COS Weighs Sale Of Land Fearing Loss of State Funds For Gym, Science & Nursing Wing

Visalia - The good news is that the state has funded two important building projects on the Visalia COS campus, a new gym and handicapped access exercise facility as well as a new science and nursing wing. The bad news is that the state funds applied for two years ago now come about $6 million short on the cost of actually building the two projects today.

While there have been efforts to reduce the cost on the projects, the rapid run-up in construction costs - about 1% increase per month particularly in materials like concrete - now threaten them.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for these buildings,” says trustee Bob Line, “we definitely don’t want to give the money back.” Time is of the essence explains Line, with a possible sale of assets by the college, an option to make up the shortfall. “We expect ‘COS President’ Don Goodyear to make recommendations of which assets to consider selling,” says Line at his September board meeting.

Line says the college has about 16 acres at Visalia COS farm that could be sold, a parking lot on Mooney next to Merle’s and could sell some of the acreage at the 400 acre Tulare campus site.

Line says consideration is being given to selling 50 acres of the Tulare site. “We originally wanted to buy just 350 acres over there anyway,” says Line. He says he doesn’t believe the sale of 50 acres at the school farm would hurt the farm program. “I know there is some sensitivity about this,” says Line.

Clearly the plan to sell the 50 acres would be to a housing developer on the city’s northern tier where several huge subdivisions are underway. Infrastructure, sewer and water is already out there, says Line, in part because both the high school district and COS have campuses in the planning stage. Most of the Tulare campus is set aside for a farm made necessary by the residential growth around the current COS farm in Visalia over the years. Forty acres of that farm were sold for Diamante High School.

Larry Dutto, COS Dean of Academic Service and former COS farm head cautions against jumping to conclusions on the possibilities. “Everyone across the state is in the same boat with funds that were set two years ago.” Dutto hopes there could be legislative solution that would allow the college to retain their land.

Line points out that the college has hobbled along so long with the old gym - built in the 1940s “it’s imperative we not lose the state funds.” He says the new science wing is as critical since it would house the new nursing program COS has agreed to expand.

Dutto says another option for the college might be a COS bond that could be on the ballot next year. But facilities manager Eric Mittlestead says the timing of the bond “won’t help us with the science building” that is $4.5 million short based on the bids. “We need to re-bid it in December to make the time line,” says Mittlestead. To make the state deadline, COS needs to re-bid the new gym by January.

To move the process forward, Mittlestead says the college is getting appraisals on its various assets.

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1913 Exeter Power Station To Become Historical Museum

Exeter - The Exeter city redevelopment agency gave thumbs up to a proposal by a local group to renovate what was the Mt. Whitney Power Co. substation in Exeter now owned by the city. The project is being spearheaded by the Exeter Art Gallery and Museum Association headed by local historian Chris Brewer.

“We have prepared a detailed budget for the project,” says Brewer that was presented to the redevelopment agency in late August and approved. Already some 80% of material has been removed from the old building including the massive window frames that will be replaced as a key element in the classic building’s architectural style. Total renovation of the building will cost $350,000 leaving some $109,000 to be used for archival files and display cases.

The Association’s mission, says Brewer, is to bring the 1913 vintage building back to life as a centerpiece in the town’s entrance right next to the landmark water tower on Pine St. Brewer says the association plans an educational outreach effort “Trips Back In Time” - historical workshops and presentations. The museum will offer Exeter’s history to be sure but also houses a regional historical research archive, says Brewer who has authored numerous books on local history.

The museum will house costumes, and textiles, furniture, Native American artifacts, toys and musical instruments to name some.

Built to bring power from the Kaweah River, Edison who took over Mt. Whitney operated the building until 1954 until it closed and was sold to the city. Over the years it has been used by COS as a school for nurses, Exeter Police were housed there until 1994. In 2003 the Exeter Art and Museum Association leased the building from the city. The association’s other project was the conversion of the old municipal courthouse into a gallery in 2002.

Curator of the museum, Brewer says the fact that the building is being renovated largely with volunteer labor may take until spring of 2007 to open to the community. “We’ll have an organization ready to sustain the museum,” notes Brewer who would rather not have an entrance fee to get in.

