Sequoia’s Underground World
New Cave Wows Explorers

By Margaret Braver Lindt

Sequoia National Park - Sequoia and Kings Canyon are well known for the famous Big Trees and snowcapped peaks. But there is another side to Sequoia that largely goes unseen and unnoticed. It is just chock full of spectacular and numerous subterranean caves and strange creatures that live in them.

Two recent blockbuster discoveries have put Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the news. “Underground” news that is. On August 19th a group of volunteer cave explorers from the Cave Research Foundation happened upon a baseball size hole in the ground that led into 1,000 feet of a new cave formed 1 million years ago. So far 5 rooms and a lake that might be 20 feet deep have been found. But according to Ben Tobin, cave technician, the cave is likely to be much larger because there are “holes that go off into blackness” that haven’t been explored yet. As is the tradition, the new cave has been named Ursa Minor by one of the volunteers, Scott McBride, who found it during a lunch break. He has discovered 50 caves since 1994. We usually think of caves as big holes on the side of a mountain but most cave mouths are usually very small.

The second interesting bit of news is the discovery of 27 various new species of previously unknown creatures have been found in various caves in the park. About 5 years ago the parks were awarded a grant to contract a group of biologists to do research of life forms in the caves. The discovery of these new species of spiders, millipedes, centipedes, pseudo scorpions, and flat worms is the culmination of that work.

The new Ursa Minor cave has several unique features. One is the size itself being that most of the 240 caves in the park are quite small. Another are the delicate formations called soda straws that are 6 feet long and are formed when a drip of water from the ceiling of the cave deposits calcite (calcium carbonate). The third unique feature is the discovery of some new species of millipedes and isopods (like potato bugs).

Since caves can be both delicate and dangerous, federal law protects all caves located in a National Park. Some are open to the public and some like the new Ursa Minor’s location are guarded carefully and the exact location is not made public. Joel Despain, a cave specialist for the National Park Service and located in Sequoia National Park, said that “this law protects the cave and the public.” In 2004, Despain published “Hidden Beneath the Mountains:Caves of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.” His book focuses on the history, science and management of caves within these parks and can be purchased at the Ash Mountain Visitor Center or on Amazon.com. Most people are familiar with Crystal Cave which is the only commercialized cave in the park. It was founded in 1918 and opened to the public in 1941. But this cave it turns out is only one of 240 in the parks. The Lilburn Cave is located in Kings Canyon and is the longest cave in the Parks and in California. It has approximately 21 miles of passages and 30 different minerals which give the cave its unusual colors including blue, green, yellow and black.

Despain said that his job has many facets to it including protection, restoration, research and and permit program enabling adventure seekers access to some of the caves in the parks. Some of the caves like White Chief in Mineral King are open to the public and you can wander in by yourself for 1 ½ miles. This property is actually 21 acres and contains 12 caves Unfortunately there have been some problems with graffiti in this area recently.

Tours of Crystal Cave are open until November 1st unless the weather closes the cave early. For more information on the various tours ranging from 1 ½ hours up to 6 hours call (559) 565-3759. To find out which caves are open to the public either by a tour or with a permit you can call Joel Despain at (559) 565-3717.

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Tulare County - The price of an average Visalia area home may have fallen about $50,000 in the past year. That's the assessment of Joe Leal, general manager for McMillin Homes who put the drop in the range of $30,000 to 50,000, saying home builders in the central valley are having to adjust their expectations in light of the nationwide housing slowdown.

“Still we feel our company is in good shape” with some 6000 to 7000 lots in the central valley we can build on, some 6 years worth of work, he says. Unlike some builders who just recently came to the party buying land at prices as high as $200,000 an acre, McMillin and other builders who have been in the marketplace for a long time are expected to have an advantage—a lower cost per acre of land purchased years ago.

The fact the slowdown is upon us can't be denied agree multiple industry sources. On the existing home sales front, the building inventory is four times what it was a year ago bulging to about 2050 single family homes in the Tulare/Visalia MLS, says broker Brad Maaske. “Everybody is getting a gut check on this,” says Maaske including both existing home sellers and new home builders looking to sell their product. “I think we are back to what prices were in 2003/04,” says Maaske. Some sellers have yet to come to grips with the new reality, he maintains.

