August 29, 2021 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.
 

August 1, 2021 ... Immediately after the storm on July 31, 2021, Sean Molina starting working on the roads, (1) to make the roads passable and to take care of immediate storm damage, (2) pushed sand to the sides of the roads to make prioritized roads passable.

November 9, 2020 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

April 11, 2020 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

April 9, 2020 ... Sean Molina made minor repairs with his tractor to Uphill after a rain storm.

More Road Repairs ... March 15, 2020

In response to the recent storm, we assessed the roads for needed repairs and employed Sean Molina, a local tractor operator and Monument Manor resident to make them.  Fortunately, Sean was available on short notice and was able to make the majority of the repairs by the end of the day on Sunday, March 15.  Work was completed throughout the neighborhood, filling in ruts and repairing and maintaining drainage features including the high spots we've created in the roads known as rolling dips.  The rolling dips, including those recently installed, worked as planned slowing down and holding back the water until they eventually breached.  This was beneficial in three ways: When the water slowed, sediment being carried by it was released and deposited behind the rolling dips filling in old erosion ruts, thus building up the road bed; material was prevented from being deposited lower down near Park Boulevard in the form of sand, requiring us to pay for it to be removed; and slowing the water allowed some of it to soak in and reduced its energy, resulting in less overall erosion.  Thank you MMNA members for making it possible for us to care for our roads in a timely and effective way.        

Mar 13, 2020 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

Storm Data
March 10, 2020 ... 0.55" rain (reported from Highlands weather station)
March 12, 2020 ... 0.85" rain (reported from Highlands weather station)

Work in progress by Geary Hund and Sean Molina ... starting February 1, 2020

Desert Shadows

• Fill in rut crossing road near its intersection with Quail Springs Road (QSR). 

• Fill in large pothole in center area of road near intersection with QSR ~30-40 feet in.

• Repair erosion in wash crossing just south of first house in on right side of road – east side.

• Main wash crossing – clean and smooth out, add dirt to reinforce rolling dip on west side.

• Create rolling dip between Bobby Furst's driveways just below (south of) Rocking Chair – take it up to top of eroded area – taper it so vehicles will not bottom out when crossing.  Fill in rut on east side between rolling dip and Rocking Chair (about 1 load of dirt).

 

Uphill

• Create low rolling dip at about 8437 Uphill, 1 load of dirt.

• Fill in ruts and potholes near QSR.

• Smooth out rolling dip across main wash and put dirt on west side to reinforce.

• Clean out Uphill (north) side of rolling dip just above Rocking Chair and Uphill.

• Place (stockpile) 3 loads of dirt at Rocking Chair and Uphill.

• Place two new rolling dips on Uphill at locations to be determined in the field.  Place straight across road and taper so that vehicles will not bottom out when crossing (approximately 2 loads of dirt).

 

Rocking Chair

• Smooth out wash crossing east of Uphill and fill in rut on east side of wash.

• Fill in rut by second house on south side of road heading west from Old Vine and create rolling dip below driveway of house (1-2 loads of dirt).

 

Wagon Wheel

• Partially fill in rut that creates large pothole in road in front of second house east of Uphill.

 

Single Tree between Old Vine and Rockhaven

• Fill in rut east of big wash crossing before Rockhaven on south side lane.

 

Single Tree Just West of Old Vine

• Fix rolling dips where fill was previously placed in north side and add another low rolling dip just below Mark and Stephanie Wheeler’s place (about 2 loads of dirt).

• Place 2 loads of dirt at stockpile location.

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Rapallo and Coyote

• Fill in ruts as needed (about 1 load of dirt).

 

Tortuga

• Make sure it’s passable – smooth out wash crossing as needed.

 

Turtle (about 1 load of dirt)

• Starting from east end, fill in any large washouts or ruts.

• Where drainage has been trained off road, make any repairs to keep it from migrating into main travel way.

• Fill in ruts as needed on lower part as you approach QSR.

Dec 28, 2019 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a snow storm.
Dec 7, 2019 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.
March 13, 2019 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.
 

Completed work by Geary Hund and Sean Molina ... starting February 6, 2019
1.  Rockhaven (Quail Springs side) & Single Tree, fill in ruts on southwest corner.

2.  Single Tree and Old Vine, fill in ruts including southwest corner.

3.  Old Vine (just above Roadrunner), fill in west side where dirt was added to cover rocks.

4.  Single Tree from Coyote west, fill in ruts, reestablish rolling dip, & another low rolling dip below the Wheeler's property.

