A CLOSER LOOK AT YUCCA VALLEY’S LOW INCOME SENIOR HOUSING
Yucca Valley, Ca.- At one time Yucca Valley’s Deputy Town Manager, Shane Stueckle, was working on the low income senior housing project to be located near the Dollar Store area, off the main highway. A lot of work by Staff went into that project in the initial proposal and design.
Enter newly hired Town Manager, Mark Nuaimi, with his own ideas of where this building should be placed and selecting another developer. This project is proposed to be built on the main highway by CORE, on prime commercial property located at Dumosa and Highway 62.
Was this project sent out to bid? The appraiser on this RDA site was someone who had not been previously used by the Town of Yucca Valley according to my information, which has yet to be confirmed by Town Staff.
Never mind that Councilman Frank Luckino led the charge against using this prime commercial real estate property on the main highway. Mr. Bob Thacher, the elder statesman of our community, founder and real estate expert, wrote a letter to the editor against using this prime location for this project.
Nuaimi would hear none of that.
It has been reported Councilman Chad Mayes made the remark “there is no one beating on our door for this property anyway” before voting for that prime site to be used for low-income housing, predictably, Council members Isaac Hagerman and Dawn Rowe were his ditto votes. Luckino still voted no.
At a subsequent meeting, Councilman Isaac Hagerman voted for this project from one side of his mouth and out of the other, asked to look at a different location because he now agrees with Councilman Luckino.
Nuaimi would hear none of that.
Who is CORE and why is this project being fast tracked? They are the company that Mark Nuaimi brought in to build the Senior Housing Project. They have built in Fontana and they are working with Fontana Redevelopment for senior housing. Here is a link to their website:
http://www.schdc.org/about/about.htm
According to their website, National Community Renaissance or CORE was co-founded by Andrew B. Wright, Chairman Emeritus with Jeffrey Burum.
Wright served as a Partner in Diversified Pacific Development Group and the Colonies at San Antonio, a master-planned community in Upland. The website further states he was President of the Inland Empire Division of KB Homes and served as Chair-elect of the Upland Chamber of Commerce.
A follow-up story will focus on Jeffrey Burum and his decision to step down from CORE.
PROPOSED SENIOR HOUSING PROJECT OUTREACH
The Town of Yucca Valley is inviting the public to attend a series of meetings to review the Senior Housing project and to provide input into that project.
The first outreach is Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at two locations:
Yucca Valley Community Center: 10 AM
Senior Center: Open House: 5 PM
Colonies is the center of one of the most hotly pursued corruption cases out of the SB District Attorney’s office. On or about March 29, 2011, former San Bernardino County supervisor and assessor Bill Postmus pleaded guilty to three three felony charges, including conspiracy to accept a bribe to a $100 million land and flood control dispute he helped resolve while he was a San Bernardino County supervisor
We know Colonies likes to spread money around. Now comes CORE,the propose no-bid contractor for Yucca Valley’s redevelopment project. Margo’s article describes the connection of CORE to colonies.
The Town Council really needs stand up like leaders on this one and put it out for a legitimate bid.
Margo,
You have plenty of time on your hands I suggest you go back and watch the DVD’s again. My first vote was for the negotiating agreement with the builder which was a yes vote. The no vote was on the location. I don’t know how many times you have to make a liar out of yourself before you actually write an article with facts. Kind of reminds you of big bear huh Margaret.
@ Isaac Hagerman: Let…. me…. repeat…. in ….slow… speed…. for…. you…. I…wrote…”At…. a….subsequent…. meeting,…. Councilman…. Isaac…. Hagerman….voted…. for…. this…. project….(Your words “voting yes for the project”)….from…. one ….side ….of….his…. mouth…. and…. out…. of…. the…. other, ….asked…. to…. look…. at…. a ….different…. location….(your words, “the no vote was for location.”)…. because…. he…. now…. agrees…. with…. Councilman…. Luckino.
Luckino has always been the ONLY “no” vote on this location from the very beginning. He understands the value of that commercial property and that it should not be used for low-income housing just because the parcels are in Yucca Valley’s inventory.
You were for the project AND the location in the beginning.
If you flip-flopped on the location with a no vote it may have been expressed in a closed session.
Please put it up on YouTube for clarification, okay?
