Tulare County - As some of the old economic drivers have wavered, California cities and other public jurisdictions are increasingly looking to leisure activities to draw business to town. From travel to tourism, golf to racing, casinos to the arts and music, communities are seeking ways to capture the leisure dollar by partnering up with the private sector and other public agencies that will help fill the gap left by fewer dollars generated from the old economy.
Morro Bay
Witness the Central Coast and Morro Bay that once had a serious fishing fleet based there. Back in 1990, the port of Morro Bay and Port San Luis landed 14 million pounds of fish annually. By 2006, that catch dwindled to 1.2 million pounds with the collapse of the fishing population up and down the Central Coast. Now the city is banking on tourist dollars to employ its people and help pay for city services.
The Central Coast area draws Central Valley residents and their families year round to recreate with Highway 41 full of the “Fresno Navy” fleet of big SUVs hauling their water toys in tow. These weekend warriors are paying for cops to patrol Morro Bay streets.
Streets of Bakersfield
Witness Bakersfield in the heart of the state's oil patch. Again, declining resources that sustained the economy in the past – are slowly ebbing away at about four percent a year since the mid 1980s. State figures show District 4 (Kern County) dropped from a high of 256 million barrels of annual production of oil to just 167 million in 2007. As the oil leaves so do the corporate offices and jobs that go with it, seen in the announcement this past week that Berry Petroleum would relocate its office to Denver. The company was founded in Taft in 1909.
Now “R & R” is making up some of that loss. Between Buck Owens and the Famoso dragway, Bakersfield has seen millions of dollars pumped into the local economy. In the 1960s, Bakersfield got its reputation as the Nashville of the West, launched by the presence of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. The two venues go hand-in-hand attracting visitors and locals alike to Hot Rods and the Bakersfield Sound. Also, Bakersfield has a growing population of off-road vehicles that locals spend their off-work hours revving up.
Timber and Wildlife
Talk about dwindling resources – try California timber now at less than a third of the amount of timber harvested in the state in the late 1970s. Most of the small town sawmills of California are gone. Today, communities that once counted on timber to make their bread and butter solicit tourists to visit their area seeking a wilderness experience.
A similar story is told by those jurisdictions that once counted on a seasonal wave of fishermen and hunters to their area to bolster their economy. Today, they count on nature sightseers and bird watchers and are largely rewarded with increased revenues for these increasingly popular leisure pastimes.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey of 2006, the U.S. has about 30 million residents who fish and 12.5 million hunters there are now over 71 million wildlife watchers who spend $45.7 billion annually on trips away from home.
Big Tulare Plans
Tulare is taking the drag races of Bakersfield one giant step further working to land a motorsports complex in town in a deal set to be finalized in the next few months. The city's economy, historically based on milk and field crops, now successfully draws visitors and their dollars to two major venues – the World Ag Expo that draws in more than 100,000 people every February, and the Valley's only factory outlet mall that draws busloads of tourists and visitors for shopping – perhaps the most popular leisure time activity of all.
The 700-acre mega-complex includes two race tracks, a convention center, lifestyle and retail center, amusement parks and resort hotels expected to draw thousands of visitors virtually every week to Tulare. The economic impact of the project has been estimated as high as $1 billion.
Visalia – Music/Tourism
Visalia, too, is targeting leisure activities to bolster the town's fortune. Partnering up with the National Park Service, the city has pioneered the Sequoia Shuttle, now in its second year, along with planned new visitor center that is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Visalia as a gateway town to visit world-famous Sequoia National Park. That should help the cluster of world class restaurants in town stay busy.
Visalia, too, is pursuing its art and music scene with the recent influx of “indie” bands to play here – the only major destination of many of these bands between the Bay Area and L.A.
Last month, seven independent bands played the Visalia scene with the help of local promoter Aaron Gomes. The well-known bands play a variety of venues in town each week to packed audiences drawn to cheap ticket prices and well-known talent.
The City of Visalia has been working to bring in more events and entertainment to venues such as the Main Street Theatre and the Visalia Fox Theatre. “Entertainment is a very positive thing,” said Visalia City Manager Steve Salomon. “It certainly has a positive impact on restaurants and hotels that are downtown.”
He noted the success of events such as the farmers' markets, the outdoor Friday night blues concerts and last year's Visalia All Music Festival in bringing people to Downtown Visalia. Vernon Barr, president of Downtown Visalians, expects this year's music festival to be held in the fall. “It's very important,” he said. “We view it as a way for local and regional people to come and see downtown.”
Betting on Porterville
Porterville, too, wants to attract an entertainment crowd and is partnering up with the Tule Indian reservation to bring the Eagle Mountain casino out of the foothills and into its city limits with plans to build a resort and golf course around it.
“That's huge news,” said Porterville Mayor Cam Hamilton of the tribe's plans. “As far as jobs, it's huge and it fits our plans for the airport,” he said. Hamilton said it is his understanding the tribe will build a 135-room hotel and a casino large enough to contain approximately 2,000 gaming machines and gaming tables.
Golf and Dinuba
Not to be left out, Dinuba is building a showcase 18-hole golf course on the south side of town expected to draw visitors and investment around it. Ridge Creek golf course, under construction now, will feature the largest driving range west of the Rockies and the 15th hole is said to be the largest par five in the state. The course was designed by John Fought, one of the world's top course designers. The city course will attract up to 400 upscale homes and is looking to draw a new leisure-oriented resident to Dinuba whose main claim to fame in the past has been celebrating raisins.
