Photo Courtesy: Christian Dinco

By Christian Dinco

Eastvale – Eastvale Little League welcomed 2002 World Series winner, four-time Major League Baseball All-Star, and 14-year Pro, Troy Percival, to Harada Heritage Park for their annual Coaches Training Day.

Eastvale Little League (ELL) is a non-profit community baseball organization that is committed to teaching leadership through baseball.  150 ELL volunteer coaches came out to receive training from the new head coach of the UC Riverside Baseball team, Troy Percival, and his coaching staff.

Coach Percival donated his time to pass on coaching tips in the areas of pitching, hitting and fielding.  He also took the time to discuss some of his experiences during his pro career, including the 2002 World Series, Game 7, where he closed out the game and brought the win to Southern California for the Angels.

Percival played baseball for UC Riverside as a college player, and was drafted by the California Angels in 1990.  He is a local product and is committed to giving back to the community and developing young baseball players.  ELL was extremely grateful to have our coaches learn from the best.

ELL has 93 teams this spring season with approximately 250 all-volunteer managers and coaches, and a 26 member volunteer Board of Directors.  Games are played at Harada Heritage Park and enrollment is open to all youth residents up to 18 years of age.

If you love baseball, and are interested in giving back to your community, ELL is looking for umpires of all ages to come out and umpire some games.

By K.P. Sander

(Photo Courtesy: City of Eastvale)
New Interim City Manager, Michele Nissen

Eastvale – The City of Eastvale has been diligently searching for a City Manager ever since the controversial resignation of Carol Jacobs in August 2014.  Meanwhile, Robert Van Nort – who previously filled the seat as Eastvale’s Interim City Manager at incorporation – has been holding down the fort since last September while the City seeks qualified candidates.

Van Nort is retired and leaving his temporary post this month.  Without a decision in place as to a permanent replacement for Jacobs, the Eastvale City Council needed a solution.

Coming from closed session at their last meeting on Feb. 25, the Council voted 4-0 (with Councilman Adam Rush absent) to appoint Michele Nissen as Interim City Manager, effective March 14.

Nissen, who has faithfully served the City of Eastvale for over three years as Public Information Officer, and more recently as Assistant City Manager, embodies the dedication that the City is looking for, and with her expertise in operations, will helm the City as the search continues.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve the City Council and community in this capacity.  This appointment will allow City Council time to complete their search for a permanent City Manager.  I will continually strive to do my best while in this interim position and I’m looking forward to working with everyone,” said Nissen.

For more information on the application process for the permanent City Manager position, visit the City of Eastvale’s website at http://www.eastvaleca.gov/.

By Carissa Herb

Eastvale – The City of Eastvale held two City Council meetings for the month February.

The first meeting occurred on Feb. 11, beginning with a closed session at 6:27 p.m.

After the closed session, the meeting moved into presentations and announcements.  There was a Public Safety Commission update on improvement projects, and the introduction of Gary Tran, new Senior Administrative Analyst.

Certificates were given in recognition of those who have completed CERT training, and notification was given that Eleanor Roosevelt High School will be hosting the Relay for Life, April 18 and 19.

The student liaison gave a report on the Read across America program that the elementary schools were conducting, along with the news that the ERHS girls and boys’ basketball teams and the boys’ soccer team made the CIF championships.

The Consent Calendar passed 5-0.  There were no public hearings or old business items to discuss.  There was no City Manager’s report, and the meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m.

The second Council meeting was held on Feb. 25, and began at 6 p.m.  All council members except Adam Rush were present. The meeting started with council members retiring to closed session to discuss the appointment of a City Manager. After a brief interim, it was announced that Michele Nissen would be the new Acting City Manager, effective March 14.

During the presentations and announcements section of the meeting, the Eastvale Community Foundation gave an update on their Military Banner program. 36 banners are currently up, and four are pending. Within the next few weeks they should have all the banners up. The turnaround time from application to banner hanging is about 30 days. There was also an update on the Schleisman Road and Scholar Way traffic moderation. The improved Schleisman Road will open at the beginning of April.  The Eastvale Relay for Life also announced that their event would take place at ERHS, April 18 and 19, starting at 9 a.m.

The Consent Calendar passed 4-0. In the Public Hearings section of the meeting, there was a presentation regarding electronic signs and their placement at schools, parks and other locations. There is a test sign located at Clara Barton Elementary, and the Planning Commission asked the Council to approve regulations regarding these signs. Once these signs are up, they will serve as an information post equally divided by messages about CNUSD, the City of Eastvale, Temperature, Weather and Advertising.  The Planning Commission approved the use of these signs previously with a 4-1 vote. The City council passed motion 4-0.