The slowdown is all over California, says the California Association of Realtors. The state trade group announced September 25 that there has been a 30 percent decline in home sales in August compared to the same period a year ago. “We experienced the greatest year-to-year sales decline last month since August 1982, when sales fell 30.4 percent,” said C.A.R. President Vince Malta. “This is another indication that we're in the initial stages of a long-anticipated adjustment in the market.”

The $30,000 to 50,000 drop in house values may be conservative by some measures as there are plenty of stories of home sellers lopping $100,000 off their asking prices on some higher end homes.

One clear signal that builders are adjusting their expectations is virtually all of them have given up some optioned land in the area in recent months, says Brad Maaske. That includes McMillin Homes, Centex and others by their own declarations. “Deals just didn't make sense at levels we had agreed to before,” says Leal.

Local builder Gary Smee says a national builder he has been working with, Pacific Union Homes, gave back lots that they had optioned from Smee and now Smee says “I am back in the home building business.” In recent months Smee says home builders are cutting their costs because sub contractors are realizing the new reality too and have lowered their prices to the homebuilder.

He says one lesson he has learned from the experience is trying to “build more affordable homes in this market” to reach a greater percentage of buyers.” Smee says a number of the national builders that have come into the market have been aiming at the higher end market which has slowed now.

Smee says when the large national builders came into the marketplace here they helped bid up the price of land. “I quit being a buyer of land a few years ago at $60,000 an acre.” Today builders looking at an uncertain future might be more comfortable holding $40,000 an acre land, says Maaske, given the possibility this could go on for awhile.

Smee expects some of the speculation we have seen around half a dozen small run enclaves in Tulare County, around Earlimart or Goshen. Poplar and Traver for hundreds of new homes will likely cool now. Still Smee himself owns 350 lots around Goshen and expects long term that affordable homes will be built there. “The growth is still going to come and building more affordable homes seems the way to go.”

That's the idea with the new Centex subdivision in Tulare. The company's Fox and Jacobs division is building model homes now in West Tulare in hopes of selling them at a $180,000 price point—a price other homebuilders wonder how they can make any money at. Helping to boost affordability is new rules allowing smaller lots and clustered development like the Reyen and Bardis's “six pack” approach that put more homes on less land.

Valley builders seem to be getting the message that they need to erect more affordable dwellings. Case in point in Tulare where the nation's top builder, D.R. Horton, is underway with the town's first major condo project at Mooney and Prosperity.

Some believe demand is coming back like builder Bill Morgan who nevertheless has put some 160 lots east of Santa Fe up for sale. “I think we may have reached the bottom. I hope we have.”

Long time builder Andy Mangano calls the correction we see “healthy.” In 30 years we've seen a lot of highs and lows.” It shows we must pay good attention to our business models. He calls the price adjustment beneficial in the long term “although there will be short term pain.”

Some point to some good news—interest rates are dropping in recent months as a sign things are turning around.

But McMillin's Joe Leal says “interest rates have not been the problem” noting we've seen a decline of about half a point. Instead, two big issues are supply and demand and buyer psychology, says Leal. Right now there is buyer psychology that says why not wait to buy expecting continued falling prices and maybe cheaper interest rates. The media plays a role in the way buyers perceive the market, says Leal. To work through inventory, buyers have to feel good about buying, he says.

Agreeing is Brad Maaske. He says buyers are “on the fence” despite some great bargains now and with no time deadline to buy, they end up waiting.

You can't look at our area in isolation.

“The fact is that our market is dependent to a degree on the statewide market,” says Maaske since “about 30 percent of our calls come from outside the area.” The truth is that if out of town buyers can't sell their home in the Bay Area they won't buy here.

Tulare civil engineer Mike Lane says despite all the bad news, many big builders continue to build more subdivisions and process new lots. But he worries that in 2007 we will see “many lots in the state in the hands of lenders.”

McMillin's Leal says his company's view is that buyers want a good price for sure but that “location, location, location” is a prime consideration along with building quality. “We are having to work harder for every sale since the pool of buyers is smaller now.”

