The Valley Center Planning Group Monday night voted to ask the County to approve a change that would make VC Road between Woods Valley Road and Cole Grade Road a 40 mph “boulevard.”
In a related development, the group clarified that a longstanding effort to add medians in the Southern Village has been put on hold indefinitely.
The motion that the group approved Monday asks the County to apply a “boulevard” road standard to Valley Center Road.
Currently in the Valley Center Community Plan that is being worked on by the VC Planning Group, VC Road is labeled as a “Boulevard.” The plan is not scheduled for vote by the Board of Supervisors before next year, so the planners would like the “boulevard” road standard to be applied as soon as possible.
The standard that is applied to the road now is that of a main arterial road, which has a 55 mph limit.
In taking the vote, the group followed the recommendation of the Mobility (roads) Subcommittee, with one change: the subcommittee had asked for the road standard to be applied to the South Village, which stops at about Old Road. Planner Rich Rudolf asked that the motion extend the 40 mph standard to Cole Grade Road.
Audience member Sandy Smith praised this move, saying that a lower speed limit would allow businesses to do more landscaping and would eliminate sound walls as developments are built, something that is often required when the speed limit is 55 mph.
“I support the motion one thousand percent,” she said.
No more medians, for now
At the last meeting of the planning group’s Mobility Subcommittee, a motion was made to seek more medians on the South Village section of VC Road.
Planners Jon Vick and Terry Van Koughnett have been seeking to get this issue reopened for several years.
However, at that meeting it was pointed out that the planning group several years ago voted to limit the medians to the ones that are there now. So the motion failed.
According to planning group and County rules, the group cannot take up the same issue again unless something significant has changed since its original vote.
A little history: the planning group at that time made a deal with businesses along the road that no merchant would be required to have a median in front of his business if he didn’t want one.
Since then Vick and Van Koughnett have been canvassing businesses and residents along the road to get support for adding landscaped medians.
Terry Thomas, who owns commercial property near the intersection of Woods Valley Road & VC Road, asked if this latest vote meant that the issue [of medians] had finally been put to bed.
He complained that Vick “brings the issue of the medians up every six months,” and asked if he had been made aware of the rule that issues can’t be brought up again for a vote unless something significant has changed.
“Yes, he has,” said acting chairman Deb Hofler, who is also chairman of the Mobility Subcommittee.
However, that DOESN’T mean that medians absolutely won’t be visited again by the planning group.
Recently the group asked the County to look at possible “traffic calming” measures for VC Road. Rudolf pointed out that medians are one of several possible traffic calming measures that might be employed.
Once the speed limit is officially lowered to 40 mph that would allow the County to implement other traffic calming measures.
“So it will probably be visited again,” Rudolf said.
* * *
The next meeting of the Valley Center Planning Group's Mobility (roads) Subcommittee will be held Wednesday, Aug. 12, 6:15 p.m. at the library.
The subcommittee will discuss road design and make final recommendations to the planning group on the environmental impact report (EIR) of the County's proposed General Plan Update. The planning group will consider that recommendation at its Aug. 24 special meeting, to be held at 7 p.m., probably at VC Community Hall (final location to be determined).
VC Community Hall was packed to overflowing Monday night, with no place to sit and people crowded on the stairs leading from the basement. Nancy Pelosi might have called them a “mob.”
But the 150 or so community members who attended the Valley Center Planning Group meeting to hear about EDCO’s proposed green material composting facility on Betsworth Road were just folks, most of them residents of that road—very civil and well behaved.
That doesn’t mean they were for the composting plant—they made that plain when, after EDCO Pres. Steve South’s 30 minute presentation, they vigorously applauded points made by speakers from the “Say No To Edco” group.
Outside, the “Say No’s” had a table at the hall’s entry, and kept busy signing up new members.
The meeting was chaired by Deb Hofler, since both the chairman, Oliver Smith, and vice chairman, Ann Quinley, are on vacation.
She explained that according to the rules, the planning group could not comment or take a vote on South’s presentation.
