The Morongo Basin MAC gave its support to recommendations to improve public notification for solar projects and annexation of a county water operation by Big Horn Desert View. It also learned the new Landers slogan, and heard local reports on road and community cleanup issues. Reporter Dan Stork has the details…
The Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council unanimously approved two measures before it. The first was a set of recommendations for improving how Land Use Services notifies the public on renewable energy projects. The bullet points in the recommendations addressed disclosure, online access to documents, a checklist implementing the recently-passed country ordinance on solar energy generation facilities, expanded geographical noticing of projects in communities, clarity of documents, and holding applicant accountable to the planning process. Speakers lauded the MAC for taking the lead on this issue, saying the County offices charged with providing public notice of project status fail to talk to each other, and were unprepared to administer the process for permitting renewable energy projects. The second vote supported a request that county-run water services in the Landers area be taken over by the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency from the county. That vote followed a presentation by Big Horn Desert View General Manager Marina West in which she emphasized the virtues of local and transparent administration, and protection from county rate increases. She minimized concerns from the audience about the cost to Big Horn Desert View of an annexation.
Chairman Mike Lipsitz announced Landers’ new slogan: “Beautiful Skies—Miles of Smiles,” which was submitted by the combined second and third grade class at Landers Elementary School, and won over 82 other entries, such as “Weird, But in a Nice Way.”
In community reports, Max Rossi wants to pursue greater local control in Wonder Valley over road maintenance, and said that a community cleanup effort collected 60,000 tires—but illegal dumping continues. Larry Parrott wished for greater participation in a community cleanup in Flamingo Heights, and said he would favor increased turn lanes on Route 247, over a planned road widening project, for reasons of safety.
MORONGO BASIN MAC APPROVES RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEW LANDERS SLOGAN
