kline, secretary; Kim Laventure, vice president; Nicky Lovejoy, past president, J.R. Peters, Pam Smith, Joyce Holmes, treasurer and Bob Hunsaker.
Also installed were the Chamber Ambassadors: Nicky Lovejoy, Tiffany Lopez, Kim Laventure, Maria Gutierrez, Jana Limon, Donna Jorgensen, Keith De Tellem, Lavonne Johnson, Jennifer Lavine and Suzie Durant,
Jeanne Cornett assisted MC Jim Dorschel, reading off numbers for the prize givaways, and leading the group in the invocation.
The buffet dinner was catered by Chef Josef Pilz, the casino’s executive chef. The main course was roast beef, but what attracted everyone’s eyes were the sumptuous deserts, which included hand-dipped chocolate strawberries.
By DAVID ROSS
Valley Center must accept that a certain percentage of undeveloped land here, most of it in the center of town, will be devoted to low or moderate income housing.
It doesn’t have to like it, but it does have to accept it.
That was the message of Rosemary Rowan, a top level planner at the County Dept. of Planning & Land Use. At the Jan. 11 meeting of the VC planning group she explained why Valley Center must swallow this medicine
The goal of the state law that mandates low and moderate income housing for every community, is to provide housing to all income groups.
Since $38,000 is defined as a median income for the County, Valley Center is considered to have an above median income. The median cost for a home in Valley Center is $500,000 and $380,000 for a condominium.
About 40% of the county’s residents are said to have low incomes, and state law requires that about that percentage of vacant land be zoned for low incoming housing.
The question of what constitutes “affordable housing,” depends on density and building types, said Rowan. Density for low to moderate housing is figured to be from about two units per acre up to 14.3/acre. This includes triplexes, four-plexes, apartments (although nobody uses that term) and multi-family town homes
The unincorporated county’s share of moderate income housing for the next five years is 12,000.
“The part that is always hard for every jurisdiction is providing housing for low income,” said Rowan.
New state law actually sets the target density for low income housing at 30 units/acre, but San Diego County is fighting that.
“That goal is off the charts for GP2020,” said Rowan, noting that the County is negotiating to get a break on this.
They are also negotiating to be given credit for land that is zoned for high density but not yet built.
“We are working with the state and with your community and others to make sure that we meet state requirements,” said Rowan. “The County has made a strong commitment for design standards with these low income housing.”
Planner Larry Glavinic, who chairs the planning group’s subcommittee working on GP2020, commented, “It seems very arbitrary that the County would support putting this kind of housing on undeveloped land. It seems that areas that have been previously developed and avoided low income housing, have managed to avoid this kind of housing. I question that as a premise.”
Rowan said that, on the other hand, communities such as Fallbrook and Ramona have taken more than their share of low income housing, and now want other communities to take some.
“Part of it is a social issue, and part of it is a legal issue. If we don’t get this certified by the state, our general plan wouldn’t be certified and no development would be allowed at all,” she said.
Planner Craig Adams commented: “For some reason I notice that places like Rancho Santa Fe are not listed. Are they going to take their fair share?”
Questioned by Adams and other planners how VC’s infrastructure, mainly roads, can cope with this extra housing, Rowan replied: “I understand road problems are a big issue. The next process that you are going to see is the road network process. Even if you build out all the community, the proportion of low-income housing would be less than 10 percent.”
She added, “The problem is that no one can afford to buy single family homes. If we only provide single family homes, who can afford to live here?”
Planner Keith Simpson commented, “The amount of undeveloped land is very finite. Who is looking at the undeveloped land and saying ‘We should keep some undeveloped land?’ ”
Planner Leon Schwartz questioned how such housing could be built in the center of town, “without sewers and without the infrastructure. Without that it’s just pie in the sky. The costs on a sewer being proposed will raise the cost of a home until it’s not affordable.”
Rowan reiterated, “I would like to point out that more than 90% of the future population is not low income housing so many issues are very legitimate ones, but they also apply to the single family houses.
“What an exciting time for our parish community,” exclaims Father Bill Kernan, of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church.
Father Bill, who came to the parish in 1999, has been working with his community of worshippers ever since to get a church built. Now, more than 20 years after the parish was first founded in VC, a church is taking shape.
The building that for many years has served as St. Stephen’s is actually a social hall. It was never intended to be more than a temporary home for the church.
What is rising from the ground now is an actual church where the sacraments can be celebrated properly. where there is space dedicated for sacred items, which is all a part of the liturgy.
“We’re looking forward to our dedicated worship space,” Father Bill told The Roadrunner. “It’s something that our people have been waiting for for a long time.”
It will include wooden pews, an altar, slate floors, wrought iron, stained glass windows, all in a style that Father Bill calls “rustic Roman.”
It will even include a small, low lit, “perpetual adoration room” that will be open 24 hours a day for prayer.
The church itself will be open to the public during the day for anyone to come in and pray.
The $5.2 million 13,000 sq. foot building will also include space for a youth center, thrift store and maintenance center.
The rectory (living space for the priest) has already been moved off-site to some property bought by the parish.
Through pledges the parish has already raised about half of the $5.2 million. The Archdiocese of San Diego is lending the rest of the money.
San Diego District Manager, Post Office Operations Don Marbrey, Wednesday, swore in Mary Pfeifer as the new Pauma Valley postmaster. She takes over for several different officers in charge.
The real former postmaster was Candi Watson who is Bonsall postmaster but has been officer in charge (OIC) in Valley Center.
The Pauma Valley Post Office is located at 16160 Highway 76.
Pfeifer is a 20-year career employee who began in 1984 as a window/distribution clerk at the Valley Center Post Office. She earned her first supervisory promotion there in 2003 as a customer service supervisor.
Since April 2004, she has been OIC at Bonsall.
Her other positions include customer service representative, window trainer, customer service supervisor at Valley Center and Oceanside, and OIC at Pine Valley, Pauma Valley and Borrego Springs.
Pfeifer was recognized for exceptional performance seven times in the past four years.
The Pauma Valley Post Office has 1,351 Post Office boxes including 341 at Pala, one highway contract route that delivers to 340 boxes, and four employees.
The Valley Roadrunner
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Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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