June 1, 2005 - Top Stories
This years Western Days has faded into history.
There’s lots to remember, but one thing we do want to mention is the winners of the parade.
The Dos Valles Garden Club’s clever, amusing float with the ladies of the club taking a shower won both the Sweepstakes (Best Float) and President’s (Best Overall) awards.
Other parade winners are as follows:
Multi-Hitch — Rancho Verano Clydesdale (1st)
Mini Horses & Cart — Lake Wohlford (1st)
Mounted Group — Cara Ouellette, VC Rodeo Queen and Court (1st)
Mounted Group Novelty — Bridgette LaHaye riding Yogi (1st), Lindsey Voth riding Flash (2nd), Debra Fisk riding Bliss (3rd)
Mounted Color Guard — Escondido Mounted Posse Color Guard (1st)
Parade Horse Open — Carolyn Melka (1st)
Plain Rider — Bill Wagner (1st)
Novelty Costume, 12 & Under — Madison Wagner (1st)
Novelty Costume — Madelyn Wagner (1st)
English Rider Open — Jeff Cowell (1st), Nicolas Grunan (2nd)
Charro Rider, 12 & Under — Carlos Santoya (1st), Christine Santoya (2nd)
Fancy Western Man — Bob Thomas (1st)
Fancy Western Woman — Kathy DaSilva riding Tommy (1st)
Working Western Man — Ray Juarez (1st), Gordon Liebscher (2nd)
Family Group — Alysha Cranmore (1st), Echo Farms Miniature Horses (2nd), Nikki Lehneis (3rd)
Dignitary / Antique Car — 1930 Model A Coupe driven by Britt Cline (1st), Bill Horn, 1930 Roadster (2nd), Shriner (3rd)
Dignitary / Classic Car — VC Kiwanis ‘57 Red Chevrolet 2 Dr Hardtop (1st), VC Women’s Club (1st), VC Republican Women’s President Peg Ohlson in a ‘65 Mustang (3rd)
Custom — ‘41 Ford Pick-up driven by Dick Newcomb (1st), Wireman Inc. van driven by James Vent (2nd)
Specialty — ‘94 Corvette (1st), Shriners Motorcycle (2nd), Shriners Tin Lizzy (3rd)
Off Road Vehicles — ‘42 Army Jeep (1st), ‘53 Model 60 John Deere Tractor (2nd)
Emergency Vehicle — ‘75 Tele Squirt (1st), ‘75 Crown Firecoach Pumper, Oak Knoll (2nd), ‘76 Crown Tanker (3rd)
Baton Twirler — Vista Twirlers (1st)
High School Band — VCHS Marching Band (1st)
Jr. High Band — VC Middle School Jazz Band (1st)
Special — March of the Tines (1st)
Marching Unit — Shriner Color Guard (1st)
Walking Group — VC Girls Jr. Lacrosse Club (1st), VC Inn Dance Hall Girls (1st)
Scout Group — VC Girl Scouts Lilac Oaks (1st)
Commercial Float — Valley View Casino (1st), Coldwell Banker (2nd), US 95.7 Radio Station (3rd)
Club / Organization Float — Dos Valles Garden Club (1st), Jeffery “Stiltman” Jay (2nd), VC Girl Scouts Lilac Oaks (3rd)
Civic Float — US Marshal’s Posse (1st), VC Republican Women (2nd), VC Rodeo (3rd)
Religious Organization Float — Ridgeview Preschool (1st), Pauma Valley Community Church (2nd), Calvary Chapel (3rd)
Clowns / Unusual — Shriners Clowns (1st), Jeffery “Stiltman” Jay (2nd)
Other — Lakeside HY Lion Regulators (1st), Pop Warner (2nd), Dominic Welsh (3rd)
McIntyre (Best Car) — VC Kiwanis ‘57 Red Chevrolet 2 Dr Hardtop
By DAVID ROSS
VC’s only community park may have a future after all.
It’s been several months after the parks and rec board announced that it wanted to give Adams Park back to the school district. It’s been a month since the board postponed that decision after it received a $15,000 gift from the Rincon tribe to keep the park alive. In the intervening time more people are stepping up to pledge support for the facility.
The total number of donations so far to the park, including that from Rincon, totals $16,680.
Tosh Yamagata of the VC Tennis Club, Thursday pledged that his club will give $1500 a year, in addition to the work that they already do to maintain the tennis courts.
More park supporters are putting their heads together to come up with creative solutions for the park’s main problem: lack of cash flow.
At Thursday night’s VC Parks & Recreation District board meeting Jack Vosberg, representing Rec Inc., a longtime support organization for the park, announced that his board has pledged to pay a groundskeeper, Edgar Berry, to look after the park for several months until a live-in custodian can be found.
