• Fostering Pets

Are you familiar with Pet Fostering?

Do not look directly into their eyes... they will hypnotize you into taking them home with you.

There is a Pet Fostering program that is run through Animal Friends of the Valleys.

I had a chance to chat with long time Foster Pet Parent Paula Willette (try that one three times fast) about the program and thought I'd share some pertinent facts with you.

The job of a Foster Pet Parent is to offer a nice safe environment to the animal. The shelter takes care of all of the vet needs and food needs. Though if you're so inclined to buy the food yourself, it would free up more food for other animals in need.

There are two main types of fostering.

One is where a person wants to take a dog with poor social skills, a dog that would be passed over by most people looking to adopt, and then to work with it, handle it, love it and turn it into the type of dog that every family would be looking for.

The other type of fostering is where a person is just looking to help a dog (or cat) have a place to stay while they are waiting for their forever home. An animal in this category will immediately start going to PetCo for adoption. 

There is actually a third type of pet fostering: Puppies and Kitties

When I was visiting Paula she had two different litters of Chihuahuas that she was caring for. Part of her responsibilities, besides feeding and cleaning up, include handling the pups and playing with them. Getting them comfortable around people and ready to be adopted. 

Ten years ago we adopted a kitten from just such a foster pet parent. When I mentioned that in conversation, Paula remarked that it takes a special person to foster kitties. ☺

Fostering is great for someone that wants a dog but isn't sure if they are really ready for such a long term commitment. If it turns out that you're not ready for the full time needs of an animal, you'll find out while fostering.

Some dogs will be with a foster family for less than a week before they get adopted, others will be around for a couple of months.

Fostering would be great for a person/family that wants the love of a pet, but can't make the obligation that a pet needs. Paula was telling me that she arranges her pet fostering stints around her out of town trips. She knows when travel is on the her schedule and she makes sure her commitments as a Foster Pet Parent are concluded before she goes.

Some people foster continually, others do it once a year, once in awhile or just once.

Remember

♥♥♥ Every dog, or cat,  that is in a foster home opens up a space at the shelter. For every animal that is being fostered, that is another that isn't being put down. ♥♥♥

If interested, you can contact the Shelter's Foster Program, and they'll do a yard check to make sure it's safe for the dog. Robin Harper is the Foster Coordinator and I'm sure she'll be glad to speak with you. (951) 674-0618 ext. 216    foster@animalfriendsofthevalleys.com

 The AFV Foster Program has weekly adoptions
at the PetCo at the Promenade in Temecula.

Here is a link to PetCo's calendar (usual times are Saturdays from 10am to 3pm)

From introvert to extrovert

I had a foster, a queensland heeler, that I called a lawn ornament. I'm very familiar with queensland heelers, but she wouldn't let me touch her. She was a sweetheart, but wouldn't let you touch her. She was never going to be able to go to PetCo. She ended up being sent to a rescue for queensland heelers. Queensland heelers have a pack mentality and when she was with the other dogs she would learn [social skills] from them. The rescue had nine other dogs and within two months she was a perfect candidate for adoption and a vet tech adopted her, and she now is a fixture in the [vet] office.     — Paula Willette

Here is a link to the Animal Friends of the Valleys Foster Program.

I asked if some foster families end up adopting the animals they've been caring for, and Paula chuckled and said they call that Foster Failure.

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“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.”  ― Christopher Hitchens

The Wildomar Rap team has been house broken for nearly half a century.

• Planning Commission Meeting August 2015

There were two items on tonight's agenda.

First was Discount Tire Centers and their request for a CUP (Conditional Use Permit).

This was discussed in detail in the blog covering the June Planning Commission meeting.

Click here to see the images and discussion over the noise levels and being located next to Massage Envy.

The vote was 5-0 to approve the CUP.

The reason why this wasn't voted on back in June was that a sound/decibel test needed to be done first. The tests came back and were well within the standards already in the city code.

A question by Larry Ferguson, owner of Massage Envy, was asked.

