The RFP is said to include a new parking garage option likely located on the city hall block to accommodate several potential projects including a 35,000-square-foot office being proposed by Visalians Tom Gaebe and Doug Lawrence.
“This kind of project will only work if a parking garage is part of it,” says Gaebe regarding him and his partners' project proposed on the half-block area just west of Stevenson and the city hall and north of Mill Creek.
Successful Formula
The project would be similar to what Gaebe and partners built between Court and Locust at Willow 10 years ago. “Basically, we think we can repeat a successful formula” at Willow Plaza – a 45,000-square-foot, multi-story office adjacent Downtown's first parking garage built next door.
That parking garage accommodates the Willow St. Plaza office complex as well as Kaweah Delta hospital and overflow from the hotel convention center across the street. It is owned by multiple parties – condo style.
Gaebe says the successful formula is that most of the space in the proposed new office building will be sold ahead of time as condominium space where buyers own their own space. Tenants pay their share of the parking space as well.
Visalia City Manager Steve Salomon confirmed a new RFP is in the works particularly if the parking garage “can be privately built or built condominium-style” with the city potentially participating in committing to some public parking spaces. “I know the city council would be interested in office and mixed use development with upper story residential in this area,” says Salomon.
The Gaebe/Lawrence office complex would be built near the John Barbis-built office also on Acequia and perhaps others in a tight configuration made possible because of the shared parking garage space the city is expected to propose. The city has hired a consultant to advise it of potential designs to site a parking garage and other offices over a two-block area that includes the current city hall.
The city could potentially abandon Stevenson between
Acequia and Mineral King that would allow a parking garage to
nestle closer to new development as well as offer future parking
space once the city exits the current city hall property and
police station in a few years. That was what the city did 10
years ago down on Willow St.
Gaebe confirms interest by medical users in the office space
considering the expansion of the hospital is underway.
Gaebe says his clients are “ready to go” once the city releases the RFP that could attract other developers as well with room for several offices if the parking garage costs can be accommodated in the lease rates.
Building a private parking garage can save money because private developers don't have to pay “prevailing wages” on construction like public entities.
“Construction costs for steel and concrete continue to go up – thanks to China,” says Gaebe, although other construction materials, including lumber, have fallen. In a slow economy like this one, some development costs are likely to go down. With high gas prices, building medical offices close to the hospital may gain an advantage as well as residential units in the city's core area. Gaebe says the project could range between 25,000 to 35,000 square feet of leasable space.
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - Local restaurants are getting hit from two directions in the current economic slowdown. People are spending less going out to eat. At the same time, restaurants are facing increased food costs.
Different restaurants are feeling the impact of the economy differently, with some weathering the storm and some raising prices.
“We're holding our own,” said Dushawn Johnson, president of the Visalia Pub Group which owns the Firkin & Hound English Pub in Visalia. “All restaurants are down.”
He believes that people are staying home “with
gas prices being what they are.”
“It's real tough selling them on going out to eat,”
he said. “But having a full bar helps.”
Johnson expressed concerns about “the fluctuating prices of produce” and other food expenses that he described as “sky high.”
“Different vendors are tacking on a surcharge,” Johnson said. “Everybody's trying to recoup the costs somewhere or other.”
Johnson is reluctant to raise his prices to recoup
his own costs, however.
“We offer a high quality meal at a very decent price,”
he said. “If we raised our price, we would lose business.”
The Firkin & Hound opened on February 18,
and when interviewed earlier this year, Johnson discussed plans
to open another 19 Firkin Pubs in the Central Valley.
“We're still going to do it,” he said. “It's
just a matter of when. We want to see how the economy shakes
out – especially the fuel situation.”
“As far as Aero Dogs, what we are hanging our hat on is as our economy gets worse, affordable food is what people are looking for,” said Don LeBaron, co-owner of the distinctive Tulare airplane eatery. “You can get a complete meal here for $5.”
LeBaron, whose restaurant serves “All-American hot dogs,” said, “We're probably down from last year, but not by much.