Vosberg, who has a long history of volunteering time and labor to Adams Park over the years, bewailed its run-down condition.
“I have never seen it look so bad before,” he said. “It’s terrible!”
He blamed the park’s condition on a lack of communication between Rec Inc., the parks district and the school district. Note:
“Years ago we used to get together on a regular basis and discuss the problems at the park. We haven’t done that in four or five years.”
Vosberg explained that Rec. Inc. will pay the caretaker out of its funds for several months. Berry will work 20-25 hours a week. He currently works for the school district, and has said he’s interested in the live-in position as long as he can have a trailer to live in.
Vosberg added that the school district has agreed to maintain the park’s mower and replace some electrical switches on it, as long as the school district can use it occasionally.
Vosberg also suggested that the park insist that the YMCA trailer, which has been at its current location for over a decade without ever paying more than $1 a month in rent, be charged rent of from $1500-$2000 a month.
The original lease was signed in 1991, when Harry Weinberg was superintendent of the school district.
“At that time we didn’t know that the parks district would someday not have any money,” said Vosberg.
He also introduced Steve Kirsch, a project coordinator of the California Conservation Corps, who offered to rent out one of his CCC crews to clean up for the park for about $7,000. CCC crews are composed of youths, ages, 18-25. They attend school and are not inmate labor. They are young people trying to get ahead in life, he said.
He proposed bringing in a crew of from 10-15 to clear up weeds and rubbish. He anticipated filling several dumpsters. The CCC charges $14.50/hr per person for its crews.
Vosberg said he could probably get the dumpsters donated by a local trash collecting company. He suggested that the project be paid for out of PLDO (Parkland Dedication Ordinance) funds because it would be renovating the park. PLDO funds, which are collected from new houses when they pull building permits, are normally restricted to capital improvement expenditures. They cannot be used for routine maintenance.
“It needs to be done,” agreed Board Pres. Eric Jockinsen.
“If it’s going to look like a park again,” said Vosberg.
Later Jockinsen said he thought they might be able to get a better price for the job from a local landscape company.
Joyce Johnson, the parks district’s general manager, read a report from Jamie Smith, who, with her husband, Brian has run the park’s swim program for two years.
Mrs. Smith predicts that with the new aggressive swim program that the pool could realize a $10,000 profit over last year.
“Good for Jamie!” exclaimed director Tom Litchfield. “If she can bring in another ten thousand dollars, kudos to her.”
Budget Report
Joyce Johnson gave a downbeat budget report.
Although the fiscal year doesn’t end until the end of June, so far the district is running $27,808 more in expenses over revenues, she reported.
This prompted Director Tom Bumgardner to urge that the parks district begin renegotiating the fees that it charges the school district to use the pool.
That rent hasn’t been increased in several years.
In the next round of lease negotiations we have to ask more so that we don’t bear all the extra costs,” Jockinsen agreed.
“Why wait?” demanded Bumgardner.
“Because we have a signed lease,” said Jockinsen. That three-year lease doesn’t run out for at least a year, he said.
We’re not trying to get something for nothing. We’re trying to pay for what we’ve got,” said Bumgardner.
Jockinsen assured Bumgardner that they will be asking for increases on all three leases that the district has with the schools: the pool, park and tennis.
Mrs. Johnson announced that the district has qualified for a $43,000 HUD (Dept. of Housing & Urban Development) grant to refurbish the building where the pool’s rest rooms, lockers and dressing rooms are housed.
The grant is contingent upon the district using $87,000 in PLDO funds.
Normally Valley Center wouldn’t be considered poor enough to qualify for a HUD grant, however, according to Mrs. Johnson, “They looked at the condition of the rest rooms and felt sorry for us.”
There was some discussion over whether to actually apply for the grant, since, Jockinsen said, “We know we have the HUD grant, but we don’t know whether we want to move on it because we don’t know for sure that we’re going to keep the park. We’re not going to use HUD money for something that we’re not going to keep.”
The board eventually did decide to go ahead with getting permits for the project, although they still haven’t fully committed to doing the work.
Bumgardner suggested that the district ask Supervisor Bill Horn for some County money for the project so the district wouldn’t be spending its money on a facility that it might not end up with.
Ballfield Electricity
The board discussed electrical repairs that will be done to an ancient electrical box at the ballfields.
The original estimate for the repairs was $12,000. However, local electrician Lynn Lackey said he would do it for $6,500 and donate the labor.
The electrical box is 30 years old. One day they opened it and found a dead squirrel, along with many old and damaged wires.
Buying a Trailer
The board also decided that it would be a good idea to buy a live-in trailer for its future caretakers at Adams Park.
