The San Pasqual Indian Reservation has released an environmental evaluation document for public review of a new 12-story, 172,390 sq. foot hotel that the San Pasqual tribe plans to build next to the recently opened expanded Valley View Casino, which added 58,000 sq. feet and a parking structure last year.
Construction will begin in May and be completed by July of 2009.
The hotel would rise 130 feet above the casino grade and 200 feet over Lake Wohlford Road.
The Public Review Period for this document ends March 13 and a public meeting will be held on March 13, at 6 p.m. at the Valley View Casino Events Center to receive comments on the project.
Valley Center Planning Group Chairman Oliver Smith tells The Roadrunner that the environmental document will be on the agenda of the March 10 meeting.
The hotel will have 161 rooms plus meeting rooms, a kitchen, a spa/fitness area and an outdoor pool and deck.
Hotel rooms won’t be available to the general public. They would be offered to select casino patrons as an amenity.
Other parts of the expansion include an additional water storage tank, upgrades to the existing onsite wastewater treatment plant.
The purpose of the expansion, says the tribe, is to help the tribe provide improved services and enhanced economic self-sufficiency to its members, create 100 jobs, reduce visitor trips on local roads by providing overnight accommodations and provide additional amenities for existing patrons.
The environmental evaluation also addresses an outdoor concert series that is planned to take place in the existing paved valet parking lot without the construction of any permanent facilities.
That series opens April 11(see elsewhere in the paper for the schedule.
No expansion of the casino or gaming facilities are planned.
The tribe is required by the tribal state gaming compact to public environmental evaluations that address impacts off the reservation.
The tribe is required to:
• “Make a good faith effort to incorporate the policies and purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) consistent with the tribe’s governmental interests.”
• “Consult” with local jurisdictions (cities and counties), and if requested, “meet with them to discuss mitigation of significant adverse off-reservation environmental impacts.”
• “Make good faith efforts to mitigate off-reservation im-pacts.”
The reservation consists of 1,400 acres divided into five non-contiguous segments that are dispersed along North Lake Wohlford Road and Woods Valley Road.
Smith told the paper of some concerns he has with the project:
“I was told of the report on Wednesday Feb. 20, last week and received an overnighted copy Thursday. The package is out for public review from Feb 13 to March 13, at which point the project proponents will host a public input session at Valley View Casino.”
He scanned the documents and emailed them to members of the planning group in anticipation of an agenda item on March 10. “My intent is to discuss and have the planning group possibly vote on formal comments, concerns, and recommendations to be given to the project proponents.”
He added, “I recognize that the San Pasqual Indian Tribe is an autonomous government entity. As such, projects on the reservation are not processed and evaluated the same as other projects in Valley Center. I do appreciate the opportunity for the planning group to comment on their proposal. I feel that the planning group will review the information and have comments and concerns regarding the project.
“Personally, I believe there will be concerns raised regarding traffic, noise, ‘Dark Skies,’ [the effect on Palomar Observatory] and visual aesthetics that will need to be addressed. The planning group welcomes the public to be part of the discussion regarding the hotel project at our next meeting,” said Smith.
Note: Some documents relating to this project can be accessed on our Web site:www.valleycenter.com/
A complete copy can also be found at the VC Library.
Comments be made to the tribe at: San Pasqual Casino Development Group, Inc. c/o Joe Navarro, 16300 Nyemii Pass Rd., Valley Center CA 92082.
The Sheriff’s Dept. is saying emphatically that a group of perhaps as many as 25 teenage boys who gathered to watch a fight in the afternoon of Tuesday, Feb. 19 on Yellow Brick Road was no “Fight Club,” but just gathered to witness a brawl between two boys who had called each other out.
Some were from the local area; a few were not. So there is no reason to conclude that this was an organized group of kids from Valley Center High School, although a few had VCHS ID cards.
According to Sheriff’s Lt. Sean Gerrity, after the deputies arrived and the teens scattered, some were captured and interrogated: “There is not enough information to conclusively say all of the participants were from the local area. Of the small group contacted during the call, they were from Pauma Valley, and a few of them had Valley Center High School ID cards,” he said.