Thank you very much for your continued support of Cactus Thorns. Your comments are appreciated.
Sincerely,
Margo
Is it so difficult to actually include the truth in your articles Margo? You ask the question “Was this project sent out to bid? From there Branson concludes (erroneously) that this was a no-bid contract. Then you have Margo reporting that CORE is “… the company that Mark Nuaimi brought in to build the Senior Housing Project.”
Lets now actually examine the facts. The Town Council / Agency put out a Request for Proposals on June 15th, 2010 — weeks before I started working for the Town. They did this because they had received an unsolicited proposal that was going to use all their low / mod tax increment and they wanted to see if that was a good deal or whether there were better proposals to be had. That RFQ included as potential sites the location behind the shopping center (not owned by the Town) and the five acres of Agency owned property in the Old Town Specific Plan area.
Nine (9) proposals were received. An evaluation committee of Town staff reviewed each of the proposals and recommended four finalists to be brought in for interviews. We asked the four finalists to evaluate the current proposed site (Dumosa & SR-62) since it was a Town-owned asset and was adjacent to all the required amenities to compete for federal and state funding (i.e., senior center, library, community center, transit stop, retail). ALL FOUR FINALISTS indicated this was a preferred location for a proposed senior housing project.
Based upon the proposals and the interviews, National CORE was recommended unanimously from the staff selection committee. This was presented to the Redevelopment Agency in Open Session at the October 19th, 2010 meeting and you can find the staff report at:
http://www.yucca-valley.org/pdf/mam/Town_Council/Agendas/2010/2010_10_19_rda_agenda.pdf
Since that time, ad-hoc committees of the town council and planning commission have been briefed on the progress of the project, site tours of other facilities (in Montclair and Fontana) were completed, and the project design work is well under way. The quality of the projects delivered in both Fontana and Montclair speaks to the reputation that CORE brings to this project. In Montclair, they are completing their 5th project with that City.
While there have been opinions made that this 2.8 acre site is “prime commercial property”, it has obviously sat vacant forever while retail development occurs in Town. This site would be a very challenging “retail” site. Access would be limited to off of Dumosa — no access off of SR-62 could be provided. The ONLY interest expressed to staff in the past has been for truck parking for the Super 8 motel to the west.
This proposed senior housing project has taken a stranded asset and transformed it into a $940,000 asset to the Town’s General Fund.
Mark, I don’t want to interfere or distract from the dialogue between you and Mrs. Sturges. Both of which are informing the public on both sides of the issue.
However is it necessary to take it to a personal level?
Btw, if there is no contract and there is no bid that is a no-bid contract. Urgency is often the rationale for sole source contracts. Lets see how the Town Council handles it.
“Btw, if there is no contract and there is no bid that is a no-bid contract.”
Could you elaborate on that statement Branson?
Mark, must you always answer so defensively to a simple question? Was it a no bid contract? Your simple answer could have been,”No, there were 9 proposals received. I headed the Evaluation Committee and we reduced the finalists to four.”End of story.
I ask these questions because many answers are hidden in ad-hoc meetings without public disclosure or public input during the prelim planning/design stage.
In your words, “Since that time, ad-hoc committees of the town council and planning commission have been briefed on the progress of the project, site tours of other facilities (in Montclair and Fontana) were completed, and the project design work is well under way.”
Your mention of the “Staff Selection Committee” presenting the proposal to the RDA, aka Yucca Valley Town Council, sounds very proper in print, when in reality, it was you that presented the proposal. (That’s okay, it is your job.)
Question: Who exactly was on this “Staff Selection Committee?”
Thanks for the laugh when I read your statement “While there have been opinions made this 2.8 acre site is ‘prime commercial property’, it has obviously sat vacant forever while retail development occurs in Town.”
Please note there is an abundance of vacant property in this Town and has been for several years going back to Incorporation. In fact 60% of the parcels in the sewer Phase One, the main corridor of our Town,are vacant parcels.
The only significant large retail development that has been taking place is located on the East side of town requiring larger commercial parcels, ie: Home Depot, Rite-Aid and maybe Super WalMart when the economy turns around. Most of this retail growth is taking place on the main highway, the ONLY place for retail to be in this Town with any chance of survival.
