Palomar Mountain News

From: Bruce Graves

Subject: What is happening at the Fire Station/Community Center and Why

We want people to know why we have to temporarily use the Community Center for Fire Fighter living quarters.

What is Happening at the Fire Station / Community Center and Why         March 3, 2012

I was a new comer to Palomar Mountain in the mid 1970s. As I recall there was a group of people who thought we ought to have a Volunteer Fire Dept. And there was a lot of community support for the Idea. We began to have annual Bar B Qs to support our newly formed Volunteer Fire Dept. San Diego Co. gave us two WW II surplus Engines painted Yellow. One had a flat head 6 cylinder Dodge engine with a top speed of 5 miles per hour up the Crestline hill.  Money from the annual bar B Qs held at the Skyline Lodge (located at the end of Crestline Rd. ) continued build in our bank account. When the lodge was sold we held a couple of Bar B Qs at the Observatory. By this time we began to have some real money so we started to look for property where we could build a Fire Station.

After much study and discussion we  were able to buy the first two acres of our existing Fire Station. Now we had our own place to park our engines and hold our Bar B Qs. When we had enough money to start our big red metal building we were able to get a permit but not for a fire station only a for a place to store vehicles. The building went up. It had a dirt floor at first. As new money came in we were able to put in gravel and finally cement. We learned we needed a grading permit for the work we had done to make a pad for our building. And so we tried to get one. No luck ! Some one at the County had discovered we do not have legal access to our property. Our two acres is set back about 40 feet from East Grade Rd. our drive way goes across the Iverson property to reach the road. There was no way we could get permits for anything.

Time went by and I think everybody looked the other way including the County. Then about 2003 a chance to get a materials only $50,000. Grant to renovate the house on the property and make it a better community Center became available. We took the materials and did the work ourselves. At the time we believed we would not need a permit because we were not going to make any foot print or structural changes. We later learned that the County had decided  they could not provide grant money for a project that did not have a permit. We of course could not get a permit because we did not have legal access. However about this time a stroke of great good fortune occurred. Thru the work of the Palomar Mountain Planning Organization and the generosity of the Iverson family the Iverson property was gifted to us. We now have legal access and permits are possible.

As soon as the money required to file for the permits be came available we began the process. County inspectors will be on the property doing the work necessary to approve our permits. We must not be in violation of any San Diego County codes. And this is why the Fire Fighters must move out of the modular building and into the Community Center

By code no one is allowed to use the modular building for living quarters. However the modular building can and is being used for Community Center purposes  We are also applying for the Community Center permit to satisfy the completion of the $50,000 grant. This will allow us to again apply for future grants to further improve the Community Center. Also the modular building will be upgraded to allow the Fire Fighters to again use it. The whole process should take less than a year.

As I see it,

Bruce Graves,  member Palomar Mountain Community