Funny man Karwin discusses some serious topics

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A Town Hall meeting for District 1 (Sun City) residents took the form of the Bob Karwin Comedy Hour on Monday, with the City Councilman spicing up community updates with one-liners that drew laughs from a packed house.

The event, held at Ridgemoor Elementary School, showcased Karwin’s ability to connect with his audience as well as his knowledge of city affairs and willingness to share complete answers. Members of the City of Menifee staff were also in attendance to help answer questions.

Example of a Karwinism, when talking about motorists speeding through town: “We’re putting raised medians around town. When a street like Newport is six lanes wide, it looks like Talladega Speedway. You’re prone to drive faster. When you see a big concrete block down the middle, you tend to drive slower.”

Speeding was just one of many topics – primarily focused on the Sun City community – discussed by Karwin, who has represented District 1 on the City Council since 2020 and also serves as Mayor Pro Tem. He acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic limited his ability to be out among the people, so he wanted to have an opportunity to answer questions in person.

Some of the topics covered during the Town Hall:

Speeding: Karwin (right) gave the floor to Menifee Police Chief Chris Karrer, who said with the addition of two motor officers, the City now has six officers patrolling the City on motorcycles. He said the department faces challenges in enforcing speed laws in a city of nearly 50 square miles, and that things such as speed cameras are not allowed by the state. Signage is used along with deterrents such as speed bumps, which Karrer said are installed rarely now because of the damage they do to the undercarriage of cars.

“Even with speed bumps, people speed anyway and are destroying their cars,” Karrer said. He added that most traffic citations are written to Menifee residents. “Talk to your neighbors and ask everyone to slow down,” he said. “It’s not the commuters who are speeding.”

Public Works Director Nick Fidler added that a system to synchronize the signals along Newport Road is in the final stages and should improve traffic flow. “The idea is, if you drive the speed limit, you should be able to drive straight through,” said Fidler, adding that emergency vehicles sometimes interrupt the synchronization.

Krikorian Theater: Karwin acknowledged said the City “has done all the things it can do” to bring about the demolition of the unfinished building but that it is a legal process, meaning it’s impossible to put an exact date the walls will come down. “You can’t just go out in the middle of the night and tear the building down,” he said. “They do have certain rights.”

Karwin added that he has spoken to some other developers and that “there is definitely interest” on the part of others in bringing a theater to Menifee. One has to realize, however, that even with the building torn down, Krikorian will remain owner of the property for the time being.

Homelessness: Karwin and Karrer both praised the efforts of the Police Department’s Homeless Liaison, Rochelle Hunter, and other officers in reducing the number of homeless camped out in the City, especially the Cherry Hills Plaza. Karwin reminded residents that “the way to help these people is not to give them $5. Call the PD non-emergency number and give them the location and they will get the person help.”

Bradley Road Bridge: The wait for the Bradley Road bridge over Salt Creek continues, and it’s out of the City’s control at this point, Karwin said. The funds have been raised, but final environmental impact reports must be completed and those take time. The work you see by crews at that site this week is being done by Southern California Gas employees on underground lines. “Work on the bridge should begin next year,” he said.

Valley Boulevard: Work on that north-south thoroughfare includes construction to widen the road and extend it north of McCall Boulevard to fill in a missing link to the upcoming Cimarron Ridge housing development. In answer to concerns voiced about extra truck traffic and future increased traffic flow, Karwin said the trucks now traveling through that neighborhood will be gone when the construction is finished. Fidler said a 6-foot sound wall will be built along Valley Boulevard to help with the noise factor affecting adjacent neighbors.

Parks: At Karwin’s request, Deputy City Manager Jonathan Nicks said that a park previously approved for the back of the Faith Lutheran Church property in Sun City is still coming, but that it’s still in the process of dividing the property between the church and the City. There will be a walking track but no soccer fields or other athletic amenities, with City officials mindful of the fact that most users will be seniors.

Golf courses: Karwin said that the sale of the Cherry Hills Golf Course remains in escrow and that rumors it has fallen out of escrow are not true. It is true that the course is open only on the weekends now, while the sale is finalized. He said there is no indication the new owners will close the golf course – as the current owners did the North Course – to build something else. “Seventy five percent of that land is unbuildable because it’s a flood plain,” Karwin said.

Bank of America building: The closed BofA building on Cherry Hills Boulevard that was recently sold to the City will be converted into a Police Department substation, Karwin said. Vacant land at the old Kings Inn site at Bradley and Cherry Hills is also owned by the city and is most likely going to be a new operations center for public works crews.

Walmart: Economic Development Director Gina Gonzalez said that Walmart is “silently listing” the property it bought at McCall Boulevard and Encanto Drive. A second parcel owned by Walmart, located at Scott Road and Haun Road, could still become a Walmart store, however.

“Walmart revisited their business plan and shut down most brick and mortar expansion, but since things are now somewhat different, they have revisited it again,” Gonzalez said. “In May we met with their corporate, and that location is one they still have on their radar.”