Hello Sharon,

We are back in Joshua Tree now. On Wednesday the 18th I went into the Building and Safety department in JT with various rough sketches and a completed TUP. I spoke with a young woman at the counter. I believe she was a building inspector, but I forgot to get her name.


She said that before I can submit the TUP, I have to provide a complete building plan.
She also said that I have to provide a plot plan, though inspecting our property overhead on Google Maps, she was able to determine that our existing structures are probably within the legal setback required of 25' on the front and 15' on the side.
The latter was the only one I was concerned about and I have just confirmed that it is about 16', so no problem there.

I believe that she also indicated that if my north and east boundaries have been recently surveyed by neighbors, and I believe that they probably have, then my surveyor would not have to climb 320' to do them. I plan to contact the County to obtain copies of those surveys, as soon as I can figure out who to contact.

We are now designing the new addition using Google's SketchUp software. This will take a while though I am working 24/7 on it right now.

Thank you, Van Blakeman.

Good morning Van,
Thank you very much for the update. I will touch base with you in 4-6 weeks to check on the progress of your plans and permit submittals.

Thank you again, Sharon Wild
Land Use Services, Code Enforcement
Code Enforcement Officer
Phone: 760.995.8140 | Fax: 760.995.8167
www.SBCounty.gov

What kind of windows did you think would work and look best on the second story of the addition?
Casement that crank out sideways?
With grills or without?

Yes. Without.

Downloading numerous free surveys from the SB County website looking for any that will establish our corners.
One is attached. This is interesting.
Shepstone Rd? I think that is what we know as Rocky Ridge that goes by Bill’s place.

Interesting, hope you find your borders that the town may approve.

Your computer knowledge is a valuable asset. x

Hi Sharon,
I showed my plans to Ed Dion this morning.
He liked what he saw but I have to clarify lumber type and size, research pier requirements, bring in the water department, Environmental Services (no septic), and the fire department to provide me with guidance.
Van Blakeman

Mr. Blakeman,
I will be taking over this case from Officer Wild. I have updated our case notes that you are working on obtaining all necessary permits and approvals and will also put in a note to check back in 30 days to gauge progress.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Christian Benson
Code Enforcement Officer, Land Use Services Department
Phone: 760-955-8140 Fax: 760-995-8167
15900 Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia, CA 92345

Sounds like they are being cooperative working with you. Hopefully the new lady will be also.
He?
Yes, I see the Christian, meaning he.

To whom it may concern,
On Wednesday March 9, I submitted plans to Ed Dion at the Land Use Department in Joshua Tree for putting an addition on our home.

Amongst other things, he said he would need a letter from the Water Department regarding our water situation.
He asked if there was water to the property and without thinking about my answer, I said "Yes, but we are not hooked up."
The correct answer would be "No. It ends down the street somewhere."

We have been trucking our water in for nearly 50 years. We have a relatively new 2400 gallon water tank which is currently being filled by Gary Bowers of Hi Desert Water Transport.

I have called your department twice and left voicemail messages but got no response, which is okay because email works better for me anyhow.

I also called your department about 13 or so years ago and asked a gentleman what it would take to bring water to our property.
Basically, I think he said something like "Don't worry about it. Unless you are ready to provide us with a $10,000(?) deposit, don't bother."

Thank you, Van & Eileen Blakeman
PO Box 682, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Email: jbwd@blakeman.net

Van we will be more than happy to provide you with a will serve letter.
What we require is a plot plan of the project. I am assuming this will be a single family residence.
I have included a quote as to give an approximate cost for the meter as well as extending the mainline.
Best Regards, E. Keith Faul
GIS Coordinator

Dear Mr. Faul,

Thank you for your quick reply.

So you are quoting $6,062 for a 1" meter and estimating almost $80,000 for somebody to cut a 1321 foot trench and lay the pipe.
By that I assume you are saying that you cannot simply extend the line from my closest neighbor; that you have to start at the hydrant down on the far corner.

Even with generous veterans and a senior discounts, if such exist, that still becomes a non-starter for us.

What I was really asking in my email is do I even have to do this, since the line does not come to our property?

I went through quite a bit of effort a few years ago putting the new water tank up on the hill above us and running two lines below grade down to our home.

