Your Taxes at Work

     Visitors and newcomer residents of PMC and the surrounding communities are mostly unaware that many of the "amenities" in the National Forest and in Kern County recreational areas are not in very good shape, to say the least. Many would (wrongly) assume that the way things are now is the way they've always been, which couldn't be further from the truth.

     With few exceptions, (Lampkin Park in PMC, the drought effects notwithstanding, McGill Campground on Mt Pinos, and most of Frazier County Park are well-maintained), the majority of parks and campgrounds in this area are in very sad shape. This was not always so.

     Just west of the intersection of Cuddy Valley Road and Mil Potrero Highway is the remnants of what was once commonly referred to as the "Y Camp", for "YMCA". The youth organization leased the property from the USFS (probably on a 99-year lease--common in the latter part of the 19th century, and well into the 20th.) When we first came to Pine Mountain, the Y Camp was thriving: well-kept cabins with fireplaces, and a main lodge with a commercial-quality kitchen and a huge stone fireplace. There was a sparkling swimming pool (now empty, but still there), and throngs of city kids who had a chance to spend a week or two each summer "in the woods." For whatever reasons, undisclosed by the Forest Service or the YMCA to anyone I know, the lease was not renewed when it expired in the 80's. A non-profit organization tried (unsuccessfully) to re-open the camp as a summer retreat for troubled youth, and after a few years, let their lease go unused. The camp, now off limits to anyone, fell more and more into disrepair. Today, most, or all, of the windows are broken, trees have fallen on a couple of the cabins, and the whole facility is oh-so-slowly succumbing to the forces of nature (and vandalism), so that some day soon the only thing recognizable remaining may be the buildings' foundations (and that fireplace).

     Like sad bookends, the campground just to the west of Pine Mountain Club could tell a very similar story of boom and bust. Mil Potrero Park, along with next-door neighbor Camp Condor, and the Mt. Abel Ski Lodge on top of Cerro Noroeste, has seen much better days. Also a long-term USFS lease, Mil Potrero Park was (is?) part of the Westside Recreation District, based in the City of Taft. Also built in the earth 20th century, the Park had a beautiful, well-kept campground, a playground, and a swimming pool. Until the Pine Mountain Club clubhouse was enlarged, the lodge at Mil Potrero Park was the largest gathering place around. It boasted a huge fireplace, a nice kitchen, and good restrooms. (important for those big parties, and wedding receptions.) What was Mil Potrero Park like in its heyday? Imagine any of the nicer campgrounds in the national parks---with well-kept camping spots, picnic tables and clean fire-pits; with large well-lit bathrooms (flush toilets and hot showers) and a well-furnished log-style lodge room with pool tables, ping-pong, and other games, and a roaring fire on cool evenings.
     
     For many of those good years, the Park was maintained with love by Jerry & Judy Keller. They lived in a mobile home on the grounds, with two or three or more Australian Shepherd dogs, at cat or three, and hundreds of humming birds. More about the Kellers when I get to telling stories about "pioneers".

     In the late 80's and early nineties, Taft, largely dependent on oil revenues for a big part of their budget, was going through a difficult time as Kern River crude oil plunged to around $8.00 a barrel (!). Outlying recreation facilities, and their need for full-time upkeep, became an expensive luxury. The Forest Service, at about the same time, required expensive repairs and clean-up of the fuel tanks on the property, as well as upgrades to the water system. Over a few years, the District cut back funds to run the Park, until it abandoned its claim to the property. A few years later, the Boy Scouts tried to utilize the Park for their programs, and (reportedly) spent a lot of time, effort, and money trying to make the Park facilities usable, all the while (again, reportedly) having to jump through a number of USFS hoops. It seems the Boy Scouts have thrown in the towel as well. The rounds of broken windows and other vandalism, as well as weather related damage, have begun.

      From the time they were developed, until the late 90's, virtually all of the campgrounds in the area, both federal and county, had running water, and regular trash pickup. The state water resources control board (SWRCB) decided that ALL water available for drinking, cooking, etc. in any public facility HAD to be treated, even if the source of the water was a pristine mountain spring (as most of the local ones were). Subsequently, ALL of the water supplies for the campgrounds and parks were shut off, unless they were connected to a treated water system (almost none could be). Due to Forest Service cutbacks, trash service in the campground has been significantly reduced as well. (In most cases, trash cans have been replaced with a few "centrally located" dumpsters. ---Progress...