South began by saying that composting reduces water use and is vital to erosion control. Because it keeps green waste out of landfills it has the same effect as 9,500 cars removed from the environment. He didn’t explain whether that figure derives from composting nationally, statewide, or if his facility would accomplish it.
He said composting is an agricultural use on an ag site.
EDCO will not being able to accept more green waste than its permits allow, he said, which is about 420 tons per day.
“All our conditions are based on that figure,” he said. They would have to shut the facility each day once they reach the limit. The same is true of the 20 trips in and out by large trucks bringing green material, he said.
EDCO has submitted a preliminary design for the facility in which green material would be off-loaded into an enclosed building, where it would be treated by a grinder.
“Typically composting facilities offload outside and grind outside, usually with diesel. We propose to do it inside with an electric grinder. This should also reduce the noise,” said South.
He described the facility as “covered aerated static pile systems. Once windrows [piles of compost] are built, they are moved onto another surface, either concrete or asphalt, which is impermiable.”
They will be covered and aerated by computer that will monitor oxygen and temperatures. “It allows it to make a better product more rapidly,” said South.
Windrows will be turned every 15-20 days, with the final product ready in about 60 days.
He emphasized that the facility would abide by all ag quarantines.
Materials accepted include such things as yard trimmings, animal bedding and manure.
Among banned materials are municipal solid waste, sludge, food wastes, septic wastes, liquid waste or hazardous waste. “We are a clean green recycling facility,” he said.
Because the land is zoned A-70, it requires no zoning change since composting is an ag activity. It will require a major use permit for things such as selling compost to the public.
Agencies that will review the project include the VC Planning Group, county Planning Commission and state agencies.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process will examine such things as traffic, dust, noise and vector control.
The permit would be for five years.
South noted, “The Local Enforcement Agency of County Environmental Health will inspect it every month, which is eleven times more often than restaurants are inspected.”
The process will be attended by many public hearings.
“We are at the beginning of the dialogue on community input. We are evaluating options including permanently designated open areas and uses for other part of the property.”
He said they are studying ways to make the balance of the property “bring a community benefit.”
“We genuinely look forward with a continuing dialogue to generate our proposal. This dialogue is helpful and helps us to make a better project,” he said.
Speaking Against
Bob Payne, one of the co-chairmen (with Mel Schuler) of the “Say No’s”, started by saying, “I am a fan of recycling. The problem I have is that this is the wrong place. It’s a good idea but this is the wrong place.”
He added, “It’s not about Betsworth. It’s about VC and the surrounding community.”
He said he knew of a green recycling site in Everett, Washington, about which articles have been written saying that people can smell its odors eight miles away.
“I’m sure that these people are going to do something about the odors, but there are no odors today. When we moved here it was for country living. I don’t equate this with country living.”
Payne said he had asked South to tell him what benefit Valley Center would get from the center. “He told me it would help keep Valley Center rural!” he said to chuckles from the audience.
Grower Bob Polito noted that his family has farmed locally for nearly 40 years. He cited San Diego Farm Bureau executive director Eric Larson on the quarantine issue. “A green waste facility will present pathways for pests, such as the psyllid or Asian fruit fly to enter our areas.
“Write any mitigation you want but in reality there is no certainty that they will work,” he said, noting that recently in Fresno the authorities found leaves with the Asian psyllid. They proved to be infected with the bacteria that has killed thousands of citrus trees.
“It could be that was just the first shipment,” he said.
“You can see how easily this pest could move from one area to the next. The Mexican quarantine almost put me out of business several years ago. I cannot and will not go through another quarantine!” said Polito.
Larry Glavinic said he had three major concerns: 1 )”Why are you planning this fourteen miles away from I-15 on a substandard road that is also a dead end road? 2) The liability that the County will see if there are accidents or deaths on this road—and these are not small trucks. 3) It’s a huge public safety issue. Our public safety responders won’t be able to get to this if they need to.”
Co-Chairman Mel Schuler concluded by warning the audience not to buy into South’s statements that he was appearing before the planning group because he wanted a public dialogue.