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Costco Moves One Step Closer To New Visalia Store

Visalia - Visalia planning officials are no longer whispering the name Costco when they talk about the likelihood the town’s number one retailer will relocate behind Lowe’s next year. The project is being spearheaded by developer Don Orosco on behalf of the tenant. But the city’s top planner, Mike Olmos, says the city has been in touch with Costco officials. “They are asking questions directly,” says Costco about the new location which will offer a store about a third larger than their current location and a new gas station.

The issue is coming to a head September 12 when the DBO development files for tentative parcel maps to sell off the pads to Costco as well as conditional use permit for their store and new fueling station. The issue will be heard by the city planning commission in likely a routine action. There is a 10 day appeal process to city council, however.

Olmos explains the land where Costco will site is now in the city limits having been annexed this summer and is already zoned for regional retail use.

After this, Costco need only receive a final parcel map before it can begin construction of their new 150,000 sf store. Costco is wanting to have the store open late next summer.

Olmos says several other retailers and restaurants are likely to be part of their final phase of the Packwood Creek project attracted by the high traffic that Costco draws.

Access to the shopping center will be east of Mooney on Cameron or Visalia Parkway enjoying no visibility from Mooney. “People will know it’s there,” says Olmos.

Just what will happen to the current Costco site isn’t clear. The Washington based retailer owns their store opened in the early 90s. The departure next year of Costo from their current center would leave only Circuit City as an anchor tenant and several hundred thousand feet of empty space.

Brokers say the success of the Packwood Creek shopping center has made it more difficult to attract national retailers to their locations including the now remodeled Kmart center on Noble. It was the owner of that shopping center that originally sued the city over the development of the Packwood Creek center because they feared its impact on other parts of town.

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Serious Money Prompts Dairy Interests To Back Off
Fight On Emissions

Tulare County - The dairy industry led by two coalitions of trade groups appear to be on the same page and trying to work with the valley air district on air pollution permits for new and expanding dairies.

Gone now is the harsh rhetoric and veiled threats of lawsuits.

One group, Western United Dairymen, had sued the district but later came to a settlement agreement with them on how to come up with an emission factor that would estimate how much pollution cows generate - a highly contentious issue. But this agreement gave the Executive Officer for the district the power to come up with that number after weighing the evidence. He did and many in the dairy industry, including Western United, cried foul. Critics cited the research used for coming up with the factor noting it was generated in a test tube in England.

But sources say because Western United had agreed to the formula giving the executive officer the power to make this decision and another lawsuit was unlikely.

Enter a second coalition of dairy interests led by the California Dairy Campaign and Milk Producers Council. This group met with district officials last month and appeared to work out a deal that called for cooperative spirit in forging ahead.

So what’s going on here?

“There is some serious money waiting in the wings,” says a local farm lobbyist, “over $1 billion worth,” he says.

Indeed, Dave Warner of the SJAPCD says some 60 new and expanding dairies are in some stage of permitting and 30 have applications in the district’s office. These days a dairy can cost $20 million to build. “These guys can’t keep waiting forever,” says the source as debate over the emissions factor goes on and on.

One compromise to come out of the decision appears to be a fast track approach to emission research in several key issues. “We know there were holes in our research that need more work,” says Warner. Studies at Fresno State and UC Davis continue with oversite by the state ARB, with the implication that the emission factor could be reduced if research confirms less volatile compounds coming off varying dairy practices and settings.

In the meantime, the district is working with the 30 applications “on an individual basis” to try to work out what could be considered Best Available Technology to reduce emissions, says Warner.

Warner says one costly technology that may not be as widely implemented as believed before the research - is methane digesters on covered lagoons because pollution from lagoons “was less than we thought it would be.”

Regarding pollution control technology on existing dairies - the tougher political issue - Warner says an advisory group will be making recommendations on how dairies can comply with the new emission factors and would be in place next July.

Meanwhile Warner says the district believes it can issue air pollution permits for new dairies in as little as 60 days meaning dairy construction may move forward here after being blocked on many fronts for years. In Kings County, where CEQA issues have been largely put to bed, the trend may be most visible in coming months.

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District Keeps Seeding Clouds To Squeeze More Rain, Snow

By Miles Shuper

San Joaquin Valley - The Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District has been seeding clouds over the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra for about 30 years. And while KDWCD officials, meteorologists, Valley farmers, irrigation district officials and others are hard pressed to estimate just how much additional rainfall or snowfall has been generated during any given year most feel it has helped.

