Monthly Archives: April 2014

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR ? HERITAGE STATUS

While walking about town, doing my part for the environment, I came across a sidewalk that had been repaired most likely by the City of Wildomar.

Uplifted sidewalk

Other edge of one slab being lifted by root.

I got to wondering if the city is going to wait for the trees uplifting the sidewalk to reach an age that would place them into Heritage Status at which time the city could claim they are no longer allowed to remove them thereby stopping the damage to city property.

Another slab further along the way

Not to mention the damage that will occur to the block wall bordering Palomar Street that the city will most likely have to repair for the homeowners being as these trees are on city property.

Won’t be long before the wall is affected

In the mean time the uplifting is creating a safety hazard for the citizens using this sidewalk which could result in a person tripping and falling.
Ha Ha thought it was about the park didn’t you. Although the debris in the gutter will be there shortly.

DEJA VU AT WILDOMAR’S DOG PARK AND IT COSTLY DEFICIENCIES

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The Wildomar City Dog Park is located at the northwest corner of Regency Heritage Park. Although access to the dog park can be made from anywhere in the park the primary access point is at the east end of Trailwood Court off of Union Street where there is a gate which leads directly to the dog park.
This access point is part of a 20 foot wide drainage easement of which 10 feet is now an entry sidewalk into the park from Trailwood Court.

Water enters park from Trailwood Court during recent rain event

This easement drains a portion of a 30 acre tract of homes west of the park along with the runoff from the asphalt play area, parking lot and buildings of the north side of William Collier Elementary School.

Enter point of water from school play area

Entry point of water to park from 30 acre housing tract

The earliest photos of the park I can find is an aerial from the County of Riverside Land Information System. Notice the trees (dark area in northwest area by the sidewalk coming off of Trailwood Court). The school is under construction at this time.

Aerial photo taken in 1996

The next photo is from the same source. Notice the trees are still present, starting at the curve in the sidewalk off Trailwood Court, running from west to east towards the low point on the property

Aerial photo taken 2004

Next photo is when the County of Riverside chose to borrow a large sum of money to rebuild the parks in Wildomar, saddling Wildomar citizens with 30+ years of debt. Presto no more trees or watercourse running across what is to become a Dog Park

Aerial photo taken 2007

The final aerial photo available to the public (the city could order up photos going back to 1938) shows the watercourse returning, this is at a point when the City of Wildomar has been in charge of the parks for 2 years.

Aerial photo taken 2011. Notice the channel across the dog park

DEJA VU

Visited the Dog Park on April 26th, the morning after less than .200 or around 3/16 of an inch of rain fell over a 4 hour period.
The beginning of what was has already started because the City of Wildomar has failed to recognize and correct serious deficiencies in the drainage at Regency Heritage Park.
The following is a photomontage taken over several months starting in December of 2013 and ending Saturday April 26th after a little rain has fallen

Merry Christmas at the dog park December 23, 2013

This area in December, is shown again at the end of this series as it was on April 26, 2014

Early February scene at the dog park

Late February after 3/4 inch of rain

April 4, 2014. Progress being made

Nature keeps trying to remind the powers that be this is not a good idea. Only .04 inches have fallen since this was leveled.

All better once again on April 8, 2014

Opening day everything seems perfect one more time.

April 26, 2014 MOTHER NATURE SAYS NOT SO FAST.