New Lindsay Venue
New sports fields across Tulare County are attracting
families to the area this year, helping to fill motel rooms. Like
many other cities, Lindsay is attracting crowds with sports and
entertainment at a brand new arena in this case a former packing
house.
In addition to providing facilities for a wide range of sports,
from basketball to paintball, the new McDermont Field House and
Sport Center in Lindsay has announced concerts by Mark Wills this
month and Ramon Ayala in June.
“McDermont means a lot to Lindsay,” said Gary Tomlinson, its marketing and public relations manager. “It will be a gathering spot for families. It will give an economic boost to the community to bring in more business.” He added that McDermont will provide an economic boon to the surrounding restaurants and other businesses.
“It's both economic development and community revitalization,” said City Manager Scot Townsend. “It creates a snowball activity as people come into McDermont, they in turn buy gas and eat in the local restaurants.”
Tulare County - Southern California Edison has chosen a modified Alternative 1 route, running south of Highway 198 from east of Exeter to a few miles west of Farmersville, as its preferred route for its proposed 220-kilovolt transmission line serving Tulare County.
Company officials, who plan to submit the route to the California Public Utilities Commission in May, say the Alternative 1 route would have the least amount of environmental impact and be less expensive than two other proposed routes.
Dana Bullock, project manager for what officially is known as Edison's Cross Valley Loop Transmission Line Project, told the Voice this week the other alternatives presented not only have more environmental impacts, but access and construction issues as well. She said on parts of the Stokes Mountain route (Alternative 3), crews studying the route weren't able to access some spots, either because they couldn't get land owner permission or the terrain was too steep.
Some people watching the issue expressed thoughts that SCE was favoring the northern alternative for its remoteness and few property ownerships, despite the added cost. Bullock said the project cost estimates range from $60 million to $90 million with Alternative 1 the cheapest.
SCE modified the original route by moving it south, instead of north of Lemon Cove, and eliminating one of three originally proposed crossings of Highway 198. The route stays south of Highway 198 all the way to Rector Substation near East Walnut Avenue and Road 152. A proposed crossing of 198 near the Kaweah Oaks Preserve was eliminated. The modification also moves the lines slightly southward away from 198.
Edison will submit all three proposed routes to the PUC which then will schedule public meetings. Before Edison submits its proposal to the PUC, it will hold public meetings and contact property owners and others along all three proposed routes, company officials said. A town hall meeting at the Exeter Memorial Building is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 7, to discuss the SCE plan, according to County Supervisor Allen Ishida, who said he expects at least 200 persons to attend. Considering previous concerns over the Alternative 1 route, it seems likely SCE will face considerable opposition.
Edison officials acknowledge there will be opposition wherever the transmission lines go, but stress the project is necessary to meet growing energy needs.
Edison's selection of its preferred route comes nearly three years after it began its public campaign for the project to deliver needed energy to a growing Tulare County. Edison says its existing transmission lines which deliver power to the Rector Substation are operating at or near limits and will be unable to deliver sufficient electricity to safely and reliably meet increasing demand. The new line will connect an existing 220-kilovolt line between SCE's hydroelectric facilities in the Sierra and the SCE Springville substation, east of Strathmore, to the Rector station near Visalia.
Edison officials found out when the project was unveiled that opposition would be forthcoming. Informational meetings in Farmersville and Elderwood generated significant concerns over a variety of issues, including environmental, esthetics, safety, property values and the so-called scenic Highway 198 corridor.
Strong opposition to the original Alternative 1 route (Highway 198) route from the Farmersville and Visalia areas, as well as property owners and others, seemed to focus Edison's attention to the foothills where Alternative 2 in the Elderwood area and Alternative 3, generally known as the Stokes Mountain route, would run even further north.
Although labeled more costly and somewhat longer, those routes were thought to be less intrusive to populated areas and involved less prime agricultural land.
The Alternative 2 route runs from Lemon Cove to Elderwood, eventually connecting to another Big Creek source line along Road 148 (McAuliff Road) to the Rector Substation.
Woodlake and Elderwood property owners and others made it clear the transmission line would severely impact the scenic vistas, damage property values, wildlife habitats and disturb or destroy Native American sites.
Paul Klein, a SCE spokesman, said the line would consist of 108 tubular poles and 14 lattice steel towers, ranging in height from 120 to 160 feet.
Bill DeLain, SCE regional manager, said selection of the favored route involved reviews of a number of concerns including costs, environmental, land use and feasibility.
Before now, the developer, The Imperial Group of La Jolla, has told local officials that the Government Services Agency (GSA), which must approve a site, had insisted that it follow through on all approvals for the Lovers Lane site.
In its appeal to the Visalia City Council in the past week, the Imperial Group points out that by federal doctrine, the GSA can override Visalia opposition since it is immune from local and state laws.
That appeal is set for later this April in front of the city council, after the planning commission turned down its request last month to build a 12,532-square-foot office on Lovers Lane.
But Visalia has sought some help from allies too.
Now, according to City Council Member Greg Collins, GSA has apparently changed its tune. “A representative of the Imperial Group paid a visit to me and said GSA had suggested they look for an alternative site after they were told the city wasn't going to budge on this.”
The Imperial Group representative told Collins it will look for an alternative site in the Downtown area. The GSA change of heart may be the result of lobbying by Visalia's congressional delegation, including Congressman Nunes and Senator Feinstein, aimed at the GSA intransigence.
