CalFresh households can receive replacement bene ts for food lost in July res

RIVERSIDE COUNTY – Cal-

Fresh households whose food was lost because of the Rabbit, Gavilan, Reche or Highland fires, which started Saturday, July 15, have until Monday, Aug. 14, to report the impact and request replacement benefits.

The federal government and state recently approved extending the normal reporting period for food loss from 10 to 30 days. The additional time allows CalFresh households in affected communities to assess their losses and recover as much as possible.

State officials estimated nearly 21,650 households in the impacted areas received an estimated $4.3 million in CalFresh benefits, some of which may have been used to purchase food subsequently destroyed in the fires.

“These fires were devastating for many families. We want our customers to know we’re here to help recover losses as quickly as possible,” Allison Gonzalez, assistant director of Riverside County’s Department of Public Social Services, said. “We encourage families to reach out to us before August 14 to request benefit replacement if they were impacted by the fires.”

To report food loss directly resulting from these fires, CalFresh customers may call 877-410-8827, report in person at their nearest DPSS office or online at http:// BenefitsCal.com by Aug. 14.

CalFresh is the state’s largest food program that issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy groceries at many stores, farmers’ markets and online through certain retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.

Impacted county residents in need of food assistance and not already receiving CalFresh benefits are encouraged to apply for CalFresh by calling 877-410-8827, visiting their nearest DPSS office or visiting http://BenefitsCal.com

EMWD authorizes ow monitoring and model calibration contract for San Jacinto reclamation facility

Joe Naiman

Writer

Black & Veatch has been chosen as the preferred firm for the Eastern Municipal Water District contract to provide flow monitoring and model calibration for the San Jacinto Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility.

A 4-0 EMWD board vote July 19, with Randy Record not present, approved a $699,278 contract with Black & Veatch for the San Jacinto and Perris reclamation facilities. The board approved total appropriations of $862,500 which will also provide $58,300 for optional tasks, $35,000 for EMWD labor costs, and a $69,900 contingency.

Eastern has four wastewater collection system hydraulic models for the Temecula Valley, San Jacinto Valley, Perris Valley, and Moreno Valley systems. Flow monitoring programs for those four systems were previously conducted between 2013 and 2015. The flow monitoring program provided calibrated models for the 2015 wastewater master planning effort and was used to develop the master plan capital improvement program, and the flow monitoring program also identified capacity restrictions.

The approval of the contract for the updated flow monitoring and model calibration of the San Jacinto and Perris reclamation facilities follows 2022 board actions for updates of the other two facilities. The updates will reflect changes to current and projected systems. The flow monitoring program will involve a combination of wet and dry weather flows with the dry weather flows being the basis of the calibration effort and the wet weather flows being used to evaluate inflow and infiltration which enters the collection system. The calibration report will document the results of the efforts and provide recommended wastewater flow factors by land use type. The flow monitoring will use 65 flow meters for dry weather flow.

EMWD staff solicited proposals from seven firms May 5 and received three responses by the May 19 deadline. An evaluation panel recommended Black & Veatch as the preferred firm, and the fee of $699,278 was negotiated. The flow monitoring and model calibration work is expected to be complete by September 2024.

Joe Naiman can be reached via email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

LAFCO approves annexation of Whitewood Condo/Apartment Project land

Joe Naiman

Writer Riverside County’s Local Agency Formation Commission approved the annexation of the Whitewood Condo/Apartment Project land into the Eastern Municipal Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. LAFCO’s board voted 5-0 July 27, with two absences, to approve the annexation of one 31.67-acre parcel. The land is currently uninhabited but has Multi-Family

SKATEPARK from page A-1 is located at 30875 Rancho Vista Road in Temecula.

The Spohn Ranch representative invited comments from the skateboarding community at the meeting after showing the enthusiasts a number of designs already competed in the area and nationwide.

Laura Bragg and other associate engineers from the Temecula Public Works Department hosted the event designed to gain input on what the redeveloped skatepark or other non-motorized bikes and scooters could use in the future. The engineers estimated the design stage would take about nine months and the construction phase about the same amount of time, but it will be done with the $3 million budget. More public workshops will be called.