April 26, 2014 The area reference at the beginning of this series of photos

WILDOMAR GENERAL PLAN AND VLF

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Even though I agree with Martha Bridges, shame on me right, that Wildomar did not properly adopt the County of Riverside General Plan or the Elsinore Area Plan nor have they since incorporation attempted to complete one and therefore do not have a proper General Plan I have attended most of the meetings on updating the General Plan.
I do this because one never knows which the courts will rule on any matter before them and do not wish to left unheard on this important document in the event that the courts rule in favor of the city.
Having said that I also have to say I am real tired of the City of Wildomar blaming all of the shortcomings on the lost of the Vehicle Licensing Fees (VLF). Starting way back in 2008 shortly after incorporation the then Interim City Manager John Danielson started warning council members of the tenuous nature of VLF. It was not until June of 2011 a full 3 years after incorporation that the funding was eliminated by total surprise, therefore Wildomar should have already started the process for a General Plan 6 months prior to this time.
Both of the Cities of Menifee and Eastvale, two cities that also lost VLF funding started and have completed their General Plans, even the City of Jurupa Valley has asked the State of California for a two year extension to complete theirs, Wildomar didn’t give it a second thought until a lawsuit was filed challenging them on whether they had or didn’t have one.
The loss of VLF hurt for sure but law enforcement and fire took the brunt of the cost cutting, the sad fact is Wildomar was never in a financial position to be a city, unfortunately we are one and must try to behave like one as best we can.

MAYBE ITS ON THE TO-DO-LIST

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UPDATE: With 50 hours to go at 4:07 and again 4:09 received an e-mail notification that the regular meeting of April 24, 2014 has been adjourned to May 1, 2014 same time, same place due to a staff scheduling conflict.

Notice with an agenda of an upcoming event scheduled to occur on April 24, 2014 at 6:30 pm in the council chambers located at 23873 Clinton Keith Road.

The City of Wildomar who has pledged on several occasions in the past to adhere to the requirements of the “Brown Act” has failed once again in its duties to due so. Will they as they have in the past step back and have a do over on a different date or will plow ahead totally disregarding its citizens right to be properly informed in a timely manner with all of the pertinent information.

What the hell am I talking about.

CITY OF WILDOMAR MEASURE Z OVERSIGHT ADVISORY COMMITTEE scheduled for Thursday Night, April 24, 2014 has not been properly noticed 72 hours prior, per the Brown Act. In order for that to have occurred notice would have had to been post by 6:30 pm on Monday April 21, 2014.

IDEAS TO ENHANCE GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT IN LOCAL AREAS

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This is my response to the State of California asking for ideas to a call for action to expand water storage capacity and improve groundwater management.

Living in Southwest Riverside California where 60+ percent of the water supplied by the local districts is imported due to an already depleted groundwater environment I see numerous areas where water is wasted.
One being the re-use of reclaimed water. Currently reclaimed water from the Santa Margarita watershed at Temecula is pumped north to the Santa Ana watershed rather than being re-used locally, other than a small portion being used to stabilize Lake Elsinore and watering some parks and schools. Part of this is due to the quantity and quality of the reclaimed water entering the Murrieta Creek a short distance from the ocean. An idea would be to take a portion of this reclaimed water being pumped north out of its current watershed, and introducing it into several of the ephemeral streams during their normally dry periods allowing for further cleansing by a natural process of stream flow, being this amount would be a known quantity it could by adjusted so that a large portion of this new flow would recharge the groundwater basin rather than flow to the ocean. This new flow would intern create new wildlife corridors and increase flow in existing threatened stream beds during times of drought.
Another method to increase groundwater recharge would be to either core holes or create channels in the existing concrete lined flood control channels creating places for additional reclaimed water to be introduced to opportunities to recharge the groundwater basins while still providing for flood control, primarily during dry periods rather than allowing this immense amount of reclaimed water that started out as imported water to be discharged into the ocean used only once

Kenny Mayes
Wildomar California

If anyone has an idea they would like to share with the state the can read what is already being proposed and submit their ideas at http://www.opr.ca.gov/s_groundwater.php

FILET MIGNON

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While taking some updated photo’s of Marna O’Brien Park I came across a previous photo’s of a an area I worked on as a volunteer.

What I started with after plants were place during GDS

The area started out with plants too close together as well as too close to the sidewalks. After some prodding I was allowed to move them to a proper spacing and removed the dirt from along the sidewalks so the bark would be contained by the sidewalk rather washing over it.

