May be tough times in the milk business but Leprino in Lemoore is still ramping up its planned mozzarella production starting in July to reach full output of 10 million pounds a day by the end of the year. Lemoore city officials say the company will hire about 250 new employees in several phases over the rest of 2009. New contract to supply Taco Bell is helping too.

Lemoore – like most cities – is watching its assessed valuation shrink in this tough economy. Case in point is the acquisition of the big SK Foods plant by Singapore-based Olam International. Olam is buying the plant through the bankruptcy process – good news for jobs – but likely reducing the facility's assessed valuation by half. Besides the decline in home values around the community chopping the property tax base, the city got hit when its only new car dealership closed last year and now, like all municipalities and districts, is wary the state will reach further into its bank account.

Interior Secretary Salazar's town meeting in Fresno this past weekend did offer one concrete action, say local water watchers. Appointing Deputy David Hayes as the “water czar" and directing $160 million should allow Hayes to coordinate needed water transfers and infrastructure work with newly appointed state water Chief Lester Snow. Among other projects, Hayes will oversee the San Joaquin River restoration effort. Hayes will be asked to streamline the process of approval for the “Two Gates” project that will screen off the tiny smelt from the water pumps beginning this December.

On another water front, Rep. Devin Nunes' (R-Tulare) second attempt to block funding for the controversial biological opinion that will further reduce water to agriculture was defeated last week by the House Rules Committee.

Porterville City Councilman Cam Hamilton says the council, on a 4-to-1 vote, approved participating in a property owners survey to gauge support for a mosquito abatement district joining Lindsay and the county – “as long as they see the wording first.” Hamilton says he supports the idea of “people getting a choice” to form the district to combat the threat of West Nile disease. LAFCo will now prepare the survey.

Frank Serpa plans to reopen his store on South Mooney Blvd. as soon as the road construction there clears. Serpa had to close the store earlier this year when he moved his Kia franchise to the auto mall on Ben Maddox. Because the city only allowed new vehicle sales on Mooney, Serpa had to close, but he says he is working on getting that rule changed to allow used car sales at the site.

Arson/vandalism may have been involved in a fire that gutted a PG&E flume on the Tule River recently – the second time the flume was put out of commission. A wildfire shut down Highway 190 for several days. The flume may be down 6 to 8 weeks making it harder for the Springville PUD to supply water to the town.

When the going gets tough – the tough go camping? State's economy is in the tank but visitors seem to be ready for a campout at our two backyard national parks this summer. In Kings Canyon, overnight tent camping jumped 38% in May while in Sequoia, overnight tent camping was up 5.7%, compared to the same month year ago. NPS stats show visitors don't seem to mind spending more to stay at a lodge either with Wucksachsi Lodge rooms up 18% year to date and Grant Grove up 64% year to date with generous discounts offered. Total recreational visits to Sequoia are up through May – 8% compared to the state as a whole down.

The park is also drawing more visitors through the Sequoia Shuttle bus tours originating from Visalia with total passenger traffic up. Through June 25, the shuttle had taken on 2,015 riders with the peak months of July and August still coming. For the past two years, the shuttle has had a total ridership of 5,500.

AAA is predicting reduced travel this July 4 holiday. Visalia, Hanford, Porterville and many other cities in Tulare and Kings counties have passed resolutions supporting League of California Cities' threatened litigation challenging the constitutionality of the state seizing almost $1 billion in city and county shares of revenues in the Highway Users Account – motor fuel tax.

After improving in March and April – new car sales fell in May in Tulare County, according to data provided by Cross-Sell. Dealers sold just 465 units – down from 658 in April. Full-sized pick-ups remain the top seller by category with 88 units sold – down from 125 in April – perhaps due to purchase incentives offered to customers earlier this year. Toyota sales fell the most by brand.

Valley Power Choice on hold. The board of directors of the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority has “temporarily” suspended plans to implement its Community Choice effort to deliver electric power to its members – local municipalities that would hook up local businesses and residents. “We could not find a way to save our members the promised 5% discount on power costs” for now, said Ceil Howe a board member of the Kings River Conservation District. The authority was in the final planning stages of a large base-load, gas-fired power plant in Parlier that will be shelved for now. The board voted June 25. PG&E has opposed the competitive project along with all such public power expansions around the state and is backing a ballot measure to make it more difficult to launch such power alternatives.

A presentation to the Lemoore City Council last month by NAS Lemoore commander Capt. James Knapp offered some interesting facts about the local base. The base is more than 30 square miles with a daytime population of 14,200. But more than 100,000 people come and go to the base over a year, says an ongoing economic study. The Navy base has over $47 million in ongoing construction projects. One study underway would site a solar energy farm at the base. Looking at the future, the base is concerned that urban land uses in the city's growth plan could expose future Lemoore residents to high noise levels. A study underway and ready by fall will model noise contours from the expected JSF-35 planes.

County Supervisor Allen Ishida said that Kern County supervisors are now fully on board with the effort to save the short rail line through Tulare County into Kern County. Officials are trying to keep the San Joaquin Valley Railroad line that services the east side of the county operating. Ishida also said Tulare County will hire students at Fresno State to do a more in-depth business plan for the rail line. Those students did a preliminary business plan this spring.

After seven straight weeks of increases, average gas prices in most regions remained flat or fell slightly lower, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. In Visalia, as of Tuesday, the average price paid for a gallon of unleaded was $3.037, down from $3.048 last week, but way up over a month ago – $2.775. A year ago, however, the price was $4.643 – ouch.