Your arguments for the challenges facing that 2.8 acre site for retail will also be the same for a large low-income Senior Housing location. The traffic impact to the Dumosa entrance/exit will be greatly magnified when the concrete medians are extended by Cal-Trans at the intersection of Hwy 62/247, especially heading South on Joshua Lane closing off the outer highway route.
Presently, the employees and official vehicles bearing the Yucca Valley Town seal cut across the parking lot of the Food 4 Less shopping center to access Highway 247 from the Community Center and the maintenance trucks whip around the back alley pulling their service trailers in tow.
In response to your closing statement,”This proposed senior housing project has taken a stranded asset and transformed it into a $940,000 asset to the Town’s General Fund.”
I would like to point out this transaction amount was based on an out of town appraiser that no one on Staff would verify if he ever appraised any Town property before. In my opinion, when I read the listing of individual speeches to gatherings on a resume of that appraiser, it raised a red flag.
Bottom line:In a hasty move to scoot RDA funds off the table, the properties and monies were transferred to the Town, including this site.
It is a known fact that you only have 3.75 years experience as an Assistant Town Manager of Colton, which is more than I have. However, I live here and I am invested here. I do not want to have my Town or the citizens stuck with debt because of your creative financing proposals.
Colton’s utility tax is choking the commercial businesses which are paying 38% more than if Edison were the providers. And of course there was the 10% “Franchise Fee” off the top that was arranged to go to the city coffers. You left Colton with a lot of debt, as in Fontana. Fontana has the second largest RDA debt in comparison to other cities/towns and I don’t want Yucca Valley to be another experiment.
My closing statement:”First Do No Harm.”
Your problem Margo is you insinuate and don’t do your homework. You argue for the sake of arguing.
Case in point — the challenge of access will be the same for the senior project vs retail. Here’s where you prove the old adage — when in a hole, stop digging. Housing DOES NOT need a driveway onto the state highway to be successful. They can access off of Dumosa and will based upon the design. Retail would prefer direct access off the highway — like Sizzler, Carrows, gas stations, AM/PM, Sonic, … This site wouldn’t be able to have direct access. As to the challenges for folks currently traveling to Food4Less, the traffic signal that will likely be required for this project will IMPROVE access to the shopping center and make it safer for folks to head east.
Other case in point — “Please note there is an abundance of vacant property in this Town and has been for several years going back to Incorporation. In fact 60% of the parcels in the sewer Phase One, the main corridor of our Town,are vacant parcel.” So I guess taking a 2.8 acre site out of the “prime commercial”category isn’t going to leave the Town with a shortage of retail, now is it?!
But rather than do the honorable thing and simply say “thank you Mark for clarifying this article” you throw out more smoke. For example, years of experience, Fontana RDA debt, etc. I left Fontana in a better condition than how I found it. In Colton, the utility tax and General Fund transfer were all in place long before I came to work in Colton. You really should do research if you are ever going to be taken seriously.
On second thought, don’t bother.
Mark, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I really got a kick out of your comment “I left Fontana in a better condition than how I found it.”
I could say the same for my toilet after I flush it.
The truth is that any gains realized by your administration in Fontana were probably the result of Sammy Haggars unexpected departure from it.
http://jack.radio.com/2011/03/23/sammy-hagar-abducted-by-aliens-in-fontana
Well it is good to see Mark is back to his insulting style of representing the town and vilifying anyone who dares questions Prince Nuaimi in his new fiefdom during his 1 year reign. It was this exact charming, folksy style that won over people in Colton and Fontana. Isn’t this the same guy who said I know how to take care of the planning commission by changing the way they are appointed? Something smells in the sewer and that is not old denture cream. Not that I would dare question the wisdom of the city council as they search for someone with thick skin from their same church to go along with whatever Prince Nuaimi says. (If it was good for Fontana, it must be good for Yucca Valley) It would be nice if the city council votes not to renew his contract and let him move on to run up bills, taxes, and strange bids in another city.
One thing I have learned very quickly being on the council is you can’t argue with idiots and liars.
Can I quote you? Lots of class there.
Isaac, you are flat out wrong on this one.
Of course you can, it’s like wrestling with a pig, you’ll both get dirty and the pig will love it!
Paparazzi,
Thats why I usually try not to engage in this type of dialogue, but when you have Mrs. Stanton out spewing lies, hate and discontent, I feel it important to let people know who the real Margaret is.