The Spohn Ranch Skatepark Developer Jason Baldessari said the park does not have to be completely cement and can have other ramp textures. He said the original park does have some amenities which will be kept including a restroom, tables, benches, shades and fencing, but other things will be added such as reconfiguring the depth of the wells and changing the slopes and bays.

The skaters suggested that the new configuration should have longer takeoff slopes, an area for the smaller children and a way

Residential (MF-2) zoning which allows for between 10 and 30 dwelling units per acre, and 483 multi-family dwelling units are planned as part of the Whitewood Condo/Apartment Project. Because 2.49 of the 31.67 acres will be public roads, the net area of 29.18 acres would create a density of 16.55 dwelling units per acre.

The land is within the City of Murrieta east of Vista Murrieta High School on Whitewood Road, south of Clinton Keith Road, and north and west of Los Alamos Road. The construction would they could get off the track when necessary. be phased with 27 condominium buildings totaling 153 units on 9.99 acres being built during one phase and the 11 apartment buildings totaling 330 units on 19.17 acres being constructed in the other phase. The construction is expected to begin in mid-2023 and the units are expected to be ready for occupancy in mid-2024.

One adult skater said the park should not be too “scary” for the beginners and smaller children. A flat with some small jumps for the beginners might be placed next to the main park.

It was also suggested that since the new park will possibly attract more users and be a place for more special events, a music stand could be constructed.

It was agreed that the park should be 70% designed for skateboarding and 30% for BMX bikes and scooters. Special times and days for the different wheel types might be set up for more safety of all involved.

The city engineers and the skatepark builders announced they will post surveys online and send them out to the interested users of the skatepark in the next few weeks. Once those design ideas have been reviewed, the information will be relayed to the public and skateboard enthusiasts before final approval.

For more information, interested parties can contact the Temecula Department of Public Works at 951-694-6411 or Laura Bragg at laura.bragg@temecula.gov Residents can check https://temeculaca.gov/ for more details. Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.

The City of Murrieta was the lead agency for the environmental Mitigated Negative Declaration. The Mitigated Negative Declaration was initially adopted in October 2022 and an addendum was adopted in December 2022.

The Eastern Municipal Water District will provide both potable water service and wastewater service to the development. A 12-inch water pipeline will be extended east in Clinton Keith Road from the existing 16-inch pipeline in Whitewood Road to the east corner of the development, and a 12-inch stubout will be constructed within right-of-way fronting the development on Whitewood Road. The development will be connected to Eastern’s 15-inch vitrified clay pipe sewer along Whitewood

Road. The estimated water demand from the project is 149,730 gallons per day or 167.7 acre-feet annually. The anticipated wastewater flow is 79,454 gallons per day which equates to 89.0 acre-feet annually.

A February 2022 Eastern Municipal Water District board meeting requested the annexation of the area. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board approved the annexation April 11. Joe Naiman can be reached via email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

BONNY from page A-1

“Today (Tuesday), firefighters will continue strengthening (the) containment line around the fire and cooling areas along the fire perimeter,” fire officials said. “Steep and rugged terrain remains a challenge, and the chance of thunderstorms throughout the day increases the risk of erratic fire behavior.”

Shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, the fire nearly swept across Chapman and Johnston roads, prompting Cal Fire air tankers and waterdropping helicopters to unload in the immediate vicinity of several homes, protecting them from damage, according to reports from the scene.

One outbuilding and a vehicle were destroyed Friday afternoon.

One firefighter was injured over the weekend, though not seriously.

Cal Fire tankers and helicopters have been rotating in and out of the area, providing support to an estimated 2,000 personnel on the ground, including county engine and hand crews, as well as strike teams and other firefighters from the Corona Fire Department, Hemet Fire Department, Murrieta Fire & Rescue and other agencies.

Hot shot crews from Kern County were also dispatched to the area.

An evacuation order went into effect Thursday for the area south of Bailey Road, north of Running Springs Road, west of Chapman and east of Bonny Lane. The order was expanded Friday afternoon to include all territory north of the San Diego County line, south of Bailey Road, west of AnzaBorrego State Park and east of Bonny Lane.

An evacuation warning remained in place for the area north of the county line, south of La Cima Road, west of Anza-Borrego and east Spanish Spur Trail. The area is sparsely populated.

A care and reception center is available at Hamilton High School in Anza.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.