5.  Eastern end of Rocking Chair, repair ruts in new fill, add rolling dip, 0.5 load of dirt.

6.  Uphill, clean out & repair rolling dip, add material on east, upstream side where overflowed,  0.1 load of dirt.

7.  Uphill, fill in rut at Rocking Chair & create low rolling dip @ about 20mph sign, 1 load of dirt.

8.  Uphill, repair rolling dip just above Rocking Chair,  0.5 load of dirt.

9.  Uphill, fill in rut in fill below party god, 0.5 load dirt.

10.  Uphill, add reserve dirt at Rocking Chair and Uphill, 1.9 load of dirt.

11.  Desert Shadows, smooth out wash by Terry Stone's house.

12.  Desert Shadows, clean out and repair rolling dip at wash crossing.

13.  Desert Shadows, repair fill area at intersection with Rocking Chair and Turtle above Bobby Furst's house, 0.25 load of dirt.

14.  Desert Shadows, create low rolling dip below the fill area, 0.75 load of dirt.

15. Turtle, fill in rut below Furst's in center road Turtle, 0.2 load of dirt.

16.  Turtle, repair driveway at Larkspur, 0.1 load of dirt.

17.  Turtle, repair rut on north side road just below Larkspur, 0.2 load of dirt.

18.  Turtle, repair rut below Marge Doyle's, try to push drainage to road edge farther down toward wash, 0.5 load of dirt.

February 4, 2019 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

2018 Recap ... In 2018 we made great progress on improving drainage on our roads and completing long needed repairs as well as repairing storm damage from storms on July 11, and October 13th.  Both storms were major events.  The one in October was at least a 50-year event for Joshua Tree and it was widespread. In the past these storms would have caused widespread, significant damage, requiring the expenditure of substantial funds to make the road passable again. 

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Although we did have to make repairs after the storms throughout the neighborhood, they were not as substantial in size or cost as in the past, due to the preventative work we previously accomplished through contracts and roadwork parties.  This made more funds available to accomplish long-term repairs and improvements such as filling in deep ruts, and placing low rolling dips (low mounds of dirt in the road) to slow runoff.  Slowing down runoff results in material being deposited, building the roadbeds back up with the help of nature. There are still areas we’ve identified where long-term repairs and preventative actions are needed, but the long-term outlook is positive.  We are making continued progress toward getting our roads into the best shape they’ve been in decades.

Highlights for the year include diversions on Rockhaven, funded in part by both residents of that area and the Association, and addressing long standing drainage issues on Uphill, Desert Shadows, Single Tree and elsewhere as well as removal of some of the accumulated sand on Uphill and Single Tree.  The improvements on Rockhaven, in particular, were a big accomplishment.  Two areas where regular wash outs occurred, did not require any post storm maintenance this year.  

We were also able to buy, stockpile, and utilize far more high quality (compactible) dirt than we normally would thanks to our contractor, Sean Molina, finding an inexpensive source from the Yucca Valley sewer pipe contractors. 

January 19, 2019 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

October, 2018 ... ongoing work to be done on roads after last rain storm.

1. Old Vine Rock Cap - Cover exposed rock.

2. Old Vine Sand - Remove about 3 inches of sand and pile on side of road from Luke Sabala’s house down to Single Tree.

3. Old Vine Corner Erosion - Fill in erosion on southwest corner.

4. Coyote Wash Out - Fill in wash out in middle of road and down a bit.

5. Rapallo Rolling Dip - Remove about three inches of dirt 10 to 15 feet from toe or Rolling Dip east. Place removed material in wash out area of Rapallo on road edge to west.

6. Rapallo Wash Out - Place good dirt in wash out creeping into roadbed, use material from upstream side of rolling dip, 5 above, to fill in wash out on road edge.

7. Single Tree Rolling Dip Repair - Repair rolling dip that ties into center island just past Coyote.

8. Vista Way Rolling Dip – repair using good dirt, make opening to drainage ditch a little wider on south side (opposite driveway).

9. Uphill Road Rolling Dip above Rocking Chair - Repair, fill in sides – try to make even from side to side, no low spot. Dig out and use material on uphill side of rolling dip, use material as fill on sides.

10. Single Tree Sand Removal - Remove sand in intersection with Uphill and east on Single Tree for about 100-200 feet (softest, deepest areas). Push up on embankment on sides of road.

11. Uphill Rolling Dip 1 Wash - Repair rolling dip – make it two feet high using good dirt all way across, taper down for easy vehicle crossing.