At issue is a stated policy by GSA that a government building can't be built in a flood plain even though most of Visalia is in a flood plain and the problem is routinely relieved by bringing in dirt to raise the foundation of a building above an expected flood line. Of course, that costs more money.
Sources say the appeal may go forward in any case – a move that would exhaust its remedies fulfilling a contract and setting the stage for another proposed location – this time likely in the greater Downtown area.
The wrangling over a new location has been going on for nearly two years now as the federal agency seeks a larger location for its Visalia office, currently on Court Street.
GSA signed a contract with the Imperial Group back in January 2007 for the Lovers Lane location despite controversy that won't seem to go away. Now it seems GSA has blinked.
The city suggested more than a dozen alternative locations to the Imperial Group back in 2006 looking to keep the jobs in the Downtown area. The company has built Social Security offices around the state.
Toward Medical Residency Program
Visalia - A delegation from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) met with officials of the Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia this week to discuss establishing a medical residency program.
Gerald Maguire, M.D., senior associate dean of educational affairs at UCI; Russell Williams, M.D., a general surgeon; and Nancy Koehring, director of UCI graduate medical education, visited the medical center and met civic leaders. A March 31 evening reception for the three visitors was attended by the Visalia City Council and City Manager Steve Salomon, as well as the Kaweah Delta board of directors and staff.
“They expressed not only the medical center's support, but the community's support,” said Lindsay K. Mann, Kaweah Delta CEO.
An April 1 morning meeting focused on opportunities for UCI to develop medical residency programs at the Kaweah Delta Medical Center in four areas: family practice, emergency medicine, surgery and OBGYN. Mann described the meetings between the two institutions as “very positive, but they are very preliminary also.”
He believes that the meetings received “an enthusiastic response” from the three UCI visitors, and that they are very sincere in their interest in Kaweah Delta.
“It's very clear that we have the level of hospital sophistication, the diversity of medical staff and the patient base to support a medical residency training program,” he said.
UCI has medical residency programs in place with other hospitals, all of which are in Southern California. “They have some affiliation with Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, but we would be the furthest north,” Mann said.
Discussions will continue on April 11 with a follow-up phone conference with the University of California President's Office, representatives of UCI and Kaweah Delta officials.
“The development of a residency program will take two to three years,” Mann said, noting the “very extensive application and accreditation process.” When a medical residency program starts up “you start up with a full program,” he said.
A UCI medical residency program at Kaweah Delta would provide a range of benefits to the community.
“There is solid evidence to back the assumption that where physicians train, they practice,” Mann said. “If we are serious about bringing top-notch physicians to the Valley, we must be involved in the training.”
Besides potentially increasing the number of doctors in the Valley, a medical residency program increases the clinical quality at a medical center, according to Mann. “It also has a healthy effect on our treatment of patients,” he said.
Last year, Kaweah Delta was in discussions with UC San Francisco to establish a similar residency program. Mann explained that UCSF ultimately decided that Kaweah Delta was located too close to its residency program in Fresno. UCI's affiliation with a Bakersfield hospital apparently poses no similar problem.
“There is no concern about that,” Mann said. “We explored that at our meeting.”
Left Hanging: Builder Leaves Homes Unfinished
“We need to get the builder's attention on this,” says chief building official Dennis Lehman of the City of Visalia. “If nothing happens, some of those homes might need to be bulldozed.”
Homes open to the elements are a potential public nuisance for vandalism or fire.
Water damage could make the homes, even once completed, more difficult to sell.
Reynen and Bardis has three subdivisions in Visalia and one in Tulare. In 2006, the builder took out permits for 150 new homes in the county, a number that fell to just four last year as the housing crunch came home to roost across the state and locally.
A similar tale is told in Tulare. Bonnie Simoes, senior planner with the city of Tulare, says Reynen and Bardis has stopped work at is subdivision in Tulare, leaving several homes there unfinished as well.
“They've been notified about the unfinished houses, weeds and debris,” said Simoes. She said there has been talk of other builders finishing out the subdivisions off of Mooney at Kern Street, but nothing certain at this time.
Reynen and Bardis faces financial difficulties up and down the West Coast, news reports suggest, including more than $1.9 million in late property tax assessments and penalties in Sacramento County, the selling of its corporate headquarters in Sacramento, default on loans in Kern County that include partially constructed homes in Wasco and default on a Bakersfield project. Lawsuits and liens for unpaid subcontractors work are also part of the scene. The company has received notice of default on several project loans in Nevada as well this year.
In Visalia, there are half a dozen unfinished homes at the firm's Houston Ave. subdivision. The sales office for the subdivision, dubbed the Country Club, is closed, the phone number disconnected.
“In some areas our operations have been suspended,” says Reynen and Bardis spokesperson Michele McCormick who refers to the company troubles as “a perfect storm of economic events.” She says the firm's financial difficulties are related to overall decline in the housing market nationwide. “We hope to have some further information on projects in your area,” says McCormick.
Company representative Jeb Elmore told the Voice they have not been contacted by the cities, but promised to look into the matter.
Sign of the Times: Centex Laying off Workers
Tulare County - As new home sales continue to move along at a snail's pace in Tulare County, officials in Visalia and Tulare are seeing fewer applications for new subdivisions as builders work to reduce the number of available lots in the two cities. And, some builders are abandoning planned subdivisions.