“The planning group wouldn’t even know about this if I hadn’t called them to alert them to it,” said Schuler. “It wasn’t EDCO being transparent. They don’t have to be transparent because unless they are new to this they know that the community will oppose it.
“It doesn’t fit. This is no small project. It ultimately may be determined to be legal. But I don’t believe the planning group’s vision for Valley Center includes a project like this. Ask yourself: is this a benefit to Valley Center or a degradation?”
It used to be the center of economic activity in North County. Everyone beat a path there so that they could eat their daily bread.
It was the Sickler Brothers Mill, now just a stone foundation and cast iron wheel that once powered a mighty grinding stone that made flour for most people in the region.
On Saturday morning about 80 local residents and members of the Friends of Wilderness Gardens Preserve gathered at the preserve to see a new highly accurate scale model unveiled and to hear a lecture on the importance of the mill to San Diego History.
The Sickler Brothers’ Mill model was commissioned by the Friends for donation to the County as a central feature of the Information Center at the preserve headquarters building.
Friends Pres. Yolanda Fleet introduced the morning’s events and the descendants of the Sickler Brothers plus other guests, such as Bill Hutchings, president of the Valley Center History Museum.
Ranger Dave Holt had the idea of building a model of the old mill.
According to Friends’ Treasurer Phil Stone, “It was Dave’s vision to focus on this gristmill to bring in people that would be fascinated by local history and who could then be introduced to the wildlife.”
He introduced principal artist, VC resident Ron Norris. Don Leeder engineered and made tooling for the working water wheel. Paul Roberts painted a mural back board.
Stone described how Norris told him, “If you can describe it, I can build it!” Norris, who had served in the British Navy, and was a technical illustrator before working on the Yellow Pages, was never able to pursue his passion to create artworks before he retired. He has made up for lost time by creating scale models of some of the California missions, as well as St. Stephen Catholic Church’s Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic.
Norris described some of the painstaking work he did on the model. Just to make the wheel he had to make a model in clay first before making a casting. “Nobody tells you how to do some of these things. You have to make it up!” he said.
When the model is turned on, the wheel moves and the lanterns inside flicker.
Lynne Newell Christensen, Phd., the park department’s historian, gave a talk on the Sickler Brothers and their mill.
“History doesn’t happen in isolation. The Sickler Brothers were involved in many things in North County,” she said.
She called the mill site, “a significant historical site.”
The Sicklers were brothers and entrepreneurs who came to California in 1868. Their family had mills in the Midwest. One of the Sicklers surveyed the road from Pauma to Palomar Mountain that people still drive on today. He also surveyed the water flume that brought water to Lake Wohlford for many years. Both brothers, William (W.A.) and Marion (M.M.)were mentioned frequently in the San Diego Union in those days, which describes how the large cast iron wheel for the mill arrived by steamship in Oceanside in 1881. By November it was grinding corn and wheat and by 1882 was widely considered a success.
It was so important that the Board of Supervisors voted to pay for a road being built from Bear Valley (Valley Center’s name at the time) to the mill.
When people came to the mill there was a party atmosphere. While they waited their turn they would picnic and their children would play—and go to school.
Mrs. Sickler (married to one of the brothers) operated a school house at the site. It was built on skids and moved from place to place as it was needed.
The mill continued to operate until the early 1900s when the advent of electricity made such water driven mills obsolete.
Wilderness Gardens
Most people are not aware of this little historic gem in Pauma Valley, 14209 Hwy 76, about three miles west of Cole Grade Road. Wilderness Gardens Preserve was the first “preserve” in the county parks system. Being a preserve gives a site enhancements. Not the least is that its main purpose is to preserve the land and critters, not just provide amusement for visitors.
Some things considered worth preserving are its oaks, coastal sage, chapparal, animals, birds—a wide variety, ranging from waterfowl to raptors and everything in between. All use the pond on the property.
It was purchased by private funds and donated to the County after one of the founders of the Friends, Peggy McBride, heard that the old property, which once belonged to Los Angeles newspaper magnate Manchester Boddy, was up for sale and could be developed.
