Caltrans Map

Caltrans will be widening State Highway 138 between the 15 Freeway and the Los Angeles County line. The goal is to make the complete stretch a 4-lane highway. There will be an open Caltrans hearing on April 6th 2010 at the Pinon Mesa Middle School on Sheep Creek Road. The meeting will start at 6:00 PM and last for two hours.

Click Here to see the announcement

San Bernardino County will be working on Wilson Ranch and Duncan  Roads soon after a long process.   Here is a message from First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt:

SAN BERNARDINO – The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today approved plans for paving stretches of Wilson Ranch Road and Duncan Road in the Phelan area.

“This project will provide better access for emergency services as well as improved safety and convenience for the residents of Phelan,” said First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. “I want to thank the County departments and Phelan residents who have worked in partnership to improve the transportation system in the area.”

The Duncan Road/Wilson Ranch Road improvement project consists of grading and paving on two dirt roads and installation of traffic signs and striping. The Duncan Road portion of the project is between Johnson Road and Wilson Ranch Road, a distance of approximately two miles. The Wilson Ranch Road portion is from Duncan Road south to Goss Road, a distance of one mile.

The improvement of these and other roads listed as priority projects for the High Desert Transportation Facilities Plan reflect a cooperative effort among the County Fire Department, Department of Public Works and the Phelan Municipal Advisory Council to construct a backbone of roads that will improve access and safety.

To minimize the environmental impacts, Joshua trees will be relocated and a monitor will be on hand to ensure proper procedures are followed in case the threatened desert tortoise or Mojave ground squirrel are present.

The projects will now go out to bid with a contract scheduled to be awarded in late April. Construction will begin shortly after the contract award and is due to be complete in late July. The estimated cost of the project is $2.8 million.

“Our mountain and desert communities have numerous cultural and recreational destinations that are known throughout the world,” said First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. “These funds will help the chambers in their efforts in attracting tourists who bring much-needed economic activity to the region.”

The funding, which comes from transient occupancy taxes collected from hotels, motels and other lodging facilities, is distributed on a formula based on the revenues generated in the chambers’ service areas.

Each entity will develop a scope of work describing their tourism campaign and how the funds will be spent. At the end of the fiscal year, the entities will be required to provide a follow-up report describing the results of their tourism program.

Additionally, when it is applicable, the County will require that each entity coordinate its tourism program with other local tourism agencies and chambers of commerce to ensure consistent marketing and branding messages, fostering regional cooperation, increasing economies of scale and better leveraging transient occupancy tax dollars when developing their marketing plans.

The First District chambers receiving funding are:

Baker Chamber of Commerce $6,854
Daggett Chamber of Commerce $1,000
El Mirage Chamber of Commerce $1,000
Helendale Chamber of Commerce $1,000
Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce $1,000
Newberry Springs Chamber of Commerce $2,221
Phelan Chamber of Commerce $1,785
Piñon Hills Chamber of Commerce $1,785
Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce $6,467
Yermo Chamber of Commerce $5,260
Total $28,372

From David Zook

“I’m glad to partner with High Desert Domestic Violence in this effort,” said First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who is a member of the County’s Interagency Council on Homelessness. “Their demonstrated leadership, engagement with the community and concern for the less fortunate among us are traits I know they will continue to display as they reach out to local residents.”

San Bernardino County received the funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which allocated $1.5 billion nationwide as part of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. The funds were distributed to local government agencies to provide financial assistance and services to either prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless or to help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized.

HDDVP will use the funds to provide rental assistance and utility payments for low-income individuals and families. Services will be targeted to residents in the cities of Barstow and Adelanto, as well as other First District unincorporated areas.

In order to identify those in need, HDDVP is partnering with the City of Barstow and local Barstow social service providers, Adelanto Community Tool Box, the Boys and Girls Club of the Victor Valley, and local churches. A new mobile office, created to efficiently distribute the funds, will be traveling to outlying communities to ensure that lack of transportation does not prevent anyone from receiving the help they need.

“I am proud that our Board of Supervisors and county staff acted quickly to secure this funding for the neediest in our community”, said Darryl Evey, Executive Director of HDDVP. “For those who are facing imminent eviction and utility termination, this is the relief they need to get a new start. We expect the first funds to be distributed before the holiday season.”

“It’s exciting to see this infusion of federal stimulus money into Barstow,” added Barstow Mayor Joe Gomez, who was appointed by Mitzelfelt in July to the County’s Interagency Council on Homelessness. “We are looking forward to collaborating with all of the partners in providing assistance for those in need.”

By: David Zook