Ennis Homes just put up its 385-lot subdivision near Tulare for sale, although Ben Ennis said the company is still going through with the environmental review and could still develop the site at Mooney Boulevard and Cartmill Avenue at some point.
And, it appears the Rancho Sierra 176-lot subdivision at the site of the old Sierra View Golf Course is on indefinite hold.
During the boom years of 2003-06, new homes were snatched up practically as fast as the lots could be developed, but today many subdivisions that have tentative approval are still fields and subdivisions that are developed remain mostly vacant.
As of the start of this year, there were nearly 11,000 subdivision lots approved in the two cities. Of those, nearly 6,500 are lots in already developed subdivisions – those with streets, curbs, etc. The remaining lots are those in tentative subdivisions – those where no infrastructure work, such as sewer and water lines, has been done. Ennis called that a 10-year supply.
“Subdivision maps have slowed,” said Bonnie Simoes, senior planner with the City of Tulare. “In last two years, we've seen a big slowdown in tentative map requests,” added Brandon Smith, senior planner with the City of Visalia. “Fewer people are coming to us to get subdivisions approved. There's a lot of inventory out there.”
Jim Robinson, senior vice president with McMillan Homes in Visalia, said his company is trying to keep the number of lots “at a manageable level.” He did not expect to see a lot of new lots developed in the next 24 months.
Building Pace Slows
From 2003-06, the number of new home building permits in Visalia totaled 4,865, an average of 1,200 homes a year. But today, that pace has slowed considerably. In the first three months of this year, Visalia has issued just 138 new home permits and should that trend continue, will issue just over 550 for the year, the lowest this decade.
The California Building Industry Association reported last week that housing starts in the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan were down in February over a year ago, but 19 percent better than January.
Centex continues to be the top county builder with only 42 new homes permitted during the first three months of the year. That puts it on pace to build 170 new homes if the rate continues. That would compare to 536 new homes Centex built last year in the county. The average price of a new Centex home in the county is $178,500.
Robinson said the sales of new homes have been flat this year and he expects that trend to continue into 2009. “I expect us to sell about the same as last year – 600 homes – in the Valley,” he said.
“Prices are down 25-30 percent. What was $275,000 three to five years ago is $200,000 today,” he said.
Debbie Gleason, sales associated for Mangano Homes in Visalia, agreed sales remain flat.
“I've sold three houses since the first of the year. We were selling two a week during the boom times – in the good old days,” said Gleason. “Last year, we closed 13 houses. Two years prior, we closed 30 each year.”
She said the year began well, but it has slowed. Mangano homes start at $435,900 for 2,146 square feet.
She did say they have only two inventory homes available, but, “we've got 20 lots in the next phase and we plan to go forward with those.”
She said Mangano and other builders continue to offer incentives to buyers.
“We don't offer free pools and that stuff,” said Gleason, adding they haven't lowered or raised prices this year either. What they do, as do many other builders, is offer upgrades to the houses. Those vary, but can amount up to $50,000.
“The amount of money being offered is still there, it's just being used differently,” said Robinson. At its Tulare subdivision in Del Lago, McMillin is still offering a free pool with some houses. He added that sales appear to be stronger in the entry-level homes – those in the $200,000 range – than the more expensive homes.
Slowdown Will Last a While
And, he does not see any light at the end of the tunnel yet.
“I think it's going to flat this year. In this area, one of the last affordable areas in the state, our bounce back up will be driven by inventory.”
Simoes and Smith both said they don't expect to see many new subdivisions started this year.
Smith said in his six years with the City of Visalia, the number of home building permits has been going up and up, until now. “It seems like the past five years it's been normal for us to have a large inventory of lots,” he said, but that development of new lots is drying up. “Developers and land owners are not coming to us as frequently as before for new subdivisions, but there are a few more projects out there. I'd say we're in the second year of a slowdown,” said Smith, adding that the peak for processing new subdivisions was reached in 2004 and the drop-off began early last year.
Simoes said no new subdivision maps have gone before the city's planning commission this year, but that is understandable because of all the lots available.
Tulare had 1,790 developed lots and another 3,243 with tentative approval as of the first of the year. Visalia had 2,756 lots in approved subdivisions and another 3,195 lots with tentative approval.
“Historically, we haven't had this many lots,” she said, adding that Tulare used to see two or three new subdivision applications a year, but during the boom years, saw 10 in one month.
However, Simoes is optimistic it all may change with the addition of one large employer in the county. “It could turn around if we get a big employer, then this housing stock is going to get consumed quickly.”
Centex is feeling the slowdown as well. Responding to reports that the region's largest home builder had laid off 30 people in recent weeks, Eric Bruner of the company's Dallas office said, “Like other major builders, Centex is navigating the deepest correction the housing industry since World War II. As a result, we've had to adjust our pace of building to meet the current levels of demand. Unfortunately, this means that it's been necessary to reduce staffing levels in the Central Valley. We will work together to make this transition as smooth as possible for employees, customers and the community.”
Another sign that builders are not too quick to develop subdivisions that have tentative approval is a bill (SB 1185), which would give builders an additional two years to build on home sites approved by local officials. Simoes said a builder now has two years from first approval to start building, and then they can get three one-year extensions. But, applying for an extension is an expensive process. Smith said it takes 12-18 months for a subdivision map to get approved.
