Monthly Archives: July 2016

WILDOMAR UNCHAIN FREEDOM

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Why is this playground apparatus chained up like a White Elephant

The gate approaching the swing. Note that it is between dawn and dusk, therefore the park is open

Chained so it will not swing. During normal park hours.

Close-up of the lock

The above pictures were taken on July 22, 2016

On April 21, 2016 a city official commented “This swing opened up in my city last Saturday, it was a Girl Scout Silver Award project”.
(April 21st was a Thursday making the re-opening of this swing April 16th)

Excuse me?

The first time this project was done, incorrectly, it was a scout project.
Despite what city officials claim, it was removed on a Sunday morning in October of 2014 after it failed an inspection by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) hired by the city when deficiencies were reported to the city’s insurance carrier.
The removal of this apparatus occurred a mere 22 days after installation as the ribbon cutting ceremony happened on September 27, 2014.

Below is a PDF of the inspection report
wheelchair playground summary 10-19-2014 Draft

The gist of the report was that the Wheelchair Swing did not meet safety standards

Freedom Redux

This time it cost the citizens of this community $34,000 from Developer Impact Fee Fund Account 460. The contractor was paid $31,573.80 which was listed in the City Council Agenda Packet of June 8, 2016 Item #1.6 of the consent calendar as the Marna O’Brien Park ADA Swing Re-Installation Project (CIP 036)
(The $2,426.20 above the $31,573.80 paid the contractor was attributed to construction management and inspection bringing the total to $34,000.00)
When the bids were accepted the city engineers estimate was $25,000.00
Inspection did not include another Certified Playground Safety Inspection as a copy of such an inspection was requested on June 8, 2016, acknowledged by the city clerk on June 9, 2016 with a reply promised no late than June 20, 2016.
(I am still waiting for the report and its almost August)

Pictures taken on numerous days and times since show the swing locked to its frame and the gate on the surrounding enclosure padlocked as well. All photos were taken during normal business hours of parks operations.
Starting on May 22 at 8:30 am

Again on July 11th at 8:42 am

The same goes for July 14, 20, 22, etc.

This swing appears to be shackled unless a city official is on hand for a photo op.

More questions need to be asked such as:
1. Why does an adult need another adult to supervise them on this swing. (Assuming they can
access this device)

The apparatus according to the Bid Packet (and the Manufacturer) is list as an “Adult Wheelchair Swing” able to accommodate Juvenile, Adult and Motorized Wheelchairs.

Not only is this apparatus chained up every day making it inaccessible but it also continues the reliance on another person to enjoy it.

2. When the original installation of the Freedom Swing was completed with
volunteer labor in its previous location, in the existing Tot-Lot, the ADA ramp
that allows children in wheelchairs and with other disabilities to utilize the
equipment was removed, replaced by a concrete slab. With the Freedom
Swing now located in another location why was the ADA compliant ramp not
returned to the Tot-Lot. As it sits right now children with disabilities can not
access the Playground Equipment in the Tot-Lot which meets ADA requirements.

When the ramp was there

When it was removed

What it looks like today

Maybe its time for city officials to quit patting themselves on the back for a job not so well done.
It is also time for the citizens of this community to start caring about where the precious few dollars are spent.

SEDCO RUN – RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN

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After attending a recent Town Hall meeting in the City of Lake Elsinore concerning the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON VALLEY–IVYGLEN SUBTRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT AND ALBERHILL SYSTEM PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT which will affect homes and businesses along Malaga Road, Mission Trail, Waite Street., Lemon Street., Lost Road and Bundy Canyon Road, along with some cross country area between Lost Road and Bundy Canyon Road.

Alberhill Project Area ASP-4

Alberhill Project Area ASP-5

Description of Fiber Optic Work and Access Roads for ASP-4 &5

Drawing of Lightweight Steel Pole (LWS) to be used for project.

Current look of poles on Mission Trail

The future look. Poles are approximately 45 feet taller with additional power lines attached

Parts being installed and removed ASP-4

Parts being installed and removed ASP-5

Work Schedule assuming approval by CPUC.

