At the CSD's July Zoom meeting, representatives from the District Attorney's Office presented a background history on Lawtis Rhoden and the efforts by the D.A. and the Sheriff's Department to prevent this Sexually Violent Predator from domiciling in Newberry Springs.

    At this point, I encourage everyone to attend a Community Meeting on Mr. Rhoden that is being held this Wednesday, August 4, at 6 P.M., at the CSD building.  The event will likely be held outdoors so I would suggest bringing your own chair.

    Representatives from the D.A.'s office, the Sheriff's Department, and other public officials may attend.  Liberty Healthcare Corporation, which is trying to place Mr. Rhoden in Newberry, might have a representative.

    The CSD has mailed out a confusing template draft to Newberry's mailing addresses.  I would think that the suggested letters should be addressing the court, care of the D.A.  Instead, it appears to state to the D.A., "Your placement of Lawtis Donald Rhoden into our community and neighborhoods places all of our citizens in a dangerous situation."   Note: The D.A. is NOT doing the placement, the court and Liberty Healthcare Corporation are doing the placement.

Jack Unger

    CSD director Jack Unger requested that the board, "Write a letter to Supervisor Cook advising him of Newberry's request that he work to pass a new County Ordinance that levies a substantial (for ex. $10,000) "per-plant" fine on land owners (sic) who grow or allow their property to be used to grow illegal outdoor marijuana plants."

    This is nothing new.  It has been previously proposed by others in the county.  The other CSD board members naturally agreed with Unger's knee-jerk $10,000 logic and passed the motion unanimously.

    While the County Supervisors are known for exercising poor judgment and might pass something like a $10,000 per-plant fine, the idea sounds truly stupid to me.  Why not a $1,500 per-plant fine that would also be effective and not as likely to be judicially ruled excessively punitive and unconstitutional?

    Why promote trash can ideas for a court to overturn?  One can be effective without all the phony chest-beating for an asinine inflated number.

Margie Roberts

    This idea was promoted by director Margie Roberts.  After some prior publicity on the topic, the other directors didn't want anything to do with it.  Yet, Margie still couldn't understand why not.  The proposal died for lack of support.

    General Manager Jodi Howard has been working on a grant for the park.  I believe that she is recognizing that her "splash pad" idea is not practical at this time so she is looking at more traditional park exercise equipment.

    The grant that she is working on is for $147,000.  The CSD would need to provide approximately $40,000 in matching funds.

    Because "we already have children's equipment,"  the new equipment will likely target older teens through seniors.

    Jodi Howard appeared very frustrated in not acquiring better direction from the board, claiming "I don't know what to do."  Prices for the equipment are quickly rising, the selection of equipment hasn't been done, she is being pulled in different directions as to what to purchase and she is damn frustrated.

    I have kept my mouth shut but I don't like any of the static "playground" equipment being proposed.  Despite the very high costs involved for few items, they will be underused.

    I would prefer to see the money invested for things that will attract larger numbers of people.  Perhaps something as simple as a bandstand that could be used for evening concerts and other public events (e.g. CSD coronations).

    This community offers little for children.  I have been very impressed by BMX tracks around the Southland that are very popular and well attended by children who get a good physical workout.

Click for enlargement.

    This picture only shows the starting portion of the track which has a metal starting gate of 8 lanes, sequence starting lights, and starting horn.  Contestants compete on building their individual scores.

    Like other sporting events, families and community are drawn together.

    If the kids racing in the above-photographed race look small, they are.  Yet, if you look to the right, there is a tiny short track for beginners... about 4-year-olds.  There are over 350 sanctioned USA BMX tracks in the U.S.  Teenagers love the competition (this linked track is in Bellflower).

    The nearest BMX track is in Hesperia.  The one pictured above is at Whittier Narrows and it has a smaller footprint than Hesperia's.

    Yermo has a nice skate park.  When it was built, Yermo had all of the concrete donated by a cement plant.

    The above items might not be a fit for Newberry.  My suggestion is to illustrate that the Newberry CSD needs to do more thinking outside the box for recreation.

    Traditional tubular bars are not as popular anymore and if acquired, they need to be well shaded throughout the day with a canopy.

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