“SB 1185 is urgently needed and has been put on a fast track in the Legislature, designed to get it enacted and in place as soon as possible. Failure to act means thousands of entitlements will expire, forcing builders to unnecessarily go through a time-consuming and expensive process to get new entitlements approved and delaying a long-awaited industry recovery,” said Robert Rivinius, California Building Industry Association president and CEO.
Lower Cost per Square Foot
Affiliated Appraisers of Bakersfield have tracked the average price per square foot of a single family home in that Valley town – a town that follows Visalia pricing fairly closely. The appraisal found that average square foot price peaked in mid-2006 at above $215 per square foot and has been falling since to just above $135 per square foot as of February 2008.
That would put the cost of a 1,500-square-foot home at about $202,000 and a 2,000-square-foot home at $260,000.
The $135-per-square-foot price is down from $190 per square foot a year ago in Bakersfield.
Median Prices
The California Association of Realtors says the statewide median price of an existing home fell 26% from a year ago to $409,000 on a statewide basis.
The Tulare County median price fell nearly 8% from a year ago in February to $216,000, while Visalia fell less – 4.7% to $235,000. Bakersfield fell more, nearly 15% to $240,000. San Bernardino fell 37% to $220,000 from $305,000. A similar drop was seen in Sacramento.
The median in communities across the state fell by double digits while Visalia's numbers appear to show a slower decline.
2008 Sales
The oversupply of homes in the Visalia area has improved over the last quarter of 2007, says broker Brad Maaske. The average sales price in Visalia for the first quarter of 2008 is $200,000, says Maaske, down from $240,000 for the same period in 2007, and $257,000 for the first three months of 2006. As far as sales are concerned, about 400 homes were sold during the first quarter of 2008 in Visalia compared to 501 during the same period in 2007 and 644 during the first quarter of 2006.
Inventory stands at 1,880 in the Visalia MLS but the slow pace of sales in the community put the volume of inventory at about a year's supply, considered a strong buyers market. “We consider 5 to 7 months supply normal.”
A reason for hope, lenders who own homes are pricing them to sell. Cause of concern – there is plenty of inventory of foreclosed homes yet to come on the market. The web site Realty Trac claims Visalia has 176 homes to be auctioned and 452 bank-owned homes.
Investors are Back
Realtor Bill Jordan of Visalia says the “market is pretty strong right now with the decline in the new home inventory, serious sellers, low interest rate and affordable prices.” His company, Jordan Link, “is doing 80 to 100 deals a month now.” Jordan says the Visalia MLS inventory has dropped about 10% from last fall. “We're also seeing a lot of first time home buyers.”
Jordan says “investors have come back into the market now that they have sensed a bottom.”
What's New
The Exeter City Council showed its support for an effort to rename Highway 65, from Highway 137 to Highway 198, in honor of Tulare County Sheriff's Detective Kent Haws, who was killed in the line of duty in December. An Assembly Joint Resolution is expected to come before the Rules Committee in Sacramento this week. “He was certainly a hero in our community,” said Assemblyman Bill Maze, who is spearheading the effort. Maze expects the resolution to be approved and signed by September. The cost of renaming the stretch of highway should be between $2,000 and $3,000, the estimated expense of putting up a sign at each end.
Sierra Forest Products in Terra Bella has gone to every other week of milling to help “slow down pushing out so much lumber at these ridiculously low prices,” said Kent Duysen of the mill. He said lumber prices are as low as they got in 1981. “That's when the prime rate went to 21 percent.” He said housing starts could be under a million this year, half of what was done in 2006. “We're ready to pick up production when the market improves,” he added. The slowdown impacts about 45 workers of the 125 who work at the mill.
Bev Mo, a California-based chain selling a wide variety of beers and wines and other liquor, is eyeing a Visalia location, says a city official. The store, which averages 15,000 square feet, is looking at a location just north of Packwood Creek on Mooney on the west side of the street. KFC will open a new location at the same center.
Sportsman's Warehouse, a 50,000-square-foot outdoor sporting goods store, will break ground in the next few months at Riggin and Dinuba Highway, the second large anchor for the center to get under construction. Target's walls are up this week at the new north side center owned by Donahue Schiber. The new hunting and fishing superstore based in Utah, will count Visalia as its third California store, figuring the Sacramento store and new Victorville store ready to open in coming weeks. The Sportsman's Warehouse store should be open for the holiday season along with Target.
Railex formally announced its new Delano location even as earth movers are positioned to begin construction of a giant cold storage warehouse in town to be operational by September, the New York-based company said. The logistics center will take Valley produce east at least several times a week directly, rather than send the produce through its Washington state hub. The company has a contract with Union Pacific to accommodate the produce trains offering Valley farmers a new alternative to trucks and slower rail transportation to reach the East Coast. The Delano facility includes a direct rail spur that runs through a 200,000-square-foot warehouse. The city of Delano would enjoy the economic benefit of 300 jobs once production is at full capacity.
The new Calgren ethanol plant near Pixley is expected to begin production next month. An initiative to fire the cogeneration plant at the site that produces electric power with dairy biogas instead of petroleum-based natural gas – is gaining steam. Founder of Bioenergy Solutions, David Albers, says talks with local dairymen near the plant are going “very well” and expects an announcement in the next few months. The deal would mean Bioenergy Solutions would finance and build a cow-supplied methane gas pipeline to the plant on Ave. 120 and Hwy. 99 to be supplied by biogas captured from covered lagoons at the dairies. “We'll share the revenue with the dairymen,” says Albers, who is doing similar projects elsewhere in the Valley. The project would solve the dairymen's emission problem as well as green up the emissions profiles for the ethanol plant. Calgren will produce wet distillers grain to the dairy and the dairies will send back the gas it produces to fire up the plant's boilers.