Atmospherics Incorporated, a top internationally renown cloud seeding corporation based in Fresno, has contracted with KDWCD since 1975. The company was founded in 1960 and is one of the top weather modification operations and research companies in the world. Its founder Thomas Henderson of Fresno is an internationally known authority in the field and has conducted weather resources managing programs for governments, universities and private industry world wide. He was the first to actually seed clouds by airplane.

Tom Weddle, operations manager for KDWCD, said it is almost impossible determine how much added rain and snow results from cloud seeding and other weather modification techniques, but even a 1 or o 2 percent increase over a specific watershed means a tremendous increase in volume. The Kaweah Delta district covers roughly 340,000 acres and its watershed feeds the St. Johns and Kaweah Rivers.

In its annual report for 2004 the district's cites the efforts of its ongoing Kaweah Delta River Water Resources management program and its contract with Atmospherics. It notes that both aerial seeding and ground generators are used in the program over the Kaweah River Watershed. The contract usually covers the months of November through May. "The reasons for limiting seeding activities to such a period of time is to provide the greatest benefit to the watershed snow pack while considering cost," the report states. "

During 2004, there were 21 seeding flights logging just more than 50 hours and ground generators were activated for about 780 hours.

The district makes it clear that seeding operations are a long-term project. "The water conservation district's view is that every possible opportunity to promote additional water supplies into the region must be considered, and if economical and feasible, will be an improvement of groundwater conditions."

Weather modification, commonly referred to as cloud seeding, dates to the mid 1940s when Dr. Vincent J. Schaefer, conducted the first field experiments following his basis discoveries in 1946 at the General Electric Laboratory in Schenectady, New York. Schaefer, referred to as the father of modern weather modification, found that various inorganic and organic materials can alter the physical processes which led to formation and growth of water droplets and ice crystals in clouds. Subsequent extensive scientific experiments have led to techniques experts say provide predictable results.

The basic facts are that all air contains water vapor (moisture). The degree of moisture is most commonly known as humidity is the key to the formation of clouds. The colder the air, the less water vapors it can hold before clouds form.

Getting the air cool enough to develop ice crystals is the purpose of clod seed, During spring and summer puffy white cumulus clouds often develop during afternoons and evenings when daytime heating is greater. As they grow taller and cooler the cloud tops eventually become colder than 32 degrees. The tiny water droplets do not immediately freeze but become ‘super cooled.” When ice does develop, precipitation quickly follows. On average, a cloud life time is about 30 minutes.

The two major types of cloud seeding are glaciogenic and hygroscopic. Glaciogenic agents speed up the ice formation process and have one ingredient, silver iodide. Another common ice-making agent is dry ice which instantly generates large numbers of small ice particles when dropped in pellet form into super cooled clouds.

Hygroscopic seeding agents offer a different approach: making the size of the tinyh droplets larger—up to three times as big. The water attracting agents usually are small salt particles such as potassium chloride. Larger cloud droplets have a better chance of growing by the collision-coalescence process allowing precipitation development to occur in clouds that don’t ever get cold enough to form ice.

The aerial seeding of clouds is more direct than ground generated release because the seeding agents go directly into the rising air for the basis of cloud development. Wing-tip generations burn a solution of acetone, silver iodide and simple salts to produce ice nuclei. Dry ice pellets also are dispensed during penetration of the clouds or on cloud tops.

The ground-based seeding process using rising currents of warm air to take the agent aloft to the forming clouds. Ground generators can be manually operated but generally they are on remote control.

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What's New

Linen N Things plans a 30,000 sf store in Visalia's Packwood Creek shopping center, say reliable sources, building out the last large pad next to Michaels on the east side of Mooney. The store is a competitor to Bed Bath and Beyond.

UFW in a squeaker vote at the nation's largest grape ranch - Guimarra Vineyards. With some 3000 workers eligible to vote - an ALRB election was held last week with no-union winning over the UFW by 125 votes. Crews in both Tulare and Kern counties voted. The rub is that 171 ballots were challenged - meaning the votes were not counted. Reducing that number is the fact that some 34 of those ballots were challenged by the UFW - meaning the union will likely be claiming they were management. That leaves just 137 other challenged ballots challenged by the ALRB typically for workers who didn't bring their ID. The upshot is the UFW has an uphill fight to win this important vote. ALRB is expected to resolve the challenged ballot issue by September 12.

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