Ten volunteers, including officials of the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust, donned gloves and boots last Thursday at 8 a.m. to begin abating an eyesore along the old Eagle Ridge Estates property on Grass Valley Road in Lake Arrowhead.

When they were done four hours later, two pickup trucks full of disintegrating orange and yellow sandbags, torn-up fragments of plastic sheeting and large pieces of jute had been taken to Heaps Peak transfer station, and land trust officials were contemplating further cleanups.

"There are still more sandbags in the entryway," said Peter Jorris, executive director of the trust, which in April acquired 80 acres of the 182-acre planned luxury housing development.

"There's still a lot of construction material on the site," he added. "There's a number of things we'll be focusing on in the next year or so."

Though no date has been set for the next cleanup day, Jorris said sandbags around the development's entry kiosk will be targets, along with large sections of pipe and concrete blocks of varying sizes. Plans for another work day could be finalized in the next couple of weeks, he added.

‘UNEXPECTED ACQUISITION'

"This was an unexpected acquisition, not part of our strategic plan," Jorris said of the trust's ability to purchase the land from its owners, the Roy family. The price has not been disclosed.

The planned eight-phase tract-of which Jorris said only the first two phases were recorded with the county-was a casualty of the recession. With debts reportedly in excess of $11 million, it was foreclosed on and went on the auction block in mid-2009.

Jorris said Monday the land trust has had no contact with the Roy family since acquiring its 80-acre parcel, and doesn't know the future of the 20-, 30- and 50-acre parcels that comprise the balance of the Roys' ownership.

He added that National Forest officials have not expressed an interest in acquiring the site.

"We didn't expect them to," he said. "It doesn't conform with National Forest attributes."

But should its finances improve, the Rim Recreation and Park District could be interested in purchasing the site, Jorris said. He said he's spoken with Karen Reams, its general manager, who has toured the site and is enthusiastic about the prospect.

FUNDING ISSUE

Reams told The Mountain News on Tuesday that the district's board of directors had instructed her to inspect the property. She confirmed the district would like to acquire the site, but funding is the problem.

She is pursuing grant funds, she said, "but grant sources seem to be drying up now." An exception, Reams said, could be funds for trail development.

"There may be some state or federal money for trails. We're looking for that right now," she said.

Should the district be able to swing the purchase, she said, it would be for the same amount the land trust paid to acquire the site.

Before the Eagle Ridge land were developed for park purposes, she said, public meetings would be scheduled to receive input on how the land would be used.

Shortly after the land trust acquired the property, Jorris said, some of its officials were on the site. Passersby would ask what they were doing, and "the general response was positive," he said.

Some even offered to come and help clean up the property, he said. Anyone interested in participating in future cleanups may call Kellems at (909) 939-0396 or send an e-mail to [email protected]

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Ten volunteers, including officials of the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust, donned gloves and boots last Thursday at 8 a.m. to begin abating an eyesore along the old Eagle Ridge Estates property on Grass Valley Road in Lake Arrowhead.

When they were done four hours later, two pickup trucks full of disintegrating orange and yellow sandbags, torn-up fragments of plastic sheeting and large pieces of jute had been taken to Heaps Peak transfer station, and land trust officials were contemplating further cleanups.

"There are still more sandbags in the entryway," said Peter Jorris, executive director of the trust, which in April acquired 80 acres of the 182-acre planned luxury housing development.

"There's still a lot of construction material on the site," he added. "There's a number of things we'll be focusing on in the next year or so."

Though no date has been set for the next cleanup day, Jorris said sandbags around the development's entry kiosk will be targets, along with large sections of pipe and concrete blocks of varying sizes. Plans for another work day could be finalized in the next couple of weeks, he added.

‘UNEXPECTED ACQUISITION'

"This was an unexpected acquisition, not part of our strategic plan," Jorris said of the trust's ability to purchase the land from its owners, the Roy family. The price has not been disclosed.

The planned eight-phase tract-of which Jorris said only the first two phases were recorded with the county-was a casualty of the recession. With debts reportedly in excess of $11 million, it was foreclosed on and went on the auction block in mid-2009.

Jorris said Monday the land trust has had no contact with the Roy family since acquiring its 80-acre parcel, and doesn't know the future of the 20-, 30- and 50-acre parcels that comprise the balance of the Roys' ownership.

He added that National Forest officials have not expressed an interest in acquiring the site.

"We didn't expect them to," he said. "It doesn't conform with National Forest attributes."

But should its finances improve, the Rim Recreation and Park District could be interested in purchasing the site, Jorris said. He said he's spoken with Karen Reams, its general manager, who has toured the site and is enthusiastic about the prospect.

FUNDING ISSUE

Reams told The Mountain News on Tuesday that the district's board of directors had instructed her to inspect the property. She confirmed the district would like to acquire the site, but funding is the problem.

She is pursuing grant funds, she said, "but grant sources seem to be drying up now." An exception, Reams said, could be funds for trail development.

"There may be some state or federal money for trails. We're looking for that right now," she said.

Should the district be able to swing the purchase, she said, it would be for the same amount the land trust paid to acquire the site.

Before the Eagle Ridge land were developed for park purposes, she said, public meetings would be scheduled to receive input on how the land would be used.

Shortly after the land trust acquired the property, Jorris said, some of its officials were on the site. Passersby would ask what they were doing, and "the general response was positive," he said.

Some even offered to come and help clean up the property, he said. Anyone interested in participating in future cleanups may call Kellems at (909) 939-0396 or send an e-mail to [email protected].