Cherry Valley: Area residents dislike redevelopment talk

The booklet they gave us at the redevelopment meeting had this inside referring to the definition of " blight " : unsafe buildings .. this is a rural area . there could be a handful of barns that may be unsafe but hardly any . there are no unsafe buildings .
stagnant property values . this area has turned into an area which has built some high priced housing due to the desirable nature of the area .
impaired property value due to hazardous waste . there is no hazardous waste anywhere in this area
poor business conditions . Our "downtown area is only 2 blocks long and any business there is up and functioning quite well . There are 2 stores that are closed .
problem businesses and high crime rate. there is no crime here . there isnt even any grafitti .
serious residential overcrowding . this is a joke .. we have 1 house to an acre . does that appear to be overcrowding ? There are fields that are acres large .
In all the above , im rather perplexed as to why they are even thinking about this plan . there is no reason for anything around here that could be referred to as " blight " .

They want us all to turn into clones like Beaumont and Rancho Cucamonga has done. Tract homes with generic landscaping, a Mcdonalds to shut up the little clone kids, and Chilis and Olive Gardens for the big clone parents. Yes, some of the homes in this area are run down, and a few I would like to see painted for sure. But the information about the hazardous waste seems like a little too much behind the door dealings with our corrupt water district. Our local supervisors are making me wonder why we should ever vote for them again. Oh, and by the way, my next door neighbors house just appraised for 5 million- blight me!!

Read the water district finance postings for feb, and you will see that the ratepayers were charged $10,000 for the district owned house-probably Butcher's- had a new septic system installed. The only hazardous waste issue in this area ever- the water district trying to make millions off a new wastewater facility and sewers. Now, the supervisors come along after this issue is voted down,- and their redevelopment plans mention hazardous waste AKA sewers are needed. Who is in whose pocket here? And why is the water district houses getting new septic tanks put in right before this waste issue gets more scrutiny? Perhaps it would look really bad if they were leaking themselves, and are trying to fix everything to look all innocent when the time comes. Sidewalks mean sewers, people- for they will tell us that we will save SO much money by doing both at once. Don't vote for these guys ever again- because we need code enforcement to clean up all the weeds and broken cars and decayed homes- redevelopment fixes none of this. We will end up getting things they are not telling us about now- beware! Where were the supervisors and their caring about poor old Cherry Valley before the sewer vote? And WHY DOES THEIR PLAN MAP MATCH ALMOST THE SAME AREA THE WATER DISTRICT WANTED TO FORCE SEWERS IN??? Call them and ask, and listen to the hogwash. Just get a map of the area in both plans and see for yourself.

I am behind you 100% Pat- you must live somewhere near me- I'm on Oak Glen near the museum. I note that the redevelopment area eerily mirrors the water districts proposed sewer plan. It fits right into a large part of it- and most likely if it is accepted, it will spread to completely cover the sewer area. The four district houses all sit on the watershed land- Butcher just got the most expensive septic system put in, and I bet the others will follow suit. That way if sewers come up again- they won't have to answer for their own septic tanks. There is a serious question to ask our local supervisors- who raised the issue of hazardous waste- and who really stands to benefit from this redevelopment? I would hate to think the supervisors are in on this, but they can't be that out of touch with what is going on. Perhaps my friend at the Sun will write about all these coincidences soon. The corruption might be more widespread than we thought.

Call your supervisors- and demand to know what hazardous waste they are talking about- and if it is the ridiculous Wildermuth report that got discounted by the Pass Water agency and U.S.G.S. and public vote- then the supervisors Have Some Explaining to do.

Why do the supervisors care about us all of a sudden? Did we just drop out of the sky and surprise them? These guys don't even come out here unless they have to. The water district instigated this- I assure you. Don't let an agency with houses with septic tanks on the water table tell you that YOU can't have a septic tank!! And don't vote for Marion Ashley unless he can answer why he cares now. Alot of people have tried to contact his office with questions, and this dutiful public servant is ignoring all calls and e-mails.

No blight in Cherry Valley? Visit Dr. Ball, get new glasses, then drive around again. You call it "quaint", the rest of think it's "blight". Falling down buildings aren't quaint.

you live here- if you don't like it- you are free to go

I like it here- I have lived in New York, New Hampshire, Florida, and San Fransisco, and I agree that it is a little run down around here, but everywhere around here is run down. Beaumont needs redevelopment more than here, and if we just got code enforcement in here to clean up all the broken down cars and stuff it that would help. Redevelopment will not fix the real problems here, they will not fix up personal real estate- that is a misconception. Its not like you can call them and say hey I want a new roof and they will fix it. My brother went to the meeting and asked that question- he wants a free roof- and was told that was just for businesses that qualify.

