By Rick Elkins
Visalia - When it comes to technology, Visalia police are well-armed.
From bait cars that are designed to attract car thieves, to video cameras mounted in certain areas of the city, local police are equipped to fight crime on many fronts.
Capt. Rick Haskill and Sgt. Steve Scofield both agree that technology has come a long way for law enforcement and that it is a continuing expanding field. A few years ago, the department formed a technology committee that has served as a clearing house for new technology.
“The whole idea is to see if it's something we can share. Number two is to determine if it is compatible with what we already have,” said Haskill, who is division commander for support services.
Most fascinating are the three bait cars the department is now utilizing.
“We can park them anyplace we want. It (vehicle) will alert us by voice mail or text if the door is opened or the car is moved,” said Scofield, who oversees the auto theft, property crimes and financial crimes unit.
The three vehicles are provided the department by the National Crime Insurance Bureau. “Basically, we pay a dollar for them. When we're done with it we give it back to them,” said Scofield.
He said the department will only use a vehicle for a while, and then switch to another vehicle. They try to put out vehicles that are popular with thieves and they park them in areas that thieves are known to work.
Once the bait has been taken, police are able to track the movement of the vehicle. Unknown to the thieves, they are being videotaped and audio-recorded as they drive. Once officers are in place, police can remotely disable the vehicle's motor, lock the doors and flash the lights so officers can clearly identify the vehicle. Then, officers immediately swoop in and make their arrests.
“The whole idea is to be able to coordinate police response. We don't want to disable it in a bad place,” he said, like near a school.
While police can only record the video and audio inside
the car, they are working on software that will allow them to see
“real-time” what is going on inside the vehicle.
The cars and new software were put in place in December and already
one arrest has been made.
“Since the arrest in our bait car, our auto thefts have gone down considerably,” said Scofield. He said that on the first time, the system worked “really, really well.”
Police Chief Bob Carden recently told the city council
that while vehicle thefts dropped last year – 761 from 1,281
the year before – the number is still too high.
There are many other technologies that assist police, some new and
some that have been around for a while.
One of the “tried and true” tools, said Haskill, is the Verda system, which is not much more than an old motion detector. However, it is tied to the police dispatch and can be placed inside buildings that have been hit by thieves frequently. Once tripped, police are automatically dispatched to the scene.
“I can't tell you have many people have been arrested from this,” said Scofield as he demonstrated it.
Some of the newest tools are mounted cameras. Police have four still pole cams and two video cameras that can be positioned around the city.
The digital still cameras can be activated by motion or by officers and can take up to 1,400 images that are recorded. The video cameras can be activated the same way and provide police a live feed. They also come with a feature that allows audio to go out, such as “Police” to stop the criminal activity.
Scofield said the video cameras can zoom, pan or tilt and can be monitored from any computer, including those in all patrol cars. That would allow an officer to see what is occurring at a scene as he is en route.
Officers also have access to infrared cameras to help detect subjects hiding or cameras mounted on poles to see around corners or into attics. Both greatly enhance officer safety,” said Haskill.
He said while all the technology helps, the best is still the citizen who notices suspicious activity and calls police, as well as citizens that work together to prevent crime. And, he stressed, technology does not replace the officer who must respond to a call.
Technology Enhancing Police Work
By Rick Elkins
Tulare County - To catch a thief is a little
more sophisticated than it used to be.
New technology, from computers in police vehicles to Global Positioning
Satellite systems to track movement of gang members, today's police
work utilizes many tools unavailable just a few years ago.
“Everyday there's something new,” said Bill Yoshimoto,
Tulare County assistant district attorney. “The real challenge
in law enforcement is being able to use it to fit our needs. For most
(technology), it was not intended for law enforcement.”
Yoshimoto, who heads up the county's Agriculture Crime Technology
Information and Operations Network (ACTION), said there are a lot
of possibilities out there for application. Still, computers, GPS
tracking systems and more have made the job of law enforcement a little
more effective.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, the state is using a GPS
system to track the movement of gang members and that helped police
there by identifying a gang member at the scene and time of a fatal
shooting.
The Times article said that the state has placed the monitoring bracelets
on 20 gang members as a condition of their parole from prison. Similar
devices are used on convicted sex offenders and the county has used
home monitoring bracelets for people sentenced to home confinement.
Yoshimoto said the system is evolving to be more sophisticated all
the time.
“GPS tracking is so readily available and easy to track. In
real time you can monitor the whereabouts and travel of that particular
individual who's wearing the monitor,” he said. The older system
used a homing device that could only notify law enforcement if the
person had wandered too far away from their home, but not where they
went. The new systems allow police to locate the subject via GPS.
“This is the evolving technology field. Today's systems allow
you to very quickly monitor that individual and put that on a map.”
There are also advances in technology that assist police and property
owners in preventing crimes. One is the OnStar system included in
GM vehicles, and similar GPS systems. Visalia Police credited such
systems as an aide in reducing vehicle thefts and recovering stolen
vehicles. However, Yoshimoto said those systems can be disabled, so
they are not foolproof.