“The one who left his car behind, [later] brought in by his mother to retrieve the car, was noted to be of high school age, but it is not known what school he attends at this time. There are some children who reside in the area, but attend schools elsewhere. In any event, though, we know of no such thing as a ‘Fight Club’ or any organized fighting groups or activities … in our schools or anywhere else, and that certainly did not come up, nor was suspected, during this particular call.”
The Roadrunner’s eyewitness to the event, whose name we are withholding because the witness fears reprisals, stands by the statement that the witness was told by the responding deputy that the boys were engaged in a “fight club” activity.
The witness told The Roadrunner: “The fact is the very nice, by the way, deputy … told me the day of incident, as he was waiting for a tow truck to impound one of the cars left behind from fleeing teen, it was, according to ‘talking to some of the kids who they caught up on the street who were fleeing, a ‘fight club.’ ”
This witness then called The Roadrunner late on Tuesday and relayed that story to us.
According to an email sent from Sgt. Jason Rothlein to Lt. Gerrity (and provided to The Roadrunner by Gerrity):
“I spoke with [the responding deputy] regarding this call. [He] told me during the incident members of the group that were leaving the area claimed to have come to watch a fight. [He] told me when he arrived at the location there was no active fight occurring. There is no indication this was a ‘Fight Club’ rather a group of high school aged kids (15 -16) who organized coming together off campus to watch two kids in a mutual combat.”
Sgt. Rothlein continued: “I spoke with … (the reporting party of the incident) about where [that person] obtained the information about the "Fight Club. [The reporting party] said one of the deputies on scene told [the reporting party] it was an organized fight of kids from the high school.
“I can see where the information [the deputy] provided …could have been loosely interpreted and relayed to the media as such,” wrote Rothlein.
Gerrity told The Roadrunner, “The reports to you appear to be another example of the old ‘telegraph’ game that some teachers taught many of us in school, known to me in legal circles as hearsay upon hearsay.”
Gerrity further elaborated: “This appears to be a bunch of high school students who heard there was going to be a fight between two other high school students (for whatever issues they had between each other), so they showed up in group to watch. Of the few students we were able [to] stop and talk to, including one who abandoned his car on private property when fleeing from arriving deputies (we towed it, and his mother brought him in later to get it back), not one of them said anything about a ‘Fight Club,’ nor have any of my deputies ever heard of such a thing at any of our local schools (including those who responded to the original trespassing and subsequent fight in progress call).”
This week we interviewed Kelly Crews who is organizing this year’s community fireworks show at Jaguar Stadium.
Q: What’s the progress this year on the July 4 fireworks show?
A: I’m just sending out letters now to last year’s sponsors and supporters and we will be making follow-up calls near the end of the week. I’m also contacting Newell Cummings, an attorney in Escondido, who lives in Valley Center to check once again into incorporating as a charity so that donors can receive a tax write-off.
Q: What is the VC Chamber of Commerce’s involvement this year?
A: It is one of interest. The event was successful and they are interested in supporting it again, but we were looking at all ways to give everyone the greatest benefit, including the Chamber and the community.
Q: The Chamber was involved last year because it does have a 501 (c) (3) status. Correct?
A: Yes, but not the proper status that would allow you to write off the donation on your income tax to a charitable cause. But without the Chamber’s support the event couldn’t have happened last year. Nor without all the sponsors who supported us, the individual families, the businesses that supported with money and donations.
Not to mention the time commitment from people like Lynn Lackey who helped manage the event and Eric Jensen who got us our insurance.
Q: Did the Chamber’s involvement have other effects?
A: It brought people to the event who have never participated before and helped us get our insurance certification and it brought a level of credibility to the event that helped in getting all of our permits completed in a very short time, and helped get some of our donations.
Q: What is the timeline for raising money this year?
A: We have $2,500 in our checkbook to start out with. We need $30,000 total. We need to get the first $20,000 committed by the end of April and the balance by the beginning of June. The vision is still to be a family-oriented free event with lots of fun activities for the children.
