Minutes of the Palomar Mountain Planning Organization Meeting
January 15, 2005
Robert Carlyle, Tracy Dixon, Bruce Graves, Jim Hamerly, Susan Humason, Jack Norvall, Bonnie Phelps, Michael Pique.
About 4 members attended as well.
The PMPO Board meeting was convened 10:06 A.M. January 15, 2005, at the Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department. The minutes of the October 9, 2004, board meeting were distributed and approved. The treasurer, Tracy Dixon, reported income of $7000 from the repayment of the PMPO's loan to the Palomar Mountain Fire Safety Council, no expenses. Our beginning bank balance was $24,868.12 and ending bank balance was $31,868.12. The report was approved.
Jack Norvall reported on the long-standing problem of the 1985 US Forest Service re-survey that lost many Palomar Mountain landowners large pieces of their properties. The attorney working with us, East Grade resident Bob Haase, has a draft of a letter to the Bureau of Land Management but feels we still need more field investigations and comparisons of distances we find with records of 19th century surveys. Some 10 years ago, Bob Haase located a group of stones in Dyche Valley that we have long thought were Minto's 1885 Section 24 southeast corner. Recent investigations by Haase revealed that the location of ravines near the stones does not agree well with Minto's field notes. We now think it unlikely that these stones mark Minto's corner. There is still, howver, a serious discrepancy in the government's placement of Section 24's south 1/4-corner (south of George Ravenscroft's house): Minto notes a particular distance to be 40 chains whereas the new government survey says 44 chains (a difference of 264 feet). We hope to explore this area more extensively.
Our work is now concentrating on Section 14, the region directly affected by the 1985 resurvey, especially its southeast corner (near Conifer Road's junction with the East Grade Road). About 4 years ago, Jack found a mound that we believe is possibly Minto's, about 400 feet southwest of the location accepted by the 1985 government survey. We have discovered that San Diego County Road Survey 213, conducted in 1903, indicates a location for this corner on its map of that road. Our next goal is to locate this hundred-year-old road and thereby calculate where it places the corner. We last year attempted a similar comparison in Section 13 (a half-mile east of Section 14) with Road Survey 11, conducted in 1893. It turned out inconclusive because of the many years of road development and recent heavy logging there.
Bruce Graves says Tom Burton is trying to follow the 2020 proceedings and is still hoping for some relief for Palomar Mountain from the Forest Conservation Initiative's forced down-zoning. Unfortunately, Tom Harmon, the County Counsel, keeps blocking us, even though it is evident to the PMPO that Palomar Mountain constitutes a bona fide `country town', enabling an exemption from the Forest Conservation Initiative down-zoning.
Tom had invited County planner Dahvia Locke here for this January 15 meeting but she was unable to attend. Bonnie Phelps suggests County Commissioner Bill Horn might be able to help as he's been ``pro-Palomar'' in the past.
Earl Walls has been working on the Internal Revenue Service Form 1024 not-for-profit federal tax classification but it is difficult. He needs other organizations willing to say that they will be served by the CCPM. Earl encountered some difficulties in converting the plans into computer-aided-design form. From the goal of mid-February he now thinks he may need 6 or 7 months more.
Michael Pique reported that Elizabeth Getzoff telephoned Patrick O'Mallan of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regarding William Yale's pending agreement with the La Jolla Indian Reservation to sell his parcel to the Reservation and build a pipeline to carry his pumped well water down to Highway 76. The BIA received a revised Environmental Assessment (EA) in late December 2004. We will probably receive copies for comment in a few weeks, which may require a special PMPO community meeting.
The Annual Meeting and pancake breakfast will be held Saturday May 28, 2005 (Memorial Day weekend), location to be determined. Donna Dose will organize the breakfast. Michael Pique will prepare list of Board positions open for election at the meeting.
Susan Humason has offered to take charge of the newsletter, to be mailed the first week of May. Article assignments were agreed upon as follows, text due March 23.
Welcome letter - Bruce Graves
Election of Board Members - Michael Pique
Dual Survey problem - Jack Norvall and Michael Pique
Cedar Creek Yale developments - Elizabeth Getzoff
Community Center of Palomar Mountain - Earl Walls
2020 Plan - Tom Burton
Fire Safe Council - Shana Ackerman
Palomar Mountain Community Church - Bonnie Phelps
Fire Dept - Cliff and Suzie Kelly
Friends of the Fire Dept - Jerry and Betty Johnson
Observatory - Scott Kardel
School - Jodie Caster
Bailey's - Terri Bailey
The next board meetings will be April 9, 2005, at the Fire Station, and May 28, 2005, immediately following the Annual Meeting. A newsletter assembly working party will be held Saturday April 30.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:50 A.M.
Michael E. Pique, Secretary.