It became apparent that city officials could care less about this area by their non-appearance at this meeting or the one held on May 11th of this year. Many homes will be drastically affected aesthetically, visually and in the health and well-being of its residents when new 115 foot steel power poles replace existing 70 foot wooden poles to accommodate addition power lines as well as fiber optic lines. Not only will these poles continue to the visual blight of this area as residents will never look towards the Santa Mountain range without see these ugly poles but the additional power being transmitted brings with it further health concerns. These poles will also prevent Mission Trail from ever becoming a fully developed roadway with the required number of lanes to handle traffic along with bicycle/pedestrian traffic with the inclusion of bicycle lanes and proper sidewalks. Residents along Waite Street, Lemon Street and Lost Road will also be affected by taller poles to accommodate additional power.
Not only did city official not attend either of these meetings they relayed to citizens of wildomar absolutely no information about the changes that are set to occur in the near future, PROJECT CONSTRUCTION DATES Start Date- Spring 2017 Completion time 28 months. A comment made this evening has a city official believing nothing is going to change. Residents were never given the opportunity to voice their opinion about this project by city officials. All of this could and should go underground. Residents should have been told what options are available and how to voice the opinion about this project to the California Public Utilities Commission CPUC.

It might be time for the residents of the area known as SEDCO Hills to file the paperwork to detach from the city of wildomar and annex into the City of Lake Elsinore.
The petition must be signed by at least 20 percent of the registered voters residing in the community. The petition is filed with the executive officer of the local agency formation commission (“LAFCO”).

(I was one of two residents of Wildomar, no city officials bothered to appear for this important meeting challenging the Draft EIR)

WILDOMAR SHIRKS ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO ITS CITIZENS

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Shirk – avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility)

The city of wildomar once again shirks its responsibility. Rather than behave as a proper city and fix a city problem, the city has once again turned to an NGO.
(A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organized on a local, national or international level.)

On the evening of June 8, 2016 following a city council meeting, I spoke to the board of trustees of the Wildomar Cemetery District making the following the following statement.

CEMETERY
Public comment
At a recent event held on a Saturday in May at the Wildomar Cemetery it was noticed that access to the cemetery, other than climbing over the wall, was limited to one entry point on Gruwell. That entry point is 25 ½ inches wide. The minimum width required for wheelchair access is 32 inches for a standard wheelchair per ADA Access Guide. Let’s hope your wheelchair bound loved ones do not wish to visit the deceased on a weekend
These are from my notes of that evening.

The response to this by the Chair of the Board of Trustees was quite brusque, it was adamantly proclaimed there is no problem with access to the cemetery during non-business hours.

Following this shut down of the discussion
(as there is no discussion at a Cemetery District or city council meeting as members are prohibited by their own actions from addressing comments)
I gave the city time to announce a remedy to this situation by either an Request for Proposal or Request for Quote (RFP/RFQ) wherein the Wildomar Cemetery District would come up with a plan to remedy the access situation described above.
(I did not file a lawsuit)

On July 5, 2016 I posted on my blog Wildomar Connected @ http://www.wildomarconnected.com and on the Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch @ http://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar
An article entitled WILDOMAR CEMETERY NON-COMPLIANT

In it I showed photographic evidence, taken on July 4, 2016 (a holiday), of what I had described to the board of trustees of the Wildomar Cemetery District.

Lo and behold on July 8, 2016 the mayor of wildomar/chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Wildomar Cemetery District in another blog announced a solution to the access problem. It will become a “possible Girl Scout Gold Award project bringing it up to ADA standards”
That blog can be found @ http://wildomarrap.blogspot.com/ .
Credit where credit is due, this is a well written article.

This problem with access is clearly the responsibility of the Wildomar Cemetery District and in turn the city of wildomar and as such should be addressed by that entity and not pawned off to an NGO like this city is some third world country.
Scoutings Eagle and Gold Award projects are supposed to benefit the community not replace city public works.

WILDOMAR IN THE NEWS

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Being as Wildomar has virtually no decent new service, I will share this link.

http://ktla.com/2016/07/09/investigation-underway-after-window-of-deputys-patrol-car-shattered-in-wildomar/

This gives some details of what happened yesterday afternoon, while city officials were setting up for a party only 1300 feet away.

Click on the link it will take you to the Los Angeles News stations coverage. The commercial last 15 seconds, so patience.

WILDOMAR GETS SPANKED ONCE AGAIN

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WILDOMAR DOES POORLY, SO SAYETH THE GRAND JURY
This is the third time in 8 years the city has had to explain its actions to the grand jury.

