| >> Harv Dykstra |
 |
Editor.W
Wildomar, CA
United States
Joined:
11/01/2006
|
 Thursday, November 15, 2007 |
Post #15 |
|
|
|
|
|
Editor.W
Wildomar, CA
United States
Joined:
11/01/2006
|
 Saturday, December 15, 2007 |
Post #16 |
|
| Dykstra: Protect The Area By Incorporating |
|
By: AARON CLAVERIE - The
Californian - The Californian
Editor's note: This is the sixth in a
series of profiles on the 14 candidates seeking a council seat should Wildomar
residents decide Feb. 5 that the community should become a city.
WILDOMAR
- Harv Dykstra pointed to the recent annexation of the Cottonwood Canyon area by
Lake Elsinore as a prime example of why voters should support
incorporation.
"Even though we have a supposed official designation as an
unincorporated community, we cannot completely get rid of the desire to annex
from these adjoining cities. Lake Elsinore found a way to break through that
(unincorporated) status and annex 100 acres," said Dykstra, one of 14 Wildomar
City Council candidates.
Area voters will decide Feb. 5 whether to
incorporate and, if so, which of the 14 candidates should serve on the inaugural
five-person council. Voters also will be asked to decide if the council members
should be elected on an at-large or a district basis.
The other 13
candidates on the ballot are Sheryl Ade, Gary Andre, Steve Beutz, Martha
Bridges, Bob Cashman, Scott Farnam, Roger Le Clerc, Bridgette Moore, Darrell
Ruff, Marsha Swanson, Michael Tierney, Tim Underdown and Paul
Williams.
The decision to annex the Cottonwood Canyon land, approved
earlier this year, was controversial among Wildomar residents who accused Lake
Elsinore, Riverside County and the Riverside County Local Agency Formation
Commission of conspiring to poach a prime piece of land for Lake
Elsinore.
Dykstra, the 56-year-old owner of a window and door shop, said
the only way to stop further encroachment is cityhood.
Since moving to
the Wildomar area in the early 1980s, Dykstra said he has made it a priority to
immerse himself in local government. He was a charter member of the Wildomar
Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Wildomar Interest League, a former chairman
of Wildomar Incorporate Now and member of the county Municipal Advisory
Council.
"I noticed issues that needed to be addressed," he said, citing
flood control, improved roads and improved services such as police and fire
protection.
He also worked on bringing a post office to Wildomar and he
helped set up a community facilities district that led to the construction of a
medical services building on the east side of Wildomar.
Both of those
projects brought added value to the community, Dykstra said, and he credited
County Supervisor Bob Buster for supporting both.
But Buster, Dykstra
said, is only one vote on the county Board of Supervisors and there is only so
much he can do. Becoming a city would give residents five local people instead
of one who can advocate on the residents' behalf and bring in the type of
development or expanded service that boosts their quality of life, he
said.
Dykstra said his interest in government goes back to his days at
Long Beach State and his studies in urban planning, geography and
environment.
This combination of educational background and hands-on
experience serving on Wildomar committees and managing his business makes him an
ideal candidate, said Dykstra.
One of the top issues facing the area is
the condition of the roads, which are too narrow and inadequate for bicyclists,
Dykstra said. The issue is a personal one, he said, because one of his friends,
riding his bike on a county road in Wildomar, was recently hit and killed by a
motorist.
If elected, Dykstra vows to work to make the roads safer for
cyclists and better than county standards of construction.
As for how a
new council, faced with startup costs, would pay for that, Dykstra said he is
generally opposed to deficit spending, so he wouldn't advocate floating a bond
issue. Dykstra said the city should be able to divert funding now going to the
county and add money from developers fees to pay for the road
work.
Another important issue for Dykstra is police presence in the area,
which is patrolled by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
While
Dykstra said there is not a lot of major crime in the area, there is some gang
activity from up north, some illegal dumping and some graffiti. Following
incorporation, the council can contract with the Sheriff's Department and secure
a dedicated force that would be stationed in the community, a force similar to
the ones in Lake Elsinore and Temecula.
Until the city can afford to
build a station, Dykstra envisions the new force operating out of a temporary
office.
Another issue about which Dykstra is passionate is building a
fire station on the east side of town.
Residents there have complained
recently about response times compared to times on the west side, the town's
older section.
Dykstra said there needs to be more attention paid to the
east side because it features the medical services offices near the Kaiser
Permanente clinic, two supermarkets and numerous new housing
developments.
"If you get people in a life-threatening situation, we need
to have firefighters and paramedics on the scene. Shorter response times have
been proven to save lives," he said. "It's the difference between life and
death."
Source:
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/16/news/californian/wildomar/18_06_1112_15_07.txt
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| >> Wildomar Special Interests |
|
