B-BAR-H Neighborhood News

 Missing  Rottweiler Found!

Thanks to Our Neighbors

Mike and Tania Smith, Sagebrush Trail, had a sad day this week when their one year old Rottweiler got loose.  We sent out an email immediately to everyone here and within one day the puppy was found at the home of another neighbor.

We look out for one another in our community.  Please use the blog to post help or any other need you may have.  

"Thank for your quick help with that email to the neighborhood. After combing the neighborhood today we found our dog at a neighbors house. He is now home safe and sound. We really appreciate your time. We are so grateful to be a part of such a caring community."  Mike and Tania Smith

Nieghborhood Meeting Follow-Up

On Saturday, September 13, 2008, the B-BAR-H Ranch residents met at the VFW Hall to discuss a Neighborhood Watch and plan for a second meeting. There were about 30 or more people in attendance. The meeting began sharply at 10:00 a.m., and some of the residents stayed and talked until almost 12:30 p.m.

The meeting agenda and speakers were as follows:

1. Curtis Schway, BAR-H Ranch resident, welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming to the meeting. Curtis briefly defined the meeting's intention to reduce problems in our neighborhood by coming together as a group of concerned property owners. He introduced his wife, Laura, who is available as our Spanish translator for our non-English speaking neighbors.

2. Pat Carney, BAR-H Ranch resident, summarized and reviewed upcoming neighborhood County-sponsored events. Here's a summary of the three main events:

•September 9–Earthquake Drill November 13
•October 11-Neighborhood Clean Up at Bubbling Wells Elementary School VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
•October 25–Neighborhood Conference in Palm Desert
See other blog posts on this page for more details pertaining to each event.

Pat introduced the Guest Speakers:
•Deputy Sheriff Lori Hardcastle, Sheriff’s Dept. (Neighborhood Watch)
•Office Mary Overholt, Code Enforcement Dept. (Area Updates)
•David W. Newton, President, I-10 Corridor Neighborhood Watch

3. Questions & Answers - Large group discussion. The group spent the rest of the meeting in a question and answer session.

We closed with the announcement of the next meeting date scheduled for September 27, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at the VFW Hall.

If you have any questions or comments please submit them by clicking on the Comments Link below.

B-BAR-H Neighborhood Comments - Time for a WATCH

The B-BAR-H Neighborhood Blog was established to create a forum for open communication within our community in an effort to bring us together. The goal is to enhance our neighborhood by working together. The anonymous comments were plentiful and diverse. Now, as a neighborhood, we will meet to discuss ways to move forward for our community.

B-BAR-H Ranch Neighborhood Meeting

September 13, 2008

10:00 a.m. VFW Hall

Whose Responsibility is it?

Below is a list of topics and anonymous comments from the blog posts. The B-BAR-H Neighborhood will need to decide whose responsibility it is to address each concern. Is it the County's responsibility or is it the B-BAR-H Neighborhood's responsibility? Or, is it both, the County and the B-BAR-H Neighborhood's responsibility to work together?

The comments made on the blog can easily become the topics for the B-BAR-H Neighborhood meeting on September 13th. We hope a Sherrif and Code Enforcement Representative will be in attendance on the 13th to define a neighborhood watch and answer our questions.

B-BAR-H Neighborhood Watch

We must remain sensitive to peoples' needs and at the same time address issues as a community. Because the Code Enforcement Agency already visited our area and identified violations, we know there's work to be done. So, whenever a County Code violation is brought to the forefront, the B-BAR-H Watch should be asked to address the violation prior to a member of our neighborhood being fined by Riverside County Code Enforcement.

It Must Work for the Common Good of All
B-BAR-H Watch neighbors who see violations can submit an anonymous comment on the blog with the address of the violator or write directly to the Webmaster @ PaintbrushTrail.com. The Blog's Webmaster is a neutral, non-threatening party and will forward the comments to the The B-BAR-H Watch group. The B-BAR-H Watch must confirm the violation with the Code Enforcement & Sheriffs Departments. If the item is determined to be a violation, the B-BAR-H Watch must contact the owner. If the violation is not addressed properly within a reasonable amount of time, the B-BAR-H Watch will be asked to submit the violation to the County Code Enforcement Agency. As stated above, we must remain sensitive to peoples' needs and at the same time address issues as a community.

You don't have to wait until the 13th to speak your thoughts. An anonymous comment can be posted at the end of this article.

B-BAR-H Ranch Neighborhood Meeting
September 13, 2008
10:00 a.m. VFW Hall

Blog Comments & Concerns
Below is a summary of comments from Blog posts which can easily become meeting topics. We can discuss the comments and vote on how we want to move forward with each item. We also need to determine whose responsibility it is to make sure concerns are addressed properly. Everyone will be asked to participate in one way or another for our community.

• COMMUNICATION. I'll be the first to say, this is a great idea.

• NO MAILBOX DELIVERY. STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY MAIL BOX.

• YES MAILBOX DELIVERY. I was happy to see the newsletter today in my mailbox.