Hey- I know Dr. Ball, and he is a nice, admirable man. He is so quiet and religious that I would have never have quessed he would be involved in exposing these problems at the water district. However, he is not an idiot, for owning your own successful business and raising two children who attend private university tends to dispell that concept. If he says something is not kosher- then I will believe him over someone in this forum who obviously on the receiving end of all this negative attention- and should stop pointing fingers at someone whose only fault was finding out that something is obviously wrong in Beaumont and Cherry Valley. The supervisors office will no longer respond to questions about redevelopment in Cherry Valley, and that usually means they are going to move on to other pastures. Only the people of Cherry Valley have the right to decide this issue- everyone else should concentrate on what they can do for their own towns. We all have problems.

dr. ball is an elected official. while his commitment to being religious is admirable, it has no place in an elected public office.

Mr. Stull claims that Mr. Ashley has washed his hands of Cherry Valley because of the bickering. I guess we will continue to live with the blight, and it IS blight. if you cared about property values, you would probably remove the bathroom fixtures and broken cars from your front yard voluntarily.

kid with internet access wrote:

dr. ball is an elected official. while his commitment to being religious is admirable, it has no place in an elected public office.
Mr. Stull claims that Mr. Ashley has washed his hands of Cherry Valley because of the bickering. I guess we will continue to live with the blight, and it IS blight. if you cared about property values, you would probably remove the bathroom fixtures and broken cars from your front yard voluntarily.

I am sure there are travel agents who could arrange for you to be anywhere else but here- so you won't have to "worry" about blight, either here, in san bernardino, blight capital of the world, beaumont, etc. My home appraised for over 2 million, and that was only four months ago by Glenn.

kid with internet access wrote:

dr. ball is an elected official. while his commitment to being religious is admirable, it has no place in an elected public office.
Mr. Stull claims that Mr. Ashley has washed his hands of Cherry Valley because of the bickering. I guess we will continue to live with the blight, and it IS blight. if you cared about property values, you would probably remove the bathroom fixtures and broken cars from your front yard voluntarily.

Mr Ball has NO place in elected office. He is negative, never votes to pay the bills,and a GRANDSTANDER with a lot of hot air who plays to his Cvan buddies who help him WASTE the publics money.What a joke he should be voted out,oh he was but not out of office just the vice pres. and the OLD lady that get's 19K a year for her "SCHOOLING" but I guess thats OK? we need to get 2 more like Albert,Dopp,and Lach!!!!!

Once again- I believe some of you could be honest and post your names, and then we can compare homes if you want to discuss blight in Cherry Valley. I have known Dr. Ball for years, and his wife Laurie, his daughter Megan, his son Taylor- but until you have the integrity to admit who you are- and why you keep maligning the name of one of our friends-I have no respect for your opinions, and wonder why you are taking such a defensive position. Only cornered animals act like that- and if you won't disclose your true identity ( and not provide an alias)- it appears to us that something IS going on and people are worried.