Cell phones are another aid. Not only can people quickly report a
crime or suspicious activity, they can take a picture for police.
Cell phones can also be tracked using GPS, and they have been invaluable
in numerous lost person cases.
Video surveillance is also an evolving technology that police and
property owners can use. The Fresno Police Department recently released
film of a shooting captured by one of that city's 50 cameras that
have been placed in high crime areas.
Yoshimoto said those cameras are effective for property owners to
deter crime and that everyday there seems to be better cameras available.
“Preventing crime from happening is so much more effective than
investigating a crime after the fact,” said Yoshimoto. There
is technology available to 'harden your target' – making it
more difficult for a thief, he said, adding surveillance cameras and
detection equipment are most effect. However, like any crime deterrent,
“there always people willing to work around technology to break
the law.”
Still Takes a Person
On the ag crime front, he said they can use GPS to
pinpoint hot spots for where crime is occurring. “If there is
a clustering in one area, say Woodlake, we can use GPS coordinates
to map that. Then we focus our surveillance on that area, maybe even
pinpoint a suspect in the area,” he said.
Even with all the technology, old fashioned police work and community
involvement are still the keys to reducing crime.
“It still takes work. It is always going to be people getting
involved, analyzing data and making decisions. All technology does
is gives us usable information. We still have to gather evidence,
analysis it and identify suspects,” he said.
And, by far, real life is nothing like what people see on the many
television shows. “I just wish real life was as capable as TV,”
he added.
Another factor is getting technology accepted in the courtroom. Yoshimoto
admitted that the courts are slow to catch up to the tools law enforcement
has, but that too is improving.
As for the future, he said software that will allow police to do face
recognition is becoming more available. That could allow police to
use an image captured on camera, run it through a data base and come
up with a name of a suspect.
The fingerprint data base is growing and there are better ways to
capture fingerprints at a crime scene and the state's crime labs have
more sophisticated tools that are available to local law enforcement.
The best tool, and an old tool, is the community deciding to no longer
tolerate crime.
“Our tools are getting more sophisticated, but they're still
tools. Best prevention is our community. When we have a community
that rises up and says it isn't going to tolerate it anymore, that's
the best tool to prevent crime.”
Southern California Water Woes
Could Drive Warehousing Here
San Joaquin Valley - One of the fastest growing
warehousing areas of California – the Inland Empire –
could see its growth throttled, now that the state is suffering under
both long term drought and uncertainty over deliveries of water from
northern California to southern California.
In a sign their woes are mounting, large scale developments have been
told by the Eastern Municipal Water District they may not be able
to move forward on plans because the water agency questions whether
it will be able to certify that the long term water supply is available
for their projects.
A planned distribution center to be built by the big shoe company
Sketchers USA is now on hold as the water agency says state law forces
them to assess the needs of large projects over a 20-year period to
determine if the supply is there. Increasingly, the agencies are having
trouble making that a finding.
Like all the water districts in the Metropolitan Water District Group,
this area has suffered under its own drought and an eight-year drought
along the Colorado River that historically supplies this region as
well.
Now a new state water supply assessment puts an exclamation point
on the water crisis. “This water crisis is real,” says
Tim Quinn, general manager of the Association of California Water
Agencies (ACWA).
“It's not just farmers in the Valley and home builders in L.A.
that are affected by the water shortage – it's our entire economy.”
State Water Project
The Department of Water Resources on January 22 released
the Draft State Water Project Delivery Reliability Report 2007. This
report updates DWR's estimate of its ability to maintain current (2007)
and future (2027) State Water Project (SWP) delivery reliability.
The report, issued every two years, also identifies factors that may
impact water availability and changes that can be made to improve
future water supply reliability.
The report concludes that continued declines in water supply reliability
are likely if water delivery through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta remains unchanged. Additional factors that could inhibit water
delivery include Delta pumping restrictions to help protect threatened
and endangered species and the near-term effects of climate change.
The report shows that future SWP deliveries will be impacted by two
significant factors. The first is climate change, which is altering
hydrologic conditions in the state. The second is significant restrictions
on SWP and Central Valley Project (CVP) pumping in accordance with
December 2007 federal court imposed interim rules to protect delta
smelt.
It shows a continued eroding of SWP water delivery reliability under
the current method of moving water through the Delta.
The analysis shows that annual SWP deliveries would decrease virtually
every year in the future (93% of future years). These reductions would
amount to a 20% reduction from current levels about one-fourth of
the time, and greater than 30% in one-sixth of future years.
The report discusses areas of significant uncertainty to SWP delivery
reliability:
• The recent and significant decline in pelagic organisms in
the Delta (open-water fish such as delta smelt and striped bass);
• Climate change and sea level rise; and
• The vulnerability of Delta levees' to failure due to floods
and earthquakes.