The city of Visalia has now purchased four foreclosed properties and is beginning to refurbish them for resale as part of a federal program to rehabilitate neighborhoods hard hit by foreclosures. City Housing and Economic Development Director Ricardo Noguera says not only will the homes help neighborhoods, but the remodeling work is adding jobs to the area. He said 12 people will be put to work refurbishing the first home on Harold. That contract was awarded to an Exeter company. It will take about 10-12 weeks and about $20-$30,000 per home for repairs before they are put on the market for no more than what the city has put into them.

Statewide, hotels are running just 60% full – up a little from a few months ago with room rates about 10% lower than last year. Foreign visitors to the state who like to include Sequoia on their tours have been encouraged by currency swings in their favor. Higher gas prices in June may have dampened travel plans although this likely boosted nearby travel.

Economic development in Tulare County, while certainly slow, is not dead, said Paul Saldana, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Tulare County. “We've had a couple of company visits in the last few weeks,” he said, adding that is one of things his office monitors as a sign of the times. “It's certainly a positive sign that companies are moving again,” he said, adding however that there is nothing on the immediate horizon.

Porterville Councilman Cam Hamilton says the state courts and city are “very close” to opening an escrow to buy 6.9 acres at the Porterville Fairgrounds for the proposed new courthouse. The courthouse could open by 2012. Time schedules will allow the Porterville Fair to stay put another year while construction plans are being developed.

Starting in 2012, new cars sold in California will have to have windows that reflect or absorb heat-producing rays from the sun. The California Air Resources Board adopted the regulation designed to keep cars cooler, increase their fuel efficiency and reduce global warming pollution. According to the CARB, cooler cars mean less air conditioning thereby increasing fuel efficiency and preventing about 700,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in 2020 – roughly the equivalent of taking 140,000 cars off the road for a year.

Nationally, national park visitation in 2009 is at the lowest level since 1975 – one reason Secretary of Interior Salazar is considering getting rid of the entrance fee altogether.

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., was joined by Kings County and 20 other county DAs in filing an action against Target Corporation to block the retailer from continuing to illegally dump hazardous waste in local landfills.

Visalia is considering a $480,000 loan to Kaweah Management – the Housing Authority – to acquire two triplexes on Kaweah off of Santa Fe. “The Housing Authority is purchasing these and they will be affordable for the next 50 years,” said City Housing and Economic Development Director Ricardo Noguera. As part of the deal, the Authority will replace the carports with garages and an outdoor children's play area is being added.

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Chevron Plans Solar-Powered
Farm on Dinuba Landfill Site

By Steve Pastis

Solar energy is expected to save the city of Dinuba $6 million in energy costs.

Chevron Energy Solutions and the city of Dinuba have agreed in principle to a deal that would create a solar-powered farm on a 7-acre landfill site on Sierra Way, adjacent to the city's wastewater treatment facility. The Dinuba City Council voted 5-0 to give Chevron use of the property for 20 years in exchange for the cost savings.

“They authorized us to start drafting up an agreement,” said City Manager Ed Todd, who expects to have the paperwork ready for the city, Chevron and a group of investors to sign in the next couple of weeks.

Chevron Energy Solutions will construct the solar farm and sell electricity to the city at below the market rate, saving the city between $240,000 and $250,000 annually on the electric bill for its treatment plant, Todd estimated. This amount is expected to increase as the treatment plant expands.

The construction is expected to cost about $6 million, according to Todd.

“We are financing the project, we are constructing the project and we are guaranteeing the solar output,” said Larry Baebler, business development manager for Chevron Energy Solutions, adding that there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for the city of Dinuba. “Over the life of the agreement, they'll be able to save $6 million.”

A group of Southern California investors will provide the capital for the project. “There are depreciation advantages for investors that a public entity can't take,” Baebler explained.

The project provides a use for a site that had been labeled a “stranded asset,” according to Todd. “At one time, the property was a landfill that was covered up and properly closed,” he said. “We couldn't do anything with it. It's the perfect place for a solar farm. It's next to a heavy energy user.”

The Regional Water Quality Control Board told the city not to use the area for any activity that would disturb the dirt capping, according to Dean Uota, city engineer. “The Regional Board didn't want any deep penetration or drilling as such,” he said.

“We have designed a non-penetrating, ground mounted system because no one wants to drill into landfill,” said Baebler. He said that rather than drill holes into the ground, the system uses weights to hold the panels up.
The solar farm is expected to have 14,000 ground-mounted panels, from 3-4 feet up to 6-7 feet spread out over seven acres, according to Baebler. The panels will be tilted to maximize solar rays. The project will start providing electricity in July 2010, according to Baebler.

The solar farm's one-megawatt output capacity will accommodate the expansion of the wastewater treatment facility, which is planned in three or four phases. The goal for the facility is to process 4 million gallons a day. It currently takes about 2.2 million gallons a day.

The deal is not the first between the city of Dinuba and Chevron Energy Solutions, the largest solar integrator in the state of California.

“We've had a long relationship with Dinuba, specifically with the school district and with the energy efficiency program for the city,” Baebler said. “When we looked at the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant, we noticed the property. We told the city, 'We can put solar on there.'”

Todd doesn't expect any problems with the agreement that is currently being drafted. “The agreement has been agreed to in concept, now it's just working out the details,” he said.

Once the agreements are signed, the contracts can be bid and the project is expected to start quickly. “They plan to have it constructed by the end of the year,” said Todd. “There are some tax credits that make it attractive this year.”
After the 20-year lease agreement ends, the city can choose to terminate the agreement, renegotiate the agreement using new technology, or the

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