March 14th Neighborhood Clean Up Day

Volunteers at the Octbr 11, 2008 Riverside County Code Enforcement Clean Up Day held at Bubbling Wells Elementary School

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Mark your calendar for March 14, 2009. We're having a clean up day in our area coordinated in partnership with Riverside County Code Enforcement Community Improvement Specialist, Chaka Ferrel.

Plans are for us to have one dumpster located near our area, probably under the B-BAR-H Ranch Arch shown above on the corner of Bubbling Wells and El Serape Roads. Specific details will be posted here after a meeting with Code Enforcement next Friday. The event will be held from 8:00 a.m. until Noon on Saturday, March 14, 2009.

Our neighborhood actively participated in last year's event and brought truck loads of trash to the dumpsters. It truly made a difference in the neighborhood to see garbage and trash removed from yards and from alongside houses. This year's event will give everyone an opportunity to do the same by cleaning out old items too bulky for pick up by our weekly trash removal service.

This year, our neighborhood will get one dumpster placed nearby so we can dispose of unwanted items without driving to the school. However, the March 14th main event will be held at Bubbling Wells Elementary School just like last year's event.

If you have items not accepted in a dumpster, like tires, chemicals, paints, etc. contact County Waste Management for a list of their clean up events. They are held almost every weekend. The website is www.rivcowm.org and the schdedule can be found there for the disposal of tires, paints, and chemicals, etc.

Chaka Ferrel, Riverside County Community Improvement Specialist is sponsoring this event and will be available at Bubbling Wells Elementary School to answer your questions.

We anticipate this year's event to be as successful as last year's, and we'll keep you updated with news about the event. If you have a question, want to volunteer at the event, or suggestions for Code Enforcement, please send an email to Webmaster(at)IGMproducts.com.

Desert Hot Springs Code Enforcement Cases & Foreclosure Stats

Mountain views surround Desert Hot Springs, California

by Anna Miller, Secretary
B-BAR-H Ranch Neighborhood Association

Desert Hot Springs, California is probably one of the best kept secrets in the State. It's a quiet city nestled between Palm Springs and Yucca Valley. It has a beautiful landscape with many new homes for sale. The cost of living in Desert Hot Springs isn't quite as high as its neighboring Desert Cities, and it has all the conveniences with short travel times to many other areas.

B-BAR-H Ranch Arch constructed in the 1920's is in need of repair

Our Community, the B-BAR-H Ranch neighborhood, is located in Riverside County between Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs. We're about a 10 minute drive to either city. Palm Springs is well-known and developed. Desert Hot Springs is smaller, mostly residential with a few shopping centers and many, small, well-known spa resorts. It's the perfect, quiet area to live and raise a family. Dining out is less expensive than other Desert Cities, and there are restaurants to please all sorts of traditional Thai, Italian, Mexican and American diners. The service is great and the people are friendly.

The B-BAR-H Ranch organized a neighborhood community watch program in 2008. Under the direction of a group of neighbors, the B-BAR-H Ranch Community Association holds meetings and helps organize neighborhood functions to maintain the property value of the new homes located in the B-BAR-H Ranch neighborhood.

View from Pierson Blvd in Desert Hot Springs, California

An important function held throughout the year is a neighborhood clean up day sponsored by Chaka Ferrel, Community Improvement Specialist, Riverside County Code Enforcement Department. The B-BAR-H Ranch works in partnership with Code Enforcement to obtain annual clean up goals. Chaka, and fellow associate, Regina Keyes, Code Enforcement Officer, attended and presented at the B-BAR-H Ranch Community Association meeting held on January 17, 2009.

Courtesy of City-Data.com

As follow up to our in depth discussion with Code Enforcement on January 17th, Chaka responded to our request with details about our area. According to Chaka Ferrel, as of November 2008 statistics, the Desert Hot Springs area has about 253 properties in foreclosure, and 39% of the 253 foreclosed homes have open, active Code Enforcement cases. There are about 98 Code Enforcement cases as summarized below:

• 20 – Accumulated Rubbish (20.4 %)
• 7 – Construction without Permit (7 %)
• 60 – Substandard Structures / Dwellings (61.2 %)
• 2 – Vehicle Abatement (2.4 %)
• 9 – Zone Violations (9 %)

Our goal is to continue to work in partnership with Riverside County Code Enforcement to keep the B-BAR-H Neighborhood clear of violations. Our next neighborhood clean up day is being planned for Spring 2009. The date, location and activities will be defined and posted here. We'll also send out an email and notify the neighborhood by printed newsletter. The tasks and activities sponsored by the B-BAR-H Ranch Community Association are accomplished by a team of concerned neighbors. We work together to uphold the quality of our neighborhood.