Wildomar does a poor job of informing citizens about volunteer position openings on the Planning Commission and Measure Z Oversight Advisory Committee, so sayeth the Riverside County Grand Jury.
In a report made public on June 24, 2016 with a response due by August 20, 2016 the city of wildomar failed to properly post unscheduled vacancies as required by the Maddy Act.
Posting of other required notices at the Wildomar Library and the Wildomar Post Office are also in need of change.
At the library:
Parts of the agendas posted are obscured by the door frame. However, a small note is located at the bottom of the bulletin board door, which states “Please ask library staff to view the entire agenda.”
The grand jury recommends:
The bulletin board currently being used at the Wildomar Public Library be replaced with a
secure bulletin board, large enough to display the entire postings.

Wildomar Library

At the Post Office:
Postings at the U.S. Post Office in Wildomar are posted by the city clerk, or her deputy on a
clip board that is unsecured.
The grand jury recommends:
If the U.S. Post Office in Wildomar is continued to be utilized a secure bulletin board of
adequate size be used, otherwise, a different location be designated, such as the city website
or local fire station.

As I see it there may be an issue with changing the bulletin board at the library because this is a county owned facility, not city owned. There is also the problem with the library not being accessible, either the building or the parking lot, 24 hours a day. Per the “Brown Act”
The agenda must be posted at least 72 hours before the regular meeting in a location “freely accessible to members of the public.”
The courts have not definitively interpreted the “freely accessible” requirement. The California Attorney General has interpreted this provision:
In 78 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 327, 331-332 (1995), this office concluded that the 72-hour notice requirement mandates local agencies to post their notices in locations which are accessible 24 hours a day for the 72 hours prior to the meeting. Accordingly, notices cannot be placed in buildings which are locked for some portion of the 72 hours immediately prior to the meeting.
http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/brownAct2003.pdf

As for the U.S. Post Office,

Bulletin board at U.S. Post Office. There are three of these

there are secure bulletin boards available that could be used by the city but someone would need to show up when there is a postal employee present to unlock the bulletin boards. Anytime during normal business hours 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Monday thru Friday.
U.S. Post Office “Postal Operations Manual” Section 125.351 General:
Scheduled use of lobby space by government agencies is provided in the following order:
a. Federal agencies.
b. State agencies.
c. County and municipal agencies.

Also Section: 125.361 Bulletin Boards The following guidelines apply to the use of bulletin boards: a. Postmasters may install bulletin boards in public areas of Post Offices or set apart a convenient place to display official government notices, notices of public assemblies, judicial sales, official election notices issued by state or local government, and similar announcements. These display privileges must be afforded without discrimination.

These sections clearly allows for the posting of agendas inside the locked bulletin board.
Postal Operations Manual @ http://www.napus.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/POM_9-12_08.pdf

As to the first recommendation of the Grand Jury:
Develop policy and procedure ensuring the city complies with the “Maddy Act” by posting all vacancies at the city clerk’s office, the public library and other designated location(s).

The city of wildomar would have to climb down of its high horse and want citizen involvement in the workings of the city. There is much talent to be found in the community but currently if one wasn’t a part of the small group of WIN – Wildomar Incorporate Now members, forget about it.
All one has to do to see the reality of this is to look at the past response to vacancies in the Planning Commission and Measure Z Committee where only one or two applications were received for each vacancy, even after numerous request. All this in a town of 35,000 citizens of which more than 18,000 are eligible to hold a seat.

The full Grand Jury Report can be found at: http://www.countyofriverside.us/Home/GrandJury.aspx

WILDOMAR CEMETERY NON-COMPLIANT

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Wildomar Cemetery access is currently not ADA compliant on weekends and holidays. This was first observed during an event at the cemetery on a Saturday morning in May, and proven once again during a recent visit on the Fourth of July when photographic evidence shows that the three gates wide enough for wheelchair access are locked.

Front Gate facing Palomar

Side Gate facing Gruwell

Rear Gate facing Parking Lot for Little League

The only other proper entry point is a narrow passageway through the block wall on Gruwell about 200 feet from its intersection with Palomar St. (All other entry points require on to climb over the wall)

Along Gruwell St.

Having brought this to the attention of the city council, June 8th, where the mayor no less challenged the assertion without merit and the balance of the council was unable to respond as this was a “Public Comment” where response is prohibited by council rules.

Width of opening is 24 1/2 inches

The minimum width required for wheelchair access is 32 inches for a standard wheelchair per ADA Access Guide.

Per ADA Guideline

After having spent $31,000 installing a wheelchair swing in Marna O’Brien Park (for the second time) maybe the city could spend a couple hundred dollars to saw cut a wider passage way, 8 inches and provide a level concrete surface through it.