ROAD WORK UPDATE
Archive for Around the District
The Butterfly Effect at PCWD
Did you know that now is the time that the beautiful orange and black Monarch butterfly is laying eggs and baby caterpillars are starting to hatch? Many believe that butterfly bushes attract these majestic creatures and while they will feed from the butterfly bush nectar it is actually Milkweed that Monarch butterflies need to sustain life. To the Monarch the Milkweed plant is their home where mate, lay eggs and hatch baby caterpillars. It is the Milkweed plant that is the perfect nutrition for a baby caterpillar to eat and grow strong enough to cocoon and eventually become a beautiful monarch butterfly.
We have lost much milkweed from the natural landscape with shifting land management practices. Planting milkweed is a great way to help other pollinators too because milkweed provides valuable nectar to many types of bees and butterflies. Planting milkweed will assist the monarch populations, and their incredible migration. Here at PCWD we have dedicated and entire planter to support the these beautiful butterflies.
Last year we started collecting Milkweed seeds from the plants we already had and were even donated some seeds from some of our very generous customers. We currently have a few variety’s of Milkweed blooming in while, yellow and orange in our Monarch garden. The Monarchs are loving the garden and everyday we are we are finding more eggs and newly hatched caterpillars. The caterpillars are growing at a rapid pace and before we know it we will have beautiful little cocoons all over the garden.
Stay tuned for more information, updates and pictures of our Monarch Milkweed Garden.
Great BBQ Last Saturday!
Last Saturday Pine Cove Water District had the pleasure of hosting a fun and delicious BBQ for the residents of Pine Cove. We’d like to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed the community mingle. A very special thanks to CSA38, Pine Cove Property Owners, Cal Fire Station 23 and all the other first responder personnel that helped put on this event and participated in answering questions to provide better understanding for our community. We hope all who came out enjoyed the delicious food, camaraderie and an ice cream to cool off on that hot summer day. If you weren’t able to make it for this BBQ we missed you! There is more ice cream here at the office, so when you come by to pay your August bill don’t miss your chance to leave with a cool refreshing ice cream treat.
Posted in: Around the District, Community, Company News
Leave a Comment (0) →Preparing an Emergency Evacuation kit.
Fire season has started and there is only one way off the mountain. Now is the time to get prepared to evacuate encase of an emergency. It is a good idea to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car or to grab and go box that will be easily accessible for you and your family. Build an Emergency Evacuation Kit Including:
- Water
- Non-perishable food
- Copies of prescription medications
- Cell Phone chargers
- Bedding including sleeping bags & pillows
- Extra change of clothes
- Bottled water
- Battery operated radio
- Extra batteries
- Flashlight
- First-aid kit
- Copies of important documents( like your drivers license, SS card, proof of residency, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, etc.)
- Pre-pack non-replaceable, personal items that you can quickly move to a vehicle if you are instructed to evacuate.
Talk to your family, make a plan! Decide where to meet, where to stay, where you are going. If you have pets plan ahead for them as well and have prepared go bags for them. If you do not have a car, make a plan ahead of time…ask a friend or a neighbor ahead of time, if you can ride off the hill with them. If you have a car, keep 1/2 tank of gas in it at all times. If the power goes out, the stations may not be able to pump gas unless they have a generator and even then they may only be able to take cash payments. Remember, in case of an emergency the number one priority is safety first. Proper advanced preparations can ease the stress of evacuation and help you make sure all the necessities are not left behind or forgotten.
Posted in: Around the District, Community, Emergencies, Fire
Leave a Comment (0) →SR-74 Update Meeting Scheduled
Four months after the roads washed out and there is only one way on and off the mountain. Many people have questions regarding how much more work is to be done on SR-74 and how much longer will it take to finish. A community meeting has been set for Thursday June 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. located at the Idyllwild School gym. The meeting will be hosted by Caltrans and partnered with Mountain Disaster Preparedness and we hope to be given a little more insight, questions answered and a better understanding regarding the finishing of this project.
