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Valley Times
50 CENTS serving blythe,california Wednesday, April 19, 2017

CALFIRE Station 43 on hold to close

By Cathyleen Rice
Times Reporter
Blythe was not notified period, I
had to find out for myself, Mayor
Joey Deconinck said after finding out
the Countys proposal to close River-
side County Fire Station 43.
It came to the citys attention on
Thursday, April 6 that on the follow-
ing Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors
was going to consider a recommenda-
tion to close the station.
According to Deconinck, the timing
of this closure recommendation came
as a surprise.
In a letter sent to Marion Ashley,
5th District Supervisor and tempo-
rary overseer to the Fourth District,
the Mayor expressed how he felt about
the inconsiderateness of the people of
Blythes need.
The City of Blythe and the people of
the Palo Verde Valley were not given
an opportunity to discuss the public
safety impacts on our citizens and to
our Volunteer Fire Department, De-
coninck said.
Basically my concern is, no one ad-
dressed the health and safety issues
of whats going on, the impact of this
happening, and we, the City of Blythe,
have a mutual aid with the County
and with this happening, were go-
ing to be responding to 100 percent of
their calls.
In spite of Blythe not knowing about
See CLOSING/A5
It came to the citys attention on April
6 that on the following Tuesday, the Board
of Supervisors was going to consider a
recommendation to close Riverside County Fire
Station 43. File photo by Uriel Avendano/Palo Verde Valley Times

Photo by Uriel Avendano/Palo Verde Valley Times

On April 12, in an alley between S. Broadway and S. 1st St., a transients makeshift tent is addressed by City of Blythe personnel in their ongoing efforts to thwart the issue of
homelessness in the community.

Blythes hunger for CHANGE:

By Uriel Avendano
Times Editor
According to the 2017
Riverside County Depart-
ment of Public Social Ser-
vices (DPSS) homeless
count, the latest point-in-
time (PIT) data shows an
overall increase of 11.45
percent in total number
of homeless adults and
children in the county
2,413 individuals this
year, compared to 2,165 in
2016.
The Riverside County
data report summary at-
tributed the increase to
the additional commit-
ment, participation and
engagement from vested
community partners (e.g.
law enforcement, first re-
sponders, aid agencies,
support groups, etc.); a
seven-day window for
follow-on counts; a new
HUD (U.S. Department
of Housing & Urban De-
velopment) mandate to
hone-in on the youth (24
and under) count; and the
severe thunderstorm
weather conditions that
displaced many in the
days and weeks leading
up to the PIT count, con-
ducted on Jan. 24.
Homeless individu-
als that heeded law en-
forcement/emergency
management warning(s)
either sought shelter in
drier areas or felt safe to
participate in the survey,
thus increasing the num-
ber of individuals sur-
veyed during the entire
(count), stated the data
reports summary.
For Blythe, the county-
wide survey resulted in
a 6.3 percent decrease in
the unsheltered data
numbers (59 individuals
for 2017, compared to 63
BPDs $69K homeless outreach
grant, city meeting set for April 25
in 2016). The figure serves
as the latest statistics for
city officials to work with
in their ongoing efforts to
address the transient and
homelessness problem
around the community.
We, as a community
we all need to band
together, stated City of
Blythe Councilmember
Dale Reynolds at the last
regular council meeting.
Locally, the Blythe Po-
lice Department (BPD)
will be formulating a
Homeless Outreach
Team, consisting of two
part-time officers. The
respective State funds
for the BPD homeless
outreach duo stem from
a 2011 Public Safety Re-
alignment bill, in con-
junction with the subse-
quent Budget Act of 2016.
(This) was (originally)
See change/A9

Marred by delays, Council talks

Broadway seeks
final solution
Update on million dollar street
project three months past due
The City of Blythes
$1,059,765 contracted
Broadway street im-
provement project with
Hal Hays Construction
Inc., which stretches
from 14th Avenue to
Hobsonway and from
Barnard Street to Stew-
art Street, is now three
months past due from
the original Jan. 17 com-
pletion date.
The project, which has
seen a number of visible
asphalt-related cracked
and unleveled deficien-
placement of
pot dispensaries
ect, stated HHCI Presi- On March 15, City of
dent and CEO Kirby Hays Blythe officials met with By Cathyleen Rice ment receiving a home-
to the Times. Currently, Hal Hays, the Holt Group
Photo by Uriel Avendano/Palo Verde Valley Times
Times Reporter less outreach grant.
With a 3-2 vote on
Tuesdays Blythe City
cies in the unfinished As reported in November 2016, Hal Hays Construction Inc. Council meeting was March 14, the city ap-
roadway, currently re- is the contracted company for the City of Blythes ongoing street proved regulating both
rehabilitation project on Broadway. another night of devel-
mains at a standstill as medical and recreation-
oping plans and taking al marijuana and collect-
the involved parties seek
HHCI is ironing out the (the projects contracted steps in the right direc- ing taxes on both, which
an appropriate and solu- details to make correc- inspectors), LaBelle Mar- tion, as the city gear up
allowed council to vote
ble resolution. To date, tions to Broadway in vin Inc. Professional to regulate medical and
again on last Tuesday
the City of Blythe has mid-May. This is mainly Pavement Engineers (the recreational marijuana. to approve the marijua-
placed Hal Hays pay- because the weather independent third party Furthering the discus- na consulting agency,
ments for asphalt instal- was a significant factor contracted for the proj- sion about where to zone HdL, to oversee the City
lation on hold. in why the first installa- ects subsequent pave- businesses, how to man- of Blythes Marijuana
Hal Hays Construc- tion of the asphalt was ment investigation), and age marijuana within Management Program.
tion (HHCI) and the City not successful. Making LandMark Consultant the city limits and ways Agreeing to enter an
of Blythe have had sev- the repairs in mid-May (the on-call geotechnical to control commercial arrangement with the
eral productive meetings really provides an ideal engineering company cannabis were top high- firm, the citys hopes
regarding the best course paving environment as now representing the lights of the April 11 for prosperity through
of actions to remedy the we will not be combating interest of the city), to meeting, including the generated funds once
deficiencies on the proj- the cold temperatures. See BROADWAY/A5 Blythe Police Depart- See meeting/A9