Sign of the times. Closure of Sierra View Golf Course and now Oak Patch east of Visalia is helping the courses still in play including the municipal course in Exeter, say golfers. Oak Patch first opened in 1963, was a scenic 9-hole course in lush river bottom land, shut down several months ago. Sierra View closed over a year ago and the land sold to troubled home builder Reynen and Bardis for a future subdivision. Now with Reynen and Bardis in trouble financially, looks like only weeds will grow on the site.
Cal Water has completed its Mooney Boulevard pipeline replacement project, including all main, fire hydrant and fire service installations as a prelude to the widening project of Mooney set to begin this summer. Cal Water will now begin installing one and two-inch lines.
Visalia Parks and Recreation Commission member Russ Desch has been elected to serve on the State Parks and Recreation Commission. Desch becomes the second Visalian to serve on the state body. Outgoing city commissioner Tom Link, who was honored at Monday night's joint meeting between the Parks Commission and the City Council, once served as president of the state commission.
By Rick Elkins
Goshen - Cristian Nieto is your typical 10-year-old fifth grader. On Wednesday night, April 9, he will be watched by millions of Americans as he and his Goshen Elementary School are featured on American Idol.
“It felt exciting. I was a little bit shy,” said Nieto last week, still basking in the glow of riding with Idol star judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul as they toured the tiny community of Goshen for a segment to be shown on a special American Idol next week – Idol Gives Back.
The two Idol stars came to Goshen Elementary March 14 to feature the Save the Children Foundation that is funding the school's after-school program. Nieto, one of about 40 children in the program, was selected that day to give the two stars a tour of his town.
“I told them Goshen was old. That we needed new stuff, parks,” he said of the trip that last for nearly 30 minutes. At the end, the two stars dropped the boy off at his parents' house – Marisol Equivel and Sergio Nieto – and met his mom. “My mom couldn't believe it,” he said. One of his two brothers also got to meet the stars.
“They were friendly. They were good looking,” said the boy, adding he liked Randy the best mainly because “he's a boy and he's nice and he cheers you up.” However, when asked about is impression of Abdul, he simply replied, “She's hot.”
The Emmy Award-winning Idol Gives Back will return for the second time. Last year's show, which featured many stars as will this year's, raised more than $75 million for various U.S. and international charities.
The show will air 7:30-10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, on Fox television. That is Channel 26 locally.
Save the Children's U.S. programs benefit more than 35,000 children a year, providing them with the tools and support they need to break the cycle of poverty, according to the organization's web site. Save the Children continues its work in some of the nation's poorest rural communities providing literacy, physical activity, nutrition and early childhood support to children in need.
Save the Children became affiliated with Visalia Unified three years ago. The group funds the after-school program that has two components – literacy and physical activity/nutrition, said Doug Bartsch, area administrator for the district. It also provides a literacy component during school hours as well. Goshen is the only school in the program right now, but Bartsch said Save the Children is interested in expanding it in other Visalia schools.
“They've been a fantastic partner. They're very focused,” said Bartsch.
He explained the district got a call about a month ago about Save the Children doing some filming at Goshen Elementary for Idol Gives Back, but they were told to keep it very quiet because they did not want a big crowd.
“We knew in February there was a chance that Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson would be coming,” said Bartsch.
Prior to the two stars' arrival, representatives of American Idol visited the school and the community, as well as Mark Shriver, vice president and managing director of Save the Children's US Programs. He is the brother of California First Lady Maria Shiver.
“Everybody was gracious and genuine in their interest in Goshen,” said Bartsch.
At 3 p.m. on Friday, March 14, after school was dismissed for the day, the two stars arrived. Goshen principal Marty Frolli was interviewed and Abdul led the children in a dance exercise and both stars did a receiving line for all of the children.
“They were very complimentary of the school and staff,” said Bartsch.
“The students and staff were excited and still are excited about it,” said Frolli. He explained the show will profile the hardships in the community, but at the same time highlighting the support and hope the after-school program brings to the community.
Goshen is one of the poorest areas of Visalia. Frolli said probably about 90 percent of the 548 students in school qualify for free or reduced-priced meals and 40 percent are English-learners.
Froili said the after-school program provides an hour on literacy, then an hour on exercise and nutrition, such as how to eat healthy.
“Hopefully, it brings to light the importance of having a safe place for kids to go after school,” he said of the show next week.
Nieto said he likes the after-school program. “It's cool and it helps you a lot.” Both his parents work.
Among those appearing on the program next week will be Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Brad Pitt and Peyton Manning and Fergie.
During the show, viewers will be able to make donations via toll-free lines and the Internet. Besides Save the Children, other charities to benefit are: The Children's Defense Fund; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Make It Right; and Malaria No More.
Chamberlin Baseball Academy to Move to Larger Facility
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - While other businesses are cutting back to deal with a challenging economy, the Chamberlin Baseball Academy in Visalia is moving to a new location, doubling its size from 5,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, as well as providing more training areas and equipment to train young players. The new location, at 6707 W. Goshen Ave., will be open by the end of the month, according to owner Mark Chamberlin.
“People are still spending on their kids,” he explained. “Parents don't play catch with their kids. We provide something that parents can't. Plus, we have more baseball knowledge than they do.”