There were no Old Business Items. The only New Business Item centered on the City Hall Conceptual Study.  Staff was asking for the Council to accept the conceptual design and to move it on to the next step, a request for architectural proposals.  The new City Hall will cost about $3.8 million, with most of those funds already put aside.  The building will be around 18,953 square feet, and two stories tall. It will feature, Council Chambers, Police Services, Public Works, Building and Safety, conference rooms, offices, etc.  The council approved the motion to move forward, 4-0.

The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Eastvale’s City Council posing with the Eastvale Queens (Photo By Adriana Agredano)

By Carissa Herb

Eastvale – The first City Council meeting for 2015 was held at Rosa Parks Elementary on Jan. 14.  The meeting began promptly at 6:30 p.m., with council members Ike Bootsma, William Link, and Adam Rush present.

During the Presentations/Announcements, former Planning Commissioner, Fred Valentine, was presented with an award by Mayor Ike Bootsma, Bill Link, and Adam Rush. There was a presentation given for the Western Riverside Council of Governments’ (WRCOG) activities, and updates regarding City boundaries and improved energy efficiency.

The Public Safety Commission update discussed programs for safety preparedness within the community, along with upcoming safety classes taking place in order to be more prepared for a disaster.          During the Public Comments section, Kathy Walker discussed her change in position. Michael Offutt from the Chamber of Commerce mentioned the ribbon cutting ceremony for Griggs Mutual Realty & Management, and the First Annual Chairman’s Gala.  Cesar Morales shared his opinions on Shop Eastvale Pride and how there needs to be more positive promotion for shopping in Eastvale.

The consent calendar was passed 3-0. The Public Hearings passed 3-0. There was no Old Business.

In the New Business section of the meeting, there were no public comments. David Flores was sworn in as incoming Commissioner.  There was no City Manager’s Report.

During Council Communications, Councilman Rush brought up Police Department service hours, traffic shifts, hot spots throughout the area, financial statutes, robberies, and better animal control services. Councilman Link spoke about the clarification of mandatory street sweeping.

The meeting was concluded and adjourned at 7:14 p.m.

The second Council meeting of the month was held on Jan. 28, and began at 6:43 p.m. with all council members present.

There was no invocation and the meeting went straight into the presentations and announcements.

The Eastvale Community Foundation update was given by Alexandra and James Rush (no relation to Adam Rush).  They discussed upcoming events and efforts taking place regarding Picnic in the Park, youth scholarship programs, and the golf tournament taking place later this year.

Eastvale Police Chief Horton introduced new Assistant Chief of Police, Lt. Scott Forbes.

The Interim Finance Director, James Riley, was also introduced.

The Student Liaison Report was given by ASB President, Jakob Rivera, who elaborated on a recent fundraiser by the local elementary schools in order to raise money for the Stacy Family, who has three children in need of special care.  The money raised went toward a new handicap van for the family.

Public Comments were brief, with discussion of the Eastvale Pageant that took place, and the introduction of the new court.

The Consent Calendar passed 5-0.

In the Public Hearing section, a presentation was given on Project No. 13-0632 (Schleisman Road and Sumner Avenue). The presentation discussed whether to turn the open lot on that corner into residential or retail.  After the vote it was decided that further discussion will be needed.

The Old Business section included ideas for the Limonite/I-15 bridge design. The design decision passed 5:0.

In the New Business section of the meeting, Items 10.1 through 10.3 passed 5:0. New appointments were discussed, including Anwer Khan, as the new Public Safety Commissioner, and Howard Feng, as the new Planning Commissioner.

The City Manager’s Report included the fixing of the City’s zip code.

In Council Communications, Clint Lorimore and Joe Tessari discussed the Public Safety Realignment Conference they attended in Sacramento.

The meeting was concluded and adjourned at 8:53 p.m.

By Jennifer Jester-Madrigal      

: Mayor Ike Bootsma makes a presentation at Eastvale’s Town Hall Meeting on Jan. 27. (Photo Courtesy: Eastvale News)

Eastvale – Eastvale’s first Quarterly Town Hall meeting of 2015 was held on Tues., Jan. 27, at Rosa Parks Elementary. The meeting was sponsored by the Eastvale Community Committee and was an opportunity for the various organizations that call our City home to update residents on the latest news.