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Tulare County - West Coast farmers lost a big one in Washington this past week when Congress passed a measure, likely to be signed by President Bush, to strengthen the border with a 700 mile fence but ignored pleas to help alleviate a worker shortage in US agriculture. “The leadership said they had to pass something that showed they were concerned about border security before the election,” says Manuel Cunha of Nisei Farmers League. “It was politics as usual.” The only good news, Republican leadership promised to bring back in November at a lame duck session.

Of course, says Cunha, “they may take their forget pills by then.”

Senators Larry Craig and Dianne Feinstein took to the floor of the Senate numerous times last week to try to get the Senate to attach a pilot guest worker plan to the security bill, but without success.

Some believe the clout of farm groups that are highly dependent on seasonal labor is diminished.

Feinstein said “California is the single largest agriculture state in the nation with over $34 billion in annual revenue and approximately 76,500 farms. And this year, growers in California are reporting that their harvesting crews are 10 to 20 percent of what they were previously. As the New York Times reported, 'California farms employ at least 450,000 people at the peak of the harvest, with farm workers progressing from one crop to the next, stringing together as much as seven months of work. Growers estimate the state fell short this harvest season by 70,000 workers.' The impact is devastating 'fields go untended, and acres have to be torn up because there is no one to harvest them.'”

Most shocking, the American Farm Bureau has found “that if Congress enacts legislation that deals only with border security and enforcement, the impact on fruit and vegetable farmers nationwide would be between $5 billion and $9 billion annually. Net farm income in the rest of the agricultural sectors would decline between $1.5 billion and $5 billion a year.”

The AgJOBS bill would establish a pilot earned adjustment program for agricultural workers, which would help to ease the severe worker shortage being experienced by frustrated farmers across the country.

Meanwhile reports of worker shortages this harvest season have been appearing around the nation including in the pears and in Lake County in California, the apples of the Pacific Northwest, the vegetable fields of Florida, in Tennessee, New England and in New York now. Cunha says immigration authorities in New York are right now pulling undocumented workers from farms and dairies there helping to bolster a worker shortage. “That's not true around here,” says Cunha noting that immigration authorities in California “work with us.”

Cunha says California Senator Feinstein has “been a bulldog” on this issue and she, Craig and Congressman Pombo “won't let them forget about this issue” and will visit Fresno October 18 and on to Kern County to pound the table about this issue.

In California we are down about 60 percent in our workforce this year, says Cunha, suggesting the only reason we haven't seen a big worker shortage in valley crops is that “we have short crops across the board” this season. The raisin harvest that typically requires lots of hand labor was off by about 30 percent, he says and more growers decided to switch to wine. Also, the raisin crop was completed early this year.

In addition, the olive crop is a fraction of its normal size. “If we had a normal year we'd be in bigger trouble.” In addition to getting the cold shoulder over their labor troubles, Congressional demands to bolster border security are likely to make matters worse, many believe.

Another unknown, what will the Congressional election do to the coalition of labor activists and farmers who have forged this AgJOBS plan but have had to face nationwide demands that security issues be addressed first before more “comprehensive immigration reform” supported by Bush and others are to be addressed. With the fence bill in place, maybe AgJOBS will still have some life. In California the coalition includes both farm groups and the UFW on the same page looking to pass this bill.

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by Miles Shuper

Tulare County - Tulare County will not have to enter into a binding arbitration procedure to resolve its impasse in contract talks with the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff's Association, a judge has ruled.

Superior Court Judge Melinda Reed Monday reaffirmed a tentative ruling announced last week that an amended state law regarding binding arbitration remains unconstitutional.

The deputies association announced Monday that it would appeal the judge's decision. Association president Tom Sigley said “we will take it as far as we have to, it is all we have,” adding “as long as there is a sitting board who does not support their law enforcement officers, we will continue to be at odds.”

Sigley also was critical of the county's court case saying “I was surprised by the court's ruling; the county did not give a very good presentation as to why the law is unconstitutional.”

The association has 60 days to formally file an appeal sending it to the 5th District Court of Appeal.

Judge Reed's ruling affects only the Tulare County case and will not affect state law until an appellant court ruling is made.

The deputies, who have been working without a contract, are seeking a larger retirement package maintaining it will help to retain deputies and be more in line with other law enforcement pension programs.

