The Yucca Valley Town Council meeting kicked off with a review of the Capital Improvement Plan. Presented by Public Works Director Alex Qishta, the five-year CIP identifies various public infrastructure projects, their planning schedule, and financing options. Examples include the Aquatics and Recreation Center, the Community Center Athletic Facility, the Highway 62 Monument Sign, improvements to the Senior Center, the slurry/crack seal project, various road widening projects, and more.
Notably missing from the CIP was the maintenance of dirt roads, which garnered much public input at the Town Council meeting on March 19. Town Staff plans to return to the Council this fall to address this issue. As the CIP is only a planning tool, any project will need independent review and approval to move forward. The Town Council voted to adopt the Capital Improvement Plan through the end of the 2029/2030 fiscal year.
The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Commission presented the Town Council with their upcoming activities for Fall and Winter. Notable additions include the return of the Murder Mystery Dinner, a popular pre-pandemic event, and new cardio dance and flow yoga courses. The Hi-Desert Nature Museum will host a Night at the Museum event to celebrate the museum’s 60th year in operation.
Town Staff updated the Council on their successful completion of a Corrective Action Plan related to SB1383, or the organics recycling bill. Like many municipalities, Yucca Valley could not roll out the organics recycling program by the deadline of January 1, 2022; it has since been implemented to CalRecycle’s standards. Finance Manager Jordan Gumbish followed this with a presentation detailing the upcoming Town Resident Report on Measures Y and Z, which will be mailed out to residents for confidence and information review of the program.
The Town Council Meeting concluded with Mayor Lombardo reading a Memorial Adjournment in honor of Evelyn Conklin, the founder of the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, who passed away on July 2.
“On behalf of the Town Council, we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences on Evelyn’s passing. Eveyln’s vision and her love for nature and art have been an inspiration not only to museum staff but to hundreds and thousands of museum visitors who have visited the Hi-Desert Nature Museum over the last sixty years. We are confident that her legacy will continue to touch the lives of community members and visitors to the Morongo Basin for many years to come.”