“We haven’t had the greatest luck with caretakers in a while. So I think it would be better for us to go out and purchase another single wide,” suggested Jockinsen.
The are reasonably priced, he said, and if, at any future time, the board became dissatisfied with a caretaker, “We can just say ‘Goodbye!’ If the caretaker owns the trailer you’re not in control,” he said.
“We don’t want somebody else’s equipment parked on our park. agreed Bumgardner.
“It’s easier to get rid of an individual, than to get rid of an individual and their equipment,” added Litchfield.
Tennis and Pool Club
Tosh Yamagata, the president of the tennis club says he thinks that Adams Park can be put on a firm financial basis if it is transformed into a tennis and swim club, with a tennis pro.
You have to ask yourself, what is your vision for the park?” he said to directors.
He suggested spending PLDO money to bring the park up to a standard where it could be used as a club, and then use the money that would be generated to help maintain it.
The pro Yamagata has in mind is the current pro at Pala Mesa Country Club (near Fallbrook), but lives in VC.
“It does surprise me how many people don’t know that the tennis courts exist,” commented Litchfield. “I really like that idea.”
With that in mind directors approved a resolution to resurface the four courts, at a cost of about $10,000.
That you can take to your pro and let him know that we’re going to make the courts as good as we can,” said Jockinsen.
The VC Fire Protection District is entering perilous times financially, the district’s treasurer, Dan Thornton warned at the May 19 night’s board meeting.
“We’re at a critical stage,” declared Thornton.
The district is trying to balance several factors in preparing future budgets.
If you look ahead at future budgets, “Red ink is starting in the 2006-2007 budget and gets us to the point in 2008-2009 below what I would consider to be a minimum amount in the bank,” he said.
Thornton considers a safe amount of reserves to be $300,000. In 2008-2009 he is projecting that the reserves will drop to $240,000.
“We’re trying to get everything to provide the analysis for our future needs and what we might need to ask for if we go to the voters in an election,” said Thornton.
An additional complication is that the district is now interviewing candidates for a district administrator. That person’s salary will continue to push the district into red ink.
“That will be a big hit on the new budget,” he said.
“The depressing thing about these spreadsheets is that we know we need to do a number of things to bring the district into the twenty-First Century, and you look at the red ink and we are running out of time,” said Thornton.
Director Weaver Simonsen noted that the normal cost to run a fire station is $1.5 million. Valley Center has two fire stations and a budget of less than $2 million, he said.
“We’re running at half the norm,” agreed Thornton. “Because we are frugal we have been able to save, and we a bounty, but that bounty is disappearing.”
“Do we adjust the bounty to keep the boat afloat, or do we add another station, or do we put it before the voters and let them decide,” Simonsen added.
Director Mel Schuler commented, “This type of information needs to get out to the public. We need to show it to them and show them where we are headed. We are as frugal as we can be, but the community continues to grow and response times get longer. “
The district is following the advice of the last audit that stressed the need for oversight on the district’s finances.
The district has grown to the point where one person can’t do the job of administering the district and being fire marshal. So the two functions are being divided.
Undetermined Cause
The fire department has not determined the cause of a trailer fire that occurred in April on N. Lake Wohlford Road in an area that had been burned out in the Paradise Fires of 2003.
The trailer, a FEMA trailer, caught fire on the bottom. The occupant wasn’t living there at the time, Chief Kevin O’Leary told the board.
The fire made neighbors of the trailer very nervous since several of them also lost their homes in the Paradise Fires.
The Valley Center Pauma Unified School District is starting school a bit earlier next year.
The 2004/2005 school year began on Sept. 7 but the 2005/2006 school year will begin on Sept. 1.
Because of the earlier start, classes will end a bit earlier, on June 15th rather than on the usual June 17th.
“A majority of the teachers preferred to start earlier so we wouldn’t go so far into June. If you look on the new calendar, graduation always happens on the last day of school, and if we had kept the old schedule, graduation would have had to be on a Monday instead of a Thursday,” said Assistant District Supt. Sarah Clayton.
When asked what prompted the initial idea to change the schedule, Director of Personnel Peggy Johnson said, “Many school districts are starting before Labor Day. The decision was made for the families too, for some it makes traveling over Labor Day a lot easier.”
According to the district office, a teacher representative group surveyed all the teachers in the district and reported their findings to the superintendent with a recommendation of what schedule would be acceptable.
The superintendent then went to the school board and made her own recommendation.
The board adopted the new schedule on Feb. 10.
There will be almost no changes made to the dates kids have off of school.
The date changes that occurred involve only the start and end times of the school year.
Students are required by state law to have 180 classroom days, and that will continue with the new schedule.
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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