“The food costs are getting higher,” he said. “Now, our food suppliers are charging a fuel charge, and minimum wage went up in January. In some ways, it's the perfect storm for the restaurant business.”
Aero Dogs plans to weather the storm by watching expenses and cutting labor costs. So far, the restaurant hasn't raised its prices.
“We are always behind the curve,”
LeBaron said. “We should but we haven't.”
He said that Aero Dogs has been on the market.
“We're looking to get Aero Dogs into the
hands of an owner-operator,” he said. “From many
levels, it would get it to become more of a success.”
One prospective buyer shared his reason for wanting to buy a
restaurant in the current economy.
“There are people looking to buy businesses because they can't go out and find a job in this economy,” LeBaron said.
“People are in the habit (of dining out),” said Bob Cary, who with his wife, Karen, and son Craig Van Horn, own A&W Restaurants in Tulare, Hanford, Exeter and two in Visalia. “That's not going to change, but they will trade down. That usually helps us.
“McDonald's and Burger Kings are doing real well, with an upswing in the past year,” he continued. “For the most part, this area of the industry isn't suffering much.”
But it's not just the economy that can cause financial
problems for restaurants.
“There are other factors that go into this schematic,”
he said. “Sometimes, we don't even know what's causing
it. A lot of times, it has to do with what we were doing a year
before.”
Cary looks at combined numbers for the five family-owned stores because “it knocks out the highs and lows.” The low for the past year has been the Tulare location that lost close to $100,000, according to Cary. This was mainly a result of major construction on its street, J Street in Tulare.
“The next thing to look forward to is how
our Mooney Boulevard store will do when that gets torn up,”
he said, referring to the planned widening of that street.
For 11 years, business had been improving but a few months ago,
“hit a wall,” according to Cary, who estimated that
his stores were down 2% over the same months last year.
“We raised prices twice in the last six or seven months,” he said, adding that each increase was about 4%.
Cary described the increase in food costs as “terrible.”
“I have never seen production costs go up as rapidly as they have in the past year,” he said, adding that his beef costs were up over 16%.
“Fuel has been the biggest contributor to this situation,” he said. “It's kind of a domino theory. It's responsible for all the costs going up.”
As tough as business may be for the less expensive restaurants, Cary and LeBaron agreed that the “upper end restaurants” are suffering more. Mondo Apodaca, general manager of The Depot in Visalia, an “upper end restaurant,” confirmed that things are “not good.”
“First of all, our expenses have increased tremendously,” he said. “Energy, food, liquor – everything we use has increased.”
He estimated his costs have gone up 16 to 22% since the start of the year. He said that produce is much higher, noting that lemons have gone from $18 a case to $38, and tomatoes have gone from $16 to $24. Milk products have increased by about 22%. He said that eggs were higher “but not nearly as much” and that meat has not had a big increase either.
“The bar business is still hanging in there,” Apodaca said. “Because of the entertainment, they're still coming out to drink, but as far as the food business, we are all taking a hit. We're down about 10 to 11% of what we were doing last year at this time.”
Apodaca said that The Depot has “a very loyal customer base,” even though they aren't all coming in as often.
Not every restaurant is facing difficult times, however.
“Our sales are actually up this year over last year,” said James Kirk, general manager of Ryan's Place Restaurant in Visalia. “Our growth is slowing but we're not in a decline.
“We've got a very strong customer base,”
he added. “We have 80% repeat business on a daily basis.
A lot of them come in three times a day every day.”
The restaurant's customer count for the first half of June was
up by 249 over the same 15 days last year, according to Kirk.
While the recent closing of the nearby Baker's Square restaurant
probably helped increase business, it is apparently not the
main reason that the restaurant is doing well. The rest of the
company's South Valley restaurants are also doing well, if not
better than the Visalia location.
The company that owns the restaurant has other Ryan's Place Restaurants in Los Banos and Hanford. It also owns Black Bear Diners in Tulare, Porterville and Hanford.
“Black Bear Diner seems to have a higher
volume and bigger sales,” Kirk said. “They're our
highest value stores. The lowest volume Black Bear Diner is
right there with the highest Ryan's Place Restaurant. Five out
of six stores are showing sales increases over last year. As
a company, so far we're 4.7% over last year.”
