County sells land to Pine Cove Water
Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) will grow by 18 acres in the next month.
At its May 2 meeting, during its function as the board for the Regional Park and Open Space District, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved the sale of surplus land from the county Parks Department to PCWD.
The expected cost to PCWD is $140,000, which will come from reserves. The approved resolution anticipated that the county would complete the transaction by June 2. However, Darren Schemmer, communication director for 4th District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, shared the following with the Town Crier: “The final purchase agreement should be coming to the board for final review/approval in late June. That item will have all of the purchase details included.”
The Parks and Recreation Department has determined that the land is not suitable for visitor or campground use because of its steep slope and presence of jagged rock outcrops.
The 18-acre parcel is near Rocky Point and Thousand Trails. PCWD has had three wells drilled on the property for several years. The county action memorandum also stated, “… the property is vacant with the exception of a restroom building, which will be demolished prior to the sale.
“The land purchase is important to the district, not only because of the three wells that are currently on the property, but also due to the four wells that are below it, in that draw [a small valley],” Jeremy Potter, PCWD general manger said in an email to the Town Crier. “[We want] to ensure protection of these wells[; o]wning the property upstream is beneficial in the quality of our water.”
The board’s resolution does state that this property will be maintained as a public park and recreational area. Further, the district cannot transfer the land to another owner without approval of its voters.