I do believe that your forums have been visited by a chapter of the "Front". I do not mean to be an alarmist, but if I am correct, they are extremely computer viable, if you understand my allusion, and are finished with what they came to accomplish.
Redevelopment appears to be off the table, due to public opinion. As to the sewer issue, that is coming- but is years away. Aside from a few correct statements in the local banning news, the estimated funding year is not until 2009, and until the water district finishes all the investigations against it with flying colors, that money will be stalled. State funds were also allocated for recylced water facilities, and as these funds are a low cost loan, the prior projections of cost to ratepayers affected should not be anywhere in the ballpark the district was first proposing.
As Timothy Smith is lax in his reporting both sides of the sewer issue for this area, and instead seems intent on concentrating quite incorrectly on the imminent destruction of Beaumont's health by Cherry Valley wells, I would like to assure the good folks in Cherry Valley and Beaumont that Beaumont wells have NOT tested positive for any pollution as of yet from OSWDS. Jeff Davis of the SGPWA agrees that well 16 did have a spike in nitrates in January, but that spike "was short-lived and nitrate levels are now back closer to the background level. At no time have the nitrate levels sampled at well 16 exceeded the MCL dictated by the USEPA and the California Department of Health, and the cause of the spike is unknown." Supervisor Marion Ashley was a recipient of a letter from Gerard J. Thibeault, of the CRWQCB, which verified there are a number of water quality concerns related to the use of individual waste disposal systems in the Cherry Valley area. HOWEVER, the gazette makes it sound like the poor residents of Beaumont are busily ingesting hazardous pharmaceuticals from Cherry Valley residents. As I have pointed out, as Jeff Davis has pointed out, as the Regional and State water boards have pointed out- BEAUMONT wells are as yet unaffected, and there is no set projection at this time as to when they will be. Many more tests and groundwater flow projections are to come, and now that the state fund is involved, the Water District may not even recieve these priorty "A" funds unless they get past their own problems with their financial situation. Sewers are coming eventually- but as only a portion of Cherry Valley will be sewered, it is simply not fair to burden those people financially, and ignore that the other half of the town will get off "Scott free." Sorry, personal joke. Nor will the issue that the water district itself is guilty of having septic systems in the canyon help public opinion, which increases the question of fairness in the cost projections. Ratepayers in Beaumont do not seem upset over the extra costs assosiated with four district employees living completely free, or paying for the education for an employee's son.$10,000 for a new septic system for Mr. Butcher's district home just got spread out over the Beaumont and Cherry Valley ratepayers. If these costs are going unnoticed by the ratepayers at this time- so will the costs for a portion of Cherry Valley to be sewered. And I implore you to read between the lines of the local newspaper, for they do appear to have the Water District's agenda as a priority. I only hope the scandals that rocked the East Coast with newspaper reporters paid to report favorably for various politicians and/or companies is not also occurring on this coast. I know I am puzzled by the bias in your local news, for it is only inflaming tensions and is definitely counterproductive. I recommend strongly that the editor of the Gazette should take his staff in hand, and hold them to higher standards of positive reporting that would make both towns accept this situation, and work together mutually to get this matter fairly resolved.

wow- I have learned more from this Scott Huber than in all the information put out by cvan & the gazette flyer all this time!!!!!!!!!! Why can't this be what we hear about??? facts and figures and ideas about when things will happen???? why is the gazette always making it sound like the water is already poisoned? if the state fraud auditor is now on the water districts back there will not be any money for results until the district is cleared of wrongdoing. lets face it- the district needs the money generated from the waste water from the sewers in cv, and there better not be a connection between the one side reporting of the smith guy and the gazette and thw water district under investigation for missing records. kinda makes ya wonder,, though, don;t it?

It WILL be nice to see “Crappy Valley” cleaned up by the redevelopment agency. It’s an eye sore and an environmental nightmare. I bet most of the rednecks in “Crappy Valley” still think it’s ok to smoke and drink while you are pregnant. These red neck CVAN and Crappy Valley water polluters should be ashamed. It's all about money with these people. They don't want to pay to clean up THEIR mess. It’s time to stand up and save our water supply before it’s too late. BRING ON THE SEWERS AND CLEAN UP CRAPPY VALLEY!!!!

Clean H2O Lover wrote:

It WILL be nice to see “Crappy Valley” cleaned up by the redevelopment agency. It’s an eye sore and an environmental nightmare. I bet most of the rednecks in “Crappy Valley” still think it’s ok to smoke and drink while you are pregnant. These red neck CVAN and Crappy Valley water polluters should be ashamed. It's all about money with these people. They don't want to pay to clean up THEIR mess. It’s time to stand up and save our water supply before it’s too late. BRING ON THE SEWERS AND CLEAN UP CRAPPY VALLEY!!!!

Yes You are correct, but a few Cherry Valley home owners would like to have sewers but they have to fight the selfish, rude, CVAN group. Did you know they have made over 450 K on law suits that they say are for Cherry Valley? I didnt get my share did anybody else? it would be nice about now tax time. So yes we should STAND UP and tell CVAN to get lost!!! The Five YEAR plan just run out!!!

responding to one's own self is a sign of pathological mental problems- it easy to pretend you're from cherry valley when you are in Beaumont- and lets all quess why you attend meetings- shall we? What a stand-up person- hiding behind all these immature rantings. Everyone- he can't join in our discussions- and if he claims to be a cherry valley rate payer one more time- lets make sure he gets a sewer hook-up where it counts!! Most of us have left and now the rest of us will - for you are too busy hiding behind your silly screen names- go ahead talk to yourself all you want have fun BYE