Timothy F. Brick, chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California, said, “This sobering
assessment of the state's water situation serves as a reminder that,
despite the recent rains, the problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta remain unresolved. Metropolitan believes that steps can be taken
to provide reliability and restore the Delta and looks forward to
working with the state. We face a new reality in Southern California
that will require conservation each and every year in order to keep
our supplies and demands in balance.”
Impact Now Being Felt
While Eastern Municipal Water District has routinely
approved such industrial projects in the past, a court ordered shutdown
of water from the Delta south of perhaps 30% of the supply has put
a kink in plans to supply both the needs of warehousing and new planned
subdivisions in the Inland Empire area.
At a water conference in recent days, Southern California water officials,
including the big Metropolitan Water District, are urging more conservation
efforts as the state can't seem to come up with a unified plan for
a water bond.
“We can't move the water through the Delta,” says ACWA
(Association of California Water Agencies) General Manager Tim Quinn,
who notes “wet weather won't make the difference long term anymore.”
Eastern Metropolitan is postponing nine industrial and residential
projects, the big ones are Western Realco's 1.6-million-square-foot
distribution center and the Rados Companies 1.1-million-square-foot
distribution center. Although there are six huge warehousing projects,
mostly in the Moreno Valley, in limbo while the agency studies if
it can justify a “will serve” letter.
The area faces both a declining water supply and predictions of exponential
growth. The Moreno Valley now has a population of 660,000 but is projected
to grow to 1.5 million.
Already, the Inland Empire is the home to some of the nation's largest
distribution facilities that include Toyota, APL Logistics, Whirlpool
Corp. and others.
Large distribution centers looking to serve the southland like to
locate on the outskirts of the metro area, the fastest growing of
those areas has been the Inland Empire. But Kern, Kings and Tulare
County have enjoyed some of that business as well. Inland warehousing
is highly dependent on L.A. area port activity that declined for the
first time in 2007 after years of rising. Fully 80% of the state's
imports flow through the two L.A. area ports.
Hoping to take advantage of the spillover effect from the L.A. area
are developers like the Allen Group which have large industrial parks
with room to grow in Shafter and Visalia – all along busy shipping
lanes. Tejon Ranch at the base of the Grapevine, and other nearby
industrial areas, could benefit as well.
A double tracking of the rail line over the Tehachapis in the next
few years could boost chances the Central Valley gets to be acknowledged
as an “inland port” in the future as well. Increasingly
logistic planners want to put truckloads on rail to move to and from
distribution centers based on not just efficiency and cost, but air
pollution.
By Rick Elkins
Porterville - Efforts to bring a resort/casino
to the Porterville Municipal Airport got a big boost when the Tule
River Tribe and the City of Porterville approved a Memorandum of Understanding.
The MOU, said officials, creates the framework for a larger agreement
between the two entities and defines the area near the airport where
the development will be located. The agreement could lead to a joint
powers agency – Porterville Area Development Association (PAADA)
– to oversee the development.
The MOU basically states the city and tribe will work together towards
the development of the tribe's property and that the city supports
the development of a hotel resort and casino.
“This is pretty significant for a tribal government and a city
government to do this,” said Rodney Martin, tribal administrator.
He said the two entities are looking at the “highest and best
use for the property.”
The property in question is 40 acres on the west end of the airport.
The tribe has a land trust application before the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, which will be amended for gaming and resort use, a key move
before any development can take place.
Porterville City Manager John Longley is excited about the plan and
the agreement.
“This is one more step down the line. It defines the framework
under which it (property) will be developed,” he said.
Mayor Cam Hamilton was also pleased, but he was bothered that the
plans for an 18-hole golf course at the site are on hold. “My
original plan was to build a golf course. If they can bring a casino,
it is exciting and disturbing at the same time. It will bring jobs
and it will bring traffic,” he said.
He said the establishment of the joint powers authority will move
the project forward. “It's got to be a win-win. This is a way
to get the city involved in the project,” he said.
All parties agree the cooperation between the tribe and city is unprecedented.
“It has been fortunate with our tribe in that they have tried
to do what's right for the community,” said Hamilton. “Working
with the city staff, city administration – they've been great
throughout this process,” said Martin, adding that he has been
working with tribes for 30 years and this is the best cooperation
he has seen.
The 40 acres are at the west end of the airport and south of the sports
complex the city has located there. The city is in the process of
completing work on providing water to the entire airport area, a move
Longley said would open up development there.
Martin said no decision has been made as to building a resort/casino
at the site, but the tribe has indicated for many years that it wanted
to relocate its casino that is now about 20 miles east of Porterville
on the reservation.
“We've got a ways to go. We want to work with our neighbors
and we've done that extremely well,” said Martin, adding that
he expects the tribe to be making “a significant announcement”
in the very near future.
There are critics to the proposal.
They point to several objections to the idea suggesting the existing
casino attracts a large contingency of people who can ill afford to
spend their week's pay on gambling. Further, they argue, that the
city would be better advised to set its sights on attracting new industry
to the area, including to the airport where the Tule Indians already
have an industrial park. Lastly, they suggest this casino effort will
take years and perhaps not succeed because the land they want to put
into trust is not adjacent to the reservation.