For more information, to Subscribe to our emails, to submit an article for this blog, or to become a part of the B-BAR-H Ranch Community Association, please send your email address to Webmaster(at)PaintbrushTrail.com.

January 17, 2009 Meeting Minutes

DHS Relay for Life Cancer Walk
Click to enter Team B-BAR-H Ranch: We BAR Cancer Website.
Join our team today!

B-BAR-H Ranch Community Association
January 17, 2009 Neighborhood Meeting Minutes Summary
By Anna Miller, Secretary

• New Year Welcome by President Curtis Schway
o Welcomed everyone & new attendees
o Summarized 2008 accomplishments
o We miss Guy Hildebrand and hope he is doing well.
o 2009 ongoing effort to keep our neighborhood clean and safe

• Guest Speaker Introductions by Secretary Anna Miller
o Neighborhood improvement is ongoing. Code Enforcement has already helped us by contacting the owners of many of the vacant lots to have the lots cleaned of garbage and construction remnants. Chaka and Regina from Code Enforcement helped us identify CE violations and what we can do to get situations addressed.
o Chaka Osborne, Code Enforcement Improvement Specialist. The next neighborhood clean up is schedules for March 21st. We'll be in touch with Chaka to get trash bins set at the B-BAR-H Ranch Arch.
o Regina Keyes, Code Enforcement Officer establishd one point of contact for our neighborhood. We requested "illegal dumping" signs be posted along 20th Avenue and Bubbling Wells Road.
o There have been complaints about a trailer parked on the street in front of a house on Paintbrush Trail. Regina said she notified the owner to have the trailer moved to his driveway.

• DHS Cancer Walk by TreasurerJim Fosbinder and Pat Carney
o Team B-BAR-H Ranch - We BAR Cancer! has been established to walk in the DHS Relay for Life Cancer Walk 2009
o January 28th party at Senior Center - Kick Off Party, food, silent auction, fun!
o Contact Jim to register as a participant to walk on our team.
o Click Here to Register Online or make a donation to our team. All donations are tax deductible.

• Shake Rattle & Roll - Earthquake Simulation was announced by Pat Carney. It's scheduled on February 21, 2009 at the DHS High School Vendors will be there with products and services available to prepare for earthquakes. This is to be a very informative and simulated real-life event.

• Neighborhood Party by Toni M. Ringlein
o Toni Ringlein volunteered to head the coordination of our neighborhood party. It was suggested we have the party on the same day as the next clean up day, March 21st.
o Party Planning Committee was formed.
o First planning meeting is set for January 27th.

• Meeting Closure by President Curtis Schway
o Attendees want to meet every other month in 2009. Some people can't attend on the weekend. We decided to have our next meeting during the week. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the VFW. Pat Carney will confirm date and time.
o Invitations will be sent via door-to-door, email and posted on the blog at PaintbrushTrail.com. People volunteered to help distribute paper invitations.

Relay for Life Meeting - DHS Cancer Walk - Community Event

Relay for Life Meeting

Desert Hot Springs Senior Center‎

11777 West Drive

Desert Hot Springs, CA‎

Thursday, January 8, 2009

6:00 p.m.

(760) 329-0222‎

Join us at the Desert Hot Springs Senior Center on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 6 p.m. for a meeting about an upcoming DHS Cancer Walk called the Relay for Life.

The Senior Center is located right behind the Carl May Center on West Drive. Mapquest the directions if needed. Above is a map. If more details are needed please contact Pat Carney.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting to coordinate a DHS cancer walk.

Neighborhood Meeting Notice

We hope everyone had a restful and satisfying holiday season. Now, as promised, it's time for our next Neighborhood Meeting. Please mark your calendar...

January 17, 2009

10 a.m.

VFW
(South B-BAR-H Ranch)

We have guests coming to the meeting from Code Enforcement. Improvement Specialists Chaka Osborne and Regina Keyes from Code Enforcement will be introduced and asked to tell us more about how we can keep our neighborhood looking good. We can ask questions, discuss situations, and learn more about the Code Enforcement policies and procedures. Chaka was the driving force behind the last Clean Up Day we participated in at Bubbling Wells Elementary School. Let's ask her about getting her Department to sponsor a Clean Up Day specifically for the North and South B-BAR-H Ranch.

Here's the tenative agenda for the January 17th meeting:

• New Year Welcome by President Curtis Schway
  
• Guest Speaker Introductions by Secretary Anna Miller
  Chaka Osborne, Code Enforcement Improvement Specialist
  Regina Keyes, Code Enforcement Improvement Specialist
  
• Audience Open Discussion: Questions for Code Enforcement
  
• Neighborhood Party by Toni M. Ringlein

Please feel free to contact Webmaster(at)PaintbrushTrail.com if you would like to add an agenda item. We look forward to seeing you on January 17th.