All Desert Towing eyesore.
A few years back, the southwest corner of National Trails Highway
at Nopal Lane had a modest and clean towing service for automobiles operated by the family of
Thomas Stickley. The location is across the road from the
Bagdad Café, Newberry Springs' number one tourist site.
Although the Stickley operation was illegal due to the zoning at the time, the
operation was rewarded later with a special spot-type zoning change endorsed by Supervisor Robert
Lovingood. The parcel was rezoned to allow Big rig towing and storage. With the
addition of a Lovingood supported Conditional Use Permit,
Active Towing of Needles
was allowed to commence a 24-hour Big rig wrecker and storage service at the site.
Roughly a year later, Lovingood doubled-down at the rezoned site by
supporting Bob's Towing to acquire a Conditional Use Permit to operate a similar 24-hour
Big rig wrecker service on two small parcels behind Active Towing on residential Nopal
Lane. These are industrial-type operations that were allowed to be placed into a
residential area and adjacent a prime tourist thoroughfare.
A major element for Newberry Springs' economic development is its scenic
viewscape along National Trails Highway, known worldwide as Route 66. Today, that panorama
is scarred by the trashy junkyard storage of twisted highway carnage.
The county's Conditional Use Permits require screen fencing that is supposed
to help mitigate the eyesore. Unfortunately, the fencing has yet to be properly
installed and it will do little as the wreckage extends far higher than the fence height
required; and the seating height in tour buses overlook the fence.
This type of special zoning change to benefit special interests at the
detriment of the general public is indicative of why Judicial Watch in Washington, D.C. has
included San Bernardino County as being part of the corruption swamp that includes Washington,
D.C., New York, and "the lesser angels of ... vanity and ambition, greed and delusion."
(1)
A merger has been reported between the operators of Active Towing and Bob's
Towing with the businesses now being operated under the name of
All
Desert Towing Recovery, LLC. Bob's Towing is expanding within the High Desert
through the acquisition of smaller companies.
After a freeway mishap a couple weeks ago involving a tractor trailer, the
trailer was towed to the rear storage parcel on Nopal Lane and the contents of meat and other
foods were dumped onto the ground. Much of the contents still remain on the ground rotting
and raising a considerable stench causing some community members to complain to this news
publication and reportedly to county offices.
Outdoor piles that reportedly includes large amounts of meat has
generated a disgusting odor and health concerns.
Severely damaged vehicles and equipment stored upon the unpaved storage
yard have been continuing to leak fuel, fluids and other hazardous carcinogens into the
soil overlaying the community's water supply. The county has been ignoring the health
hazards, the probable need to remove the contaminated soil, and have allowed time extensions
for the compliance of the terms of the original Conditional Use Permit.
(1) Swamp EB-5
• • •
Tourist eyesore continues to blight Newberry. - 6/12/16
Bob's towing plans expansion. - 5/22/15
Earlier photographs of Active Towing's site.
Bob's Towing plans expansion. - 11/13/14
Supervisors slam Newberry • Active Towing site approved. - 7/4/14
Thomas Stickley pulls scam on county. - 4/2/14
Planning Commission's introduction staff report. - 2/20/14
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