On the other hand, there are good reasons to bring the casino out
of the foothills to the Valley floor. Obviously the key reason will
be to attract lots more business where it's easier to get to. And
now the city can share in the benefit.
The golf course could reportedly help the city with its waste water
disposal problem. The city has been under a cease and desist order
for years by the regional water board.
The next step, after the announcement, he said, would be for expected
passage of a bill by Assemblyman Bill Maze that will pave the way
for the joint powers agreement and then finalizing the placement of
the property in the reservation trust.
Longley said the ultimate goal is a resort with gaming. He said work
is being done to finalize the city's general plan, then a master plan
for the airport and environmental documents. He said much of that
work should be completed this year.
“Estimations are it will move along fairly quickly. I got the
feeling from tribal leaders that they want it to move along very quickly,”
said Longley.
Too Many Restaurants?
Visalia - It's a familiar trend – well-known
mom-and-pop restaurants are gone while the number of new national
chain eateries is up in Visalia. While this has meant more choice
for all of us, the crush of new competition has been tough on locals,
agree many in the business.
Still ever more exciting eateries continue to arrive, including a
new Elephant Bar slated later this year in front of the Visalia Mall.
Add that to recent arrivals in most food categories – steak,
Tahoe Joe's; casual, Chili's; and Italian, Olive Garden – have
all taken a toll.
Consider the loss of decades-old Gina's Restaurant in recent months
and the auction slated in a week for landmark Mearle's Drive-In that
has been part of Visalia for 60-plus years.
“The mom-and-pops have definitely paid their dues,” says
former Visalia Mayor Basil Perch, who says the food is better anyway
at the longtime favorites. “The supply of restaurants is so
big, nobody makes money,” worries Perch.
Indeed, the growth in food establishments in Visalia is clear. The
county Department of Health estimates we have some 30% more food establishments
that they inspect regularly, compared to 10 years ago. “We currently
show 483 food-related businesses in Visalia,” says Larry Dowskin,
director of the environmental health department of the county. Larry
estimates that the inventory of establishments has increased about
20% since 2000 when we had 386 facilities, showing a climb of about
100 outlets in the past few years.
But the actual number of restaurants may be smaller. “I count
278 in town,” says Depot General Manager Mondo Apodaca.
Helping to boost the number of eateries here in the past decade is
the trend to build multiple locations of a brand restaurant as exemplified
by Starbucks or McDonalds business plans that call for as many as
six to nine sites in blanketing a city of 100,000. Others have two
or three locations instead of just one – helping to build the
numbers up.
“All those new restaurants definitely had an effect on our business,”
says Pina Fujihara, sister of to Gina D'Ambrosio and daughter of Josephine
– Mama Di' Gina, whose recipes and presence at the traditional
Italian eatery brought visitors to the off-Mooney location for decades.
“Mama really misses her customers,” says Pina, who is
now in charge of trying to sell the boarded up Gina's Restaurant property
on Sunnyside. “Mama wanted to pass the business down to her
children,” but the death of son Michael D'Ambrosio was the last
straw, she says, in a spiraling down of the business. Michael, who
had a string of restaurants of his own in Visalia, died last September.
“We are all still trying to get over that loss,” says
Pina.
About a year ago, she says, there was a plan to sell the Gina's Restaurant
to a Bay Area buyer, but the deal was never consummated. Then they
decided to remodel the old house in 2007 to upgrade to meet all that
competition and comply with handicap regulations. But then Michael
died and now the building remains half torn up and boarded up, looking
nothing like the lively place it was for decades.
Between Mearle's and Mama Gina's, these landmarks are a sad shadow
of their former selves.
Pina says Gina's is for sale for $399,000 and the liquor license is
still available.
The family arrived more than 30 years ago in Visalia when Pina's father,
Errico D'Ambrosio, came to the area from the Campania district of
Italy, south of Rome. Pina's uncle Carmen Cristallo opened Cristallo's
with Michael on 198 and Chinowth, now an office complex. The Cristallo
family still owns Rosa's downtown.
Others agree it's tough right now. A familiar family-owned drive-in
chain in the area says recent months “have been the toughest
we've seen in more than a decade in the business.”
Visalia Restaurant Association Vice President Mondo Apodaca of the
Depot Restaurant says he hears the complaints about a number of new
restaurants all over town. “Several of our members want us to
do something about it.” But Apodaca says candidly, “I
believe in free enterprise and in the end the lesson here is how to
survive.”
Still Apodaca says the issue is a complicated one. “Every time
they open a new strip mall, the developer wants to anchor it with
a new chain restaurant.” In addition, the city sometimes promotes
the area to new chain restaurants.
Restaurant hunger goes back a long time in town – when city
officials were asked “when are we going to get a Marie Callendar's?”
“I always try to eat at the independents. That's where there
is the best food,” declares Mondo.
