The $400K Road to NOwhere: MAC Meeting a Lively Discussion

- VOICE OF THE PEOPLE -

The $400K Road to NOwhere: MAC Meeting a Lively Discussion
by Jim Fosbinder, B-BAR-H Resident

The first MAC meeting held July 9th at the VFW was attended by 20+ B-BAR-H Ranch Residents. And, it was a lively conversation. We learned about the purpose of the MAC, how we can participate, and most importantly, how we can be heard to get things done for the common good of all!

We were a little disappointed the "old" CSA 115 Board Members were up to their "old" tricks and decided to introduce the "new" MAC to their Standard Operating Procedure "coup d'etat" of no-show of one Board Member so there wasn't a quorum. We aren't going to tolerate that old way of doing business within our new MAC! Residents were eager to contribute suggestions and ideas for our next meeting which we hope will be scheduled prior to October!!!

Brenda Salas, Project Manager, explained we need more people for our MAC's Board of Directors; 5-7 Board Members is ideal in case there's any absenteeism. Volunteers came forth to become a MAC Board Member: Andy Biswas, Tad Seney, and Guy Hildebrand are applying for the MAC Board. Plus, Steve Grasha already submitted his application, and Brenda confirmed it has been received. We should have a strong MAC Board soon who will represent the area to help get things done for our neighborhood.

A lively discussion was centered around the new "Road to Nowhere." The County may have approved a second entrance/exit for our area, but we learned last night there's a 80-90% chance we can overturn the decision. There's no need to spend our tax dollars on a road we do not want or need. A petition was presented at the meeting signed by 20+ residents. The petition will be sent to Brenda Salas to present to the Board Of Supervisors as our first attempt to stop the "$400K Road to Nowhere." We also communicated clearly, we will do whatever it takes to stop this wasteful spending of our tax dollars.

Juan Perez, Director of Transportation, heads up Riverside County's transportation department. Brenda is going to ask him to attend our next MAC meeting to give us a staff report on the road project status and the amount of money already spent from our tax dollars for this project. We need to find out from Mr. Perez what we need to do to put a halt on this wasteful spending before it gets out of control. At our last Neighborhood Meeting (not the MAC), Chad Wilshire, Senior Development Specialist for Riverside County, informed us money has already been spent on some of the engineering of the road project. We really need to stop this unneeded spending of our tax dollars.

Did you know we have a second exit out of the area through 18th Street? It's a dirt road, but works perfectly if there's an emergency! It's large enough for dump trucks and fire trucks. We really need to think about spending $400K on a new road when we already have two entrances/exits from our area. Pat Carney said the 18th Street exit crosses a vacant lot. If you own the lot, please contact us. Regardless, I don't think Police, Fire or Ambulance care if the road crosses a vacant lot -- they'll use it anyway!

Someone mentioned the idea of putting up a gated road which would be locked and used only for an emergency. Only police and fire would have the key. Well, although this sounds like a fancy alternative, the tax dollars and cost would increase to create a gate and all! I don't think this is a good way to spend our tax dollars! And again, it's not needed because we can exit using El Serape Road and 18th Street onto Bubbling Wells.

There were many other topics discussed, and we are preparing information for our next meeting. The next MAC Meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 8, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. We're going to see if we can get an earlier date. The location will be determined later and posted on the blog.

Here's what we're planning for the next meeting topics:

1. Speed Bumps
2. Stop Signs
3. Road Improvement - Black Top
4. Solar Street Lamps
5. Traffic Study for 20th Avenue & Bubbling Wells Road
6. Change our Name from Desert Hot Springs to??? Please bring your ideas to the next meeting!
7. Arch Area Improvement
8. Staff Report from Dept. of Transportation about the status of the "road to nowhere" project

We were told things get done by people who attend the meetings.

It was good to see Code Enforcement represented at our first MAC Meeting. For those of you who are concerned, Mary Overholt, Code Enforcement Officer, said the broken fence at the end of Sagebrush Trail is being addressed. Plus, we were told there will be more Code Enforcement Officers scheduled to drive through our area on a regular basis to help us maintain the integrity of the community. On behalf of our area, we thanked Code Enforcement for attending our first MAC and for the help they've given us to clean up our neighborhood. If you haven't done so, take a drive around. You can see the difference Code Enforcement's Community Improvement Department has made! Our Riverside County, Community Improvement Specialist is Chaka Ferrel.

Let's create a fresh, new Municipal Advisory Committee! Let's do things for the common good of us all and create a community we are proud to call our home! Let's use our roads & lighting tax dollars wisely for the things we need to improve our community and our property.

Spread the word. Talk to your neighbors. Tell people who don't have a computer about the MAC.