Third District Supervisor James Ramos enjoys watching third-graders from Lucerne Valley Elementary School display their enthusiastic support for the new Lucerne Valley Park, which was dedicated Friday morning. Peter Day, Lucerne Valley Leader
By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
LUCERNE VALLEY — It took lots of hard work and patience to make it happen, and even more smiles to show it was all worth it.
An overflow crowd of around 200 residents, dignitaries and County Service Area 29 staff members packed a large white tent Friday morning as Third District Supervisor James Ramos dedicated the new Lucerne Valley Park. Despite a few sprinkles from gray clouds, the event was satisfyingly celebratory.
Major funding for the park project was provided by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and the Mojave Water Agency with countless people helping out.
Ramos recounted the challenge the county faced to secure ownership of the property. Despite the glitches and initial hesitance of the previous land owners, eventually it all came together.
“The Supervisors addressed the issues,” Ramos said. “It’s something they saw that needed to be done.”
County dignitaries clearly were excited to see the project through to fruition.
“I’m very happy we could fulfill the wishes of the community,” said special districts head Jeff Rigney, who thanked Lucerne Valley Elementary School principal Mary Eller’s 60 beaming, excited third-graders for “coming out in this liquid sunshine.”
Located at the site of Lucerne Springs, a former pool facility that became an eyesore nearly a decade after it closed due to lack of funds, the new park features a large play area, volleyball court, basketball court, picnic tables and more.
According to CSA 29 manager Reese Troublefield, the CSA 29 and other area park staffs he manages worked feverishly to make it happen. Altogether about 90 loads of dirt were used to fill the pool. Trees were planted, and graffiti was covered with lots of fresh paint.
“We’re certainly proud of the transformation here,” Troublefield said.
Troublefield credited Richard Selby, chairman of the Lucerne Valley Johnson Valley Municipal Advisory Council for chairing “the effort and the emotional effort” to get the project done.
The Visalia Avenue and nearby area was called the “Victorville Bombing Range” during the World War II period of 1942 through 1945, according to Selby who provided a brief history of the park site. Later, in the 1950s, the area became known as “Lucerne Springs,” and builder John Russell began constructing small homes.
“This became a community,” Selby said.
Eventually, a group built a pool for area families to take a dip during Lucerne Valley’s hot summers. When the private facility became too expensive to maintain, the founders of the pool club opened it to the public.
Still, Selby explained, “operational costs became too high.”
Around a decade ago, the Lucerne Springs Pool Center facility was shut down. The trees began dying and graffiti taggers started making their marks on the walls.
“It became a blight,” he said.
Around 2010, Selby and CSA 29 began looking into the idea of taking over the property and bringing it back to its previous glory. Soon, however, they realized that maintaining the pool would be too expensive, so Selby set his sights on fixing up the facility and turning it into a park.
Beverly Lowry, who serves as Ramos’ field representative and a longtime member of the MWA board of directors, got her sights set on realizing Selby’s dream.
“My God,” Selby said, “without her efforts and the efforts of the (Board of) Supervisors we wouldn’t have this beautiful park.”
Lowry credited Troublefield and others for helping.
“Reese has been a gem to work with,” she said. “A lot of people have been working very hard.”
But it was the numerous happy, smiling third-graders whose unbridled glee spoke volumes to the park’s importance in the Lucerne Valley community.
“Kids don’t break, but they do get soggy,” teacher Vici Miller before the children excitedly crossed the threshold into their new playground paradise.
Other special thanks went to the CSA 29 Lucerne Valley staff, the Big Bear Valley Recreation & Parks staff, Butcher’s Block Lucerne Valley, OMYA, California Inc., the Fritz Family, Steve Porter Construction, Joshua Tree Recreation and Parks staff, the Special Districts Road Department staff and Hi Grade Materials. Janet Terryberry and A.G. and Jean Fuqua, who sits on the MAC board with Selby, also were singled out at making key contributions to making the park a reality by helping Selby get petition signatures.
The new park is located on Visalia Avenue near Foothill Road.