In May, the Yucca Valley Town Council decided to postpone the Fourth of July fireworks show until Labor Day weekend. Managing editor Tami Roleff says the council was asked to decide at its regular meeting last night whether the show would go on, or if it would be postponed to a later date…
The Yucca Valley Town Council decided last night to hold its Fourth of July fireworks on the fifth of September—the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The fireworks will be a remote viewing; Brehm Park and surrounding streets will be closed, and residents are encouraged to watch the fireworks from their homes or their vehicles. The fireworks will be launched extra high in the air to make sure everyone can see them, and Z107.7 will simulcast music to go along with the display.
In other business, the council approved a $20,000 contract for the second annual Yucca Valley Film Festival, set for November 13-15. The film festival will be a virtual film fest, with more details to come at a later date.
And the council learned that the town may extend its swim program by a couple of weeks since the schools may still be closed to students.
During the report from the Building and Safety Department, the council learned from Paul Osterman that the town has approved 62 permits for single-family homes, all of which are for infill lots. Osterman said it’s the most permits for new homes that the town has granted since 2006-07.
Town Planner Armando Baldizzone said in his report on the five-year capital improvement plan that the town will have a negative cash flow of $1.6 million due to street maintenance by 2024-25 if no other revenue sources are found.
The town will maintain its roads, except for those that Hi-Desert Water District expects to be constructing the new sewer system. Limited maintenance will be done on streets in Phase II of the sewer hook-ups, which isn’t expected to begin construction until 2023-2024. The delay in street maintenance is sure to cause concerns for residents who live on those streets. The town does not plan to add any more dirt roads into its maintained road system, either. And as part of the capital improvement plan, work at the old library site will be phased in over several years. In addition, there will not be any major renovations done at the Senior Center. However, funds and grant proceeds for improvements to the pedestrian areas at the aquatics center are included in the capital improvement plan.
During public comment, numerous Morongo Basin residents chastised the council for opposing the proposed listing of Joshua trees as threatened under the California Species Act.
