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Growth and infrastructure are major issues for Campo group
electorate
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
CAMPO — At a special forum held last
Monday, Sept. 25, residents from Campo and Lake Morena had
chance to meet their planning group candidates for the Nov. 7
election. As is always the case in the community, growth,
groundwater and infrastructure is a major issue for residents,
as seen by the types of questions posed to the planning group
hopefuls.
More than 60 people filled the Mountain Empire
Community Center building to take part in the forum, which
featured the Campo-Lake Morena Planning Group candidates, as
well as those running for positions on the local Mountain Empire
Unified School District board. (Editor’s note: See next
week’s edition of The Alpine Sun for part two of this story —
the school board candidates.)
“We’re really lucky out here to have some of the best
participation of differing opinions in the area,” said planning
group member and forum moderator Larry Johnson. Food and drinks
were available for participants, provided by the Mountain Empire
High School Key Club.
There a four seats up for re-election this November on
the Campo-Lake Morena Planning Group. All four incumbents, Jean
Bates, Bev Esry, Pat Noblitt and Bill Slaff, are running again
for their seats. Vying for one of the four seats are: Karl
Brady, the newest resident on the panel, moving to the area last
year; Debra Ford, a long-time resident and mother of MEHS
graduates; Denise Morse, who has lived in the area for many
years; Rick Northcote, who grew up in the area, attending local
schools, and Wally Palmer, a long-time resident; who, like may,
made his way further and further east as the city expanded.
This sort of growth is a major concern for residents in
the not so distant town of Campo, as well as other rural areas
in the Back Country. At the candidate forum many of the
questions directed to planning group candidates had to do with
growth in the area and the effects it will have.
“I moved up here to escape the urbanization down the
hill,” Palmer said. “I moved to Alpine and Poway, and I watched
growth happen haphazardly. I came up here to get away from all
that. Growth is coming, like it or not, and we need to manage
it.”
“If you look north and south of downtown San Diego you
can see the build out is just about complete, and it’s pushing
east — fast,” Palmer said, referring to the 10 million new
county resident predicted by General Plan 2020.
“We have to plan ahead if we want anything to be done
up here,” said Jean Bates. “The county only has so much money to
work with and we’re at the tail end.”
Palmer said he would like to see more commercial
opportunities in the area to provide jobs for local and provide
services. Rick Northcote also wants to see more jobs in the area
as well as increased law enforcement.
“I’d like to see more commercial activity up here so we
can keep the employment level up and people don’t have to move
away to find work,” he said.
“I am a slow-growth candidate,” sat Pat Noblitt. “I
know that there is going to be growth, but I don’t want mass
growth. What worries me is, one — our water, two — our
infrastructure, and three — our schools. I don’t know if we can
handle mass growth.”
“I do not support the concept of large developments
that continue to encourage the suburban lifestyle,” said Dense
Morse regarding new homes being built in Campo. “Commuting 50 to
60 miles, five days a week is stressful on the body, the mind
and family relationships.”
Current planning group chair Bev Esry also considers
herself a slow-growth candidate. Her major concerns for the area
have to do with groundwater and the ever-increasing traffic on
Buckman Springs Road.
“When I first got elected I was worried about water and
traffic,” she said. “When I walked around meeting people and
talking with them they all said the same thing, ‘we moved up
here to live rural,’ and they’re concerned about water and
traffic the same as I am.”
“Growth at a rural pace does not mean no growth,” said
Bill Slaff to meeting attendees. “I think being concerned about
water and infrastructure is definitely in the best interest of
the community.”
“I’ve lived up here a long time, I’ve seen a lot of the
amenities that we used to have, the little grocery store that no
longer exists,” said Debra Ford. “I might like to see some more
commercial industry here, where we wouldn’t have to go running
to town when we need certain things.”
“I’d like to see growth when it comes to the local
infrastructure,” said Karl Brady. “I’d like to see us get in
line with the general plan 2020, that shows 2,000 new residents
in 20 years — at the rate we’re going I don’t think we’ll make
that.”
Groundwater is a major issue for residents in the Back
Country, the large majority of whom are reliant on wells.
“Our groundwater comes from our rain, and we’ve been
seeing a gradual decrease in rain levels over the past 100
years,” Esry said. “If you were one of the people who lost a
well in this last drought then you would be very concerned.”
“We have these aquifers,” Noblitt said, “but we don’t
know how deep they are, how big they are, and that’s the problem
– we don’t know how much water we do have.”
“I’ve heard a lot about the water study, it seems to me
they think the sky is falling — but it’s not, so don’t get all
excited,” Bates said who has lived in the area a total of 59
years. “There’s been water running since I’ve been in Campo.”
Morse believes that residents must be educated about
the use of groundwater and how to safeguard the quality of their
water.
Campo and Lake Morena voters have lots of choices in
the upcoming election for their community planning group. Nine
names are on the ballot to fill four seats on the board. The
planning group serves as an advisory body to the San Diego Board
of Supervisors, the Department of Planning and Land Use, and
other county officials, on land use issues in the Campo/lake
Morena area.
“There are different and varying opinions from one
fraction of the community to the other of what they want,” Ford
said. “It is our responsibility to listen, and listen well
because the county does pay attention to these recommendations.”
See next week’s edition for coverage of the Mountain
Empire Unified School District board candidates.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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