The new facility will feature clay indoor pitcher's mounds, retractable batting cages, new turf and much more room, enabling 50 kids at a time to participate in a batting clinic. Having a Goshen Avenue address will allow the facility to put up a sign on a busy main road, and its parking lot accommodates 40 cars. The new site also provides Chamberlin with office space, which he said he's never had.
There will also be a video room and all the necessary equipment for a young player to see how to improve his or her game. “We'll be able to videocam the kids,” Chamberlin said, explaining that a child can see batting mistakes such as “opening up” or “stepping in the bucket.”
The new facility's five tee-and-toss stations will enable younger kids to hit from a tee into a net, a good way for young children to start developing their baseball skills.
“It's a process we have to take with these kids,” he said. “We want to develop kids who want to develop into baseball players. The nice thing about getting them young is that we don't have to break any bad habits. At 11, they have bad habits.”
The baseball academy will be available for birthday parties and fundraisers, according to Chamberlin. “Hopefully, we'll start selling some stuff like batting equipment and batting gloves,” he said.
Visitors to the academy have included Beau Mills, first round pick of the Cleveland Indians; Shane Costa of the Kansas City Royals; Aaron Hill of the Toronto Blue Jays; and Ron Robinson, formerly of the Red Sox and Brewers.
They come to work out, or in the case of Brad Mills, Boston Red Sox coach, to help their sons work out.
“What they like about it is they come in before the kids,” Chamberlin said, adding that some players and coaches like to work with the young aspiring baseball players. “Pete Rose did a clinic for us two years ago,” he said.
Chamberlin started teaching baseball to children in 2000 when he was also coaching baseball at Golden West High School. He established a client base that enabled him to open his current baseball academy location at 1128 N. Marsin in October 2003. The academy grew from 150 clients to 500, averaging between 200-300 boys and girls a week coming in to work on their baseball or softball skills.
“If I can develop a kid and make him better every year, it's the most enjoyable thing – because you're not going to get rich as a baseball academy owner,” Chamberlin said. “To see a kid get his first hit and get the game ball – that's gold.”
Feds Looking into Child Pornography Case
Lindsay - Tulare County Deputy District Attorney William Yoshimoto said Tuesday the U.S. District Attorney's office is reviewing the case against a Lindsay man accused of viewing child pornography in the Lindsay Library.
Yoshimoto said viewing or possessing child pornography is both a state and federal offense and can be prosecuted by either jurisdiction, or both.
“The feds are examing the case,” said Yoshimoto. He added the county already has a case in progress against Donny Lynn Chrisler, 39 of Lindsay. He was arrested on Feb. 28 at the Lindsay Library after Lindsay police were notified a man may be viewing child pornography on a library computer. His case is on hold because Chrisler is being evaluated to determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial. He remains in custody on $100,000 bond.
The arrest and subsequent firing of the library assistant who notified police – Brenda Biesterfeld – set off a storm of controversy over her firing. Tulare County has stated Biesterfeld, a single mother, was terminated because she did not pass her probationary period with the county. Biesterfeld claims she was fired for calling police.
Biesterfeld is being represented by lawyers with the Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm affiliated with the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. In a press release last month, Liberty Counsel released what is says was Biesterfeld's job performance given her just before her dismissal.
“Brenda Biesterfeld's most recent job performance evaluation gives evidence supporting her case against the Tulare County Library. The evaluation was made by her supervisor, Judi Hill, who fired her after she reported to the police that a man was viewing child pornography on a library computer,” noted the release.
According to the law group, Biesterfeld was praised for her work:
“Brenda, you are steadily increasing your skills in the domain of Public Service duties. You greet all customers in a friendly manner. The customers of Lindsay Branch enjoy your friendliness in the Branch. You spend time with each customer assisting them on the HIP computers placing HOLDS and locating materials. […] You are consistent while assisting customers with library policies, directional inquiries, assisting with public computers and assisting customers locate books in the Branch.
“Brenda, continue to assist all customers coming into the Lindsay Branch in a fair and friendly manner. You have demonstrated the willingness to learn the Branch procedures and have accepted verbal directions.”
The law group also claims that Hill questioned police and their motive in confiscating the library computer, but Lindsay Police Chief Ramon Figueroa said Hill backed off when it was explained that viewing child pornography was a federal offense.
“At first she was upset and irate that we confiscated the computer,” said Figueroa, adding that his department has completed its investigation and turned the matter over to the district attorney's office. He said Hill also asked who had called police.
At the suspect's home, Figueroa said police confiscated what they believe to be images of child pornography. He said he did not think they confiscated the man's computer.
He also said that Chrisler is suspected of viewing his own emails that contained child pornography while at the library, not Web sites that show child pornography.
“He was viewing his own e-mails and his e-mail address. That's one way of getting around the firewalls,” said Figueroa. The firewalls are put in place to keep people from accessing pornography and undesirable Web sites from the library computer.
The county is still waiting for Biesterfeld to grant permission for it to release her personal file. To date, there has been nothing to indicate the county and Biesterfeld's attorneys are negotiating a settlement.
The case and firing have received worldwide attention. It has been featured on national talk shows, on numerous Web sites and most major media in California.
Mobile Food Vendor Licensing Topic of Meeting
Tulare County - Mobile food vendors in Tulare County will get a chance to air their concerns during a 9 a.m. meeting Wednesday, April 9, in the Board of Supervisors' Chambers, 2800 W. Burrel Ave. in Visalia.