• USPS NEWSLETTER DELIVERY ($?). I agree that it's probably best these flyers be mailed and an opt in opt out option wouldn't hurt

• EMAIL DELIVERY (no cost). maybe something on the web page or via email

• PARKED VEHICLE STORAGE. I think having vehicles in the front of the house is also a violation, especially if they are non-working?

• LOUD MUSIC. I hope that others have complained to the County Sheriff about the loud music/band practice at the house on Long Canyon Drive - it's been a nightmare the past couple of months.

• RENTERS – PROPERTY OWNER RESPONSIBILITY. I know that many homeowners in the neighborhood have had to resort to renting their properties, but as a community, we should insist that the owners make certain that their renters keep the property maintained.

• BROKEN GLASS. On one street, there has been broken glass in front of the mailbox for about 4 months.

• DOGS. let's address our "neighbors" (and I use this term lightly) who allow their dogs to roam unleashed, at any time of the day, whether the dog-owner is present or not! At no time should any dog not be on a leash or otherwise contained. It is just plain rude to let your dog do its business in someone else's yard!

• BUS STOPS. One other area to address in our community would also be the public school bus stop areas.

• DUMPED CONSTRUCTION GARBAGE. We have our children waiting for the school bus with sometimes glass in the street or dumped construction materials that are in the bus stop areas. This is a health hazard for our children as well as having loose dogs running around the neighborhood, my family and I have had issues with loose Pit bulls in our yard once even attacking my vehicle with myself and children inside as we sat in our drive way thinking how we were going to get inside our home safely.

• EXCESSIVE GARBAGE PILES. Our children have to walk to the bus stop in fear of being attacked by DOGS! There's glass in the streets!!! There's garbage piled in yards which attract RATS! Things are getting out of control.

• TEAM EFFORT. This will be a team effort

• CLEAN COMMUNITY. I am in full agreement with keeping our community clean.

• FRONT YARD MOTOR HOME PARKING. trash is trashy, just as are cars on the front lawns, mariachi music bands until late night hours, and front yard motor home parking.

• COUNTY INVOLVEMENT. We need to figure out how we can get the County involved to help us clean up the area.

• NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH. Something needs to be done, absolutely the trash needs to be cleaned, dogs leashed, dog doo cleaned, vandals discouraged, and I could deff go without the 10pm jam sessions.

• TAKE OWNERSHIP & RESPONISBILITY. you don’t have to clean your neighbors yard, all that is asked is that you clean your own so we don’t have to look at it.

• PARTICIPATION. I think the only unfortunate thing about this forum of gathering is chances are the only people to actually look at the page, or care to participate are the ones that are already following the guidelines of local law and common sense or respect.

• SUNDAY MEETINGS? I'd like to assist and wish I could attend the meetings, but unfortunately I work Saturdays. How else can I get my opinion heard, volunteer to assist, or read meeting minutes? Is it possible to maybe do Sunday meetings or even a chat room of some kind?

• SERIOUS ISSUES. I find it odd that anyone would object to this newsletter, unless you are one of our neighbors with RV's in your front yard, trash everywhere, or just plain junk on the side of your house. (And I refer to GARBAGE - not garbage CANS.)Today I saw graffiti on the side of a house on Sagebrush. We can expect more of the same because there are so many vacant homes here. We need to band together - not GRIPE about a single piece of paper in your mailbox inviting us to be a united presence in our neighborhood. It is not the time to be petty about something unimportant like a neighborhood newsletter in your mailbox. We have more serious issues at hand, do we not?

• GRAFFITI. My wife and I spent the morning cleaning up the mess that "Dios" left around the entrance to the ranch. During that time we met Pat, who lives on El Serape. He already has a small emergency communication team, and really wants to get the community involved with a neighborhood watch. He suggested having a meeting at the Veterans Hall. He mentioned that he knows how to put a meeting together, but I read about officer Pike helping with this? Let's get this rolling!!! The tagging is to close for comfort... It's time to get PROACTIVE!

• VIOLATIONS. The county code enforcement officer was here on August 15th and there were 5 families present when he said he was going to write tickets for neighborhood violations.

• NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN-UP. I think having a neighborhood clean up once or twice a year is a great idea. Thanks for the nice site.

If you have an anonymous comment, please leave it by clicking the "comments" link below.

We're Against Graffiti!

Special thanks to the two households who took it upon themselves to clean the unwanted graffiti from our community's landmarks. The comments and emails are piling in! The neighborhood is fed up with the lack of community involvement, and we're going to do something about it.

When people volunteer to do things, they really should follow through with their promise. We are currently anxious about setting a meeting date for a neighborhood gathering to discuss next steps. We want to get actively involved in a neighborhood watch and implementing ways to keep our community clean and safe.

If you are inerested in hearing more, check this blog often. We'll post comments and information as it is received. If you have something you want to post, please send it to us. We'll make sure it gets posted.

This is a neighborhood blog for the B-BAR-H Ranch Community. Get Involved!

Neighborhood Watch - Community Meeting - Area Clean-Up: A Team Effort

For all B-BAR-H Residents:

What started as a five-minute conversation today with Officer Pike, resulted in a two-hour discussion. We walked the neighborhood and knocked on doors. We talked to people working in their yards, and we found people interested in establishing a Neighborhood Watch, having a Community Meeting, and organizing an area clean-up.