"I would like to know what happens if Discount Tire Centers moves in and month or two months we start losing members... if it negatively impacts our business. I would like to have some reassurance that you guys (the Planning Commission) would be interested in being involved, or could we get another meeting to discuss this? Or once you guys decide is that the end of it?"

Regional Vice President of Discount Tire Centers, Mike Nelson responded with:

We understand what the city code is, and we fully intend to comply with it. I understand Larry's concerns. We've had some experience with this (noise abatement) in the past and we felt our design, before the sound study, was going to meet the city code. The sound study just reaffirmed that, but if there is a fault and something is incorrect then we have every intention as a company to rectify that. We want to be a good neighbor.

With the reference that Larry [Ferguson] had brought up —and I thought about this before the meeting, what if the commission might want to discuss adding a condition to the effect where the applicant shall perform a second set of noise readings 60 days after opening. Then we could bring back a report to the commission at a future meeting with those findings to insure that real world activity is still within 55 decibels. 

—Matt Bassi Planning Director

Commissioner Bobby Swann asked, "Are there legal ramifications for doing that?" 

Assistant City Attorney Erica Vega chimed in there, "Yes, there probably would be, because we would've already approved the use so how you would craft that... would be for informational purposes... This could be a code enforcement issue, but wouldn't necessarily be a permit revocation issue." 

Commissioner Stan Smith added, "I don't know that I'm in favor of having the applicant expend that cost after he's already gone to the expense of this study."

In the end this is really about two tenants and a landlord in my opinion. Massage Envy is an asset to the community, but when they chose that location, they had to know that there was a suite right behind them with large bay doors that were intended for just such a business. 

Let's hope they take Commissioner Smith's advice and work out a coupon for the tire customers to get a massage while the work is being done on their car. It could be a win-win if both parties want it to be.

I caught up with Mike Nelson after the meeting and welcomed him to Wildomar. I asked when they were going to open up and his response was to the effect of "as soon as we can". They've already ordered the necessary equipment and hope to be opened in under two months.

Looks like another solid business for Wildomar, including the tax revs from high dollar items. I already lobbied them about joining the Chamber too. ☺

2.2 Elm Street Residential Project

Click this link to see the pictures and info from the Feb 2014 meeting on this topic.

This project has been in the works since before Wildomar was incorporated. In the time that I've been watching it, it's gone from 15 houses on 4 acres, to 12 houses, and now back to 15 houses. The big difference here is that Elm St will no longer be part of the project.

Before, Elm St was the sole ingress and egress. Talk about kicking a beehive when that was suggested a year and a half ago. Funny thing is that some of the neighbors that spoke against this project tonight hadn't updated their drivers... and still seemed to have the impression that Elm St was in play.

The developer really is trying to work with the locals here as he's prepared to not use Elm St at all, and cede 10 feet to a common alley (making the total 20 feet wide for the continued use of those that live on Darby). Now the new road that is proposed will be a one way street. 

Direct access to each of the lots created by the proposed project will be via a proposed one-way street that will be accessed via Central Street to the northeast and Gruwell Street to the southwest. The traffic will flow from Central Street through "A Street" and onto Gruwell Street.

At this point, there really is nothing more that the Darby-ites can complain about. Their road will not be impacted and they get to keep the access to the back of their properties. 

The bigger question is: Who is going to want to buy a new house that gets wedged into that little parcel?

But as I stated when I spoke in front of the commission... "I guess that's not my problem."

This passed 4-0 (Commissioner Langworthy had to recuse herself since she lives near the project). Next step for this is in front of the city council, but I'm still placing my life savings on Wildomar's favorite group of malcontents (the people that sue us for blinking) to hold this up. 

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If I'd just tried for them dinky singles I could've batted around .600.

 — Babe Ruth

The First rule of Wildomar Rap is to always discuss Wildomar Rap.

• Lost Road Rehab

Improvements to Lost Road will cause some temporary road closures throughout the rest of the month.

When done, it will have a black top finish though it will not have a solid road bed under it. Usually the road needs maintenance yearly and with this method a full three years is anticipated between fixes.

Click this link to the official details

I was going under 15 MPH when this truck flew past me doing at least triple what I was doing.

