September 28, 2005 - Top Stories
One of North County’s most anticipated road improvement projects is a step closer to being completed.
Valley Center Road from Lake Wohlford Road to Banbury Drive is now open with two lanes on both sides of the road.
That concludes the first phase of the two phase VC Road Widening Project.
A ribbon cutting to celebrate will be this Thursday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m. at the south end of Valley Center Road, about one half mile north of Lake Wohlford Road. Look for signs and a flagger on the east side.
Invited guests include County Supervisor Bill Horn, Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, tribal representatives, County officials, the project team, local businesses and residents.
Those concrete rails that seem like threading a one-lane needle with your car (called by a local wag “the luge”) have now come down, a center barrier is in place, paint striping is done and work on the drains for that section of the project has been completed.
The $18.3 million, three-year project for Phase 1 had a good safety record and was funded with money from TransNet, the City of Escondido, and the Rincon, Pala, and Pauma/Yuima Tribes.
The cost of the road contract alone was $13 million. The remaining $5.3 million was for things such as right-of-way acquisition, design and environmental expenditures.
The County is still receiving bids for the second widening phase, including a traffic signal at North Lake Wohlford Road and extending from south of Banbury to Cole Grade Road. $40.5 million funding for Phase II will come from TransNet, Utility Companies and the Rincon and San Pasqual Tribes.
For more information about the road widening, call the project hotline at (619) 232-2640.
Last Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors finalized the informal funding agreement worked out over the past year with the San Pasqual Tribe for landscaping for the Valley Center Road median.
The County had initially balked at paying for the landscaped medians for Valley Center Road, although the medians had been specifically called for by the VC Design Guidelines which the supervisors adopted more than a decade ago as part of the VC Community Plan.
A group of residents, Citizens for VC Parkway, looked for other sources of funding.
Fifth District Supervisor Bill Horn said he’d try to find construction funding, if the community could find maintenance funding. He eventually identified $1.5 million in TransNet funds for the project.
The San Pasqual Tribe of Mission Indians offered to fund the maintenance of the landscaped medians.
Last Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors’ vote formalizes that agreement between the County and the tribe.
VC planning group Chairman Andy Washburn told The Roadrunner: “Supervisor Horn deserves our appreciation for his support in finding funding for the landscaped medians. When the Road Improvement Project is finished in about three years, it will look much better with landscaped medians. Many people believe it will be safer.”
Although there was initial controversy about the medians from some business owners, eventually the VC Chamber of Commerce came over to the position that they would be good for business.
The medians are only planned for areas where business/property owners concurred, except in instances where safety considerations required them, such as in front of California Bank & Trust near the corner of VC & Cole Grade Roads.
Washburn added, “We also appreciate the time and effort of Doug Isbell (since retired) and Brendan McNabb of the County Dept. of Public Works. Their willingness to work with the community and their flexibility led to many improvements in the roadway design.”
Over the years, Citizens for VC Parkway included participation by Ruth Baak, Brian Bates, Christy Bensch, Paula Curtiss, Fran DeWilde, Julie Firth-Schaefer, Ann Godwin, Shirley Good, Jesse Hutchings, Laura Kendall, Tom Bumgardner, Mary Meade, Lael Montgomery, Carol Prime, Mike Ritenour, Sandy Smith, Karl Ulle, Merle Van Cleve, Terry Van Koughnett, Jon Vick, Andy Washburn, and Lou Wolfsheimer.
“Whenever a beeper goes off, they drop whatever they are doing. Usually the call comes on a weekend, which is their busiest time.”
George Lucia, recently installed as fire chief of the Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Dept., speaks glowingly of the volunteers who make up his department.
A resident since December, Lucia is already quite at home. The mountain reminds him of the rural part of New Jersey, where he’s from. “It takes me back to when I started at sixteen as a volunteer,” he says.
The people of the mountain know him well too. They smile when they pass his driveway on Crestline Road where he proudly displays his 1929 antique fire truck that he brings out for special events.
“I’ve adopted this community,” says Lucia. “It’s mine now.”
On the weekends, when many of the volunteers are on the mountain, spending time with their families, or doing weekend chores, the call goes out.
Seldom it’s a fire. Often it’s a traffic accident. Frequently it’s a young buck motorcyclist trying (and breaking) his wings. Whatever it is, the volunteers roll.
Its a corps composed of many kinds of people.
“Everyone has a talent that’s useful to the department. Some are plumbers. Some are builders. We put them where they are happiest,” he says.
Lucia is from New Jersey originally. He is retired from being a fire chief in New Jersey’s Bergen County.
Yet, firefighting in the city is not the same as firefighting in the woods. There’s plenty even for an old fire dog like Lucia to learn.
