Update in the Works

We attended the Jamul Dulzura Community Planning Group meeting last night and will have an update posted for you this weekend soon. Thanks for your patience!

Planning Group to Hear Lawson Creek Farms, LLC, Tuesday: Will They Hear You?

High voltage power lines running through the most fire-prone acreage of the county? It could never happen, right? Wrong. We now have Powerlink and a governor intent on "crushing" any opposition to the project.

Wind turbines with blades the length of a football field going up on public land and Indian burial grounds, killing wildlife and disrupting the lives of local residents? Not in a million years, right? Wrong. Talk to anybody from the town of Ocotillo, where the destruction is ongoing.

A water-guzzling enterprise being approved for an area dependent on diminishing well supplies? Yeah, that could be us.

An agenda posted today (see below) confirms that the Jamul Dulzura Planning Group will address the issue of Lawson Creek Farms' administrative permit request for a 44,000 square foot oversized structure this coming Tuesday, 7:30pm, at Oak Grove Middle School Library, 14344 Olive Vista Road, Jamul. (For background on the controversy, see our previous post.)

Fortunately, we community members also have an opportunity to be heard. Yes, speaking in front of a group can be nerve-wracking, but the consequences of staying silent could be far more uncomfortable and long lasting.

According to Janet Mulder, Secretary for the JDCPG, the procedure for presenting at the Jamul Dulzura Community Planning Group is very simple. Typically, slips to request time to speak will be available at the desk in the library where meetings are held. The meeting will start at 7:30, and community members are encouraged to fill out the slips and bring them to Janet as Secretary. At the beginning of the meeting, there is an “Open Forum” during which people can address items not on the agenda for a maximum of three minutes. In this case, Lawson Creek Farms is on the agenda, and as the JDCPG addresses each item, the members of the Planning Group normally speak first, presenting the information they have researched, and then it is opened up for public input. Again, speakers are given three minutes each to address their topic.

Needless to say, maintaining a courteous and professional demeanor is essential. We are not against anything or anyone; we simply want to share our concerns, informed by an awareness of on-going issues and our experience living in the backcountry. If one speaker raises an issue, there is no need for others to repeat. It is sufficient to simply state that your concern has already been expressed.

After all testimony is given, the chair may call for a motion to approve or disapprove the project, or he may send it back to a sub-committee (which can be made up of both members and community) for further study.

If you would like to express your views but can't make the meeting, please contact Shelly at 445-9919 or Joan at 445-3724, or send us an email at lawson@yodertown.net. We'll make sure your voice is heard.

JAMUL DULZURA

COMMUNITY PLANNING GROUP

FINAL AGENDA

Tuesday August 28, 2012

Oak Grove Middle School Library

7:30 p.m.

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA for AUGUST 14, 2012 and minutes for July 24, 2012 regular meeting
4. OPEN FORUM: Opportunity for public comment on any item not on the agenda, 3-minute time limit
5. General Plan Update Zoning Cleanup 2012, report from BOS meeting 7/25/12 – Michael Casinelli reporting for Dan Neirinckx
6. MUP12-014, AT&T Cell Site, located on Skyline T.T., east of Campo Rd., APN 519-210-37-00, property owner, Chris Buckel – Dan Kjonegaard
7. AD 12-018 – 3131 Rudnick Drive Lawson Valley – Lawson Creek Farm LLC – Osman and Lillian Tatar – Horse training and stabling facility, Ralph Tavares, applicant – Jean Strouf and Dan Kjonegaard
8. Review of project public notice requirements – Michael Casinelli
9. POD 08-006 – Site Implementation Agreement – Steve Wragg
10. Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area/Honey Springs Ranch – Randy White
11. Jamul Indian Village Casino Update
12. JDCPG OFFICER’S ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS

We Are Eligible! $2000 Powerlink Fire Safety Grants, Community Meeting

Many Lawson Valley homeowners are eligible for SDG&E Powerlink Fire Mitigation Grants of up to $2000. But the timeline is very short: applications are due in two weeks, 17 August 2012.

Grant money can be used to fire-harden your home and/or create defensible space. It can also be used for certain purchases like electric generators or sprinkler systems.

You'll find more information and online grant applications at http://www.sunrisepowerlinkgrants.com/. To  request an application packet by mail, call the Powerlink Grants Office at 619-722-7512. 

An informational meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, 7 August, at the Deerhorn Fire Station, 2383 Honey Springs Road, at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a chair, as seating will be limited.


Sample map of eligible Lawson Valley properties:

(http://www.sunrisepowerlinkgrants.com/Qualification)