Posted on 01/31/2011 4:49:36 PM PST by MeganC
Full story at the link
(Excerpt) Read more at nbclosangeles.com ...
Oh man! There’s gotta be something highly illegal going on.
Here is an excerpt from one of the late John C. Marrelli patents per “Who is JCM Farming and what are they doing?”, http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110130/NEWS01/110130002
The patent application refers to “spore-forming microorganisms, present in soil, plants and other forms of organic matter, (that) survive excessive heat of a fire within soil or carbonized wood.” The microorganisms are purported to enhance plant growth and plants’ nutritional value, and can be useful in “producing DNA-enhanced plants which may be consumed by human individuals for enhancing human DNA.”
(The shed looks large enough to grow those large pods or “DNA-enhanced plants for enhancing human DNA”.)
http://www.mydesert.com/assets/pdf/J1169712129.PDF
Owner of the property declared his property to be a congested area requiring additional height clearance from the FAA.
If true, then the property owner might not be compliant with county fire codes. Only one route of entrance/egress exists in the walled property for emergency vehicular access. If more than 50 occupants, then he must provide for a circulation route to minimally provide over a 2 lane paved road with sidewalk, curb and gutter, and a fire main circumferencing the development.
Additionally, his alteration to the land use would no longer be rural agricultural and if encroaching upon the AICUZ, might trigger requirements for an environmental assessment or environmental impact study with open public assessment of his impacts on community and surrounding cities.
It appears he sure has harmed the local economy by their litigious behavior.
Interesting how his compound is oriented in a fashion similar to the Temple Mount with the gate on the East Wall.
Yea, I’m puzzling over this one too. As are most balloonists. I expect that the balloonists will win if they can pay all of the legal fees that will pile up if this guy keeps bringing frivolous suits.
Hmmmmmmmmmm
thx.
You guys have different sites. I’m thinking cynwoody’s is correct.
I’m really wondering about the geometric designs in the pool bottom in that one photo. That looks/feels like Islamic art/design. Who knows, though? This is a weird one for sure.
Enhancing human DNA by eating plants, eh? Sounds like Marrelli was a classic California nutrition quack!
It's the only big olive farm in the vicinity, and the layout of the compound in its center matches mydesert.com's photo perfectly.
I wonder how old the Google and Bing photography is. I wonder who all they hired to build the wall, renovate the buildings, add the deluxe pool, and clear the parking lot.
I bet their contracts all have serious non-disclosure language. That, or they’re all deeply buried on the site somewhere.
Sounds like the story line for a scifi thriller.
I looked at the numbers a little bit, and giving the fellow the benefit of the doubt, he might have justifiable grounds for his actions. Here is my understanding, but its complicated enough, that it probably needs to be surveyed, then still litigated to determine whose interest will prevail.
In order to follow this, consider there is an imaginary 3D surface of airspace surrounding most airports, by which pilots fly and neighbors build per planning codes. The approaches to the runway have a gentle glide slope approaching/ departing the airfield, with a fan shape expanding the further one is form the airport. These fans typically extend out to about 50,000 ft or just under 10 miles.
Surrounding the airfield perpendicular to the runway, are other imaginary slopes and surfaces which are a little bit steeper and they intersect other slopes parallel to the ground or the reference elevation of the airport.
The property in question lies just over 3 miles NNW from the Thermal CA Airport. The Centerline for the approach to the runway appears to run about a 1 mile to the NE of his buildings.
It appears that the glide slope / approach/departure elev at his closest point of intersect is between 243.8ft AGL at his property to about 298.5’ AGL at his property (assuming his property elev is -30ft per Google Earth and using the posted datum for the Airfield elevations).
From the Centerline of the approach to the 12 runway at Thermal, at somewhere about 16640’ out from the end of the runway, if we draw a line perpendicular to the approach azimuth to his property, we are about a mile to 5632ft from his property.
The approach elevation form the Centerline remains at say 250-300ft AGL, to about a half to .55 miles from his buildings, then slopes upwards at a 7H:1V slope to around 415ft to 500 ft AGL at his property, then flattens out across his property, extending out to about 50,000 ft from the runway, crudely speaking.
What this means, is that his property sits near a nook in all the approach and conical surfaces surrounding the airfield. Technically his buildings are about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile from where the glide slope lower limit could be justified as about 250ft MSL.
By looking at Bing and Google maps, which provide the building under construction photos from circa 2006, his property probably offers an easily identifiable landmark for pilots approaching and departing the runway, allowing them more time to focus on other air traffic in the area, including traffic headed to Bermuda Dunes, and Palm Springs Int’l airports, where winds tend to route air traffic along the southern mountains over that same area.