The association, which represents 390 deputies and sergeants, has not had a multiple-year contract since 2002.

After the deputies submitted the labor negotiation impasses to an arbitration panel, the county filed a lawsuit July 20 in Tulare County Superior court seeking declaratory relief and claiming the binding arbitration is in conflict with the state constitution. The suit claims that a bill passed by the state legislator to amend the arbitration process still is unconstitutional. A decision by an arbitration board is binding unless an elected body unanimously rejects it. That, the suit claimed, means a non-elected body, the arbitration panel, could decide compensation packages because the elected board county supervisors in this case) did not vote unanimously.

The California League of Cities and the California Association of County Governments filed “friend of the court” briefs in support of the Tulare County suit.

In her decision Judge Reed cited a case involving Riverside Theresa Saucedo, deputy county counsel who argued the county's case, stressed that elected officials must be responsible for spending county funds such as compensation packages.

In a statement issued after the ruling. The deputies union leader had some strong words about the case saying Theresa Saucedo was stumbling over her words tying to come up with things to say. Basically what the Judge is saying is that the Governor and the State Legislature passed an illegal law. This law gives police and fire an extra tool to help alleviate an impasse and negotiate for wages, benefits and working conditions when a county board or city council won't negotiate in good faith.”

Taking aim at supervisors, Sigley said, “The Board of Supervisors has been ignoring this issue for years. We are tired of being swept under the carpet. We are losing 40-50 deputies a year who are going to other agencies who take care of their employees. This county Board of Supervisors would not care if we all quit and they replaced us with 390 brand new employees. They have the mindset that is it cheaper, so why not. The board continues to throw smoke screens at the public by adding positions to the Sheriff's Department, that's all fine and great, however, what about the 30 positions that are already vacant because we cannot hire them fast as they are quitting.”

He also said, “We find it very ironic that the county had a huge surplus in the budget this year and they would not come back to the table and settle a contract. All we want is what they gave all the other county employees last year but as their negotiator told us, 'this is too rich for you sheriff's.'”

The central issue in the contract talks has been the deputies' request of a retirement pay equal to 3 percent for every year worked over a specific age. County officials say such a plan is more lucrative to what is offered in the private sector and it too expensive for the county.

The deputies rejected a compensation package which, officials say, would cost $3.4 million. Deputies continue to receive salary and benefits under terms of a one-year contract which expired in June.

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by Miles Shuper

Visalia - Visalia's Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 546 which has been without a home for nearly two and one half years has entered into escrow to purchase the 9,800sq.ft. Billiard Park building on South Fairway Avenue near Caldwell Avenue.

Richard Milligan, administrator of the fraternal organization whose roots in Visalia go back to 1911, said the lodge has continued to hold its weekly meetings in various locations since it sold its longtime lodge building and property on Atwood Drive along Highway 198 in mid-2004.

Realtor Mike Portel of Grubb and Ellis, Pearson Commercial said escrow is scheduled to close in December. The asking price for the large lot and building was $1.2 million.

The owner of the Billiard Park, Eungsoo Park, reportedly plans to move his operation to the Fresno-Clovis area, according to Portel.

The Visalia lodge has a total membership of 425, including Women of the Moose, said Milligan who noted the lodge is now officially known as the Visalia Moose Family Center, a change being made by a number of lodges. The local change is in keeping with the change in the Lodge and reflecting the official name of the international lodge, Moose International, the Family Fraternity.

Milligan said the change is the outgrowth of the lodge's effort to dismiss the mistaken image of the organization being simply a drinking-oriented fraternity.

He explained that the organization's 1.5 million men and women in four nations are dedicated to bettering the lives of children and elderly in need and helping make local and international communities better places to live and raise family. They also focus on providing wholesale family recreation at a modest price.

The most recent change, the adding of the “Family Fraternity” motto, is a further indication that the organization is mindful of keeping up with the times furthering its image.

Though the Moose organization was founded in the late 1800s and offers men the opportunity to gather socially, it was reinvented during the 20th Century into an organization of men and women who set out to build a city which would brighten the future of thousands of children all over the nation—a city which would become Mooseheart.

