• City Council Meeting September 2018

The key news bits that came from tonight's meeting included: 

• The Bundy Canyon redesign is still at the 95% finished phase and now the hopeful start of construction is said to be Autumn of 2019.
• Food Trucks are a step closer to being legal in The W.
• Live Streaming of city meetings inch closer to becoming a reality.
• Wildomar is about to put a permanent ban into effect on all commercial uses for cannabis.

First let's start with the presentation honoring the US Constitution's 231st year since its drafting. 

Members of the Daughters of the Revolution were part of a brief presentation before the meeting fully got underway, then posed for a picture with the city council.

Honoring our US Constitution.

Public Comments on non agenda items
• Ken Mayes remarked about the lack of live streaming, something that was to begin with the September city council meeting, and that the city still doesn't have its own Facebook page. He also went over a list of local groups that are delinquent with their paperwork with the Registry of Charitable Trusts.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

He mentioned many local, venerable organizations. It seems that the paperwork is a chore to get through, but we have such safeguards in place because bad operators have taken advantage of good hearted people in the past, and to the point that we the people demanded the government step in. Come on local Non Profits, get that paperwork in, and that'll put a fork in it.

• Gail Taylor wanted to know how the repeal of the gas tax (Proposition 6) would affect the Bundy Canyon Road project.
• Patrick Ellis of the Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce mentioned the scheduled Candidates Forum that will be Tuesday, October 9th, at 6pm in the Wildomar City Council Chambers.
• Ashley Casler
Spoke of her dissatisfaction with things in the city, "I bought my home recently, within the last year, I'm from the area locally, I've never lived in a city that looks like this. So my concerns are, I want to know where our tax dollars are going. I want to know who I need to talk to to cut up a tree by my house that I worry my child is going to get drug into by some transient and harmed on her way home from school. If somebody doesn't do it, I'm going to take my husband's chainsaw and do it myself. I want to know why the parks aren't cleaned up, why they're not maintained properly, and why nobody goes around picking up the trash, and this city looks like a dump." 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Residents like Ashley should be applauded for their passion and concern. I agree with many of her sentiments and want our city to lead the way and show more pride in our town. 

When we allow trash to pile up, or weeds to get out of control (or graffiti to linger for months), what kind of top-down message does that send everyone else? 

From residents to visitors to passersby it tells people that we don't take ourselves seriously... or at least not seriously enough. 

Please watch Ashley's one minute public comment in the video below.

Mayor Benoit told her that he'd reach out to her directly.

• Rick Harris (10:10) was a late entry for public comments and his really was more suited for item 3.1 (Bundy Canyon Update). He spoke of the rude behavior of the group that is negotiating on behalf of the city when it comes to right of way issues. He said he will not talk to them anymore. 

Consent Calendar 
• Ken Mayes (11:31) asked to talk about items 1.6 and 1.7. 
1.6 was regarding the coming "Little Free Library" that will be installed by an Eagle Scout candidate in Marna O'Brien Park across from the Freedom Swing. He wanted to know who was going to be responsible for maintaining the LFL after it's part of the park.

Councilmember Bridgette Moore indicated that it was going to be maintained by the same family that is looking after the LFL in Windsong Park when asked by Mayor Ben Benoit.

Councilmember Dustin Nigg stated, "And I promise, if there are no books in there, I will buy books myself and will put them in there. It's being recorded, I'll buy them."

Gotta love Dustin Nigg's no nonsense approach!

3.1 Bundy Canyon Update 
Please watch the video starting at the (19:10 mark of the video) for the full presentation. What I got out of it is that the best case scenario start time has been moved from "Summer of 2019" to "Fall of 2019".

See this past blog where "Summer 2019" 
had been established as recently
 as a May 2018 community meeting.

Project cost estimate is $40M of which the city has secured $30M so far. Three options to close the shortfall were discussed. 

Option 1 is to stay the course, look for local sources of money, and basically rely on SB 1 funds.

Option 2 is to track other funds which could delay the project 24 months.

Option 3 is to federalize the project. That would also cause a delay and not necessarily fill the shortfall in funds. That process would cost about half a million dollars to set up. This seemed like the worst option of them all if I heard it correctly.

Link to video where the three options is discussed.

Here's how I interpret what's going to happen with Bundy Canyon and the proposed redesign. Especially considering the current $10M shortfall in the budget: 

If Proposition 6 is passed (which would overturn SB1's 12 cent a gallon tax hike of 2017) then the project would get mothballed.

The vote on Prop 6 will be your call. 

I'd be the first to agree that the way Sacramento has used the gas tax money in the past is reason enough to send them a strong message by repealing their thumb in the eye to the average commuter tax increase (which is a large portion of our region). 

