IFDP special meeting Nov. 30

For its Nov. 30 special meeting, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission has three items on the proposed agenda:

Special Session Item(s)

• Interim Election of Board Officers – due to resignation of Commissioner Killingsworth and reseating of Commissioner Capparelli

• Resolution 510 – Resolution is required for acceptance of Cal Fire Grant for wildland fire equipment and the deadline falls prior to the next regularly scheduled board meeting.

Closed Session Items

• Chief Walker’s Annual Evaluation – the annual evaluation of the fire chief

County Grand Jury reports on IFPD

For the third time in three years, a Riverside County Grand Jury has investigated and issued a report about the operations of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD).

The Grand Jury addressed five separate issues. The general themes were how the board conducts its business and oversight of operations; although one specific recommendation concerned Commissioner Dr. Charles “Chip” Schelly’s dual relationship as commissioner and paid-call firefighter.

The preponderance of the report addressed the IFPD Commission’s responsibilities for financial oversight of the agency’s operation and its own responsibilities as a Brown Act body.

Recommendations No. 4 (Brown Act compliance) and No. 6 (a cost analysis of services) are essentially a reiteration of recommendations from 2008, which the Grand Jury felt had not been effectively handled.

The six areas, which the Grand Jury investigated and issued recommendations for are summarized below:

1.Inadequate Financial Bookkeeping System — implement a double-entry bookkeeping system for recording financial transactions and internal controls to maintain adequate records

2. and 3. Annual Audits and Lack of Compliance with Requirements of AR IFPD #107 — [commission] members attend mandatory annual training to review and discuss the requirements in AR IFPD #107

4.Violation of the Brown Act — comply with the provisions of the Brown Act at all times and receive annual training on the Brown Act to minimize any violations

5. Conflict of Interest by a Board Member — elected official on the IFPD Board must resolve the current conflict of interest

6. Use of Volunteers and/or Cal-Fire — hire a consulting firm to conduct a cost analysis for:

• IFPD and Cal-Fire

• Ambulance Service

• Career Firefighters and Volunteers

As of this posting, Friday afternoon, none of the commissioners were available to comment on the report.

Since 2005, Riverside Grand Juries have issued four reports about the county Sheriff’s Department and two reports each on the Moreno Valley School District and the Blythe Airport. These are the only other public agencies to have been investigated more than once during the past six years.

Click here to download the Grand Jury Report.

Idyllwild 2011 special district elections

Special District elections.

Tricia Clark, local real estate agent will succeed Ron Korman on the Fern Valley Water District board of directors. During the extension period, she was the only resident to file papers for candidacy. The Board of Supervisors will appointed her and incumber Diana Johnson for term beginning December 2, 2011.

None of the three local water districts will need a vote to select the next group of directors since the number of candidates equals the number of seats up for election in each district.

As we reported Wednesday, the newly re-elected Directors for the Idyllwild Water District will be Jim Billman, W. Warren Monroe and Allan Morphett. For the Pine Cove Water District, Directors Mike Esnard and Tom McCullough are re-elected.

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District will have an election to fill two seats from six candidates — incumbents Pete Capparelli and Paul Riggi and challengers Jerry Buchanan, Larry Donahoo, Paul Miglin and Mark Spehar.

Jazz Fest is a GO! IFPD says not so fast!

Jazz In the Pines- Event is a GO (Statement from Bill Lowman, President)

Jazz Committee & Musicians,

According to local authorities, the Cottonwood Fire currently poses no threat to the village of Idyllwild or Idyllwild Arts Academy. Jazz in the Pines is still a go, so please come up to enjoy the music and the mountain. It’s cool up here.

You should be aware that Highway 74 is closed between Hemet and Highway 243 at Mountain Center. Visitors can use Highway 243 off Interstate 10 in Banning or Highway 74 from Palm Desert. For additional information please contact the Idyllwild Fire Protection District, CalFire or CalTrans.

Sincerely,

Jeff Hocker, Executive Producer

Jazz in the Pines


Now wait a second, Idyllwild Fire Chief Steve Kunkle told Marshall Smith, our local agent, the following:

Idyllwild Arts gives “go/no go” Jazz in the Pines decision to IFPD Chief Kunkle!!

