By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The October Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Committee meeting was held at the San Moritz Lodge in Crestline. This is where the various government agencies report to the community on what is occurring locally. The meeting took place at the San Moritz Lodge in Crestline with numerous community members in attendance.
The big news of the evening was when the Lake Gregory Community Advisory Committee member Candace Pearson and Nathan Godwin of the Lake Gregory Company reported on the County Board of Supervisors having approved the “destination accessible playground” that has been in the planning stage for several years. It was supported with some funding by community members, park visitors and the Regional Parks Department, and now the county has approved their full additional $430,000 funding of it as well. “The ground breaking ceremony will be held soon,” said Godwin of the Lake Gregory Company, who was all smiles with the news.
The playground will be a tall structure that will enable many children to enjoy it at the same time. It will fit in with the natural setting, and will be located next to the San Moritz dog park. It will be geared for children aged five to 12 and teens. Other playground equipment will be next to the skate park and is designed for children aged two to six. Nathan showed a drawing he had received from a VOE classroom several years ago, and said this new playground meets most of those hopes and dreams they had for a playground structure.
In other Lake Gregory Company news, the restroom, just off the lake trail below the Lake Gregory School District office, is just waiting for electrical connections and last-minute details for it to open up, as the water is already connected. The restroom at the bait and tackle shop at the Meadow is again functional, now that the parking lot and other repairs are completed. The asphalt is done and the fencing removed, freeing up a significant amount of parking that has been blocked off while repairs were being made.
The dredging project is awaiting the Army Corps of Engineers report, and trout are being stocked into the lake, now that the water is cooler. The announcement of fish stocking days on the Lake Gregory website is bringing lots of fishermen to the lake. On the day of the meeting, 1700 pounds of fish had been stocked. During the summer catfish were stocked into the lake. Future stockings are planned this fall.
The San Moritz Lodge will be occupied most days between now and the end of the year, said Godwin, with many events occurring each week. This last weekend for example saw two weddings, a high school homecoming dance and an event on the Meadow. His staff resets and cleans the rooms after each use. Year-round, at least one outside additional event per week usually takes place, beyond the regularly scheduled events of Woodlands Church and the two-times-a-week senior lunches.
Horace Corey of CalTrans addressed the meeting by Zoom. He had attended in-person to the Lake Arrowhead MAC last month and had promised to find some answers to questions from Allison Banner about the excessive signage being installed along state highways. Banner said there were so many they were “distracting, ugly, obnoxious and not necessary.’ He replied the glaring yellow arrow signs were for driving safety, especially during the foggy winter weather, and were needed by the tourists who do not know curves of the roadways. Banner continued, “We are a gem and need to be treated as such, the natural scenic view are ruined for example by 12 glaring yellow signs on one curve, in a non-tourist area. It looks like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and is a complete waste of money. On Hwy 173 in a ten-minute stretch of roadway, the signs are more distracting than helpful.”
The graphic of the proposed “Destination Playground” play set for Lake Gregory Regional Park.
Corey explained the work on the installation of the changeable message signs on Highways 18, 38 and 330 are now underway and will give real time traffic updates but are a year away from completion. He explained the road damage the storm created, and the repairs to reopen Hwy 38 will receive over the next year. He addressed the camps in the Big Bear area that had been cut off from all access just after the floods and washouts, and said the camps were now accessible but only from Big Bear. The repairs to the burned slopes above Hwy 138 around Silverwood Lake to decrease the possibility of mud flows closing the road this winter is underway, and at times traffic may be reduced to one-lane, alternating past the work sites.
County Supervisor Dawn Rowe’s report from the State of the County report to the people was given by Robin Bull, with the theme “building a stronger tomorrow.” She showed a short clip of the one-hour program, which highlighted the mountains for its entertainment, recreation and tourism value to the county, with a focus on Lake Gregory which attracted 150,000 visitors, Thousand Pines Camp and their science camps and Crestline’s Corks and Hops events. “The county has a bold vision with an unwavering commitment to shape the future by investing in its youth and their future,” she said.