Dr. John Henry Wilson, a Louisville, Ky., physician, organized a handful of men into the Loyal Order of Moose in the parlor of his home in the spring of 1888. Their apparent goal was to form a strong men's social club. Lodges were instituted in Cincinnati, St. Louis and the smaller Indiana towns of Crawfordsville and Frankfort by the early 1880s. Dr. Wilson reportedly became dissatisfied and left the infant order before the turn of the century.

The fraternity declined with only two lodges retained and it was until 1906 that a young government clerk, James J. Davis of Elwood, Ind., was invited to enroll into the Crawfordsville lodge. He became just the 247th members of the Loyal Order of Moose. Davis was to become the “Supreme Organizer” who helped form lodges across the U.S. and southern Canada. In 1926 the Moose crossed the Atlantic and the Grand Lodge of Great Britain was formed.

Davis's efforts paid off and by 1912 the order had grown from 247 members in two lodges to more than 500,000 members in more than 1000 lodges.

Davis and others began a program of paying what they called “sick benefits” to members too ill to work and they made plans for a “Moose Institute” to be located in the Midwest. The institute was to provide a home, schooling and vocational trainings center for children of deceased Moose members.

In late 1912 the Moose Supreme Council okayed the purchase of Brookline Farm, more than 10,000 acres about 40 miles west of Chicago. Ohio Congressman John Lentz, a member of the lodge's Supreme Council, conceived the named “Mooseheart” which he said “will always be the place where the Moose fraternity will collectively pour out its heart, its devotion and sustenance, to the children of its members in need.”

Student census grew to nearly 1,000 by 1920 and reached a peak of 1,300 during the depths of the Great Depression. Today the maximum population is 500.

Later Davis and his Moose colleagues felt the lodge should do more for its aged members and in the fall of 1922 Moosehaven, the ”City of Contentment,” was opened on 26 acres of shoreline property just south of Jacksonsville, Fla.

Moosehaven has grown to a 63-acre community providing a wide array of recreational activities and comprehensive health care to more than 400 residents.

Like other Moose lodges, the Visalia lodge is involved in a number of charitable activities and its leaders say having a new basis of operations will help keep the ball rolling.

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By Richard Houts

Visalia - It seems that every situation has many perspectives and therefore many stories associated with it. That is certainly the case for Mearle's Drive In in Visalia. The business has been on Mooney Blvd across from the College of Sequoias for the past 66 years since it opened on September 27, 1940. The building permit was taken out on June 29, 1940, so the facility took only three months to construct, at a cost of $5,000. Since then, the Visalia eatery has passed through the hands of six owners.

One story about Mearle's Drive In is that of the original builders and operators of the business, the Breshwate brothers who created what locals call an icon, followed by the two subsequent owners of the site. The next story is that of Mearle Heitzman who managed the facility and then purchased it, named it after himself, and then sold it but continued to manage it. But the story that will be told here is that of Melissa Ward who started as a waitress at Mearle's 35 years ago, and the current owners, Ralph and Isabelle Kazarian of Fresno who have owned a half interest in the property for the past 33 years, while the other half is now divided among three members of another family who inherited their shares upon the death of a co-owner.

Ten years ago Melissa purchased the right to operate the business from Mearle Heitzman when he retired. The deal included the business name, fixtures, and sign, which means the upright portion of the building that includes the neon down arrows, float glass and business name atop the structure. The sign at the street was owned by the Coca Cola Company, but Melissa shifted her business to Pepsi, and now that company owns that sign. Melissa's sister Barbara was her business partner and handled the bookkeeping, while Melissa oversaw the daily operations and did the "meet and greet" activity which her were her strong suits.

Then came the fire that could have destroyed the building in 2004. The business remained closed for repairs for part of that year. When it reopened, the loyal customers and many of the staff returned. Melissa Ward and her husband Randy, a retired Deputy Sheriff, struggled to keep the place going due to the costs of repairs associated with the fire, the lost income during that time, and then a lawsuit due to the site not being in compliance with the standards set forth in the current day Americans with Disabilities Act. Added to those stressors was when Melissa's sister became ill and could not continue handling the business portion, which then fell to Melissa to deal with in addition to managing the daily operations. The cumulative result of these issues was Melissa's inability to make her lease payments or meet her employee payroll commitment. On August 15th of this year, the property owners served her with an eviction notice, and on that date Mearle's Drive In closed its doors. Since that time, Melissa and Randy Ward have placed the facility's fixtures in storage, hoping that the business might someday reopen. The monthly storage costs are significant.