Mayor Ike Bootsma updated citizens with a positive forecast for the City this year. CERT training has been completed by another group of 36 people. The Leal property Master Plan is still on track.  Businesses are doing well overall; and road construction throughout the City is progressing.

Tyler Madary, Field Representative from State Senator Richard Roth’s Office, spoke on behalf of our Senator and informed us that the legislature has just come back to session. The Senator is focusing on increasing healthcare access for the Inland Empire and hopes to increase public and private funding.  He is also hoping that State Bill 22 will pass, which will award money to recent graduates to practice in local hospitals with a high number of Medi-Cal patients. SB25 is another bill that the Senator’s office hopes to pass. This bill will basically rewrite the failed Vehicle License Fee bill, excluding annexed areas, which would make the bill more likely to pass.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department presented another new Assistant Chief of Police for Eastvale, Lt. Scott Forbes.  Forbes has been with the Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years.  He provided an update on statistics for the last quarter of 2014. There was one fatal traffic collision; 22 injury collisions; 86 non-injury collisions; and 36 hit and run/property damage reports.  The Department issued 420 hazardous violations and over 2,000 parking violations. Most accidents occurred on Hamner Avenue, Schleisman Road and Chandler Street.  For Crime, there was an increase in mail theft, construction theft and tailgate theft. There was also a spike in arson, but Cal-Fire made an arrest and that number has since dropped.  Pot houses remain an ongoing battle, but some are “legal” and are difficult to prosecute.

Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD) reported that construction on Ronald Reagan Elementary is going smoothly and Principal Susan Helms says that everything is on track for the July 2015 opening. They are currently registering students and hiring teachers. JCSD hopes to have a Kids-Zone in place to open with the school.

The District has purchased AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) which will first be placed in CNUSD high schools. Over 230 district employees have been trained in administering these devices.

The idea of adding “Eastvale” to CNUSD has been put on the radar and is being discussed.

The next school to be built in Eastvale – Rondo Elementary – is being planned for completion in 2018.  An offer on a 10-acre parcel of land on the corner of Hellman Avenue and Walters Street has been made, and if accepted, the school will begin the long planning and construction process.

The District has also refinanced a group of Community Facility District (CFD) bonds, bringing savings to over 350 homes in Eastvale. This is the fourth refinance that CNUSD has completed, and the District hopes to do more to help lower the residents’ tax burden.

CNUSD Superintendent, Dr. Michael Lin, was awarded recognition of being the top County Superintendent in Riverside County.

Residents raised questions on the need for more intermediate and high schools in Eastvale. Middle schools are projected to be adequate for the City, but with the only high school at 4,000 students – with projections of 4,700 in the next few years – another school is necessary.  CNUSD Board Member, Bill Newberry, discussed the STEM Magnet School that will be placed on the softball field behind Eleanor Roosevelt High in the next few years. The softball field will be removed and the service road behind the school expanded. Start and end times for ERHS and the new school would be adjusted to help ease traffic.  The STEM school would focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and would initially be open to Eastvale students only.

Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD) has just released their newly updated website. Movies in the Park will be coming soon and will provide entertainment through August. Construction of Phase II of the Eastvale Community Park – with four new softball fields and two soccer fields – will begin soon.  In addition, the rehabilitation of the old fire station site at Cedar Creek Park will begin soon.

City of Eastvale Code Enforcement Officers, Travis Engelking and Allyn Evans, gave an update on City violations.  The most common are regarding trash cans and RVs.  Feb. 9 is the deadline to remove holiday lights. In 2014, 5,235 sign were removed and 5,642 inspections were completed.  Refer to the City website (www.eastvaleca.gov) to update yourself on City codes and rules for posting signs.

Animal Control Services Officer, Mark Visyak, gave an update on animal control in the area. He spends about four hours each day in Eastvale.  In 2014, Visyak made 3,475 calls in the City:  382 animals were impounded (four were turned in by residents); 177 animals were deceased and 1 livestock was deceased; 25 animals were quarantined for rabies; 35 stray dogs were captured; 106 citations/infractions were written; 11 potentially dangerous animals were contained; and 93 animal welfare issues were completed.

Sharyn Link, from the Eastvale Community Foundation, made a presentation that the Foundation will be re-hanging some of the previously damaged military banners, at about six banners per month. Banners remain in place as long as the individual is active in the military, has been killed in the line of duty, or has served for 20 years or more. The Foundation plans on having a booth at this summer’s Picnic in the Park, and will host their annual golf tournament. As always, they are looking for volunteers to help with their many events.