According to Diane Miller, speaking on behalf of Idyllwild Arts CEO Bill Lowman, Idyllwild Arts gave the “go no/go” decision to proceed with this weekend’s Jazz in the Pines Festival to Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Chief Steve Kunkle.

It should be pointed out that Chief Kunkle is not yet part of the unified command that presently includes CalFire and the Forest Service. IFPD will be included if and when the fire crosses a designated point set by the unified command that makes it likely the fire will move uphill and easterly toward the Hill communities.

But Chief Kunkle does issue the special permit that allows the festival to proceed. Because of that, and wanting to provide potential attendees and townspeople more than adequate cancellation notice, Kunkle established a “pre-trigger” point for pulling the permits and cancelling the festival.

Should the fire cross to the south side of the North Fork of the San Jacinto, a distance of approximately 3 to 5 miles from the present fire site, Kunkle will effectively cancel the festival. Last night the fire was at Kunkle’s pre-trigger point but air support and firefighters on the fire line beat the fire back to its present location, effectively moving it farther away from Hill communities.

The fire is moving (at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28), according to the Forest Service Website www.inciweb.org, at a “moderate rate” of speed, north and away from Idyllwild, which is to the northeast. The greatest present activity is on the fire’s western flank. Winds are at 10 mph, the temperature is 107 degrees F. and humidity is at a low 7%. Kunkle believes that even should the fire cross his “pre-trigger” point it would be, using “current models,” two days before the fire reaches the Hill communities, unless wind conditions were to pick up.

Kunkle expressed concern over the economic consequence of canceling the festival, both to Idyllwild Arts and to local merchants who depend on this weekend to make much of their bottom line, but expressed that his main concern is safety.

Kunkle’s “pre-trigger” point is 1-1/2 miles west of the official Hill evacuation trigger point at Fisherman’s Point.

Kunkle said Idyllwild Arts can decide at any time prior to the point at which his responsibility kicks in, i.e. his “pre-trigger” point, to cancel the festival.

IFPD election

The three people elected to four-year terms on the Idyllwild fire protection Distgrict Commission are Jeannine Charles-Stigall, Ben Killingworth and Chip Schelly.

The Registrar of Voters released the official count of write-in votes tonight and candidate Steve Kepler received 137 votes, well short of Killingsworth's 251. He had the third highest total of the seven candidates.

Schelly lead the count with 466 votes followed by Charles-Stigall who garnered 403. Killingsworth was third. Former IFPD President Glen "Mac" McWilliams and commission Earl Parker trailed Killingsworth by 80 votes with 173 each.

Togther Schelly and Charles-Stigall outpolled the other four candidates on the ballot. Their overwhelming victory would appear to be a signal for modifying the current departmental attitude.

Good luck to the victors and thank you for your time and effort to the defearted and former commissioners.They compiled a lot of time working with the staff and devoted energy for many years to the department. Thanks again and enjoy the future.

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
UNIFORM DISTRICT ELECTION LAW (UDEL) MAIL BALLOT ELECTION
AUGUST 25, 2009
OFFICIAL TALLY RESULTS OF QUALIFIED WRITE-IN CANDIDATES
IDYLLWILD FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
STEPHEN G. KEPLER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 137

Steve Kepler enters IFPD commissioner race

Steve Kepler, another paid-call member of the Idyllwild Fire Department, has decided to run for a commission seat. Kepler filed papers this week with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ Office to as an official write-in candidate in the Aug. 25 vote.


Residents will receive their ballots shortly. Six names will be on the ballot, but Kepler is asking voters to make the effort to write his name on one of the blank lines of the ballot.


Three full-term or four-year seats are up for election. The three incumbents – Glen McWilliams, Earl Parker and Lloyd Vaught— are all running for re-election.


The three challengers are Ben Killingsworth, currently a board commissioner who could have run for election to finish the term to which he was appointed, Jeannine Charles-Stigall and Dr. Charles “Chip” Schelly.


Now Kepler enters the race as the fourth challenger, but the third non-commissioner seeking one of the three openings.