NEW MEAD VALLEY FIRE STATION #59 will provide 24/7 response

MEAD VALLEY—On October 25, 2006, the community of Mead Valley joined the Riverside County Board of Supervisors at the grand opening of Fire Station #59, located at 21510 Pinewood Street.

The new station supports the needs of the growing Mead Valley community. It improves fire-protection services and enhances firefighter accommodations, which include 4 new sleeping quarters, an upgraded kitchen and 2 additional showers. This 2 bay, 6,400-square-foot, $3 million fire station has a state-of-the-art exhaust system to help reduce harmful elements in the air. A new fire truck was provided to the station this past year. Fire Station #59 will continue to have two shifts and one relief shift providing 24-hour coverage, seven days a week responding to an average of 16 calls per day. The old Mead Valley Fire Station, located just north of Cajalco Road, was recently reopened as a Code Enforcement Office. 

TEMESCAL VALLEY— The Riverside County Board of Supervisors and members of the community celebrated the grand opening and dedication of the new Sycamore Creek Fire Station #64 on Friday, September 29, 2006. The new fire station, located at 25310 Campbell Ranch Road will provide emergency services to the citizens in the unincorporated communities of Temescal Valley.

Firefighters housed at a temporary fire station on Horsethief Canyon Road since February of 2003 now feel at home in the new station which allows them to continue meeting the public safety needs of this growing community. In addition to responding to 9-1-1 calls, fire station personnel are responsible for fire inspections, pre-fire planning, public education, and volunteer firefighter recruitment and training. The Sycamore Creek Fire Station #64 will be traditionally staffed with three firefighters daily. County Fire Chief John Hawkins credits the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for their commitment to public safety and their foresight in planning for future growth.

Chief Hawkins stated, “The County has clearly made the safety of its residents a priority. Anticipating the growth in the Temescal Valley and being proactive in staffing and building fire stations has been a partnership between the fire department and the board.” The County spent approximately $3.1 million for the new fire station.

The Woodcrest Library is the first Riverside County project to be LEED Certified. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.”

WOODCREST—When it comes to children, Woodcrest Library is one of the busiest libraries within Riverside County. The growing need to expand the current 1,800- square-foot temporary site prompted the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to break ground for construction of the new 10,000-square-foot, environmentallyfriendly Woodcrest Community Library. On opening day, the new library will have nearly 30,000 volumes which is more than double the current collection.

Other features of the new library include:

• separate children's room with a story time space and a separate children's restroom
• more public access computers
• public meeting room
• deck for outdoor programming and leisure reading
• quiet study areas
• comfortable interior leisure reading area
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for convenient self-checkout
• surrounding landscape that features native California plants and includes a water-wise demonstration garden.

The library is scheduled to open fall, 2007.

IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS from residents complaints about unsightly and unsafe conditions, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors created the Code Enforcement Department. The Code Enforcement Department's goals are “to maintain enforcement responsiveness that reflects public needs and concerns regarding health and safety, and to provide uniform, effective, and timely code enforcement services to residents within unincorporated Riverside County.” The department will focus its attention on zoning concerns, public nuisances and other code violations.

With the help of high-tech surveillance equipment, the department is currently focusing on illegal dumping, and officers are clamping down on violators, with a commitment to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Code enforcement officers investigate complaints from the community. If an officer determines a violation has occurred, the department works with the landowner to rectify the violation.

Additionally, the Riverside County Code Enforcement Department also has outreach programs which attempt to help landowners beautify their properties and eliminate hazardous conditions. To find out more about the Department and its programs, please call 951.245.3186 or visit us at our website at www.rctlma.org.