“Right now I see this as the biggest challenge I have faced. I would be very satisfied capping my career on Palomar Mountain,” he says.
Firefighting has been his career “for as long as I can remember. This is what I have always wanted to do,” he says.
During his 35 years in the business he has been a zoning inspector, fire chief, office of emergency coordinator, even a police officer — Hilldale, where he worked for many of those years, combined the functions of policing and firefighting.
“With all those jobs I met a lot of people. And I came to realize that if I just let people talk they would tell me a lot. I’ve learned to be a good listener.”
That brings him to a hobby of his, writing about the Americana that is firefighting. Someday, when he’s completely retired, George Lucia would like to travel around the country, visiting fire departments in his antique fire truck.
Although there’s just three roads leading off the mountain (S-6, S-7 and Nate Harrison Grade) there are many roads on the mountain. Many of these have houses on them. Lucia spends every weekend driving on these roads to etch them into his memory.
“I know I’ve got a big job to fill,” he says, referring to the mountain’s longtime chief, the highly-respected Karl Bauer, who moved in February of 2004 to head the small fire department in Leadville, Colorado.
For a few months Bauer’s position was taken over temporarily by Jay Ackerman, a Vista firefighter. It is Ackerman’s wife, Shana, who has raised through grants nearly $400,000 to help clear dead trees and brush on the mountain.
Jay Ackerman knew he couldn’t be on the mountain as much as was needed to run the department, so he slyly recruited Lucia, who was also working in Vista, as fire inspector.
“He invited me up to see the place and I just fell in love with it,” recalls Lucia.
“I’m looking for you to be the fire chief,” Ackerman told him.
Lucia insisted on joining the fire department first, taking part in training and letting the volunteers get to know him first.
Soon he and his wife, Tricia, found a place on the mountain and moved in.
Volunteering for a fire department is hard work. It requires dedication and many hours of training. Lucia wanted to bring something else to the table as well. “I wanted it to be a friendly place. There is a difference between a volunteer district and a professional department,” says Lucia. “You’ve got to take that into consideration. I want them to enjoy what they are doing and still be professionals.”
In other words, to have fun too.
He organized an event where the firefighters cooked Mother’s Day breakfast for the ladies. That was to remind everyone in the community that the fire department was not “a boys club.”
Lucia’s approach has increased the numbers of the volunteers from 12-22. The department has become an attractive place to train. Like many volunteer or reserve fire departments, some firefighters are not from the community they serve.
“Some don’t live here,” says Lucia. “When they are here we use them and they are as much a part of the community as we are.”
He adds, “I’ve never served with a more dedicated, passionate group of volunteers. They were like that when I came here. I can only do what I can to maintain that.”
* * *
Lots of folks ask Lucia about his 1929 General Pumper. It was built in Chicago for the U.S. Army by the Diamond T. Co.
It served 20 years with the army and with the S. Courtland, New York Fire Department until the late 1970s. It was sold at a private auction and then was donated to the fire association at the department where Lucia worked.
“We took it apart on the fire station floor and started to rebuild it.”
But they didn’t get it back together.
“I kept telling my boss, ‘Whenever you get tired of tripping on the pieces I’ll buy it.’ ”
He did.
It’s a perfectly working fire pumper.
The 41st annual Pumpkin Festival at Bates Nut Farm opens in conjunction with an Arts, Crafts, & Collectibles Market on Saturday and Sunday, Oct.1-2.
“This season’s market will include over 75 exhibitors selling a variety of homemade crafts, a smattering of antiques, jewelry, soaps and personal care items and much more,” said Sherrie Ness of Bates.
Visitors can sample barbecued hamburgers, hot dogs, tri-tip and chicken sandwiches, ice cream, kettle corn and funnel cakes.
Live entertainment is offered each weekend during the festival.
This Saturday, the Red Lane Trio will play classic rock music from 1 – 4 p.m. The Honky Tonk Kings will play country/rock music on Sunday.
The whole family can take part in the weekend activities in October at the Pumpkin Patch at Bates.
Grab a wheelbarrow and pick your own from over ten acres of pumpkins in all sizes and shapes.
Create a fall table or entry way with Bates’ large variety of pumpkins, squashes, Indian corns, corn stalks and hay bales.
Bring your camera and capture fall at its finest with your family.
Take an adventure through our amazing straw maze. Catch a tractor hayride around the farm, feed the farm animals in our farm zoo.
The youngsters can take a pony ride or stroll into the petting corral. Kid’s ‘n Paint, face painting, a rock climb and bounce are ready for weekend fun on the farm.
The Pumpkin Patch at Bates Nut Farm is open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Questions? Call 749-3333. Visit their website at www.batesnutfarm.biz
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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