ACH Automatic Payments
Are you interested in hassle free bill paying? Pine Cove Water District has you covered. The end of credit processing fees, worrying about payment due dates, writing and mailing checks, setting up bill pay with your bank and say good bye to late fees. We now offer ACH automatic payments free of charge that are directly linked to your checking or savings account. Water bills are generated the beginning of every even month and you will still receive a statement of your records that says DRAFT BILL. Payment for your account will be automatically deducted on the 1st of every odd month. (depending on weekends and holidays payment may be after the first) Many have signed up for ACH and we have received overwhelming positive feedback.
Are you ready to sign up for ACH Automatic Payments for your Bimonthly Water bill? Contact us at the office by phone, email or fax. A link for the ACH payment form is also located on our website in the payment section.
Free water saving kits available at PCWD
PCWD offers free water efficiency kit to all our residents! The Water saving kits will continuously assist you in your efforts to conserve our precious water .
Kit includes:
-High-Efficiency Showerhead, saves money by using up to 75% less water than
traditional showerheads.
-Dual Spray Swivel Aerator, offers a 360 degree swivel and has two spray
options.
-TWO Bubble Spray Bathroom Faucet Aerators, designed to accommodate most bathroom
sink faucets.
-Leak Detector Dye Tablets Kit, used to identify leaks in toilet tanks.
-Flow Meter Bag, helps determine the flow of showerheads and faucet aerators.
-Water Conservation wheel is a great educational tool that contains valuable
water saving procedures. -Installation Instructions for easy home installation.
If you are interested in one of these efficiency kits for your home stop by get one or as many as you need for your mountain home.
We also have some ice cream here for our customers to cool down with while the weather heats up. Just some of the many ways we like to show our appreciation to our Pine Cove community.
New Weather Station
Pine Cove Water District has an updated weather station now live on our website. The new weather station shows the current temperature and the high and love of the day. It also displays current wind direction and mph, humidity percentage, daily rain total with seasonal accumulation and barometric pressure. We are very excited to offer this new system to our customers and we hope you enjoy having current and accurate weather readings for right here in Pine Cove. Click Here!
Update On State Route 74
The intense storm that brought great damage to our mountain roads and highways on Valentine’s Day and left the community and tourist with only one rout option off the mountain. Today, We are so excited to see that Caltrans announced an update on the accessibility via State Route 74 from Hemet.
Starting this Easter weekend, Saturday April 20th the SR-74 from Hemet to Mountain Center will be reopening with limited access. Pilot car escort access on the SR-74 is will be available Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight in both directions. These hours of operation for the pilot car will only be for this coming holiday weekend and another limited schedule will be in effect starting Monday April 22.
As of Monday April 22nd, driving the SR-74 (Mountain Center to Hemet) will be available with limited access by pilot car seven days a week. The Pilot car access will only be available from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and then 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. daily. This will be the continuing work and pilot car schedule until additional work is completed which will eventually open full access with flagging on the SR-74 until the completion of the project.
Be advised that with the limited access opening of SR-74 there are some Conditions that must be followed during the escort process. Per Caltrans announcement:
- Down bound motorists (coming from Mountain Center) on SR-74 for the 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. escort must be in line by 7:45 a.m. or they will not be permitted in the escort process.
- The speed limit will be 25 miles per hour during the escort.
- Motorists will not be permitted to stop or pull over during the escort.
- Motorists will not be permitted to pass other vehicles during the escort.
- The construction zone on SR 74 between Mountain Center and Borco will be a “DOUBLE FINE ZONE”.
- Sections of SR-74 will have uneven, unpaved roadbed with narrow passage. Be advised that dirt, sand, rock and mud will exist on the SR-74. Low profile vehicles are not recommended.
- No drone, video or photos will be permitted while you are using the escorts.
- Motorists must follow all commands given by the pilot workers, contractor employees, flaggers, Caltrans crews and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
- The escorts can be canceled at any time due to safety concerns for the traveling public such as slope issues, rock fall, roadbed concerns and motorists not following traffic laws or escort provisions.
Travelers will experience delays for the limited access on SR-74. All agencies involved in this massive project are committed to keeping the public safe while traveling on SR-74. The contractor will continue to work 24/7 on SR-74 to continue to expedite repairs in preparation for full access.
SR-243 is open to motorists from Idyllwild to Lake Fulmor. SR 243 remains closed from Banning to Idyllwild until further notice to the public.