Yet here you are doing just that.
Councilman Hagerman, I have no beef with you and I thank you for being civil to me in our previous comments. And I understand there is a huge learning curve when someone becomes an elected public official. However, your several comments to one of our bloggers is clearly out of line. Just a friendly heads-up.
Thanks for your service to the Morongo Basin.
Out of line? What comments are out of line and why? Please, if you can help the readers with a couple of them so they will be able the quantify for themselves the truth of what your referring to. Generalities tend to lack credibility.
thank you
What was out of line Ben. Margo has been proven a liar numerous times. I will call her out everytime she is caught in a lie.
I’m not going to haggle with you Councilman Hagerman, however, there is a file started on your unprofessional public comments. It is in your best interests and the best interests of the town for you to keep this file of comments — which fall below the integrity expected of a public official — to a minimum.
Thank you for your response.
Branson,
Based on Councilman Hagerman”s comments it is clear he has already been indoctrinated and fallen under the spell of Mark Nuaimi and his slash and burn style of politics. Just go on the offensive and launch personal attacks against the messenger while diverting attention from the real issues and failing to answer the serious questions. Mr. Hagermans use of the word “spew,” one of Nuaimi’s all time favorites, is a sure sign Mr. Hagerman is already under the influence of Nuaimi. If Mr. Hagerman is going to became a disciple of Nuaimi, he need look no further than the failed political career of former Colton Mayor Kelly Chastain to see where he will eventually end up.
Issac, Branson is a bully. His veiled threats, intimidation and retaliation is a Branson trademark. He has a history on this site of making unmerited defamatory comments and threats. I have little respect for him and the cronies that use this site for political paybacks. The 4 consecutive assault posts against a supporter of prop 8 was a deliberate hit piece of which “Branson”, “Vae victis” and “press release” conspired to attack Richard Warne in a mean spirited less than objective and agenda driven manner.
Branson is a coward! He takes aim, shoots then hides. Keep in mind that he is a religious bigot! If you have displayed any moral tendencies he will viciously attack you.
Happy Easter!
@ Isaac–Liar,liar,your pants are on fire Isaac! You are sooo funny! BTW,I do not tell lies, it is not my nature, BUT your statement is a BIG FAT LIE! (Gosh, this feels like Junior High! Tee-Hee! Where is the chewing gum?)
On a serious note, please try to be specific next time you make such a false and stupid statement like this:
“Margo has been proven a liar numerous times. I will call her out everytime she is caught in a lie.”
Oooooh! Call me out Big Boy! Just be specific so that I may have the opportunity to respond to the “crime.”
Here’s a good story on your business, Braswell Assisted Living for you to proof read for lies:
http://www.vote29.com/newmyblog/archives/14347
Enjoy! Thank you for your interest in Cactus Thorns…now go back to your own Blog, if you can find it.
http://www.persuasive.net/wp-content/uploads/images/2009/06/pantsonfire1.jpg
To Margo and Isaac: What up with the Isaac Blog called the yvprogressreport.
There is only one old article concerning past issues on the golf course. If you are going to have a blog Isaac, shouldnt it be populated with stories? There is much going on of manifest importance to the town, the community and its future, but your blog is silent on the issues.
Shouldn’t you be discussing issues like the selection of a new council member, the sewer issues, et cetera? Get off your duff Isaac. All the promises to the community about your alternative new blog and then nothing. What is going on with that? Over…
Sure H2 quote me where you would like. Hide behind your tag name and quote what you would like. If you would like a quote in person feel free to meet me for coffee.
Hiding from who? You? Do you have a problem?
As with Branson, anybody who needs to know who I am, and pays a little attention to Cactus Thorns, knows who I am.
There are plenty of classless people I could meet for coffee if so desired. You’re not one of them.
Margo, why did you choose the picture for the post? Are you trying to attribute some sort of gang affiliation on Mark?
That’s not nice and it makes me think you don’t play fair!
In the begining, this story was “in the oven,” that’s the term I use when I have a story sitting in the Cactus Thorns “Draft” department.
During the editing process,I research to add links, verify many email reports from our readers that send me information from all over California,(including the LA Times), and sometimes discuss the story with DanO.