After moving the plants to the proper spacing and moving dirt from the edge

Everything looked fantastic after “Bark in the Park Day” with 35 Hesperaloa parviflora (Red Yucca) planted and doing fine.

Looking Good

The changes are dramatic and not in a good way. As of April 17, 2014 there are 10 plants left

What it looked like on opening day

The culprit
One big A- – gopher.

We could use an owl here as well.

Per the City of Wildomar Parks Subcommittee Agenda Packet of September 14, 2013 these plants are valued at $9.00 each, therefore this gopher is eating filet mignon having consumed $225.00 worth of plants. This is just one small area in one park

READY ? OR NOT ?

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Were Wildomar’s parks ready to be opened on April 12,2014. You be the judge.

Empty as are all of them.

Opening Day and no waste receptacles. Ball Fields which are closed have them through.

I’d say enjoy the BBQ but you can’t even make trash can chicken

Don’t like where the table is, just move it.

Don’t like the view, turn the bench around

Hang on to the children, numerous hazards are still present

Nice Banner

We get this instead

Even Ortega Trails gave better

More work to be done, can’t wait to see what we’ve spent so far.

Art Deco, hope your not thirsty

Good thing the lawns are still closed you could lose a small child in there

Bring you own nuisance bag

Hope the tree survives the seal coating that was applied and then wiped off

READY ON THE RIGHT ? READY ON THE LEFT ?

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STAND DOWN!!
All is not ready on the firing line. The firing line being the bridge at Regency Heritage Park.
If standing on the bridge leading to William Collier Elementary School

Under the bridge peaking out of the garbage from the trolls point point of view

and looking down range, to the southeast on the right (the side the school is on), is a MS4 channel “Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer Systems” or storm drain or System designed or used to collect or convey stormwater (including storm drains, pipes, ditches, etc.) leading to Grand Avenue which collects stormwater from the mountains to the south of the park.

Approaching Grand Ave.

Another look towards Grand Ave.

Looking back towards the park

It also collects run-off from the rural area between Grand Ave, Union St. as far south as Sheila Lane

Heading towards Grand Ave and Sheila Ln.

While standing in the same spot if one looks to the left (up the hill towards the houses) is a flood channel coming off of Palomar Street.

Looking towards Palomar St.

Another look towards Palomar St.

The channels are on property owned by Riverside County EDA and listed as part of the City of Wildomar’s drainage system on the Santa Margarita River Watershed MS4 Facilities Map.
If one looks straight ahead towards the end of the park one sees what I have referred to as the “Rabbit Hole”

The rabbit hole, discharge point from Bryant St. Drain Stage 1

Which is owned and maintained by Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District RCFC&WCD which collects run-off from as far south and east as Mission Trail, Bryant St. and the pit called Marna O’Brien Park.
All three of these systems combine to bring you

After only 3/4 of an inch of rain had fallen overnight.

Sedco Bryant St. Drainage from hills west of Grand Ave. after 3/4 of an inch of rain.

Unnamed channel from Palomar after 3/4 of an inch of rain.

With the current condition of the bridge trolls housing we end up with this

Water accumulated before the bridge to the school. Poor Bridge Troll

Which leaves behind this

All the sediment in the channel will end up here once again

After many man hours countless thousands of dollars and months later it still looks like this on Opening Day.

The morning of opening day. Work on the parks began in October of 2013

When Mother Nature pulls the trigger and releases her next load of measurable rain down range the City of Wildomar will not be ready on the firing line

DISDAIN FOR THE AVERAGE CITIZEN OF WILDOMAR

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At the most recent wildomar city council meeting congratulations were extended to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for the recovery of recently stolen items. A big hands together indeed for a job well done. What wasn’t given was acknowledgment that a LOCAL CITIZEN, who after hearing about the theft in one of the many forms of local media, called in the tip that started the Sheriff’s Department on the road to recovering these items which had been scattered to the winds, items having been found in 4 locations at last count.
Further evidence of the utter contempt by the city council for the Average Citizen of wildomar was during the discussion of future agenda items, one being obtaining a proper zip code for the residence of the most norther section of town which still retains a Lake Elsinore mailing address.