Just remember, it's in the same category as "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Just understand the long term ramifications when you vote to repeal the tax.

Link to full Wiki article.

There was more to Item 3.1, and if you'd like to hear the details, please watch the video from one of the links provided.

3.2 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) (36:30 mark of the video)
Every year the city is awarded money to use in areas of need within the city. Part of the money is designated to go to Non Profit groups. Last year there was $20,677 that went to three local organizations. HOPE ($9000), Assistance League ($9000) and Rancho Domacitas ($2677).

Due to some quirk in the way things are done in the halls of government, all the allocated money that Wildomar is in line for had to go to a particular project (Sedco Hills Sidewalk Project); potentially leaving the Non Profits out of the mix this time round. 

The workaround is that this year, the usual money that will be going to the Non Profits ($17,500 this cycle) will be coming from the city's reserves. With the intention being to go back to the previous way of allocating the moneys once this year's project is done. 

Link to blog covering a recent request from the city asking you to participate in a survey that deals with the CDBG issue.

3.2 Food Truck Ordinance (55:50 mark in the video)
• Ken Mayes commented on this. He was glad to see this come about. He opined whether or not there was a way to allow the food trucks to operate in commercial districts until 2am. "Why does everything in this town have to close up at ten o'clock?" he asked.

Wildomar Rap opinion time

Come on Kenny, this is a true bedroom community if ever there was one, and I can't imagine anything good coming from food trucks operating until 2am as a regular thing. 

For special events? Perhaps, but I doubt any legit food truck vendor would even look to operate after 8pm (muchless past midnight) the other 360 days of the year.

The ordinance will allow "mobile food facilities" to operate on public and private property provided they have a city business licence and a city mobile vending permit. 

Mayor Benoit wanted to know if there was a way to make it one permit. There was a bit of jockeying over the language, but it seems reasonable that obtaining a mobile vending permit would automatically come with the business license too. If that type of permit needs to cost more, so be it, but don't make it a two step process.

City Manager's Report (1:01:35)
City Manager Gary Nordquist asked to begin the process of putting together a permanent ban on all commercial cannabis uses. 

If nothing is done by December 14th, then the lack of an ordinance would put the city behind the eight ball when it comes to shutting down illegal operations like the one recently closed in Sedco Hills.

Councilmember Nigg remarked that he'd like to have a discussion on the issue, but acknowledged that there wasn't sufficient time to properly hammer out any ordinances before the December deadline. 
"I want to have the discussion at some point. As long as we're on the same page as that (having this come back to the council) [then fine]."

Mayor Ben Benoit has been looking for the county to act on this issue first, then having the city take a look at their ordinances as a possible guide. It's just taken many months longer than he'd anticipated.

•                •                •

The meeting was recorded on video, just not live streamed. The live stream is said to be about 45 seconds behind real time. Mr. Nordquist said he would share a link to the test video.

***update***

I heard from the Mayor that the video and audio didn't quite sync up and that a link should be ready to share with the community sometime next week. This is why the dry run was done before going live... working the kinks out first. ☺

*********

The company doing the video work (CBC Technical) is located in Wildomar.

A look at the snazzy new camera. I knew that pillar would come in handy one day.

Below is a video of the entire 66 minute meeting.

•                •                •

"In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite."
– Paul Dirac

In blogging Wildomar Rap tries to share stories in such a way as to be understood by everyone, yet often it ends up coming across as inscrutable as most poetry.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Wildomar Press Release: Survey

The City of Wildomar just issued a press release. They are looking for residents to participate in a survey. I'll add the text along with a copy of the PDF, a link to the city website talking about it and a link to the survey itself.

All residents are encouraged to participate

"The City encourages any Wildomar resident to complete the survey so that our community is well represented.  There will be an approximate 30-day time period to complete the survey starting on Thursday, September 20 and concluding on Monday, October 22, 2018. "

There are two ways to participate in the survey. Either you can get a paper copy at city hall or the library, or you can do it online. If you're reading this blog, you're online and that's the best way to handle it. Link to survey

↓↓↓ Text from the press release ↓↓↓

CITY OF WILDOMAR / RIVERSIDE COUNTY – FIVE YEAR (2019-2024)

CONSOLIDATED PLAN NEEDS ASSESSMENT RESIDENT SURVEY

WILDOMAR, CA, The County of Riverside Economic Development Agency (EDA), under the direction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has initiated its 5-year (2019/2024) “Consolidated Plan” planning process. An integral component of the Consolidated Plan process is the “Needs Assessment Resident Survey” process. This Resident Needs Assessment Survey is used to obtain input from County (Wildomar) residents and other interested persons regarding affordable housing, community development, economic development, and other needs deemed important by the community. The Consolidated Plan helps prioritize the County’s to utilization of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) funds within the County, and the City of Wildomar. 

