The annual public PMPO meeting was convened at 11:08 A.M. Saturday May 23, 1998. The Chair Bruce Graves thanked the Palomar Mountain Lodge and Joe Weeks for hosting the Pancake Breakfast and Annual Meeting. He additionally thanked Donna Dose for organizing the breakfast, Susan Humason for editing and producing the newsletter, and our retiring long-time treasurer Halcie Clark for her many years of help and support.
The minutes from the 1997 annual meeting were distributed and approved.
As reported in the PMPO spring 1998 annual newsletter, our expenses were $900 for mailing the boundary dispute notice and the newsletter. We have $5000.00 deposited for a retainer with water-right attorneys Hatch and Parent. The total donations from our members came to $2,770 ($1,800 during the year and $970 at the breakfast), giving us a balance of $12,100 including the $5,000. The treasurer's report was approved.
Chief Karl Bauer summarized the PMVFD goals and finances. This year the PMVFD was awarded a $50,000 federal HUD grant to purchase a new water tender. This is important in meeting their goal of making residents' fire insurance less expensive. The PMVFD also received a grant to buy an automatic heart defibrillator, an important medical emergency device. Karl urged residents to learn CPR to preserve life until the defibrillator can arrive. Next month a ``jaws of life'' and some over-the-side rescue gear will be bought with some $30,000 from state emergency funds for rural fire departments. Karl asked for voter support for upcoming ballot initiatives to support radio equipment and dispatching services for backcountry fire-fighting.
Karl urged residents needing help to call
Rosie explained the ``Vial of Life'' program, a plastic box to be attached to the refrigerator in the homes of the elderly or disabled, holding emergency names and phone numbers, medical condition, list of medications and drug allergies.
Superintendent Bob Thicksten said Palomar will celebrate on June 3 the 50th anniversary of the 200-inch Hale Telescope. He said the movie Deep Impact was correct in that only five or six astronomers in the whole world are on the lookout for asteroids. As the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt telescope finishes its ``Sky Survey 2'' jobs, it will be used for more asteroid and comet searches. The multi-mirror interferometer telescope under construction for several years is in the last months of testing and working better than expected. When finished, it will be set up in Hawaii. It could see Jupiter-sized planets around nearby stars. Mr. Thicksten pleaded with residents to turn their unneeded porch lights off so the Observatory can have a dark sky for its important work - each 100-watt light on the mountain is as bad as 1000 100-watt bulbs down in San Diego.
Jerry McLees reported on the status of William Yale's proposed commercial development along the East Grade Road to pump and sell well water. Mr. Yale proposes to pump, from his 7 acre parcel, between 25 and 100 acre-feet per year accumulated by the 570-acre Jeff Valley watershed, with normal use for a 7-acre parcel being one-half acre-foot per year. Mr. McLees said Mr. Yale is moving toward his Major Use Permit application but is still in an informal pre-application process, working out pumping amounts with the county.
John Tainer reminded residents that water is essential for mountain enjoyment and safety, and pointed out three reasons the project causes concern to the PMPO: one, the scale of the operation, larger than any existing water project on Palomar; two, the method of extraction being forced pumping rather than natural spring discharge; and three, the small parcel extracting much more than its water recharge by draining an upland valley. According to SDSU's Dr. David Huntley, the granite rock on the mountain has water-carrying fractures that extend long distances, so the effect of pumping a well can be felt far away in unpredictable directions.
Jack Norvall reported that a recent US Forest Service resurvey of Palomar Mountain sections 14 and 15 has resulted in the Forest Service gaining 18 acres at the expense of residents, and may have disrupted the boundaries of all parcels in those sections. Many residents first became aware of the situation when they received property tax notices that their acreages had been reduced. The PMPO has enlisted the help of the Forest Preservation Society of Southern California and its chair, David James, and with Mr. James has met with the U.S. Forest Service and with title insurance companies, and plans further meetings with the federal Bureau of Land Management. The PMPO still needs old maps and field notes that might help clarify survey issues. The PMPO's objective is to restore the official survey to the long-established lines of actual occupation.
The Chair announced that there are six open seats on the PMPO Board, with Carol Ravenscroft having resigned from the Board. A nomination was made from the floor to replace Carol with Robert Sterner, M.D., who accepted. The five incumbents running for re-election were Bruce Graves, Donna Dose, Tom Burton, Russ Day, and Susan Humason. After statements by these nominees, the motion to elect them to terms extending to May 2001 was accepted by acclamation. The other board members' terms are: Jack Norvall, Bob Thicksten, Robert Carlyle, George Ravenscroft, and John Tainer (terms expiring May 1999), and Joseph Weeks, Debbie Bauer, Michael Pique, Terri Bailey, and Robert Sterner (terms expiring May 2000).
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 P.M.
Michael E. Pique, Secretary