The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians will hold its annual fiesta on the weekend of Aug. 21, 22, & 23 at its new Sports Park and Upper Baseball Fields on 1 West Tribal Road.
The fiesta will begin with the flag raising ceremony and Blessing on Friday at 5 p.m. Students from the Rincon Education Center will sing the Flag Raising Song in the Luiseño language. The fiesta starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday with a 9 a.m. early-bird start for softball on both days.
Chairman of the Rincon Seniors' Club, Juanita Ellison and Tuukut Sass, manager of Rincon's Utilities Dept. are co-chairing this year’s fiesta.
They told The Roadrunner, “We would like to invite everyone out for a fun family event! Come out to enjoy the festivities and learn about our Luiseño culture through the Péon games, children’s Indian games, bird songs, as well as a storytelling contest. Sample our delicious foods, especially the fry bread which is always a favorite along with the tortilla rolls. Our museum will also be open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. –2 p.m."
Ellison adds, “This is the first year we will be having a ‘Rez Classic Car Show.’ ” This event, organized by Juan Reed with the help of Darrell Abbe, will be held Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For softball fans: The Women's Softball Tournament will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. The Men's Softball Tournament begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday ending Sunday with the Home Run Derby after the last softball game of the tournament.
Other activities and events include: a horseshoe tournament; Bingo (Saturday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tribal Hall); a variety of drawings throughout the weekend; chili cook-off; and a 1-mile “Just Move It” walk/run event on Saturday at 8 a.m. (registration is at 7:45 a.m. Saturday in front of the Tribal Hall).
For more information call Tammy at 760-297-2330 or Juanita- 751-0046.
Valley Center/Pauma Schools will begin Thursday, Aug. 27.
SCHOOL HOURS:
Primary School
• Kindergarten, Grades 1–2 — 8:20 a.m.–2:05 p.m.
Valley Center Elementary
• Grade 3 — 8:15 a.m.–1:55 p.m.
• Grades 4–5 — 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Middle School
• Grades 6–8 — 8:25 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
High School
• Grades 9–12 — 7:37 a.m.–2:40 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday & Friday (traditional schedule days)
• 7:37a.m.–2:07 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday (block days)
Pauma School
• Grades K–8 — 8:15 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
• Wednesday early release — 8:10 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Lilac School
• Kindergarten & Grades 1–3 — 8:20 a.m.–2:05 p.m. **Note time change
• Grades 4–5 — 8:45 a.m.–3:15 p.m. (no change)
Playground supervision begins at 7:30 a.m. at the K–8 schools.
Traffic congestion around the schools the first day is always a problem. Parents wishing to transport their children the first day should plan on arriving well before school begins.
School lunches will be $2.25 for grades K–8 and $2.50 for grades 9–12. Milk will also be available for students bringing their lunches at a cost of 50¢ for milk. Breakfast will be served at a cost of $1.25 for grades K–8 and $1.50 for grades 9–12. It is highly recommended parents prepay their children’s lunches. Schools may be called for more information.
Classroom assignments for grades K–8 will be posted at their respective schools starting Friday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. Students and parents are encouraged to review the posted listings prior to school opening. This will familiarize students with their homeroom assignments prior to the first day.
Parents will receive a packet of information at the end of the first day of school for grades K–8. They should take time and care to fill out this paperwork. Included in the package will be two cards, a household/emergency data card (census info) & a health card, advising how we can reach parents in case a child becomes ill at school or in case of emergency. New data cards are required for each student each year for grades K–12.
Just a reminder that K–1 students who ride the school bus home will be brought back to school if a parent is not at the bus stop to pick them up, or unless they have a note on file with the school district.
Pauma School will offer both an extended day kindergarten and an early admission kindergarten program. For more information call Pauma School at 742-3741.
The YMCA and Boys & Girls Club sponsor after school child care and recreation programs. Their phone numbers are 749-7951 for the YMCA and 749-9822 for the Boys & Girls Club. The district will provide after school day care at Pauma and Lilac this year. Prices will be comparable to the YMCA. Contact the school office if you are interested.