Q: Do you have to have the picnic in order to have the fireworks?
A: Yes, because you have to give the people a place to go in order to enjoy the fireworks or else you create a public nuisance. You can’t just have people lining the streets! You can’t have a big event without providing people with a place to enjoy it. The additional expense with the rock walls, the obstacle course, the giant slides are the things that draw people earlier so that you can manage the influx of people easier.
Q: What other logistical problems do you have to worry about?
A: We have to talk to George Lucia, VC fire marshal, to see if he has any issues with putting on the event. Then we need to talk to the people who volunteered, the association that helped us with traffic and other tasks, and Lynn Lackey who was on site to manage every aspect before, during and after.
Q: Are the Lions going to cook dinner for everyone again?
A: I hope so. They’ve been the greatest supporter for the nine years that we have been doing this.
Q: Do you think the event has improved from being thrown to the community as a whole to organize it?
A: Yes. The more people that are involved, the more people that lend support the better off the event.
Q: What’s the biggest obstacle to this event going smoothly?
A: I think it’s giving recognition to the sponsors and the donors. We had a huge problem last year with the signs being stolen and torn down. It’s just not fair that people give so much to the community and we can’t recognize them properly.
Q: Do you have any sponsors committed yet?
A: No. But I’ just sending out the letters now.
If you’d like to be involved in this year’s fireworks show, contact Kelly Crews at 760-670-7062.
The Pala Band of Mission Indians last week spent $1 million to buy ten new mobile homes for the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, whose reservation was devastated by last year’s wildfires.
About 92% (8,600 acres) and 60 homes on the La Jolla Band’s reservation perished in the destructive Poomacha fire. Pala’s $1 million purchase includes nine three bedroom, two bathroom double-wide trailers as well as one four bedroom, two bathroom trailer for La Jolla tribal members.
“We’re very fortunate to be in a position to give and help our neighbors and fellow tribe reestablish their reservation; their home,” said Robert Smith, chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “We want to help actively ensure that life on the reservation is restored.”
The La Jolla Band’s land still bears the effects of the fire, including lost homes, closed roads, power outages, lack of potable water and downed telephone lines.
“We’re grateful to the Pala Band for reaching out and committing to help our Tribal members put their lives back together,” said La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indian Chairman
Tracey Nelson. “It is a true testament to the character and heart of the Pala people.”
The Pala Band of Mission Indians consists of 1,117 members with 650 living on the reservation along Hwy 76. The La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, located near Palomar Mountain, has 702 tribal members.
The Emerald City is coming to the Maxine beginning March 7.
Arts Off Broadway’s Broadway Extravaganza features people from 5 to 60 years of age, and music from popular broadway shows. Other shows represented include: Jersey Boys, The Wizard of Oz, Oliver, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, The Lion King, Once Upon a Mattress, Music Man, Wicked, and more. Valley Center participants include: Carley Rhinehart, Angelina Alvarez, Samantha Barnard, Morgan Boberg, Julie Burlington, Kaaria Desuse, Sophia Dowlatshahi, Elizabeth Gordon, Kaelin Head, Rachael Heller, Morgan King, Olani Leonard, Helen Lopez, Michelle Macklin, Deseré Mullen, Amber Steinbeck, Sarah Thompson, Megan Kolod, Melody Baha, McKenna Barron, Mariah Casillas, Delaney Hegle, Suzanna Henderson, Gabby Jovin, Cabrini Luna, Violet Meyers, Courtey Riggs, Laurel Wasserman, Amy Watkins, Linda Williams, James and Marc Wasserman, and more. Tickets for the Extravaganza can be purchased through the Maxine Theatre website at maxine.vcpusd.k12.ca.us., or through the box office by calling (760) 749-7390.
For information please call Arts Off Broadway at 760-749-0644, or send an email to info@btaakids.org. There are three performances scheduled for Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 9, at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $10 for children 12 and under and seniors over 60, and $15 for adults. Seating is general admission.
Members of 4-H and their supporters gathered Wednesday night for the annual Pie Auction, which raised thousands of dollars for local scholarships. See full story on page B2.
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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