12. Desert Shadows Washout 1 - Place fill in area next to Quail Springs Road that’s rough and washed out.

13. Desert Shadows Wash Crossing 1 - Smooth out and place dirt in as needed.

14. Desert Shadows Rolling Dip 1 - Wash - Repair using good dirt all the way across.

15. Desert Shadows Sand Removal - Remove sand uphill of rolling dip as far up as is soft – place on road embankments on sides of road.

October 15, 2018 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.  Mike Michelon, Bob Kaplan and Linda Doyle used shovels to fill in gaps in the road created by washout from rain storm on Uphill and Rocking Chair.

July 8, 2018 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.  Geary Hund work on several of the rolling dips.

May 3, 2018 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

March 2, 2018 ... Will Harner dragged the roads after a rain storm.

December 9, 2017 ... Monument Manor neighbors once again pitched in to make repairs to the road system.  They completed two projects, placing sandbags in a badly eroded section of Single Tree and cleaning our and repairing water retention basins adjacent to Old Vine.  The sand bags were placed below grade and covered with fill dirt by a tractor operated by Sean Molina.  They will lessen the amount of runoff in the event a future storm strips off the top layer of soil, saving the association by reducing repair costs.  The retention basins did their job during the last monsoon, holding back water and sediment from the road to reduce erosion until, by design, they reached capacity and water spilled over the top of the bern at sandbag reinforced sites.  The road party cleaned the sediment out of the basins and repaired the sandbag spillways.  Thank you to everyone for your participation.  As always, it was a fun event which brought Manor neighbors together, helped protect our roads, and saved the association money. 

 

On another note.  Road damage from the recent winter storm which dropped about an inch of rain was minimal, in part thanks to the preventative maintenance we've been able to do as a result of membership contributions.  Thank you members!  

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January 2017 ... Gary, contractor, created rolling dips on Road Runner and berms on Vista Way and Wagon Wheel.  He also placed dirt on the edge of Dobbs property for Road Party, filled in rut on Old Vine just above Rocking Chair, and filled in rut on south side of Wagon Wheel over sand bags placed by Road Party Crew.  He imported dirt to Single Tree and Old Vine and to Old Vine next to my house. Gary created rolling dip on Uphill just above Rocking Chair, filled in a spot on Turtle/Rincon where a rock was protruding out of road, filled in multiple ruts on Tortuga and filled in ruts on Coyote.

 

January 14, 2017 ... Work Party installed berms and overflow structures along the road edge at Roadrunner and Old Vine to catch storm runoff and reduce the amount of water reaching the road.  Repaired a badly eroded area at the intersection of Old Vine and Wagon Wheel.  Created new smaller rolling dips on Roadrunner.  Repaired the washout at the bottom of Desert Shadows.  Will dragged roads.

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January 9, 2017 ... Jeff dragged roads after last rainfall.

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December 31, 2016 ... Geary installed posts and reflectors, repaired rolling dips and filled in wash out at bottom of Uphill.

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December 23, 2016 ... Jeff dragged the roads after last rainfall to remove "wash board". Installed reflectors at rolling dips and repaired one on Desert Shadows.

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October 2016 ... Needless Damage to Private Property, Click here to read more.
 

October 25, 2016 ... Will dragged roads to remove "wash board".

September 2016 ... Bumps in the Road, Click here to read more.

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September 10, 2016 ... Gary (contractor) removed three truckloads of sand from lower Uphill Road and Single Tree, delivered 3 loads of dirt, repaired rut at Single Tree and Rocking Chair, transported dirt for rolling dip on Uphill, placed dirt over sand bags at Rocking Chair and Desert Shadows.  Work Party created rolling dip near the top of Uphill to manage drainage, filled in rut on Uphill.  Will also dragged the roads in the Manor after the rain storm.  Ordered signs and reflectors and mounted them to advise motorists about rolling dips.  Mike and Geary maintained rolling dips on Old Vine, Desert Shadows, and Uphill (2).

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April 23, 2016 ... Work Party placed sandbags and fill dirt in holes at the corner of Rocking Chair and Uphill and at the corner of Turtle and Desert Shadows.  Click here for a copy of the Road Work Party Newsletter.
 

March 2016 ... March Work Party filled in ruts with sandbags and covered dirt at Old Vine and Single Tree.

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For future road work parties, we can use your help to fill sand bags or just tie them off. You can shovel dirt, just direct others where to shovel, or even come out and meet your neighbors.  By pitching in together to save our roads, we save money in the long run.

 

If you have any concerns, or would like to join an upcoming road work party, contact Geary Hund. Click on his name to find his email address.