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Updated: March 19, 2006 
We ask the Important questions others are too afraid to ask!

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" POLITICIANS WILL ONLY START SEEING THE LIGHT WHEN THEY BEGIN TO FEEL THE HEAT"

Dust & Dump Page

9/30/06
In The Pockets?
Council Ready To Do Developer's Blight Bidding?
Ashbrook Communities (Vista Del Monte)

We have word that the Vista Del Monte developers, Ashbrook Communities, may be approaching the city council to overturn a planning commission decision that effectively said... DON'T GRADE IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO BUILD.

One council person's sentiments are revealed to us by an email we received that quote Councilwoman Yvonne Parks view of the situation like this: 

"The developer did not have the right people at the council meeting to properly explain what they needed." - Yvonne Parks

Excuse Us! The person that was at the planning commission meeting was Mr. Perryman, President of the Desert Division of Ashbrook Communities and also his second in command. You don't get any more "right people" than that!

If the council takes this up this issue you will indeed have a showdown, one that will reveal just how our council is in the pockets of the developers and in favor of grading blight. 

If the council intercedes on appeal and gives Ashbrook and Mr. Perryman (Vista Del Monte) more time, it will mean the property will be allowed to sit for 1 1/2 years graded and grubbed but with no guarantee of construction.

04/17/06
The Dust City Does Not Let You Down
City Officials Can Proudly Announce
Holidays & DHS PM10 (Dust) Violations
Are In
100% Non PM10 Compliance- 100% Of All Holiday Times
FODHS will start Emailing these dusty stories to AAA vacation planners, other travel agencies, and other cities Chambers & Visitors Centers until the city management starts enforcing the PM10 laws

And, the City's own Pierson projects is sending waves of dust down Pierson clear through the downtown. No water truck operator on duty - apparently enjoying a dust free weekend off. And as usual, clouds of dust can been seen from five miles away coming off the project across highway 62.

Where is code enforcement?

Why can't this problem just be solved? If the developers are not going to take care of it, can we suggest a little incentive - like a big fat make an example out of someone many thousand dollar fine!

04/14/06
DHS Retailers Upset 
Pierson Boulevard Is Looking More Like Bodie
Ghost Town (Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western) With
Its Dusty Streets & Dilapidated Retail Buildings!
Not Only Do We Need New Downtown Streets, But We Also Desperately Need Redevelopment Money Spent To Fix The Long Overdue Dilapidated Down Town Buildings.

But Instead, Old Council Members Insist On Wasting Million Of Dollar Of Redevelopment Money On Un Needed Roads And Bridges To Their Developer Friends Projects On The Outskirts Of Town!

04/12/06
Regional Water Quality Officials Fine
Developers $1.5 Million For Not Reducing
Water Run Off Pollution!
Why Cant DHS Officials Fine Developers For Not
Reducing PM10 Pollution? 
Seems our city of DHS is the only cities not willing to enforce compliance of its own PM10 pollution laws. Unlike DHS, Below is another article reporting an example of officials enforcing their own pollution  laws.

Why has DHS been afraid to enforce its own standards for so long? Why is it that we are the only city in the state who perpetually ignore violations of  pollution laws? 

"But it's a necessary thing," he said. "It's not something you can ignore." "We've tried to follow through and make the adjustments,"

04/10/06
Update on
Skyborne Goes Airborne
New story at GoGov.com
More details about passing the buck
On The Trail Of Dust… By Russell Betts (April 10, 2005)

Also Opinion commentary by Bill Effinger on the dust problem at
Desert Local News
Health and Wellness an oxymoron in DHS

04/10/06
Skyborne Goes Airborne

Desert Hot Springs city residents did not need to wait to buy a piece of the Skyborne development.
 Sunday afternoon Skyborrn real estate was dumped on their houses as the 100 plus acre site spewed blinding dust clouds across Desert Hot Springs. 
Not one water truck was in gear. The site sat un-watered just waiting for the wind. The wind came and so did blinding dust clouds.

