June 30, 2020 (Originally Published)

Ridgecrest California

Update June 27, 2023 A reprise of Ridgecrest’s trash with an updated picture gallery of Wherry. Some things will never change, and so we present:

Wherry must go, from two people who know what needs to be done:

Mr. John Watkins, publisher of the Daily Independent and Mr. Scott O’Neil, Executive Director of the Indian Wells Valley Economic Development Corp. (IWVEDC):

It all began back when the Navy offered Wherry Housing to the city and the city fathers accepted that plot of land and housing—without heed to infrastructure or other costs. Scott O’Neil noted earlier this week when that happened the City of Ridgecrest was the fastest growing community in the state … yet not one new body moved into the area. It was because of the transfer of the plot of Navy land, housing and residents to the city’s burden and nothing else.

The Daily Indepedent Publisher’s Pen by John Watkins (Gannett Archives not transferred Error 404)

So what does Wherry have to do with the Wastewater Treatment Facility, The Officer’s Club, The China Lake Golf Course and the future of the Indian Wells Valley?

WATER AND ENERGY

See the location of the proposed wastewater treatment plant and the China Lake Golf Course?

Hence the reason the Navy wants your wastewater as payment for rent so we can use their (public) land to build our new wastewater plant to pay for watering their (our) golf course… Sufficiently confused?

Could Wherry still be on BLM land, status withdrawn by Navy, and leased to Ridgecrest? Not likely, but the google street map indicates so...

See all that developable land (dark green) conveniently located and in a Qualified Opportunity Zone?

The China Lake Heritage Restoration Act

See the Officer’s Club? Why no, we don’t. What is it?

Stop! Wait a minute. What was that we saw? In the first photo, the one with the open desert and mountains, and a million acres of land with geothermal energy and plentiful groundwater? Could it be La Mirage? No, it’s the Naval Air Warfare Station at China Lake. Why are they saving all that water when we need it now?

What you see here, what you say here, what you do here, when you leave here, Remember! let Wherry stay here and keep everything else behind the fences…

Here’s another look at Wherry’s sordid past:

If you have any information on the history of Wherry that you’d like to share, email to publisher@roadrunner395.com.