I've lived in Wildomar since 2001 and have never driven on Lost Rd. It's on the other side of the freeway from where I live and it's not a path to anywhere I've ever needed to go. So I decided to take a drive on it before it got paved.

Talk about a rough road. I never could get above 20 MPH in my Honda CRV and many times was reduced to under 10 MPH. I'm sure it'll be a night and day difference once the project is finished, but I'm not sure that won't just make the road all the more dangerous.

"How's that?" you ask.

It was just one blind corner after another and once the road is smooth enough to travel at 60+ MPH it won't take long before two Dale Earnhardt Jr wannabees meet up with each other. 

I made a video of my trip on Lost Road. It took more than four and a half minutes to make the 2 mile drive so I sped it up by 6 times, simulating about 75 MPH. You'll notice in the video that the last half mile of the road (on the Lake Elsinore side) had already been treated.

The video below is a look at the public comments from Sheila Urlaub at the most recent city council meeting on the topic of Lost Road and her concerns.

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Where lies the land to which the ship would go?
Far, far ahead, is all her seamen know.

—  Arthur Hugh Clough

Wildomar Rap does not endorse the dog days of August.

• Movie Night at the Park: Back to the Future

Marna O'Brien was the site for Back to the Future movie night at the park. Despite scorching daytime temps, my car said 110 in the shade, a good sized crowd turned out to watch the classic movie as it turned 30 years old.

Team Time Car, with "Doc" Nigh and his replica Delorean time machine, hosted a Q&A before the movie. Some of the trivia questions were definitely for the hardcore fans as they did go way off the beaten path.

The snack bar was being run by the Wildomar Historical Society.

Kristan Lloyd and her family prepared stuffed baked potatoes with the proceeds going towards the Brown House project. Three styles were offered: meatballs with marinara sauce; meatballs with gravy; and a vegetarian dish with broccoli and cheese.

Not your typical park food, but so good to eat.

The next Movie in the Park will be Saturday August 29th and the movie will be The Croods. The listed start time is "approximately 8:15PM" (but come earlier than that), the snack bar will be operated by Venture Crew 332 and there will be a chance to purchase and paint a tile that will go on the back wall of the snack bar starting at 5:00PM.

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I'm sure that in 1985, plutonium is available in every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it's a little hard to come by.  —  Dr. Emmett Brown

Wildomar Rap is a high octane machine, but it doesn't need 1.21 gigawatts to operate.

• Animal Friends of the Valleys: Clear the Shelters

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What is Clear the Shelters?

Aug. 15, hundreds of shelters across the country are taking part in a nationwide push to find homes for pets in need. Many organizations have agreed to cut the cost of adoption for the one-day event, organized in partnership with NBC Owned Television Stations and Telemundo Stations Group.

I dropped by AFV around 4:00PM, while my car still was registering 110 degrees as the ambient temp, to see the place filled with people. Nearly every parking spot was taken, and once inside I saw people were in every quadrant of the shelter looking at animals. 

A look at the lobby, which is showing only about half of those that were in that part of the building at the moment.

Though they were slammed, the staff was nice enough to help me out with the stats they had gathered as of my visit. 

66 animals had been adopted, whereas a typical Saturday might have 30. 

I asked if it was busier than usual and they gave me that look... you know the look... the look that says "you can't be serious... right?" ☺

The official numbers won't be ready until Monday, but 66 adoptions, while there were plenty more in progress, is a good sign for many fury creatures.

This is a national event and I took a screenshot of the current nationwide numbers.

Click to visit official website of the event

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You can always tell about somebody by the way they put their hands on an animal.

—  Betty White

Wildomar Rap is part of a nutritious breakfast.

• City Council Meeting August 2015

It was a fairly short meeting with only one real agenda item (3.1).

Going down the agenda we start with notes from the closed session.

This is where we get updates from the city attorney about pending cases against the city.

Item A was dealing with a case that will be settled with the city's insurance carrier (PARSAC) paying $27,500 and the case will be dismissed. The issue was dealing with a car accident (those were all the details I could get.)

