Hillman Widening Work to Begin

Tulare - Tulare Mayor Craig Vejvoda gave the planned widening of Road 108 between Tulare and Visalia some perspective when he spoke at Monday's ceremonial groundbreaking.

The last major roadwork on the stretch known as Hillman Street in Tulare and Demaree Road in Visalia was in 1976 when he was a College of the Sequoias student not eager to awaken any earlier than absolutely necessary to arrive on time for class, Vejvoda said.

What that entailed was jumping into his car at 6:45 a.m. and zooming down what was then known as Blackstone Street and passing cars – occasionally on the right – to make it on time for a 7 a.m. class.

“That's not quite the case anymore,” Vejvoda said, noting traffic has increased significantly since then.

Road 108 carries about 10,000 cars per day and that number is expected to more than double to 25,000 vehicles between 2025 and 2035, Tulare County officials said.

Widening the road to four lanes – two going in each direction – will benefit not only the cities of Tulare and Visalia but the entire county, said Steve Worthley, chairman of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors.

Vejvoda and Visalia Mayor Bob Link teased each other about the benefits the expansion of the major arterial will bring to their communities.

“We're making it easier for folks in Visalia to come to Tulare to eat, shop or go to the movies,” Vejvoda said.

From Link's perspective, an expanded Road 108 will take “a lot of people off Mooney Boulevard,” which will make it easier for people to travel the road which leads to Visalia's major shopping areas.

Measure R

The Road 108 project is expected to cost $30.5 million with $25.8 million coming from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax measure city and county voters approved in 2006.

The Tulare County Association of Government's goal is to deliver $500 million worth of Measure R projects over five years and to date projects worth more than $200 million have moved forward, exceeding expectations by 400 percent, TCAG Executive Director Ted Smalley said.

Ty Holscher, a Tulare businessman who is a member of the Measure R Citizens Oversight Committee, praised city and county staffs for their work in moving projects along.

“We do believe the $500 million will be delivered within five years,” Holscher said.

David Harrald, another committee member and a Visalia businessman, agreed with Holscher and said later that the Measure R effort has progressed “beyond our greatest expectations.”

Jake Raper, executive director of the Tulare County Resource Management Agency, said Measure R has given this county matching funds that many cities and counties don't have for projects.

He said it's like having “a little bit of water to pour into the pump to prime the pump.”

Behind the scenes work on the Road 108 project began in 2007. Construction is expected to be complete in mid-2012.

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Pyle Continues as Search for New Manager Begins

Tulare - The City Council could hire a new city manager within 14 weeks if it uses the same executive search firm that helped find City Manager Darrel Pyle five years ago.

A proposal from Peckham & McKenney, an executive search and consulting firm in Sacramento, was on the agenda for the council's Tuesday meeting, which was held after the Tulare Voice deadline.

At a special meeting on Nov. 30, the council directed City Attorney Martin Koczanowicz to contact the firm, which recently helped the city of Exeter find a new manager, and draw up a contract for its consideration.

That move came after a surprise action in which the council named Pyle, whose resignation was effective at the end of that day, the interim city manager. Pyle agreed to work in that capacity at no additional charge other than what was included in a separation agreement that also was approved at the meeting.

“From my seat, I think that's the best solution,” Mayor Craig Vejvoda said after the meeting. “Darrel knows where all the doors are, where all the keys are.”

By getting Pyle to agree to stay until March 30 at the latest, the council laid the groundwork for “a seamless handing off of the baton,” the mayor said. “It's great for staff.”

The votes on both the interim appointment and separation agreement were 4-1 with Councilman Wayne Ross voting no each time.

“I'd like for there to be a healing, I just wish it didn't cost so darn much,” Ross said prior to the vote on the separation agreement.

His comment was an apparent reference to the divisions caused on the council and within the community in connection with the Tulare Motor Sports Complex project, which now appears dead.

Asked later about his specific reasons for opposing the actions, Ross declined to elaborate.

“I don't think it really matters,” he said. “I just didn't agree with it. My vote speaks for itself and I'm not going to go any further.”

The separation agreement gives Pyle $160,000 – the equivalent of a year's salary – and transfers ownership to him of the city vehicle he has been driving in exchange for all sick leave balances and an additional 160 hours of accrued vacation time owed to him.

Three Concerns

Visalia attorney Michael Lampe expressed concern about three items in the separation agreement. (Lampe is well-known to the council, having settled three lawsuits with the city that he filed on behalf of Tulare residents opposed to the racetrack project.)

Lampe's first concern had to do with the tense used in one paragraph, the second with what he described as “awfully broad” wording in another section that would protect Pyle in the event of a lawsuit.

Koczanowicz said he saw no problem in the first instance and said in the second that he already had recommended the council change the language to make it clear the protection is only if he is sued over non-criminal actions related to his work.

Lampe's third concern was about language that would have Mayor Craig Vejvoda – whether he continued as mayor or not – act as the council's sole spokesman if an executive recruiter or representative of a prospective employer contacted the council about Pyle and his performance.

“It's inconceivable to me that a majority of this council thinks it has a right to silence other council members and give the sole right to comment on the city manager's performance to Mayor Vejvoda, whether he is the mayor or not,” Lampe said.

Lampe's comments prompted Tulare resident Janet Heath to speak, telling the council that “this town is becoming tired of being held in terror of litigation … we have had enough of that and we're going to let people know we don't like that….”