Further complicating piloting skills in the area, both the Thermal Airport and his property are below sea level. Thermal Airport Runway 12 along true north at 135 deg, with elevation ranging from -114 to -120ft MSL. His property is about -30 MSL or 30 ft below sealevel, or about 85ft above the runway, so the slope of the approach to the runway remains constant to the runway, while the operating elevation of the air traffic will vary on the approach.
Instead of operating at 500 or even 1000ft, the air traffic would operate above the elevation of the runway or about 85 ft less than those elevations over his property.
Additionally, the runway was originally a military runway and if planning documents used military imaginary surfaces for Navy/MC aircraft then the approach elev closest his property will be closer to 250’ AGL at his property, while perhaps closer to 300’AGL per California planning metrics.
His claims appear to consistently attempt to gain acceptance of a 1000AGL vertical and 2000 horizontal clearance from his property.
In some respects, he can probably insist the min of 1000’, maybe minus 85’ directly over his property, and not discussing the glide slope about a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile from his property.
If military imaginary surfaces are used, then that min elev would be closer to 500ft AGL to 415’ AGL as min height he could demand.
Even with that said, when his property is more easily identifiable by VFR from the air in busy air traffic, and the approach is within a 1/4 to 1/2 mile of his property, I wouldn’t be surprised if a fair amount of traffic approached between 250 and 400 ft AGL in his vicinity.
250ft AGL looks awfully low 1/4 to a 1/2 mile away from one’s house, especially when it is screened by 80 acres of olive trees and date palms.
I suspect he had been hassled on his 24’ tall wall in a county where gated communities and powerful wealthy men are not allowed more than 6ft tall walls surrounding their properties.
I also suspect he is playing two ends against the middle, claiming the property is congested to assert a higher clearance, but demanding it is sparsely occupied to avoid fire codes and other zoning requirements.
In his defense, it might also be the case that some 25 different hot air balloon and small airplane operations have habitually flown only about 250 AGL near his property to avoid risk of oncoming air traffic going into palm Springs Intl, and he bought just outside the approach zones thinking pilots would respect the airspace over his property.
IMHO, it’s a tough call. He may be forcing it to establish more space than if he did nothing and it might be the only way he can enforce a 500AGL in his vicinity.
On the other hand, the Human DNA enhancing spore research he might be performing in a compound better fortified than most Nuclear Ordinance Compounds, designed as though it is operated by a Muslim cult awaiting the 12th Imam, on a major coyote path from drug lord havens south of Mexicali, doesn’t give me a feeling the fellow is just defending his interests. It reads more like a guy with some issues and working with such biological science fiction nightmarish compounds in such secrecy and bold bravado seems like it should be inviting inspection by Homeland Security, more than an FAA/USDA crop dusting operation.
Not only that, but compare the wall and alignment of the gate.
The gate is aligned due east. Read up on Christian and Muslim eschatology. Messiah is to return through the Temple Mount via the East Gate. 12th Imam is also referneced , I believe through the East gate. One of the reasons the Muslims always face Mecca to pray.
So, is this an anthrax lab for the 12 Imam? ...
The shed in back almost looks like a mosque with open bays.
Or it could be a hard covered agricultural lab inside???
Heck, it could be Invasion of the Body Snatcher-line pods, all laid out in line under the shed just waiting for the right VIPS to attend?????
One other note, within a mile of the property there had been a previous fatality of a hot air balloonist a few years back. maybe cause for the owner’s concern so he didn’t get tied up in future litigation,.....or maybe his own security guys were involved,....who knows?
So many questions, so little time.
However, were Arabia Steet to continue south, it would indeed be right about there.
When all this stuff started popping up in the local rag, we made it a point to look for the compound while driving...nothing is visible at all from Monroe or Jackson or Avenue 54.
This is a really strange situation for sure, and topping it all off is the fact that the Sheriff Department helicopters are all over the area all day and night, given that the Thermal Airport is where they're based - and that's maybe four miles from 'ground zero'.
Judging from aerial photography, the entrance to the compound is off Arabia Street, about a thousand feet south of Avenue 54. I wonder if it looks like the photo in #31.
Unfortunately, the Googlewagen didn't bother to drive Arabia Street. If you look at the Google Street View for its intersection with Avenue 54, Arabia Street appears to be a dirt road. There's a big concrete box something to your left as you look down it.
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