Item B was a case challenging the city's adoption of the General Plan. A few months ago the trial judge ruled in favor of the city, but heaven forbid the knotheads behind this suit think that the ruling of some pedestrian trial judge be good enough for them, so they appealed and the city council unanimously voted to defend the appeal.

Presentations

Steve Beach as Rotary Club Citizen of the Year.

L-R: Bridgette Moore, members of Cal Fire, Ben Benoit, Steve Beach,
Marsha Swanson, Tim Walker, Bob Cashman, Joel Vela.

Dave Fontneau was speaking about Cops For Kids and some of the upcoming fundraisers they will be having. (see posters at bottom of the blog)

Left to Right: Marsha Swanson, Bridgette Moore, Ben Benoit, Dave Fontenot, Time Walker, Bob Cashman.
Foreground: hands of Janet Morales working the DSLR.

☻
Public Comments (on non agenda items)

• Sheila Urlaub was discussing Lost Road.
• Kenny Mayes spoke on a several things including the city website.
• Joseph Morabito suggested a second clock should be added to the council chambers.

3.1 Community Meeting Room and Rental Policy

This passed 5-0 and here is the takeaway from it.

The room is can be rented for $8 an hour. That is with a $100 deposit and a $30 processing fee.

To prevent people from trying to open up a business at city hall, you can only rent the room once a month... though there is an exception if you are a non-profit organization.

Wednesdays and Sundays the room isn't available.

I asked for some clarification about what the $30 processing fee was for. It covers the paperwork and confirming insurance coverage. It is only charged once per year per group.

I then asked if there was a small group, that isn't organized yet, that wanted to rent the room, but didn't have insurance, if there was a provision for them. The answer is yes, and you can get insurance through the city... though that sounded like an ordeal in itself to me.

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A reminder of things coming up:
Chamber Mixer at the Santa Rosa Plateau Thursday August 13th and a movie in the park Saturday the 15th.

From the Cops For Kids website.

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"Knowledge comes but wisdom lingers." Which is why a 'little knowledge' is a dangerous thing, but a little wisdom can save the world. 

—  EG Marshall, CBS Radio Mystery Theater

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New Businesses Coming to Wildomar

Two eateries and a Pet Spa coming soon.
Yellow Basket has had a sign up for quite sometime on the empty pad in front of Barons, but they have finally broken ground and the foundation is about to be poured. I asked one of the workers if they had an end date in mind and the estimate was about 2 and a half months, or sometime in October they should be opening.

A look at the early progress before the foundation is even poured.

I've seen the Yellow Basket in Temecula for years, but have never eaten there. I went over to their website and took a look at the menu.

They have a pretty extensive breakfast menu; a basic "Mexican food" menu; a complete hamburger-hot dog menu; a dinner menu that includes NY Steak, Fish, Pork Chops, Fried Chicken and more; and a dessert line-up too. They didn't post prices so I have no idea if they are reasonably priced or not.

Front windows of the new Pet Spa that is coming.

Also opening soon is Natalie's Rascals. There is an official Grand Opening ribbon cutting coming Saturday, August 22nd. It is next door to Baron's to the east (the left side if you're looking at Barons).

I also noticed that there will be a new eating house in the same plaza. It's called China One and it's going into the old Poblano's slot next to Stadium Pizza. I didn't see any proposed dates of opening posted.

I wonder what will be on the menu here.

The scuttlebutt is that a Steak 'n Shake was angling to go into the vacant KFC building but lease details couldn't be agreed upon.

Now that Sycamore Academy has moved out of Renaissance Plaza (they're moving into their new campus on Palomar this school year) that is opening up a ton of opportunities for even more new business to open here. The old gates are down and they are getting the former school rooms prepped for new occupants. Can't wait to see what comes next.

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Update

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It was just brought to my attention that the new Subway on Bundy Canyon just opened today. I had been wondering when it was going to open up. 

Thanks to Mayor Ben Benoit for sending me some pics that I could use.

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When acute, the sufferer often denies his ailment. 

—  EG Marshall, CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Wildomar Rap cautions you against counting your eggs before they hatch... especially if they've been in the fridge for long.