Hard Times
Apodaca says there is no doubt “that the recession
is here. We felt it start last July.” The Depot's general manager
says in the Visalia area “there are only so many people in the
area that go out to dinner and when you divide that number up there
isn't enough patronage to go around.”
“Everybody's suffering now,” including restaurants left
in the former Costco shopping center now vacant, but also in Main
Street eateries as well.
“Look what happened to Cask and Cleaver – that place used
to be packed and now it's vacant.”
Apodaca says by his count, there are 278 restaurants that have licenses
as eating establishments. He says some years ago, he saw statistics
Visalia had more restaurants per capita than any other city.
A national slowdown in restaurant business is taking its toll across
the nation as soft customer traffic and decline in same store sales
is creating a bleak outlook according to the National Restaurant Association.
The closely watched index is now at its lowest levels since February
2003 and down now four months in a row.
City of Dinuba in Escrow to
Buy Strand Theatre Building
By Steve Pastis
Dinuba - The City of Dinuba is in escrow to
purchase the Strand Theatre building at 182 North L Street in Dinuba.
The city is considering the possibility of building a new city hall
at that location.
The property went into a 45-day escrow on Saturday, Feb 2. The City
of Dinuba's offer of a reported $180,000 for the property was accepted
and on Feb. 4 the city presented a $5,000 check as a down payment,
according to City Manager Ed Todd.
The deal is a result of negotiations between Todd and Janis McCord,
realtor associate with Guarantee Real Estate, who represents Ty Kharazi,
a Fresno attorney, the listed owner of the property.
Both Todd and McCord were clear that the purchase needs to come before
the Dinuba City Council, whose next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 12.
“We made an offer that they accepted, but it has not been approved
by the city council,” Todd said. “It's a conditional offer
– conditional upon council approval.”
If the sale is finalized, the city will have to decide whether the
historic old theater can be saved. A study done by the city during
earlier negotiations concluded that if the city bought the property,
the building should be torn down.
“From a purely lay person's point of view, that seems to be
the most cost-effective alternative,” Todd said, but added that
if the sale is completed, the city would probably do another study.
The condition of the building was the main stumbling block to an earlier
deal. The owners were offering a prestigious historic building, but
because of its current condition, the city would have preferred to
buy an empty lot at that location.
The deal appeared to be all but dead when negotiations stalled last
year and McCord pursued other options for her clients.
“A lot of people were interested, but they didn't seem to make
the grade,” she said. “Most didn't have the money to do
it.”
The Strand Theatre, which seated 1,200, opened on February 3, 1923.
It was part of a chain of theaters headquartered in San Francisco.
Ernest J. Kump, Sr. of Fresno designed the building and M. Fisher
was the contractor. Jefferson Archer, owner of the Strand Theatre
Company, reportedly spent $150,000 on this theater.
The theater changed hands a few times, and even changed its name to
the State for awhile. It suffered through a fire and one of its owners
sold every theater fixture of value. The theater is the current home
of hundreds of pigeons.
While the building's days may be numbered, the property's best days
may be ahead. The city is looking to move its city hall and the Strand
site offers a prime location on North L Street, across from the prestigious
Dinuba Vocational Center. The city has been looking in that area for
years for a location to move its offices.
“There's a long way between this point and beginning construction
on the city hall, but at least we have a site secured,” Todd
said. “Even if we do nothing with it, we will probably keep
it up in a fashion that is good for the downtown. It will look as
good as possible under the conditions.”
Further Study of Visalia Station
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - After three years of trying to get someone's attention, a coalition of cities led by Visalia has received preliminary approval for a station stop on any future high speed rail through the Central Valley.
This week, the High Speed Rail Authority board is expected to approve a staff plan to include four alternative station stops on two rail alignments near Visalia to be included in the state Environmental Impact Report process that will begin next year.
The board meets after this paper goes to press, but
the report offers this: “Staff recommends the scope of the project-level
environmental review for the Fresno to Bakersfield segment to include
a potential station located in the vicinity of Visalia.”
“This is some good news,” says City Administrator Carol
Cairns. “It just didn't make sense that a future high speed
rail train would not stop here with all the growth expected in this
part of the Central Valley.”
Previously to this, the authority had no plan for a rail stop along the statewide route that would connect San Diego and L.A. with the Bay Area. Instead, rail stops were planned in Bakersfield and Fresno with the train route running on the Westside of the Valley through Corcoran and Hanford.
With this new plan, the alignment could change to Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Fresno or some combination (see map) with at least some of the trains coming through the Valley stopping at a Visalia station.
At the urging of the Visalia group, a consultant over the past year narrowed a list of 13 possible stations to eight and now four. In the end, one will be selected now through the final EIR process in 2009.
The report offers possible station locations between Tulare and Visalia, one near the Visalia Airport and a third near Goshen. Alternatively, the rail could go along the BNSF line between Hanford and Highway 99, close to Highway 43 with a stop outside Hanford.