Big Family

Melissa said that she greatly misses going to work at Mearle's where she could spend time with customers and staff. She said that she "just loved coming to work because it was like being with a big family every day." For now, she and Randy are struggling to deal with the remaining unpaid bills, including the employee payroll that they have yet to meet. Melissa states that she and Randy want to fulfill their responsibilities to all concerned and have even put their home up for sale to pay off their business debts. Randy has now gone back to work and is using that income to pay their employees. The result is that Melissa and Randy have little to show for her three and one-half decades of serving the people of Visalia at the town's most identifiable restaurant.

Annie Silva-Silveira, an instructor at the nearby College of Sequoias has been a frequent customer at Mearle's, had established a friendship with Melissa, and subsequently learned of her plight and that the restaurant had closed. Annie is known as a caring and supportive person who has energy and takes action. Annie made some contacts in the area and enlisted the aid of Rick and Susan Mangini who operate a local architectural firm. Bob Carey who is the owner and operator of 5 local A&W Restaurants also stepped forward to offer his help and support. The group formed a committee that they entitled "Mearle's Friends" and took on the challenge to assist Melissa and Randy Ward with their commitment to pay off all debts associated with Mearle's Drive In that especially included the employee payroll. They also promoted community awareness as to the status of Mearle's and the hope that the facility could be saved for posterity and as an essential and significant historical site both locally and nationally.

Many other interested members of the Visalia community have stepped forward to express their concern as well as their love for Mearle's Drive In and the memories associated with it. So many people of the community seem to have a story of their own to tell about Mearle's that is associated with dating, family, friends, kids, and grandkids.

With strong support from "Mearle's Friends" on September 27, 2006, the 66th anniversary of the opening of Mearle's Drive In (which was named Tad's at the time it opened), the city's Historical Preservation Advisory Committee met to consider adding the facility to the City's Local Registry of Historical Structures.

One of the owners of the property, 91 year old Ralph Kazarian was present at the committee meeting, accompanied by his grandson Michael who manages their farming interests, and Lance Armo who described himself as a friend of the Kazarian family and as an attorney who specializes in real estate issues. Sonny Kazarian is Ralph Kazarian's son and manages the family's real estate holdings that include commercial buildings in Fresno and Anaheim. Sonny Kazarain was reportedly in Southern California and unable to attend the committee meeting.

Ralph Kazarian said that he was born in Tulare and his family moved to Fresno when he was still a baby. Lance Armo said that he was raised in Dinuba and that his uncle once owned and operated a small shopping center on Mooney Blvd where the 4A Liquor Store is located. Ralph Kazarian further stated that he began his work career as a farmer and later began purchasing property. He said that he has never sold any of the properties that he has purchased and instead prefers to retain them and ensure that they are utilized as effectively as possible. He said that he purchases properties based upon their location and not necessarily based upon their current use since that can change over time.

What is "Best Use"?

Lance Armo addressed the Historical Preservation Advisory Committee on behalf of the Kazarians and said that the family has no current plans for the building or the site. He said that many options can be explored such as having the site appraised based upon its "best use" that could then determine what might be the most financially advantageous use of the property and therefore its value. He said that the building would most likely require extensive renovation if it were retained, and that if the Kazarian family did such work to restore the building and then leased it to another operator, the rent might be beyond what the site could generate as income for that operator. Lance further stated that since Melissa Ward owns the business name, one option is that she could open the same type of business at any other location and utilize the sign and fixtures at that site. He also said that other co-owners of the site have not yet communicated what their interests might be regarding its use.