The City of Wildomar is a Cooperating City under the Riverside County’s CDBG Program and will be participating in the Needs Assessment Resident Survey process. The City encourages any Wildomar resident to complete the survey so that our community is well represented. There will be an approximate 30-day time period to complete the survey starting on Thursday, September 20 and concluding on Monday, October 22, 2018. 

There are two (2) ways to complete the survey. 1) you may complete a paper copy of the survey which can be obtained by visiting City Hall (Monday –Thursday, 8 am - 5 pm) and the Mission Trail Library. All completed paper copies must be returned to Matthew Bassi, Planning Director prior to the October 22nd deadline. 

Second, you may complete the survey online (most easiest). The survey can be easily accessed by copying the following weblink address into your computer browser (https://goo.gle/eJUknw) which will take you directly to the Riverside County Consolidated Plan Needs Assessment Resident Survey webpage. The webpage can be completed anytime 24/7 through the October 22nd deadline. In addition, a weblink will be available on the City of Wildomar Website (main webpage) that will take you directly to the County’s
webpage. Visit www.cityofwildomar.org. 

The Planning Department will be presenting a Consolidated Plan briefing report to the City Council at its meeting scheduled for October 14, 2018 (beginning at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers located at 23873 Clinton Keith Road Ste. 106, Wildomar, CA 92595). If you have not completed a paper copy or the online survey, you may attend this Council meeting and share your thoughts too. The City Council will have a final Consolidated Plan briefing report presented to them at their November 14, 2018 meeting at which time residents will have a final opportunity to participate in the Needs Assessment Resident Survey. All surveys will be forwarded to the Riverside County Economic Development Agency at the conclusion of the process.

For more information on the Needs Assessment Resident Survey, please call Matthew Bassi, Planning Director at (951) 677-7751, Extension 213 of email Mr. Bassi at mbassi@cityofwildomar.org.

Copy of PDF that arrived in the email.

↓↓↓ wording from the county webpage ↓↓↓

Link to survey

Link to Press Release

Link to text on city website

Link to proper format if your version looks oddly put together: LINK

• Better Know a Wildomar Place: Wat Ratanapanya

This type of blog is usually about businesses or a local person, but today it's about a spiritual place called Wat Ratanapanya which is on Orange Street. It's not a word that rolls off the English speaking tongue too easily, but with some practice you can get it. ☺

Wat Ratanapanya, 34559 Orange St, Wildomar.

I've driven past it for years and have always been curious as to what was beyond the gates, but too timid to drive in... until now! 

There are two roosters at the head of a path that leads to many different garden spots.
A person has to respect the very prominent position that the American flag has here.

Once parked, my wife Grace and I found one of the monks that live on the grounds. His name is Thomas and he was originally from Thailand. He graciously showed us around the place and told us a bit about it.

Inspirational signs such as this one were seen throughout the grounds.

This temple serves more than 300 people. They come from as far as Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Diego and sometimes Las Vegas. It has been in Wildomar for more than ten years. 

The signs above the door of the temple.

If you'd like to visit, just drive (or walk) in. Look for one of the monks in an orange robe and they will assist you. If you don't see any monks, go up to the doors at the main building (above) and someone will meet you there.

Such a good admonition... and often easier said than done.

You don't have to be Buddhist to visit the meditation center. I was told that many people from Wildomar come to the center to meditate. 

Especially on Sundays, this circle can have quite a few number of people meditating here.

I asked if they have weddings on the grounds, and they do. One is coming up in October.

So true... in any language.

There were several tranquil sitting areas throughout the grounds. Not pictured is a koi pond just to the left of the image below.

One of the many serene settings to be found at the Orange St location.

Each day around noon people come and bring food for the monks. Though Thomas did have an iPhone, they basically don't have possessions. They rely upon the generosity of the visitors to the center for their sustenance.

After the brief tour, we had a nice conversation with Thomas, and he shared the basic origin of Buddhism, and some of his views on the state of the world today... but this blog isn't about any particular beliefs, so I'll just leave it at that. 

He said that if people are interested in Buddhist beliefs, they can find plenty of info on the internet. Or you can visit Wat Ratanapanya and talk to him yourself. 

Photo of Thomas, courtesy of the Wat Ratanapanya facebook page.

We found him to be an engaging person, with a good sense of humor, though not always easy to understand. He'd be the first to admit that he can have difficulties in English, he's not a pretentious man. ☺

As we were about to drive off, Thomas reappeared with two bottles of water for us to take on our car ride home.