Cairns and a coalition of representatives from cities in the Central Valley traveled to Sacramento this week to support the station stop that raises the probability that one will be selected once a preferred alignment has been picked.
Cairns says that the rail line will be needed “to move both people and goods in and out of this fast growing region. We need this for the future and for our economy.” Between Kings and Tulare counties, it's likely the region will have better than a million people living here by 2020 when a rail line could start up.
To come up with alternative station locations, the consultants in their August 2007 study suggested a series of rail links between the BNSF and the UP lines that would enable the train to travel from Bakersfield to Fresno on a route that could link to one of the four selected station sites – three of them on the Highway 99 alignment. The consultant study compared and contrasted each alternative – each connecting Bakersfield to Fresno in a 30-minute time. But they said the alternatives that would run on the Highway 99 route through Selma/Fowler would cost more since they would link the line to cut noise.
A comparison of the advantages point toward the likelihood
they might pick an east Hanford location – closest to their
original preferred route but a station stop that would be furthest
from the large population centers of the eastside of the Valley.
Still, locals are glad we ended up on the radar screen and will leave
the exact station location debate for another day.
To demonstrate a united front, the coalition of cities is backing other Valley Councils of Governments' efforts to support the Altamont pass route into the Bay Area, says Tulare City Council Member Rich Ortega. The authority recently selected Pacheco Pass as the preferred route into the Bay Area. But this week, the board is considering a study to link the north Valley to the Bay Area – a move supported by the south Valley cities as well. Increasingly, Valley cities are joining forces with others to try to increase our clout in these big political decisions.
In other board action this week, the authority will take up a plan to see if it's feasible to run the proposed train on electricity made with zero greenhouse gases. In addition, the board will hear plans to build transit-oriented development near stations sites.
What's New
Looks like the developer buying the former Costco site in Visalia is moving forward – but not with a plan to bring the big Cabela sporting goods chain to Visalia, say reliable sources. Instead, Foursquare Properties is scouting for several tenants to bring in to the big vacant space.
Lindsay Foods, the old Lindsay Olive plant, has been purchased by a new company – Tulare Frozen Foods. The transaction happened Jan. 9, says general manager of the new company, Jim Fikkert. That company is owned by Capstone Trade Partners, says Fikkert. The company will continue to process and sell frozen vegetables including spinach and broccoli. The acquisition comes after the death of founder Mort Console last September. The new entity plans to expand, says Fikkert, employing over 100 in Lindsay right now. “We want to be a strong player in the area,” says Fikkert, helping to encourage more local production of vegetables to process at the plant.
Hanford-based Global Food Technologies held a seminar last week touting the expansion of the company's world business and its new plant at the former Pirelli Tire facility in Hanford. The company says it has a patented process that kills bacteria that cause food-born illness. It is working on in-plant systems at locations around the world to process seafood ensuring its safety. This week, it announced a deal to install such a system in Hainan Province in China. The U.S. already imports 85% of its seafood and some 25% from China. A new facility to build the systems will be installed at the Hanford plant site.
Fresno Pacific University will break ground by March 1 on its new 11.5-acre campus on Plaza Dr. That's the goal of the construction team making the project through the Mangano Co. Mangano is still trying to get approval for the rest of the business park it plans there at Neely and Crowley.
Porterville City Manager John Longley had his contract extended to Jan. 13, 2009 when he intends to retire. Longley said the council extended his contract that was set to expire in June. “My expectation is – contract is clear – the date on the contract extends to Jan. 13, 2009 when the manager will retire,” said Longley. He said it is time to retire and try something new. Longley has been Porterville's city manager since early 2002.
This past week's storm brought snowpack on top of the Kaweah near April 1 average. At Farewell Gap, at 9,500 feet, the water content measured by the state was at 33.5 inches (Feb. 4) compared to an April 1 average of 35.8 inches. Snowpack at Farewell Gap more than doubled in the past month. Valley precipitation is ahead of normal for this time of year as well.
City of Visalia has convinced TCAG to up four major interchange projects in town to high priority in the next few years. Those four, Santa Fe, Ben Maddox, Lovers Lane and Shirk, would move up in funding as Caldwell and Houston widening between McAuliff and Road 152 are moved to later years. The project would be funded by Measure R.
City of Visalia will construct 2.4 miles of trail along the old Santa Fe rail alignment from Tulare Ave. to Ave. 272 funded by about $1 million in Measure R funds and a grant. The project will be built over the next few years to include a bike path and several bridges heading south of town toward Mooney Grove – eventually connecting to the City of Tulare.
Visalia builder Andy Mangano says he expects the number of permits will slow to about 500 this year. That would be down from 860 last year and about 1,400 the two years before that. In January, the city recorded 54 single family permits. “I think we are seeing recovery but not a quick one,” says Mangano, noting that interest rates are falling to the 5% level right now and the stimulus package has in it changes that will make it cheaper to get loans on higher-valued properties at a cheaper rate by rising the FHA limit on jumbo loans.