Beginning the government agency update part of the meeting, Lt. Julian said the California Highway Patrol is getting ready for snow players, and they will be ticketing or towing illegally parked cars from the roadways. From July to September the CHP issued 1,582 citations, with 51 for DUI. Speeding tickets issued were up 82% with 2,802 contacts. There were two fatal collisions.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Lt. Jeremy Vasquez said they were enforcing the bus rules and ticketing those impatient drivers illegally passing the school buses. They are being helped by the cameras on the outside of the buses. Their office is fully staffed.
Brett Taylor gave the CalFire report by zoom. Sean Landavazo is the new Mountain Top Asst. Chief coming on board; he’s transitioning from his Sierra Division responsibilities. They are also fully staffed, and will be hiring their temporary staff beginning in October. They consider the current fuel levels as drought-stressed, and pledged to remain diligent in fuel removal as the Santa Ana winds have not yet arrived this season. He also proudly announced that CalFire regained their championship status at the Pine Cone Festival in the Bucket Brigade challenge.
The San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief said year-to-date they have responded to 740 calls, including a local structure fire where two patients suffered from smoke inhalation. They are actively training for winter. He warned residents to be careful with ashes from fireplaces, and to not place them on decks, and never use BBQs as a heating device. He reminded the community to change out batteries in smoke detectors as daylight savings time ends, and to practice home fire escape plans.
Superintendent Paul Sevillano reported on the status of Rim schools, saying during the Rim High School’s Career Day Fair, there were over 250 career presenters with 850 students attending. He complimented the direct admission program for 100 students to California State University, San Bernardino who have met the requirements. He is proud of the dual enrollment program with Crafton Hills College. He reported that the new partnership with CSUSB in their graduate Water Environmental Science research program with Dr Jennifer Alford is going very well.
Voter-approved Measure E will be selling bonds soon and submitting plans for essential repairs such as roofs HVAC for all schools equally, then moving on to other upgrades as outlined in the ballot measure. This plan of repairs will take years after so many years of delayed maintenance.
Funding for schools is based on enrollment and our small district did not decline in enrollment this year, joining Morongo as one of two districts where enrollment numbers held.
Mountain Transit is currently conducting a short-range survey of needs of the riders for the mountain area. Surveys can be taken on their website at www.mountaintransit.org. Mountaintop routes remain free to riders. Time schedules can be accessed on their website.
Under public comments, Rick Dinon of the Lake Gregory Yacht Club reminded residents about the end of summer Community Cleanup Day around Lake Gregory on Oct 18. It has been well attended in past years and he is grateful for the volunteers.
Another resident expressed concern over a building hazard on Chateau Drive, off Arosa Drive. The property owner is building without permits and creating unsafe sanitation situations that are flowing into the creeks, onto neighbor’s lands and ultimately into the lake. He said he and others have reported to county Code Enforcement but nothing has been done, as the work continues. Supervisor’s Rep. Robin Bull will investigate what can be done about this.
Rhea-Frances Tetley reported the Mountain History Museum is now closed from the summer season but will be open two more weekends this year: Thanksgiving weekend and December 20 and 21 with Santa there for free selfies from noon to 3 p.m. The museum’s store will be offering 10% discounts on all merchandise. The museum will be open 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. The museum is offering free group tours for non-profits, schools, homeschoolers and scout groups. Call the museum at (909) 744-8625, or see their website www.mtnmuseum.org to coordinate a tour. Their holiday dinner/dance party will be held on December 6 at the San Moritz Lodge with the “American Bandstand” theme, with Ballroom Burn instructor Steve Valentine leading the dancing to music from the 1950s thru the 80s.
The next Municipal Advisory Council meeting will be Lake Arrowhead’s and held in Twin Peaks at the county building at 6 p.m. on Thursday November 6th. The last Crest Forest MAC of the year will be held on Tuesday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Moritz Lodge. The meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m.
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