For more photos of the grounds, visit their facebook page.

Link to Meditation Center's Facebook page

  •                •                •

If we’re facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.
— Joseph Goldstein

Wildomar Rap has been walking since the age of 11 months.

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• Neighborhood Watch Windsong Valley

A beautiful late Summer evening at Windsong Park was the backdrop for a Neighborhood Watch meeting that had more than 50 interested people in attendance.

The crowd as it looked a few minutes after 6:00pm.
Officer Baca is seen in the middle of the photo, as she addressed the crowd.

People began arriving as early as 5:30pm for a meeting that started at 6:00pm. It was a time to meet people from the neighborhood and surrounding areas before the meeting began.

Link to Windsong Valley Neighborhood Watch FB page.
If you're not a member, be sure to join.

Joseph Morabito (Wildomar Rap guy) welcomed the crowd and thanked people for coming, then gave a brief introduction of what the objective of the meeting was before turning it over to Officer Roxann Baca.

Joseph Morabito at the microphone, with Deputies Kramer and Beaudet and Officer Baca.

She went over the basics of how to have a successful Neighborhood Watch program. Many of the ideas were basic common sense. Things like, don't make yourself a target for thieves. Lock your doors. Report suspicious activities to the police, not just to Facebook. 

A look from another angle.

Officer Kramer went over some crime stats that applied to the Windsong Valley area, and then answered various questions from those in attendance. He suggested that people "Be a good witness" by having detailed descriptions ready when calling the police about a possible crime.

The meeting lasted past 7:15pm when the sky was nearly dark. It was a good first meeting, and the officers work to get things off to a good start was appreciated by those that came out.

Another look at the setting.

To make any Neighborhood Watch program a success will take more than just an initial meeting, it'll take diligent participation by several members of the community. 

Officer Baca reminded residents that there is an upcoming meeting at city hall on the 25th.

Below is a video link to the meeting. It's quite long, but some people may be interested in it. 

•                •                •

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
– Abraham Lincoln

Wildomar Rap wonders if Honest Abe had many frenemies.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Ribbon Cutting For Grand Avenue Multi-Purpose Trail

Though it's been finished for awhile, the Grand Avenue Multi-Purpose Trail was dedicated today. A modest crowd was on hand to hear Mayor Ben Benoit speak about how the trail came about.

Mayor Ben Benoit addresses those in attendance as we take in the beautiful views from the upper part of this future park; just look at that horizon. 
The Mayor pointed out,"Now we look down Grand Avenue and we have a bike lane on each side, and a beautiful separated trail."

Location of yet to be named park. It's just to the south of David A. Brown Middle School, and sits on 11 acres.
The yellow star denotes the location of the ceremony.

Mayor Benoit spoke highly about Assistant City Manager Dan York, and his many year's worth of efforts on this project. 

Dan York, key figure behind the Grand Ave Multi-Use Trails.

Not only did he find the funding for this project (which didn't come from the general budget, but from grants from outside agencies), but he basically oversaw the design too.

Smiling for the camera just before the ribbon cutting.

In the end, the project had a $5M price tag, of which $4.3M was paid for with grants. If you've driven down Grand from the middle school to Clinton Keith, you can see where the shortfall came. The parts that still need repaving remain on the drawing board, waiting for future funding.

Link to Blog showing most of the trail before the ropes were added to the rails back at the end of January.

After the ribbon cutting, there was time to look at some concept drawings of what the future park could look like before the official "first bike ride".

Councilmember Bridgette Moore speaks to a resident about one of the park designs. 

Concept A, which was revealed today, has parking on Leslie St.
Concept B has it along Grand Ave.

At about 9:00am, the group of bike riders headed out for an 8 mile trek. I have a bike, but it wouldn't fit into my Honda Fit. (apparently the name of the car is just a suggestion ☺)

City Manager Gary Nordquist takes some photos as the flock of riders embarks.
(I'm sticking with "flock" until the proper noun comes to me)

As the event wrapt up, it was already getting hot and my 100spf sunscreen was starting to yield under the pressure; today is supposed to be close to 105.

For more about this project, follow the "Wildomar Multi-Purpose Trail" tag at the bottom of the blog.

It'll start to cool down in time for tonight's Music and Movie in the park. Hope to see you at Marna O'Brien Park tonight.

Looks to be a great evening.

•                •                •

Never mistake motion for action.
– Ernest Hemingway

Wildomar Rap's action of choice is standing pat.

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• Various and Sundry Things: Mini Version

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago I shared some pics about graffiti on Mission Trail. 

