It was all about Covington Park at last night’s 3 ½ hour meeting of the Morongo Valley Community Service District board of directors. The board voted unanimously to begin applying for a portion of the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program grant. If approved, the board will have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars to help pay for much-needed renovations to Covington Park’s playground equipment.
The board also heard a presentation on what specific playground equipment would be installed at the park if the grant funding was approved. As topics shifted later in the meeting, however, meeting attendees became argumentative. Reporter Andrew Dieleman explains…
The Morongo Valley CSD also discussed allowing Fire Chief Gary Yearsley to drive a command vehicle to his home in Yermo for response to Morongo Valley in the event of an emergency. Many meeting attendees disapproved of the idea, arguing that the cost in fuel and the wear-and-tear on the vehicle from the 100-mile trip was unjustifiable. Morongo Valley Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Brakebill stated that the practice is common place in most fire departments.
After extensive discussion, the board voted to allow temporary gas reimbursement to Chief Yearsley’s personal vehicle in the event of an emergency while the board reviewed the district’s policy on the use of command vehicles. The board also held a public hearing to finalize its 2019-2020 fiscal year budget and approved the district’s 2018-2019 fiscal year audit.