While permits for new home building in Visalia were down in January from a year ago, permits for commercial construction improved. The city issued 54 permits for homes last month, down 36 from January of '07. There were no permits issued for construction of apartments. Last January, there were three such permits for 12 units. Commercial construction saw 15 permits pulled, for a total valuation of $15.5 million, both numbers up over the same month last year. A permit for the new Target Store on North Dinuba Boulevard was the big item. There were permits pulled for seven retail shell buildings at the Orchard Walk Shopping Center located on W. Riggin Ave and N. Dinuba Blvd. and a remodel and addition for Christ Lutheran Church at 3830 W. Tulare Ave. Total valuation for the month was slightly better than last January – $29.2 million compared to $28.7 million.
Lemoore - Lemoore Mayor Ed Martin is a man of his word, and a man who leads by example. Martin has solar panels on his home in the Kings County community, and now he has led the effort for the city to embark on a multi-million solar power initiative.
Last month, the Lemoore City Council approved a $3.9 million contract with Chevron Energy Solutions for several projects throughout the city, including the installation of solar panels on the city's corporation yard and on a new shade structure at the city police department.
“I've always kind of been an environmentalist. I thought it was time to voice my opinion and thought it was a chance to send a signal to other cities in the Valley,” said Martin.
The main projects are the solar panels at the Municipal Complex (corporation yard) and at the police facility, but the city is also planning on installing a weather-based irrigation system in city parks, replacing air conditioner/heating units at city hall, council chambers and the municipal complex, installing skylights at the municipal complex, SolarBee powered circulators at the wastewater treatment plant and new lighting in numerous city buildings.
“It's a very significant project,” said Lemoore City Manager Jeff Briltz. He said Lemoore is one of the first small cities in the state to so extensively utilize solar power.
Martin said the cost is slightly misleading in that the municipal complex roof was going to need to be redone. That cost is estimated at $1.6 million of the total. Placing solar panels on about 25 percent of that roof at the 150,000-square-foot municipal complex will cost another $866,000.
While the shade structure at the police department will run $121,000, adding the solar panels will add another $383,000 to the project. The structure will be similar to what Fresno State University just installed near the Save Mart Center.
Briltz said the 20-stall shade structure will provide about 80 percent of the police department's energy needs, as will the solar panels on the municipal complex.
The solar powered circulators will cut energy use at the wastewater treatment plan. “It's very efficient. Should have a good payback,” said Briltz.
The weather-based irrigation system for city parks will automatically monitor air moisture and adjust watering accordingly, said Briltz. “It is estimated to save us a million gallons of water a year,” he added.
It should take about 10 months to complete all the projects.
The city expects to save about $230,000 a year in energy costs, meaning the system should pay for itself within 14 years. In addition, the city will be in line for $400,000 in energy rebates.
But, it is clear the project is more than just saving on energy costs.
“I think we all need to do it. I think all cities should be involved,” said Martin, adding the city even offers homeowners an incentive program to install solar panels on their homes.
Visalia - Pacific Stihl, a division of the German-owned chainsaw company, plans an expansion on its 9.7-acre site in Visalia near Highway 99. Plant manager Dan Skinner says “our business has tripled since we arrived here 10 years ago.” Skinner says they are looking to make a final decision on expanding next to their current site where they have room to build.
“We are looking at a new 60,000 to 70,000-square-foot office warehouse.” The 30,000-square-foot Visalia plant is the West Coast headquarters for marketing, distribution and sales for the privately held firm. Stihl has been in business for some 80 years.
Stihl sells a variety of hand-held outdoor power products, including chainsaws, leaf blowers, weed-whackers and nut shakers used on farms. “We're proud to say we've got a greener and cleaner line of outdoor power equipment of anyone.”
Stihl employs 33 at their Visalia facility and will add a handful more when the new facility is built, likely within 18 to 24 months, he says.
The family still runs the worldwide firm with corporate headquarters in the U.S. in Virginia Beach, Virginia where many of their products are made.
Tulare - Using the new attendee electronic registration, more than 30,000 people have already pre-registered for next week's World Ag Expo, the largest farm equipment and technology show in the world.
Come rain or shine, slow economy or booming economy, the show still attracts more than 100,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors. This year's show runs Feb. 12-14 at the sprawling International Agri-Center in Tulare.
“It is the show to be at to show a product,” said Jerry Sinift, Agri-Center general manager. “It is the right time and the right place.”
Sinift said with prices down and the of the costs of doing farming continuing to rise, farmers need to look at ways to cut costs and the show will literally have thousands of such products – from harvesters that do more on less fuel, to software that helps a farmer better manage their finances. “The focus of all exhibitors is to help eliminate labor costs, field costs,” said Sinift.
And, although not listed on the exhibitors list, is the networking that goes on over the three days of the show. “There are hundreds of conversations going on all over the grounds on how to do things better. It's a great medium,” said Sinift.