As a result of the high interest, we’re going to make it happen. This is a team effort!

We know how wonderful it feels to be a part of something greater than ourselves. It’s how we will get things done, and we will all benefit. It’s for the common good of the entire neighborhood to keep our community in good standing.

Please attend Meeting #1: The time, date and place will be posted here as soon as it is determined!

County Officer Pike Visits Neighborhood—$250 Fine Issued

We were greeted by an Officer of Riverside County today informing us of many violations in our neighborhood. He wanted to issue tickets by fining several homes for violations. We persuaded him to wait until we could write and distribute a newsletter. Like ourselves, we are assuming many of the people who live here are NOT aware of the ordinances or fines.

Violations sited by the County range in fines from $109 per hour for clean up, to $100-$250 and up to $500 each month until rectified. We were not aware of the county ordinances until today. Now, we think everyone should know about the violations Officer Pike brought to our attention. Here’s what he found in our neighborhood today:

1. Outside storage is NOT allowed at all. Please remove anything you have stored on the outsides of your home or you risk being fined. Not only will the County fine you, they will charge you $109 per hour if they have to remove it themselves. He found empty lots and several homes in violation.
   
   
2. Trailers parked and hooked up to the home as rental space is NOT allowed. We persuaded Officer Pike to give us a chance to communicate to our neighbors before he issues a violation ticket. This can be a fine up to $500 per month.
   
   
3. Trailers parked in yards “For Sale” are not allowed. He already issued a $250 ticket for a trailer parked on Paintbrush Trail. The house is vacant. If you know the owner, please communicate a second ticket is being issued.
   
   
4. Garbage of any sort is not allowed to accumulate outside the homes or in empty lots. He found violations today, and we asked him not to issue fines. Please clean up and remove any garbage you may have on the sides of your house. This fine begins at $109 per hour and can result in an additional fine of $250—$500.
   
   
5. Manufactured homes or coaches are prohibited and require a building permit to be used as a residence on any property in our neighborhood. Officer Pike said there’s suspicious activity here (he wouldn’t say where) and it’s currently under investigation.
   
   

If you are in violation of any of the above items, please address them properly and promptly or you risk being fined by the County of Riverside.

We were surprised to receive today’s news, and we really don’t want anyone to get fined for not following the County Ordinances.

If you have any questions or want to confirm the information contained in this post, please call the County of Riverside, Code Enforcement Department.

You may want to contact Officer Pike directly and tell him about this newsletter. Inform him you were not aware of these violations and yours will be addressed immediately. If you don’t, you risk a fine by the County of Riverside.

Here are direct contact details:

Officer Pike, Code Enforcement
951-922-7534 phone
951-922-7262 fax

If you'd like more information about code enforcement in Riverside County California, please click here to enter their website.

Paintbrush Trail Neighborhood Blog!

When neighbors are too busy to get together, and they want to keep in touch, a good place to create a community is online. That's why the Paintbrush Trail Neighborhood Blog was created. There's a wonderful group of great people in our small community. The people pitch in and help whenever there's a problem.

We live in an area called the B - Bar - H Ranch. The Ranch has been around since the early 20's. Hollywood celebrities came to the Ranch back then to ride horses and pretend they were cowboys! The entrance to our small community built on B - Bar - H Ranch land still has the original wooden arch constructed in about 1929. The arch was struck by a DWI about a year ago and was almost destroyed.

The residents of the small community gathered on a Saturday morning with tools, cement and a positive attitude to repair the arch. By 4 p.m., the arch was mended. Now, that's a great example of the community spirit in our neighborhood!

If we can produce enough commitment and energy to repair an arch, then we certainly can gather online to keep in touch and share our thoughts.

There are several brand new modern homes for sale here. The new modern homes are gorgeous and priced unbelievably low. If you are looking for a new home, love the country atmosphere, and want to become part of a good community of people, visit our neighborhood.

This blog is for our neighborhood! Post a comment, request to become an author and participate in our neighborhood online presence. It's called http://www.PaintbrushTrail.com because it's the folks on Paintbrush Trail who decided to get things started. We're committed to creating a contagious feeling of togetherness! Join us!

Neighborhood watch: A community effort

If you don't know what a Neighborhood Watch does, call your local police department and ask. That's what we did. We were pleasantly surprised to discover a Neighborhood Watch will help improve your chances of selling your home when and if you ever put it on the market.

If your neighborhood is run down and people don't take care of their property it affects the value of your property. So, if you ask, "What's in it for me?" That's the answer. You want to maximize your investment for the future.

The best way to help your investment is a community-based Neighborhood Watch. Set up a meeting and invite your neighbors to attend. The intersted people will show up. The others are usually the ones you need to "watch." The local police and county departments will attend your meetings. The meetings and the suggestions help get things done.

We're going to do it soon. We're going to start a Neighborhood Watch for our little community on Paintbrush Trail. We'll post more information here as it is received. For now, think about ways to improve your neighborhood.