I would prefer to keep on doing what we have been doing for the last 40+ years with an affirmative note from the JBWD that I can provide the building department.

Thanks, Van Blakeman

[ Note: I received no reply to this, but I suspect that none was really needed. ]

Incredible! I hope there is a compassionate employee at the water department.

Working on the model doing all the little things that the building inspector indicated need attention.

Am now thinking that the $90,000 estimate from the water dept. will probably be enough to convince the building dept. that I don’t have to hook up.
If my new plan is ready by next Wednesday, then I will find out.

Hope they will approve!

You have successfully confirmed your County of San Bernardino subscriber preferences. You are now able to take advantage of the convenient e-mail updates offered by County of San Bernardino.

[This simply allows me to explore their database of surveys surrounding our property.]

Note: Google phone transcript follows:
"Hi, van. This is Kristen Benson with seminole county code enforcement. I'm calling regarding case number C 201-400-5069 your property in Joshua tree shops or Sharon wild is as you may know been reassigned to another program. I'm taking over cases. I received an email forwarded from her from you about a month ago saying you're working on plans and permits. I was curious as to what the status was. I don't see anything haven't been officially submitted with the county and just wanted to know what the what kind of progress you're making how long before you'll submit something up, please call me back 716-995-8140 again. This is Kristen Benson with code enforcement. Thank you."

Hello Mr. Benson,
I received your call this morning and called back but your line was busy.
That is just as well since I cannot remember anything said on a phone anyhow.

I am surprised to find that it has been over 5 weeks since I submitted my plans to Ed Dion.
I have been recreating them in Google's SketchUp since then and done nothing else – even submitted an extension with the IRS so that I can do that later.

I requested a quote from Keith Faul in the Water Dept. He estimated about $85,000 to bring water to my property. I suspect that that document will be enough to show that my existing water tank system is adequate.

I also filled out a form on the Environmental Health Services web site, but due to their recent devastating loss and consequential lack of personnel, I don't expect to hear from them any time soon. Oddly I did not even get an automated acknowledgement, so I will check into that if possible. Fortunately, I did select and copy off my message.

I have also purchased a Laser Level and recorded exact elevations. These turned out to be very different from my original ball-park estimates, hence the need to recreate my plan. The proposed addition on concrete piers does form-fit the terrain by necessity.

My wife has returned to our Massachusetts home to open her shop for the season. I will be joining her on or about May 10. We will return after the elections in November. I do hope to have my permit before I leave here.

Thank you, Van Blakeman

Mr. Blakeman,
Thank you for the update. After checking our system, I do not see any activity towards obtaining permits. In order for me to grant an extension I need to see some evidence of progress. Do you have any documentation that would be able to forward me showing you've done. If so, I can enter it into the case file. Thank you.

I did sign in on March 9 at the Land Use Dept in JT and I have an undated checklist form that Ed Dion filled out telling me what I have to do.
I also have an email with PDF quote from the water dept. dated March 24.

Mr. Blakeman,
If you could forward that checklist and anything else you have, it would be greatly appreciated so I can update the case. As of right now, all we have is your word that progress is being made. Some sort of documentation will help. Thanks, Christian Benson

Attached are Ed Dion's checklist and the JBWD estimate.PDF
Thanks, Van Blakeman

Mr. Blakeman,
Thank you for the update. I have filed these two documents in the case notes. As you know, this case has been open for quite some time and it is imperative that you submit all required items and obtain permits as soon as possible. Please get as much done as possible before you leave. Ideally, I would like to see permits being issued before you leave. If you need to follow up with Ed Dion, or anyone else, please do so as soon as possible.
Thank you. Christian Benson

Well, I applied again this morning.
They liked my plans but they still need more, such as a real actual engineering type blueprint of the addition and including our existing home.
I will go to work on figuring out how to do that and then do it.
Hopefully it will be ready when we return in November.
Sincerely, Van Blakeman

Attached are 3 of the 10 pics submitted this morning.

I can see they must have been very impressed with your work!

So what do I do with them now?
Would you like them framed?

Yes, I think they would look nice framed! You put so much into them. Love you.

Thank you for the update. Please let me know when you submit all of the required documents to Building and Safety. I will update our case notes.
Christian Benson

Will do.