Annie Silva-Silveira addressed the committee regarding her understanding as to the interests of Visalians in general regarding Mearle's Drive In. She stated that she has been receiving numerous telephone calls from people who have described their history with the site and their desire to help preserve it. Annie later said that "Mearle's Drive In is not just a building, but it is also a place where things happened that have helped make us who we are. It is a place that has pulled us all together. So many of us in this community have taken our parents, our children, and grandparents there. It is a place that reflects a value system of caring for one another other that we are unfortunately losing so much of in this era of technology. It is a place where we have been and can still be connected. I want that to remain available to my kids and their children. We have spent so many happy times there and it is a part of our lives. Since Mearle's has done so much to enrich our lives, it is the least we can do to keep this place open and keep this experience alive for others yet to come."

A member of the advisory committee pointed out that their task for this meeting was to simply decide if the site met the standard of having sufficient "historical value" to justify its inclusion in the Local Registry of Historical Structures. He said that the issue as to the site's financial viability was not relevant to their decision on that issue.

Unanimous Vote

The committee then voted unanimously that the site did in fact meet such a standard, and the matter was therefore forwarded to the city Planning Commission that will then make a recommendation to the City Council. The committee included in their findings that the site/structure warranted an "Exceptional" classification as an Art Deco (no ornamentation) Style. They found that the building and site has a "pre-eminent historical and cultural significance based upon the date of construction in 1940, at the entrance of the Mooney Boulevard Commercial corridor…one of the few commercial structures in this area which was frequented by local citizens and visitors to the community. The design and character of the Drive In made it a recognizable landmark in this part of the San Joaquin Valley. Over time it became a landmark associated with the City of Visalia. That the character of the structure as a Drive In, places it directly in the "Car Culture" that saw it's roots in post war America. This type of commercial facility became an American icon in the 1950's and is reflective of San Joaquin Valley and California culture… located on Mooney Boulevard during a time when the "Car Culture created the "Cruising" phenomenon, which has lasted to this day."

Greg Collins, a member of the Visalia City Council stated that "Mearle's is a community icon and landmark. From a historical and architectural perspective, it is something of value whether you go there to get a hamburger or to simply appreciate the architecture. Placing the facility on the local Historical Registry does not necessarily ensure the preservation of Mearle's Drive In, but it does require the owners to go through a process whenever they want to take any action regarding the facility. Additionally the City can utilize a certain amount of Redevelopment funds to upgrade the site and building, subject to approval by the City Council. That might be of some help to both a person who might want to operate the business by leasing the site or as the owner/operator of the property.

Hamburger Kings Want To Help

Bob Carey stated that "In my experience and that of most fast food business owners, the costs associated with opening a facility must be made back the first year after opening and every year thereafter to make operating the site a worthwhile venture." Roger Delph, who is the owner and operator of several local McDonald's franchises and has contacted Bob Carey to offer his support, has stated that "It is unfortunate to have to close one of the oldest restaurants in the Visalia area. It has a lot of history, and today's young people may miss the part of history as to why Mearle's existed. There needs to be a way to remodel it and bring it up to today's standards, and to increase the client base. It would be an uphill battle to make it financially viable. It is a unique facility."

The "Mearle's Friends" group members indicated that they have organized a fund raising event to further assist Melissa and Randy Ward pay off their debts associated with Mearle's Drive In, particularly the employee payroll, to help them conclude this phase of their involvement with the facility on a positive note. The group members believe that Melissa has worked hard on behalf of the community to keep the doors of Mearle's Drive In open for so many years as well as provide employment to so many people, and that it is the community's turn to help her complete that process. They also believe that the action taken by the city's Historical Preservation Advisory Committee is one more critical step toward keeping Mearle's Drive In available for future generations of Visalians who may want to take their children there and tell them the stories about their experiences with the site. The group also wants to work toward having the site included in the National Historic Preservation Trust that would recognize it as a national landmark and also make grant monies available for its maintenance.

Fund Raiser

The fund raiser to assist Melissa Ward fulfill her financial commitment related to Mearle's will be held at the College of Sequoias parking lot directly south of Mearle's on Saturday, October 14, 2006 from 3:00PM to 6:00 PM, and the college Associated Student Body will cosponsor the event. Hamburgers and floats will be available for sale, along with embroidered hats, and T-shirts with the Mearle's logo. Other memorabilia will also be available for purchase. Vintage cars and motorcycles will be present for viewing while a DJ will play 1950's music and College of Sequoias coeds wearing pink carhop outfits will don roller skates and assist in the sale of the many items available.