Ryan's Place Restaurant raised its prices this year but “tried
to keep it as minimal as possible,” he said. Prices were
raised by between 5-8% “to compensate for the minimum
wage going up in January.”
Kirk did acknowledge that “gas prices have
taken a toll.”
“Most of our vendors have added a fuel surcharge rather
than raise their rates,” he said. “But this helps
on our end because we can list the expense in a different category.”
Kirk also noted another rising expense.
“Dairy in particular has had a real spike,” he said. “It's been pretty significant. Just about everything about breakfast is dairy.”
He said that his dairy costs have come down very slightly since January, however. This is mainly due to the cost of eggs coming down from a $1.85-a-dozen high in March/April to $1.25 now.
Tulare - Earlier this year, Lenord Ogans, president of the Pratt Mutual Water Company that services the small, rural community known as Mathaney Tract, thought there was a solution to the community's growing water woes: Hook up to the city of Tulare's water system.
However, that hope was soon dashed and so was the hope for many small utility districts spread around the county when it was learned that the City of Visalia was losing its Charter City status for allowing the community of Goshen to tie in to the city's sewer system. Losing that status means the city of Visalia will no longer avoid having to pay prevailing wage for wastewater treatment plant work. Other Charter Cities in the county are now shying away from assisting the small districts for fear they would lose their Charter City status as well.
Charter cities are exempt from paying prevailing wages for projects funded locally. In general, that means a savings of approximately 30 percent. Seven of Tulare County's eight cities are charter cities.
“It's a real impediment to the best solution,” Paul Boyer, community development manager for Self Help Enterprises which assists small utility districts like Pratt, said of the ruling. Boyer, who is also a councilman in Farmersville, says Tulare County has scores of such small districts, many that could benefit by tying into a city's municipal system.
He said besides Matheny Tract, which is within 500 feet of the City of Tulare's water line, there are small pockets of housing like Tooleville near Exeter, Tonyville near Lindsay, Cameron Creek near Farmersville and Monson near Dinuba. All have issues and are close enough to hook up to a city.
Boyer said that not every independent water system in the county has a problem, but Ogans pointed out that as health officials lower the allowable level of contaminants in water, the tougher it gets for small districts to meet Safe Drinking Water Standards. And, he pointed out, there is little room for error.
“As of Wednesday (last week), we had to shut down Well No. 3 because it had a bad test for water quality. That means if Well No. 1 goes down, we wouldn't have one drop of water. That's how touchy everything is right now.”
It is not just water. Many of the communities are very densely populated and each parcel has at least one septic system for sewer. That is also causing problems, not only for sewage, but also for the underground water table used for drinking water.
Visalia Case
In 1995, the City of Visalia agreed to a Wastewater Services Agreement with Goshen Community Services District for collection, transmission, treatment and disposal of Goshen's wastewater.
In August of 2003, Visalia began planning an upgrade to the city's pump stations. In August of 2006, the former acting director of the Department of Industrial Relations issued a public works coverage determination that the city's project, because of the tie-in with Goshen, eliminated the city's Charter City status that exempts it from paying prevailing wages.
In September of 2007, the city filed an appeal.
In October of 2007, that appeal was denied and the city's request
for a hearing was also denied.
Further, the ruling could mean that any future wastewater treatment
plant projects would also require the city to pay prevailing
wages, a situation City Manager Steve Salomon noted when the
city recently outlined plans for a major upgrade of the facility.
Trickle Down Affect
Back to Matheny Tract and the Pratt Water Company. Ogans said it appeared they had found a solution to its problems and felt most of the issues had been resolved when the Tulare Board of Public Utility approved both Pratt and Soults Mutual Water District to hook into the city of Tulare's water system. At the next meeting, Tulare Public Works Director Lew Nelson informed the utility board of the Visalia ruling and the board unanimously reversed its decision, thus leaving the small water companies back at step one.
