The Real Scoop

Well pholks, you want a scoop? I got one for you. In phact, I got two.

Visalians and their doggies are standing on one foot or the other (one or three, as the case may be) for the arrival of the "Dogipot" which will be among the newest additions aimed at beautifying Downtown Visalia.

As the name implies, the "Dogipot'' will be the spot where polite and considerate pet owners can depose of "Spot"s poop in a nice way. Kelly Hauert, executive director of Downtown Visalians and Alliance, said the new device is expected to be in use in about three weeks. It will be at the southeast corner of Willis and Main, a location where a lot of the problem seems to be piled up, each morning. And the fact that a business (newspaper) which prides itself in getting "scoops, just happens to be headquartered near that spot is just a coincidence. It's likely that area is a turnaround spot for area residents who get their daily exercise along with Fido in the early morning or late evening hours.

The "Dogipot, made by Dogipot Systems, is billed as the "Clean Solution To Dog Pollution" and costs about $300 consists of an 8-foot pole, a 10 gallon lined box with a bag dispenser and bags. The locking handle, I assume, is to lock in any odor and not to prevent theft.. . but who knows these days.

Hauert said the installation is a pilot program and might be expanded if enough use is made of the device. Although emptying the can will be a part of the group's regular, maintenance, watering and upkeep patrols, it could become a means to boost attendance at meetings. "Maybe making that chore a penalty for an "unexcused" absence at an Alliance get-together might be an incentive to increased attendance," she said jokingly.

More seriously, she explained that the "dogipot" program seems like a good way to show that Visalia's lively downtown area is pet friendly. It seems to be a "safe step" in the right direction.

Moving right along to the second and somewhat related "scoop" the downtown group has, pardon me, "pooh-poohed" the idea of purchasing an automated public toilet facility. And, for good reason. At more than a quarter million dollars (about $270,000) the Alliance's operations committee quickly agreed that that was, sorry, not the way to go. That pholks, is a … load of money. The company which sells the Ex-eloo" is based in Australia or New Zealand, but has, sorry again, outlets in the U.S.

The committee investigated the potential purchase of such a device after discovering that those used in San Francisco and other big cities can't be purchased but only leased. That cost, including the maintenance fees etc. runs into nearly $5,000 a month. That also is a pile of money.

Moving right along, the committee reports it has looked into designing public restroom in parking structures but decided it was too expensive and probably would not solve the issue of having it in a well traveled or easily accessible location.

But wait pholks, there's more of a scoop on the streets of Visalia.

Most of you have seen or heard the catchy radio and television commercials touting "Visalia's MotorMile."

The ads feature a large group of pholks singing their lungs out in celebration of dealerships of Don Groppetti and Frank Serpa. That large casts is made up of dozens of enthusiastic employers and employees representing businesses along the MotorMile, the east side district which whose dealers represent more than 20 lines of vehicles. Well pholks, although the group looks pretty good and certainly packs a lot of excitement, the sounds are from musical professionals headed by Larry Bragg, the lead singer of the legendary R&BG band, Tower of Power. In short, the local faces don't necessarily match the good sounds.

Local advertising producer Earl Grizzell put the project together after spending about a year with Serpa and Groppetti. There are going to be a number of other facets to the promotion coming up, but don't expect to see any "East Side MotorMile Chorus" concerts featuring only local singers real soon.

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