Councilman David Macedo told Lampe that he didn't mind relinquishing his ability to speak to somebody about Pyle to Vejvoda.

Part of the healing process for the council is going to involve “getting along and trusting one another better,” he said.

Macedo and Ross both opposed the racetrack and had accused Pyle at one point during the controversy of keeping them out of the loop concerning new developments.

Consultant's Agreement

Peckham & McKenney proposed to charge the city $16,500 to conduct the recruitment for Pyle's replacement. The cost covers a series of three meetings to: develop a candidate profile, recommend finalists and facilitate interviews.

To develop a candidate profile, the consultants propose to meet individually with the mayor and council members to discuss the issues and challenges facing the city.

“The desired background and experience, leadership style and personality traits, skills and abilities will be discussed,” the proposal said.

The consultants said they encourage their clients to allow them to meet with staff, the executive management team, commission members and residents to gain a good understanding of the community.

The firm reports it has a strong placement record in that 94 percent of the candidates it has placed within the past six years continue in those positions today.

If a candidate recruited and recommended by the firm should leave the city's employment for any reason within the first two years, it will provide a one-time replacement at no additional charge, except expenses, the proposed agreement states.

In addition to the recruitment contract, the city will reimburse the consultants for expenses not to exceed $7,500. This will cover such costs as advertising, travel, clerical work, background checks, telephone, supplies and postage.

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Holguin Wraps up 20 Years on High School Board

Tulare - Adrian Holguin had his work cut out for him in 1989 when he decided he would run for a Tulare Joint Union High School District board seat.

Not only would he run against an incumbent, but Holguin would also run in a district that had never elected a Hispanic to the board.

“I suppose in the back of my mind I was concerned about this,” he said as he prepared to give up his board seat tonight after deciding not to seek a sixth term.

Holguin began his campaign in earnest much earlier than school board candidates typically do and 14 months prior to the election he could be found walking through west and eastside Tulare neighborhoods, knocking on doors and introducing himself to voters. He also took his campaign to Tipton and Pixley.

“I remember that I said I was going to have a lot of fun running that campaign and I did,” he said, also recalling how his wife, Shirley, helped muster up help from students and friends as they conducted fund raisers and made appearances at the Tulare County Fair and Children's Christmas parades and other events.

Deciding to leave the school board after 20 years was not easy for Holguin, who initially took out papers to run but decided not to return them because he wanted to spend more time with family.

“I'm really glad he did that because we're getting older … and we need to make time for ourselves, but it will be really sad when he leaves,” Shirley Holguin said.

Energy, Enthusiasm

During his 20 years on the board, Holguin tackled the job with an energy and enthusiasm that his colleagues and administrators seemed to appreciate.

“Adrian deserves a lot of accolades,” board President Steve Lessley said. “He was an excellent board member and we're going to miss him on that board.”

Holguin was always well prepared on all the issues and he was “the most hands on” of all the board members, attending superintendent cabinet meetings and visiting campuses on a regular basis, Lessley said.

“He cared deeply about students but it went beyond that – he cared for teachers and other staff members as well,” he said.

Superintendent Howard Berger said Holguin was an “outstanding” board member.
“He understood the role of a school board member and the importance of a school board member in providing a vision for the district,” Berger said.

For Holguin each decision was about “what was best for kids,” he said.

“Adrian is very astute, too,” he said. “He understood the issues and asked very intelligent questions and listened very closely to what everyone said,” Berger said.

Holguin is well-known for showing up at a variety of school events, including career days, concerts, plays and luncheons.

“Adrian wanted to talk first-hand with people … to find out what's going on with them,” Berger said. “And I think Adrian wanted to see the full school in action and he did it at all the sites.”

Holguin did not limit himself to one group or segment of the school or larger community and made himself very approachable as he “reached out to everyone,” Berger said. “He's going to be missed.”

Looking Back

Holguin said he looks back fondly on his years of board service.

“I served with three superintendents,” he said. “Ned Kehrli was my first and was more or less my mentor. After that I just kind of took off.”

Asked what his contribution has been to the district, Holguin said the board acts as a whole, not as individual members.

“My contribution has been one-fifth – 20 percent,” he said.

He said he is proud board members have always worked together respectfully and congenially, even in closed sessions.

The last three years have been the most difficult for him as the district struggled with the financial challenges resulting from the state's budget crisis and the downturn of the economy Holguin said.

The board's decisions to increase class sizes, make cuts in the adult school, curb travel and have employees pick up a portion of their medical costs has created some animosity, he said.

A Heart for Youth

Shirley Holguin said her husband's 20-year whirlwind involvement with the schools would prompt her to caution him at times to slow down.

But she, probably more than anyone, understood his reluctance to do so.

“He enjoyed it so much and he enjoyed being around young people,” she said.

Adrian Holguin's concern for youth pre-dates his board service and his passion to work with them is something he has said his wife helped instill in him during the many years she worked as an attendance officer and MEChA Club advisor at Tulare Union High School.

Besides years of involvement with the MEChA Club, the Holguins also were involved with their children's activities, including Boy Scouts and Little League, with the founding of a youth center that eventually evolved into a city program and with Tulare Youth Service Bureau.

The Holguins have three grown children and grandchildren with whom they want to spend more time.

They have other plans as well.

“Shirley and I both bought new golf clubs,” Holguin said.

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