Link to August blog discussing this issue

I'm pleased to report that the previously tagged, and retagged, fence has been given a new coat of paint.

How it looked today (September 7th).

Three cheers to the owners that have had to endure this, and have corrected it. Everyone in town thanks you.

How it looked last week.

Sadly, the odds are that the taggers in question will be looking to put their idiocy on display again at some point, and even if they get caught in this brave new world that California has carved out, most likely won't even get a slap on the wrist these days. 

That doesn't mean I want to give in to them.

I've been told by several people that used to live in LA County that if graffiti was reported there, it was quickly removed by the city(ies) and their anti-graffiti task force teams.

I know that passing an ordinance, and then putting it into use will cost money, but we need to create an ordinance with teeth, and get aggressive with graffiti. Waiting for the property owners to remove it hasn't worked to this point. 

Taggers with ladders?
This landowner hasn't been as bothered with the "artwork" on the canvass he provides.

Thing is, real code enforcement takes real money, and to be able to afford a legit game plan when it comes to graffiti removal we'll need to budget for it. 

You may know that Wildomar voters will be asked to approve or reject an additional one penny sales tax increase this coming November; hoping to bring in as much as $1.7M per year in additional revenues. 

I hate taxes too, but by voting against Measure AA, you're in essence voting for the status quo regarding many things in town we'd all like to see improved... including graffiti abatement. 

Most of you know that I, Joseph Morabito, am running for Wildomar city council, and if elected I would be happy to be known as The Graffiti Czar (or is it Tsar?). 

I saw this graffiti on one of my campaign signs and it was cleaned up within an hour.
Green arrow shows the "tag" gone.

If elected, I will not drive by graffiti and leave it unreported, and if necessary I'll see about getting deputized as a code enforcement official so that I can push when it comes to ridding such blight in our city.

Please don't ask me why I'm not on such a crusade today. People in elected position carry about 1000 times more clout in this town than "blogger guy" and we all know it. I'm not a big fan of wasted energy.

***UPDATE***

A week later the chimney was painted.

It may get re-tagged shortly, but I applaud the fight to keep Wildomar nice looking.

•                •                •

For all the wisdom that often accompanies advancing age, the ability to look forward declines as looking backward becomes the norm.
– EG Marshall (CBSRMT)

The age of Wildomar Rap can be ascertained by hacking off one of the limbs and counting the tree rings, though that is far more messy than doing a simple google search.

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• Planning Commission Meeting September 2018

No projects were discussed at the September planning commission meeting. Instead it was a workshop, open to the public, dealing with commercial design guidelines.

The meeting lasted about an hour and was broken into three parts. The first part was an introduction by Karen Gulley of Placeworks, where several different architectural styles were talked about.

Karen Gulley points to the different Craftsman styles as
the commission and members of the public look on.

Next was the "workshop" portion where the planning commissioners and the public were invited to place colored dots next to styles they thought worked well in Wildomar. 

After attending several of these workshops over the years, I'm starting to want a red dot that would represent things that aren't liked... seems more expedient to me. ☺

Once the dots were placed and opinions had been shared, Karen went to the easils one at a time and asked for specific input on each. 

The main architecture styles considered were Victorian, Mission, Neoclassical, Craftsman and Rustic Modern.

The general consensus was that the Mission style (think of San Juan Capistrano with red tile roofs) didn't really fit here, though elements of such did (shade structures like arcades, trellises and awnings). 

This style works in SoCal, but not so much in Wildomar.

The same held true when it came to Victorian styled buildings, most didn't want that style here.

A great look for the right type of town, but not well suited for Wildomar. 

Neoclassical didn't feel like Wildomar either, though one of the images displayed did have certain appeal (see image below). 

The lines on these buildings are fine, but really look out of place in our city.
Many in attendance did like elements of the one in the lower right hand corner.

That left Craftsman and Rustic Modern as the prevailing styles that met with the most approval. I was chatting with a resident from The Farm, Arrin Banks, and we both tended to agree that those two styles made the best fit in Wildomar. 

This style is similar to The Barn, which completed its makeover last year.

This look is seen in many places in Wildomar. The Stater Brothers is one example.

From there, those in attendance went back to their seats and the meeting resumed. It was established that Placeworks would be ready with updated displays based on the input they'd gotten by the November planning commission meeting.

The next two planning commission meetings are set for October 3rd and November 7th. There are several projects that will be discussed at those, and on this workshop will [tentatively] return as part of the November meeting. 

If you have thoughts on commercial design standards, plan on attending the November meeting. Your input is encouraged.

Full video below

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The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.
– Émile Zola

Wildomar Rap is nothing without the work.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.