It is common knowledge in this area that the show sells out every hotel and motel within 60 miles of Tulare, and that getting out to get a bite to eat will be difficult, but that is Farm Show time. One thing that has greatly improved over the years is traffic control. “Tulare police – hats off to them,” said Sinift, explaining that getting in and out of the showgrounds has never been better. He said the entrance off of Turner Drive is improved and provides good access to the grounds.
The City of Tulare has spent weeks sprucing up the city for the flood of visitors.
“We clean up all the main thoroughfares for graffiti
and weeds,” said Margee Fallert, administrative services director
for the city. As well, she said, crews have been restriping streets
and generally cleaning up anything that needs cleaning.
There has been a slight change to the Park'n'Ride shuttle this year.
The buses from Visalia, the Mid-Valley Cotton Gin on Cartmill and
the Tulare County Fairgrounds, both in Tulare, will now drop riders
off at Gate 12, on the east end.
Riders from the Preferred Outlets of Tulare and the
Tulare Airport will still be dropped off at Gate 2 on the west end.
The show hours have also been expanded this year with the gates opening
at 8 a.m. each day instead of 9. “That was an easy decision.
We're here, exhibitors are here so we might as well let them in the
gate,” said Sinift.
Even with an added 100,000 square foot of space for exhibitors, the show is a sellout. Much of the expansion occurred in the Dairy Unit of the show and the space was quickly taken up by longtime exhibitors that wanted more space to display their items.
“We thought we bought some space for a few years, but we are sold out and already have a waiting list.”
The electronic registration is new and something the WAE board has discussed for years. Sinift said they are the only outdoor ag trade show that does this and he expects representatives from three or more other trade shows to visit Tulare just to see how the system works.
The new electronic registration system allows attendees to pre-register online before they arrive at the Expo grounds. Registrants are asked a short set of questions surveying their demographic background. After completing a brief questionnaire, a confirmation page can immediately be printed and an official admittance badge is mailed to the attendee. The badge will act as a fast pass to the Expo as well as admittance to West Coast Nationals Power Pulling Series and entry into the 2008 Dodge truck giveaway. Those who pre-register will also receive a discounted ticket price.
Visitors will also be able to register and purchase their tickets at remote terminals outside the gates during the three-days of the show.
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - The two-story building at 119 S. Locust in Visalia is being renovated to provide 8,000 square feet of medical offices. The site is within easy walking distance of the current Kaweah Delta Hospital, as well as its major expansion scheduled to open later this year.
The medical office building at the northwest corner of Locust and Acequia has two floors, 3,200 and 3,100 square feet, respectively, as well as a 1,600-square-foot basement. Longview Development partner Marty Zeeb, broker owner of Zeeb Commercial Real Estate in Visalia, has sent out information about the medical office space to doctors in the area – as well as to other doctors who may be attracted to the location.
The building is currently undergoing a complete renovation, inside and out, according to Joe Leal, managing partner of Longview Development.
“We're upgrading everything,” he said. The upgrades include new electrical panels, a new roof and a new elevator, as well as improvements to make the building more attractive.
“We're going to plant more trees on Acequia,” Leal said, adding that cathedral-style windows will also be put up on the building's south side.
Stan Canby of Canby and Associates is designing the interior.
“He is designing a foyer that will really be impressive and be a standout feature,” Leal said. “It's going to be unique because of its beauty and its convenience. Nobody is building a building like this anymore.”
By Miles Shuper
Tulare County - Tulare County plans to buy a trailer to be used as both a classroom for construction trades training as well as being able to be quickly converted into use as a command center for road and building department inspectors during natural disasters or emergency situations, such as floods.
County supervisors last week authorized staff to negotiate the purchase with Magic Touch RV of Tulare for a 40-foot long trailer which will have to be modified to make it usable for various functions. The base unit is a standard “toy hauler” configuration. Magic Touch RV offered to sell the trailer, with modifications, for about $38,000, while a Visalia firm offered a 37-foot trailer with modifications, for a little more than $62,000. A lack of manufacturers' floor plan standards was cited in the staff report as part of the disparity in the quotes received.
Plans call for the trailer to be used primarily as a mobile classroom for the county redevelopment agency construction trades training program requiring removal or relocation of storage cabinets, appliances, walls, doors and windows to accommodate up to 20 students. Changes also include reconfiguration of wiring to accommodate computers and other electronic devices.
The county also plans to use the mobile unit as an onsite command center for the Resource Management Agency roads and building inspection divisions during or following natural disasters. The report cites storms which caused severe flooding in the Cutler-Orosi, Cottonwood Creek and Earlimart areas. The trailer would allow for communication and planning to be held at such sites as well as providing shelter for emergency response staffs.
In her report to supervisors, Celeste Perez with the resource management agency said that after the Earlimart flooding, county inspectors spent several days inspecting homes but residents had to travel to Visalia to secure permits. Having a mobile office on site would allow residents immediate access to county staff and services.
She noted that having a unit which can be quickly and easily modified allows maximum use year around.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
February 6, 2008