The vendors will be able to discuss how proposed business license requirements and new guidelines regarding their operational practices within the unincorporated areas of the county will impact affected business.
County staff wants to solicit input from operators before implementing new business license requirements and ordinance changes, said Eric Coyne, county spokesman, in a press release.
Spanish language translation will be provided during the meeting.
The county is considering establishing business license requirements for several types of businesses in order to better enforce health and safety codes and consumer protections. In particular, the county is developing a new license requirement and is considering changes in how mobile food vendors and itinerant vendors operate in unincorporated areas of the county.
Currently, all mobile food vendors and restaurants
are required to have valid annual health inspection certificates.
Before they can obtain the necessary building permits to construct
a restaurant, operators have to go through a special use permit
process, which helps address issues surrounding business locations
and zoning requirements, building codes, traffic and parking concerns
and hours of operation. Mobile food vendors do not have to apply
for special use permits, because they are intended to remain “mobile,”
said Coyne.
The county wants to modify the operating practices of mobile food vendors and itinerant hawkers/peddlers in order to ensure the businesses remain “mobile” and do not create unintentional safety hazards due to a lack of restrooms, formal parking and trash disposal services and instances of trespassing.
Proposed conditions of operation for Mobile Food
Vendors include:
· Adherence to zoning laws
· Written permission when operating on private property
(prevents trespassing)
· Restrictions against selling food within 1,000 feet of
a licensed restaurant or business that sells food for on-site
consumption
· Time limits on operations in one location (keeps mobile
food vendors “mobile”)
· Restricts business equipment left in plain view, such
as chairs, tables and awnings
· Requires trash receptacles for consumer use and removal
of refuse prior to leaving location
· Limits on overall hours of operation (the county seeks
consistency with city regulations, helps address noise and traffic
complaints)
The proposed business license fee for traditional restaurants is $50, which will be used to ensure zoning and building codes are being met. The proposed business license fee for mobile food vendors or itinerant hawkers/vendors is $100 per vehicle. These fees would be used to offset the cost of code enforcement inspections to ensure compliance with any adopted new operating regulations. The board has not yet adopted the new fees.
This week Tulare County Supervisors:
· Proclaimed April 7-13 as Promoting Public Health Week
and heard an update from county health officials on the status
of county health, especially since last year's closing of county
clinics in Porterville and Dinuba.
· Health and Human Services Director Ray Bullock said the transition of patients in those areas has, for the most part, gone smoothly. The board heard reports on current health issues, including active TB cases and meningitis, sexually transmitted diseases and other programs including upgraded methods of tracking and studying early death rates. Also mentioned were programs to combat obesity, tobacco use and other health related issues.
· Continued to an unspecified date the public hearing on a tentative subdivision map for a subdivision on Globe Drive in Springville after directing staff to conduct further environmental issues including wastewater, drainage and other concerns after new information was received by staff.
Rail Abandonment Protest Filed, Another to Follow
San Joaquin Valley - Claiming that San Joaquin Valley Railroad's application to abandon 30.57 miles of line between Strathmore and Jovista contains incomplete and inaccurate information and ignores economic and environmental impacts, Tulare County officials have filed their official opposition documents.
The Tulare County Economic Development Corp. and the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) submitted a 34-page document to the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C. Another protest to a secondary SJVR abandonment plan, a nearly nine-mile segment linking Exeter to Strathmore, was to be filed later this week. The commission plans to make a ruling in early June.
In urging the agency to reject the SJVR abandonment plan, the document claims the rail firm ignores the fact that Tulare County “suffers from some of the worst air quality, highest unemployment and greatest poverty in the State of California.”
Reduced rail service, the document states, would force even more reliance on trucking, resulting in more pollutants, more highway and roadway damage, congestion and other issues.
The second SJVR abandonment proposal basically will list the same general issues as the protest to the 30.57-mile abandonment plan, according to Paul Saldana, EDC executive director.
Saldana and others, especially Tulare County Supervisor Allen Ishida, claim the SJVC is seeking abandonment in a piecemeal approach to lessen opposition.
The protest document is openly critical of financial issues raised by the SJVR abandonment petition. The company's imposition, rescinding and re-imposition of the $950-per-railcar surcharge is targeted in the county's official protest.
Noting that SJVR “wholly neglected” the impact of the $950 surcharge, the protest document states, “the re-imposition of this prohibitively expensive service effectively ended interest in rail shortly after adoption in April 2006, the last car shipping in October of that year and allowing connecting track north of the line to then be stacked with 200 stored boxcars. This on and off again, prohibitively expensive railroad use depressing freight rate, combined with the uncertainly of continued service has prevented any commitment to rail or investment in rail sidings.”
The EDC, TCAG and county officials say having a viable rail system is crucial to furthering economic growth and that any reduction would cripple efforts for industrial and job expansion.
Included in the protest are a number of letters from cities, the county and several businesses, including Sierra Forest Products, Britz Fertilizers and Tuff Stuff Products.
In its letter, Tuff Stuff Products, a firm manufacturing plastic pellets, cites plans to use rail service. If it could get reliable rail service, a letter from Max Lee, general manager, states the company could use between 10 and 20 carloads per month. “Although we are not currently using the rail ... it is in our intermediate plan to incorporate the rail service in our logistics. I cannot stress enough the importance of a competitive rail service to keep us competitive in the global market.”
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
April 2, 2008
