How to reduce food waste B-6
Selling houses through social media C-2
Bonsall horses win at Del Mar D-5
Village News Fallbrook & Bonsall
a l s o se rv i n g t h e c o m m u n i t i e s o f
Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
Proposition DD, which would have authorized a $58 million general obligation bond for the Bonsall Unified School District (BUSD), failed to receive the necessary 55 percent of the vote for passage, but the school district will proceed with the new Bonsall High School off of Gird Road despite the failure to have it funded through the bond. “We’ll still have the high school there, but it will be more on a shoestring budget,” said BUSD superintendent Justin Cunningham. A N o v. 1 9 B U S D b o a r d workshop addressed the future high school. “There were a lot of questions that the board had,” said Cunningham. “What we’re doing is going forward with preparing the property to be built on. It’s going to take two years anyway. We do have funds for that.” Although the new Bonsall High School would likely be phased over a longer period without the bond revenue, environmental clearance rather than funding is the cause of the current period of construction inactivity. “Right now, it’s going into all the different environmental studies and getting the data back,” Cunningham said. “We won’t even be through that until close to a year from now.”
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December 1, 2016
Bonsall High School to be built in phases despite bond failure
D e L u z , R a i n b ow , C a m p P e ndl e t o n , Pa l a ,
Volume 20, Issue 48
Thanksgiving starts with Turkey Trot
Christine Rinaldi photos Runners begin the Turkey Trot 5K run to raise funds for Fallbrook Land Conservancy, Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary and many causes funded by Village Rotary, the host for the Nov. 24 event. See more photos on page B-1.
Gird Valley ‘savior’ Work thisweek saluted by neighbors see BOND, page A-8
Village News
Announcements �������������������������A-2 Business ������������������������������������C-10 Business Directory ���������������������C-8 Classifieds ������������������������������������D-6 Dining & Food ������������������������������B-6 Education ��������������������������������������D-4 Entertainment ������������������������������B-4 Health & Fitness ��������������������������B-2 Home & Garden �������������������������C-2 Legals.............................................D-7 Obituaries �������������������������������������D-5 Opinion �����������������������������������������B-5 Real Estate �����������������������������������C-2 Sheriff’s Log ���������������������������������D-5 Sports.............................................D-1 Wine................................................B-5
Tom Ferrall Staff Writer
The day before Thanksgiving, residents of the Gird Valley gave thanks to Jade Work, the man who saved the area from feared development. Work, along with his wife, Julie, completed the purchase of struggling Fallbrook Golf Club and its 116 acres of Gird Valley real estate Nov. 15. The process of buying the property took months as the Works and golf club owner Jack Lamberson dealt in court with Ronald Richards of D-Day Capital LLC, which owned the notes on the property. Richards and associates have purchased stressed golf courses throughout California with plans to develop the properties, and when Richards began the foreclosure process against Lamberson, many feared the worst. The Works ended the angst when they completed the deal. Directors of the group SaveFallbrookGolfCourse.com organized a meet-and-greet with Jade Work in the golf course’s clubhouse and more than 100 members of the community attended the Nov. 23 meeting. Upon entering the facility, people stopped to sign and write messages on one of the group’s signature “SaveFallbrookGolfCourse” banners, which was later presented to Work. Scribbled notes ranged from greatly thanking Work to calling him a “hero” and “savior.” Work hosted a question-andanswer session with the audience after describing his plans to build a world-class winery on the property that will also feature a wine tasting room, a barrel room, a restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as courtyard-type venue that could be used for corporate events, weddings or parties. “I won’t be successful in this unless this place is spectacularly beautiful,” Work told the crowd. “I have a huge vested interest to
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Sales tax included at news stand
Pala purchases Gregory Canyon Landfill property Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
The Pala Band of Mission Indians purchased the land which was targeted for the planned Gregory Canyon Landfill. The real estate transaction deed was recorded with the county Nov. 17. “The tribe is beyond excited that this battle is finally over and that the sacred site is going to be protected forever,” said Pala environmental director and tribal historic preservation officer Shasta Gaughen. In November 1994, the county’s voters approved Proposition C, which created the Solid Waste Facility zoning category and rezoned the Gregory Canyon area to give it the Solid Waste Facility designation. Gregory Canyon, Ltd. (GCL) was unable to obtain all of the necessary permits for an actual landfill operation, and GCL eventually became the entity owning the total property consisting of approximately 1,700 acres, which includes a buffer area as well as the site of what would have been the landfill. The Pala tribe purchased approximately 700 of those 1,700 acres. “We’re still sort of surveying it out,” said Gaughen. The land purchased by the tribe includes the Luiseno sacred site on Gregory Mountain. “That was the whole structure of the deal,” said Gaughen. “We wanted everything that has
see PALA, page A-8
FPUD adds budget line item for new GM search if necessary
Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent
Jade and Julie Work make it spectacular.” Work, who reportedly paid about $4 million for the course, also stated his plans to put a conservation easement on the entire property to protect it from ever becoming a housing development, and his desire to make 36 acres on the northern part of the land a public park. “I have had many meetings with the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, and it’s my desire to turn that into a true public park,” said Work. “The northern piece of the property would be purely open space for walkers. The lower space would be a working vineyard.” Work said the existing building that for 50 years has housed the clubhouse and restaurant/bar will be reduced down to studs and completely remodeled. “I’m working with an architect now, and I’d say it’s a 90 percent chance this is going to be very old world Italian-style architecture,” said Work. “There will be a wine tasting room, and we’ll have a completely new kitchen. I really want to develop a kind of indoor/ outdoor dining.” Work said it will likely be two
years before the restaurant is open “This all has to be drawn and submitted to the county and the Fallbrook Community Planning Group to get everyone’s approval,” said Work. “Hopefully we can get building permits within six months and then it’s another year and a half to build the structure.” Work hopes to start planting grape vines in April. “We’re planning right now on about 45 acres of grapes,” said Work. “That’s subject to change.” Work’s plans also call for building a barrel room into a hillside where the ninth green used to challenge golfers. The barrel room will be used for storing wine to age and will be designed to accommodate people for dinners and special events. All of the ideas were greeted with great enthusiasm by the vast majority of those in attendance. After his presentation, Work was treated like a celebrity as people lined up to shake his hand and say thanks, offered to help in any way possible, and promised to support his new venture.
Fallbrook Public Utility District (FPUD) general manager Brian Brady is a finalist for the position of watermaster for the Santa Margarita River watershed, and if he is appointed to that position, he would officially retire from FPUD. That would force the FPUD board to search for a new general manager, and on Nov. 21 the board voted 4-1, with Al Gebhart opposed, to add a line item to FPUD’s budget which would provide for an executive recruitment consultant to conduct a national search for Brady’s replacement. “The vote was prudent,” Brady said. Chuck Binder is currently the Santa Margarita River watermaster, but he will be retiring. The seven parties with Santa Margarita water rights submitted three names to Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who will be responsible for appointing the new watermaster. “I was one of the names,” said Brady. The selection process required the committee to provide Curiel with three candidates. Brady agreed to be considered after representatives of other water rights holders approached him about the position. Brady is unaware of the other two finalists. “When I agreed to send them my resume we decided to recuse ourselves from the recruitment process,” said Brady. Brady would also retire from FPUD to avoid a conflict of interest if he is selected as the new watermaster. Brady, who has been FPUD’s general manager since July 2011, has also been the
see GIRD, page A-8
see FPUD, page A-8
Courtesy photo