The “Adminstration Staff” review the working title and may decide to “punch up” the headline to grab the reader.
The “artwork” suddenly appeared on this post the day before I was going to publish my story while it was sitting “in the oven.”
I really can’t take the credit for the images on this story, it came from the Cactus Thorns “Art Department.”
Thanks for asking.
Additionally, I “Googled Images” of Mark Nuaimi + Fontana looking for artwork and a scribble image popped up that seemed artistic to me.
I placed it in Cactus Thorns media file but the “Admin Department” nixed it even though it was in the “public domain.” We were in agreement on that.
DanO has been doing this for many, many years before Vote29.com or Cactus Thorns and I appreciate his input and guidance.
I really appreciate the readers and our core “Cactus Thorns Crew.”
Sincerely,
Margo
Ben,
You and Mrs. Stanton feel free to keep all of the files you would like, I really don’t care what either one if you think.
I’m seeing a pattern on CT. How did we get to easter?
Political religious zealots conspired as false witness’s against Jesus.
Same Modus operandi by some that post here.
Did I just hear a city councilman say he doesn’t care? That is sad indeed!
Bucky, no that’s not what he said. When you deliberately omit words when quoting someone that puts you in my Bucky’s a liar category. Not only did you with malice omit part of your quote you did not take it in context. The response from him was that Branson was making a veiled threat to compile a list of Isaacs comments to use against him and he doesn’t care if he does. Knowing Bransons appetite to quote out of context to control the dialog, he plans on using them to ambush Isaac.
Also I must note that Isaac has included Mrs. Stanton as part of the threat. Unless she posted something to that effect on another post I think he owes her an apology. I found nothing on this thread to substantiate that accusation about her.
“I really don’t care what either one if you think.” Part of Isaac quote
A) He said he didn’t care, Communication is what is heard or interpreted not always what is said.
B) He seemed to insult them or with poor grammar claiming they didn’t think.
C) I was making fun of his poorly written comment.
D) You have a Bucky is a Liar Category? Gee I am honoured.
E) Getting back on Point, Mark Nuaimi’s policies and tactics that our Councilmembers are learning for our town smell worse than my backed up Septic tank on Murray Lane.
If you want anyone to consider your opinion as valid then you need to make accurate quotes.
Lets look at your comment “Communication is what is heard or interpreted not always what is said.”
So now what I “hear” from you is that you choose to interpret words the way you choose them to be interpreted, not by what the authors intended meaning is. By omitting the word THINK you choose to suppose what he cared about. By including it you must honor what was said by the author. He didn’t care what they thought.
You will find that I have no dispute with you regarding any of your opinions.
Bottom line. You haven’t posted often on this site. Do you want people listen to your point of view fairly or discount it because you refuse to be an honest participant in the discussion?
I am sorry I just lost my posting virginity a few weeks ago. How again does this make a post less valid? Oh it doesn’t. I will try to clarify my interpretations more rationally so the Posting Patrol does not seek out to ruin my posts with a thumbs up or down.
Hey Bucky, didn’t mean to imply that because you are new to the blog that your opinion is any less valid than mine or anyone else’s. That’s not what I meant but I do believe that’s how you interpreted it.
Hopefully I can articulate my point better this time. I’ve been posting for about 14 years on several websites, one thing that I have found is that every word counts. I’m sure that you will appreciate others not twisting your words by eliminating the parts they want to exclude for the sake of winning their argument. So all I’m saying is that if you want others to trust you as a newer poster then you need to give the same respect to them even if you vehemently disagree with them. For me respecting you is more important the agreeing with you. At this point in time Isaac has not responded to my comment. Unless I’m missing something he should apologize to Mrs. Stanton. It could be that he has not read what I wrote or he simply chooses to be less than a gentleman and not admit an error on his his part. That’s pride, another one of Papa’s pet peeves that will lower my respect level for him. If you choose not care what I think that’s ok. You can be just like Isaac and not care what I think either. I’m hoping your not like that! (:)
Your right paparazzi I should not of grouped Margaret and Ben in the same post I will try and separate them in the future.
