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MVCSD votes to move forward with Desert Region Fire Safe Council’s occupation of Fire Station #2

Last night, the Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors held their regular meeting in Covington Park’s multipurpose room.

In continued business, further discussions on whether Covington Park management will be a standing committee or 501c3 non-profit were tabled until the board sees further community engagement. Discussions for a dog park and security camera installation were also tabled until the next meeting. 

The Board held a public hearing for the 2025-26 preliminary budget, followed by a 5/0 approval of the budget. 

Justin Merino of Desert Region Fire Safe Council gave a presentation on their occupation of Fire Station #2, complete with mocked up photos of the station that included a public cooling room/community training center in the former bays, disaster supply storage, office, and clean interior. Merino said all the upgrades to the building and subsequent services as a community hub for fire safety education will be coming from FEMA and Cal OES grants and will be of no cost to the CSD. The Board voted 5/0 to move forward with the project, and Merino presented options of 1–2-year lease agreements for the rental of the facility which the Board will be forwarding to the CSD’s attorney.

The Board also approved the Morongo Valley Fire Department’s Instructional Service Agreement with Copper Mountain College, where the Fire Department will receive financial reimbursement for training future firefighters through the college. The 1-year agreement will be effective starting this August.

Gabriel Hart

Gabriel Hart is an author and journalist from Morongo Valley, CA. He was a finalist for the 2024 Golden Mic Awards for his continuous reporting on the Morongo Valley Community Services District. His punk-noir novel On High at Red Tide is out now from Pig Roast Publishing, and he's the editor-in-chief/publisher of Beyond the Last Estate, a print-only magazine featuring "creative reporting on contemporary literature."

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