      

As FODHS sat on a side street documenting the event we watched cars stopped in blinding whiteout conditions. One car nearly ran into the back of another car that was stopped and could not proceed for all the dust. A women in a convertible out for a sunny ride through Desert Hot Springs got stuck with her top down. All she could do is cover her face and sit waiting for a break in the dust.

It is an absolute disgrace that the developers of this premier construction site would be so irresponsible, so callous, such a terrible neighbor.

We did not venture on to the property to see how many water trucks are on this site. We stayed only on the public road ways but did circle the Skyborn Development. Not one water truck was in operation. That was about 3 p.m. We do know they were notified to come out but at sun down the development was still putting blinding clouds of dust into the air.

     

     

    

Also culpable in this dust event is the Mission Springs Water District who we believe must have some say over the sewer and water lines that are going in. In what seems to be a continuing pattern of "we only let out the work, we are not responsible for the contractor" dust does not seem to be a concern of MSWD. We have a call into MSWD director Randy Duncan to get his explanation.

Perhaps at the next council meeting Mr. Duncan or others from MSWD can explain why it is that they allow projects involving their water and sewer lines to have absolutely not dust control measure employed.

And what about our city council? We can only guess that they have given this problem a good public showing but privately simply do not care.

If you see dust, DO NOT call the contractor whose name appears on the PM10 Dust Notice sign. If you see dust, DO NOT call the DHS Dust Hot Line. IF YOU SEE DUST, REPORT IT TO THE AQMD regulators by calling 1 800 CUT SMOG.

04/05/06
City FINALLY!! beginning to
take baby steps against
conic PM10 developer dust factories
Councilman states
most Developers out of PM10 Compliance 

Today's Press Enterprise article verifies everything FODHS has been saying for a good year now.  City has allowed Developers to ignore PM10 requirements.

Press Enterprise Article:
Desert Hot Springs City Councilman Hank Hohenstein says he believes every development in his city has a PM10, or particulate pollution, violation.

"When I ride around, I see many developments that are missing one or more links of the requirements they need to make," Hohenstein said in a recent telephone interview.
Since November, residents of Desert Hot Springs have complained to the City Council about violations from new developments within the city. PM10 means particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter.
Desert Hot Springs officials have responded to complaints by enforcing existing fines and encouraging residents to call the city when potential violations occur. On March 4, the city required a code enforcement officer to check developments daily for dust violations, said Assistant City Manager Steven Mendoza. Since then, three stop-work notices and one citation have been given out, he said Tuesday.

Comments from the public must be submitted by April 17 to the EPA and can be submitted online to regulations.gov or faxed to (202) 566-1749. New standards could be adopted around September, she said.

Reach Wes Woods II (Press Enterprise) at (760) 837-4405 or wwoods@PE.com

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City Condoned Illegal Developer Dumping and Dust

03/28/06
Is our "Acting" City Manager focused
on the wrong priorities?

If our acting city manager, John Souillier and the city council were as tough on the developers spewing construction dust throughout the city as they are on the Mayor about his painting the offices, we might having something positive in this town to report.

For our council and city manager to be in a huff and wasting time over a little paint while unhealthful dust rolls through this city is not only ridicules, it is an insult to those choking on the city's inaction. For our city manager to be managing memos in a turf war with the Mayor while Pierson lies torn up for months is a complete misdirection of our manager's efforts.

Where is the resolve on the real problems facing this city. John Souillier, what are you doing to solve the Pierson Road problem? What! The business owner on that street want to know!

The real issues await this council. It is time, long past time, it got to them.

Links to articles that waste time about this unimportant painting issue:

Desert Sun Opinion about Mayor painting Office

Desert Sun Second Opinion about Mayor painting Offices

Desert Local News

Just think how much better off we all would be if our council, "Acting" City Manager, and local press were instead focusing on the important issues instead.

Legal stuff here!

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