For further information regarding this event, contact Annie Silva-Silveira at 972-3106.

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Property owners on the 100 block of East Main in Visalia have approached the city about the possibility of building a privately financed parking garage to the north of their buildings on the city owned parking lot. The new parking garage behind TogniBranch and the Bank of the Sierra could be built at an estimated savings of 25 percent over publicly built garage because they would not have to pay “prevailing wage” rates for the construction. If the project moved forward it would be the Downtown Visalia's fourth parking structure—the first north of Main Street. Property owners obviously feel improved parking would help them lease out the upper floors of this block—some perhaps for residential flats—a top city goal. The garage could help in the possible renovation of the historic Palace Hotel property for example.

NOAA's forecast of an El Nino year may translate into a wetter winter for Southern and Central California according to a new forward looking map from the Climate Prediction Center. It looks like during a 3 month interval from January through March of 2007 there will be a wet pattern across the middle and southern California regions reaching to Arizona and Texas.

After a year of silence, looks like Costco may be ready to move forward on their planned new store in Visalia to the east of Lowes. City officials say while developer Don Orosco has had the green light to move forward on the big project for more than a year, he and Costco have not come to an agreement. Now however, a new site plan is being reviewed for the 150,000 square foot store and building plans are expected to be filed. What would happen to the existing Costco store isn't clear.

Buy City Hall? That's the proposal from hotel owner Anil Chagan being considered this week by the City Council. Chagan might be interested in the City Hall East property on the east side of the convention center, according to a closed door discussion held this week. Chagan would be interested in the land next to the convention center for a possible new hotel. City Hall East would become redundant once the new Civic Center is built east of Tipton. But some critics ask why not throw the idea open to all comers rather than entertain a specific proposal from one developer?

Homeland Security will fund additional security measures for the Visalia Airport announced Senator Dianne Feinstein this past week. It will add screeners to three small airports in California including our own.

By 2010 Visalia will have 140 sworn police officers to help meet the growing crime problem in town, says a news report to the city. A number will be funded through Measure T, the sales tax measure approved by voters. Total crime has been increasing every year in the city, including on per capita basis but is still less than the California average. The report detailed gang activity last year including the fact there are some 923 gang members here, down from 1104 in 2004, says the report. Last year there were nearly 400 gang related arrests. Police say they have increased officers assigned to deal with gang problems including cooperation with the City of Tulare in a Tulare/Visalia Metro Gang Suppression Unit. Gang experts in Visalia were increased from two to five.

Visalia city council decided not to get into the water business in competition with California Water Service after all. A report done by Provost and Pritchard said infrastructure costs would be prohibitive forcing developers to pay higher hookup costs than California Water Service can offer—in part because the private water company's infrastructure is already in place.

More parking in Downtown Visalia in the works before the holidays. The city wants to re-stripe the south side of Center St. between Bridge and Conyer with angled parking forcing you to slow down on Center. The move would add 55 new spaces losing 70 but gaining 125.

With the election less than a month away, it appears Governor Schwarzenegger will cruise to re-election according to several polls, but the race for Lt. Governor is a horse race between Republican conservative Tom McClintock and Democrat Garamendi. Local favorite Chuck Poochigian is well behind Jerry Brown for Attorney General, however. Educators are watching the facilities bond that will boost COS Tulare big time and help local school districts as well. The measure is favored by a small majority. The poll shows Prop 87—the oil tax—is ahead 45% to 38%.

Although training and test cooking activities are in full swing at Visalia's long anticipated debut of Crawdaddy's in downtown Visalia the official opening of both upstairs and downstairs dining areas is set for Oct. 19. The New Orleans style restaurant participated in this week's Taste Of Visalia event with samples of some of its Cajun style fare. The bar is open this week, according to General Manager Glenn Harrington who anticipates a big party during the official opening.

The City of Visalia is soliciting letters of interest to qualified firms experienced in downtown mixed development regarding the purchase of a 12,400 sq. ft. property at 401 E. Acequia Ave. The city hopes to find developers who would be interested in constructing a mixed use multi-story project.

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