Six years and they are finally thinking about it.

During the discussion all anyone on the dais could remember was the loss of the “Bear Creek Golf Resort” to a Murrieta zip code by the post office, this occurred at a time when half the community of wildomar had a Lake Elsinore zip code. I did, we started out with a Wildomar Zip code and were switched to Lake Elsinore only to be returned back to Wildomar a few short years later. The thing is, no matter what zip we were still in the community of wildomar.
The residence of Bear Creek not only had their zip code changed but the County of Riverside shifted the boundaries of the community into the new City of Murrieta not the Post Office.
Also mentioned during this portion of the session was changing the Historical name of the Baxter Street off-ramp to something more pleasing to the council, like, Wildomar Parkway. Why the name change, nobody can remember who Baxter was or they know and are not pleased he called Murrieta home.
Near as I can tell he was Albert. S. Baxter, farmer, born in 1867 in Illinois who at the time he lived in the area called Murrieta his home, this is where his twin boys claim they were born.
Maybe we could rename it Alameda del wildomar to go along with Alameda del Monte. Alameda translates to Tree lined Avenue. Better yet why not Brown Ave seeing as how the Brown house is rotting away within view of the off ramp.

GRAND RE-OPENING FOR SALE; BRING YOUR OWN POWER

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After passage of a $28.00 parcel tax that will garner the City of Wildomar almost $350,000 for maintenance, operations and programs the City of Wildomar will re-open, one, two or three ?, of its parks on April 12, 2014 by holding a swap meet, at $20.00 per spot, to go along with the Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt.
To add to City Officials confusion of what a park is for, the vendors will be allowed to set up their stalls at the same time children are running about hunting for hidden trinkets, paid for with about $1,000 of their parents parcel tax.
While looking over the vendor application for this day one can’t help notice the Section titled B: “Power Restrictions which requires a vendor to use either a Quiet Generator or No Power as no power is available at the park. Seems to me I recall power was added to the park for the failed “Farmer’s Market” back in March and April of 2010 when receptacles were added to the light poles in the parking lot at a cost of $3500.
Other than this fiasco that will occur at Marna O’Brien Park the other parks are progressing.
Marna O’Brien is having some work done on the parking lot, courtesy of most recent grant. None of the drains are marked and it looks like none of the filters have been replaced or repaired as required by the Regional Water Board Best Management Practices (BMP)but whats a little polluted water.
The grass, along with the shrums, at Windsong is coming along nicely. There is still the issue of replacing tables under the gazebo and the ugly fence is still in place.

The white stuff on the lawn are shrums not paper.

Gazebo is great for getting out of the sun is you don’t mind standing or bringing your own chair

Heritage Parks is being worked on with large amounts of dirt being removed today Friday April 4.

Some of the dirt still being removed.

Many of the plants appear to have been scraped away in the process, but hey its only taxpayer money and donated time so what the heck. With any luck the rains will hold off returning large amounts of water and sediment, at least until people have had a little time to use it.

Just the little bit of rain the other day has started destruction once again

Wildomar Connected

Bringing together the community through conversation

Monthly Archives: April 2014

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR ? HERITAGE STATUS

DEJA VU AT WILDOMAR’S DOG PARK AND IT COSTLY DEFICIENCIES

WILDOMAR GENERAL PLAN AND VLF

MAYBE ITS ON THE TO-DO-LIST

IDEAS TO ENHANCE GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT IN LOCAL AREAS

FILET MIGNON

READY ? OR NOT ?

READY ON THE RIGHT ? READY ON THE LEFT ?

DISDAIN FOR THE AVERAGE CITIZEN OF WILDOMAR

GRAND RE-OPENING FOR SALE; BRING YOUR OWN POWER