Isaac, it’s obvious that you and Margaret aren’t going out for cookies and tea anytime soon. I think that anyone reading the recent posts can understand that your thoughts were more along the lines that you weren’t going to be intimidated by Bransons ploy. Thanks for clarifying the oversight, I’m glad you did. From what I can gather about your character, as for your addendum, it’s what I expected you to do! I expect Branson to twist at will anything you have written so he can use it for his agenda. In 14 years of posting I have never crossed paths with such a convoluted thinking fellow as Branson.
Good luck!
Thanks paparazzi.
@Isaac the Troll-Shame on you for making a comment on a Blog implying a falsehood or innuendo in a question form! You are turning into a Troll on this Blog, in my opinion.
Grow up and work on your own Blog and your own stories.
Never mind the grow up part, that is not possible with your immature attitude, in my opinion.
How easy it is to imply innuendo by asking questions that are not true. Here are just a few examples for you I-Zacky:
What? You don’t know how to read? Are you still in love with your wife? Do you still use your wife’s credit cards behind her back to buy presents for “Jay’s Girl?” Do you “Play Doctor” at Braswell? Why do you order so many tests for urinary tract infections?
If you could change one thing about all the hell you raised in school, what would that be?
So who is your new BFF drinking pal?Does his wife know you are spending time together at the bars?
So if you want to know the reason I stepped down as a Planning Commissioner,just ask and be straightforward.
Are you capable of being straight? I mean straightforward? (Oh, the endless possibilities.)
Are you angry about your recent diagnosis? Do you think they find a cure for it soon?
I will try to keep that in mind when you lash out at me with your false accusations.
I hope you had a Happy Easter!
Added 04/27/2011 clarification: I hope you will learn something from Papa regarding “Do’s and Don’ts” of blogging.
Papa… why don’t you set up here in the cheap seats with me and Ken@wondervalley… we got popcorn and Garibaldi Chocolate drops and Verner’s Ginger-ale. Its like a Saturday afternoon double feature at the Beauju.
Ya know, some how seems appealing to me.
I like the cheap seats! The air is much cleaner even when the ginger ale tickles your nose!
Mrs Stanton,
One minute you are thanking me for my support of cactus thorns, and then you are telling me to go to another blog. Which side should I listen to, I am so confused. You can attack my profession all you want, it doesn’t bother me much. What is your profession again? Do you have any rolex watches for sale? Have a good night, follow up story to follow Margaret, on the life and times in big bear. Stay tuned.
Hey Dan did we break the comment record??
Not even close…. We have some threads with 90 something comments. While this is a good one it has a long way to go to being a record breaker.
Cactus Thorns Stats ending 12-31-2010-FYI
http://www.vote29.com/newmyblog/archives/14360
Thanks to our Research Department for the link!
Hey Margo: Was that at me or Isaac?
Thanks
Papa, I only have praise for you-my disappointment was directed to Isaac,the Troll.
You were sharing some advice to Bucky regarding Blogging Do’s and Don’ts and I thought Isaac could also benefit from learning something from you.
As you correctly observed, Isaac and I will not be sitting down to break bread, drink tea or share cookies.
Isaac might actually learn something from you rather than hearing it from me…..Or not.
I would hate to see him become a Troll but maybe it is in his genes, besides,I think Isaac likes seeing his photo on this Blog.
Thank you Papa and may I take this opportunity to apologize for any typos or brevity as I am still hobbling along with my terminal BlackBerry. Thanks to your advice, I was able to clean the tracking mouse as you suggested!
Will you please send me some of links to your published work when you find time?
Thanks!
So I guess that my suggestion of putting it under your rear tire didn’t work….(:)
I have to admit. Your doing your post on the blackberry tells me one thing. Your tenacious! In my book that’s a good thing. Glad the tip worked.
Gee I feel a group hug. Margo I’ll buy lunch at the country club so we can all sit down for bread, tea, and cookies. I know as good Christians we should welcome everyone but I am nervous about someone coming into my Town and I have to pay for it in both short term and long run. Papa, I feel no ill will towards you. Your as funny as the Lady Gaga song. No reply needed. I am off to a Neil Derry Legal fundraisor.
Do and don’ts. My biggest piece of humble pie came from Fritz. I posted a link to a site which was unreliable. He tossed me to the ground on that one. I’m more careful about references and quotes. Thanks MBO for setting straight on that one. No pun intended. I was already straight that way…
I believe it might have to do with mutual respect of those whose opinions you may not respect nor agree with.