Those with questions regarding the start of school may call their child’s school. The telephone numbers for the schools are: Primary School—749-8282; Elementary School—749-1631; Middle School – 751-4295; Pauma School – 742- 3741; Lilac 751-1042; High School – 751-5500; Oak Glen High School – 751-0455. You can also visit the school district’s Web page: www.vcpusd.net/
Bus schedules are published in the fall Valley Center Magazine, which is being sent to all homes in the newspaper’s service area. Please clip and save. Bus Evacuation Week is scheduled for the week of Sept. 14.
By DAVID ROSS
Early on in the classic biographical film Patton, the title character, played by George C. Scott, watches through binoculars as his forces rout the Afrika Corps, commanded by “The Desert Fox,” Field Marshal Rommel. As the Germans retreat Patton exults, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!”
It is obvious from the intensity of the reaction by ordinary constituents to the health care plan that Congress is debating and that Democrats are pushing, that the “right” has been reading the book that the left has based its tactics on for decades. They are skillfully using the tactics recommended by the book, and the left is crying “foul!”
The book is called Rules For Radicals, by Saul D. Alinsky. He wrote it to be for “community organizers,” what Machiavelli’s The Prince was for those who seek power.
Alinsky and Machiavelli had a lot in common. Here are a few of Alinsky’s precepts: “In war the end justifies almost any means,” “Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa,” and “You do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments.”
Now that I think of it, Alinsky made Machievelli look like an innocent, cherub-faced boy by comparison.
But! The most telling comment Alinksy made that relates to our current situation— in which Speaker Pelosi calls ordinary citizens who flood town hall meetings—hoisting AARP representatives on their own petards and rocking the likes of Steny Hoyer back on their haunches “Un-American,” and “mobs”—is this: “Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition as being unethical.”
No one is supposed to use their tactics, you see. They are patented. Only the left is allowed to characterize those who disagree with them as Nazis, as it did consistently during the eight years of the Bush White House, and before that during Bush I and Reagan and Nixon and… Only the left is allowed to attend meetings and shout down speakers without allowing them to speak. That’s called freedom of speech when practiced by them—but Brownshirt tactics if practiced by others.
Speaking of Brownshirts: they were the uniformed thugs of the 1920s and 1930s in Germany who used to beat up people they disdained.
Like what happened to Kenneth Gladney, a black man, who last week at a Missouri town meeting was handing out “Don’t tread on me” flags when he was beaten up by public union thugs. Is he a “mob” member or are the union enforcers who put him in a wheel chair?
The White House put out three—count them, three—appeals last week for supporters to start attending with enough numbers to overawe the opposition at the “town hall” meetings being held all over America during the August congressional recess. This from the master “community organizer” himself.
I got an email from a leftwing community organizer responding to Obama’s call as I wrote this column: “Republicans, insurance industry, and Tea Party agitators are disrupting proceedings in Democratic Town Hall meetings across the nation. The police even had to be called to one meeting over the weekend. GOP stooges are stooping to new lows in an effort to drown out debate on universal health care coverage.”
No, it’s not an attempt to drown out the debate. It’s a successful effort to put as many, if not more, boots on the ground (as our military friends say) as the lefties. The conservatives have learned how to use the Internet, email and Twitter to organize—as Obama’s supporters did last year.
By the way, please don’t assume that I approve of tactics such as shouting down people at meetings. I think it’s reprehensible. I applaud opponents who can debate in a collegial atmosphere. However, I see the frustration of ordinary citizens whose congressmen treat them with condescension.
Discouraging tactics such as shouting down people you disagree with is like using poison gas in wartime. It only works if both sides refuse to use it.
As long as the left feels that it’s fair for it to disrupt meetings and shout down speakers the conservatives are going to do the same.
The one thing I WON’T do is shed tears about the breakdown of civil debate. That died years ago. The truth is that the right is finally learning how to play hardball.
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
Copyright © 2009, Palomar Community Newspapers, dba Valley Roadrunner. All rights reserved. This content may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the Valley Roadrunner.