Boyer feels the best solution for those districts close to cities is to tie into the sewer or water systems. He said the Regional Water Quality Control Board actually discourages new plants and wants those small utilities to tap into an existing one, such as what Pratt and Soults wanted to do.
However, he noted being a good neighbor now puts
a city in a real predicament. “If we benefit an outlying
area, it's going to impact ratepayers in their own city,”
he said.
As it is, users in small communities like Mathaney and Tooleville
are already paying a lot. Boyer said those in Tooleville are
paying $50 a month for sewer service and another $40 a month
for water. Ogans said those in Matheny are paying $35 a month
for water only.
Boyer said the Industrial Relations' ruling has put both cities and the small districts in a bind. “Besides water districts, there are a number of small communities that don't have a water system at all,” he said.
Ogans said by hooking up to the city's water system, Mathaney Tract would have the backup it needs should all three of its wells go down, and it would mean improvements to the community's water system will not increase the price of water to where people couldn't afford it.
Mathaney is a small county residential area of about 500 people (350 water hookups). It is very poor with high unemployment, similar to other small county residential pockets. Ogans said he would like to see some economic development in the area – such as a Wal-Mart store – to improve the quality of life. Just a few years ago, residents of that district objected when a huge water rate hike was proposed. That led to nearly an entirely new water district board.
“We've been tackling this situation for
four or five years,” said Ogans.
Boyer said state legislation is needed to remedy the situation.
He said it does appear some of the smaller water districts can
run water through a city's system – a process call wheeling
– but cannot actually tie into the city systems.
“It just makes sense,” said Boyer of having cities help out the small districts. “There should be legislation allowing them (cities) to take in outside systems without being penalized.” However, so far no such legislation has been proposed.
New Campus Opens July 1
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - Chapman University College will be opening its new Visalia Campus at the Visalia Marketplace on West Noble Avenue on July 1, according to Glen A. Parsons, Ed.D., campus director.
The college will have 16 classrooms and administrative offices in 17,500 square feet of a new 20,000-square-foot building, built to the school's specifications by Huff Construction Co. In addition to the college, the new building has space for three retail stores.
Chapman signed a ten-year lease at a cost of approximately $500,000 a year to become the major tenant of the new $2 million building, according to Jay Warner, Chapman's vice chancellor for administration.
“Over the course of the ten years, it's about a $6 million lease,” he said. “It's a substantial investment.”
The school will also invest between $400,000-$500,000 in furniture, cabling and computers, according to Warner.
He said that the new building will give the college 50 percent more space than it currently has. “We've built in some room for growth,” he said.
Chapman's Visalia campus will offer an Associates Degree in General Education; Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice, Liberal Studies, Multiple Subjects Teaching, Organizational Leadership, Psychology and Social Science; an Undergraduate Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness; Master's Degrees in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership & Administration, Instructional Technology, Psychology, Elementary Education and Secondary Education; and a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology.
Parsons expects the college to also start offering a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education this fall, and to add other degree programs “when people express an interest in something.”
“Right now, we are making people aware of our current programs and looking into what programs we can offer,” he said.
Warner described the new site as “a good location, off the freeway and close to downtown.” He said that other sites were also considered, including one that would have established a single location to serve both Visalia and Hanford.
“We looked at Plaza Drive close to 99 and 198,” he said. “We contemplated building one large site out there.”
Chapman's decision to build two campuses includes a new Hanford campus which will be opening by the middle of July. Its college in Hanford has held its classes at a Pioneer School District middle school since 2000.
“Much like COS is finally building a campus in Hanford, it's a way to give a real commitment to the community,” Parsons said.
Chapman College, based in Orange, started a second campus at El Toro Marine Base in the 1950s when, as Parsons explained, “We discovered a market with needs not being met.” Building on the idea of providing higher education to members of the military and their families, Chapman's first South Valley campus opened at Lemoore Naval Air Station in 1970.
“In 1988, we discovered we had a lot of
civilians driving to the base from Tulare County,” he
said. “We opened here (in Visalia) in '92 and in Hanford
in '94.”
The existing campus is on West Meadow Lane in Visalia.
Visalia - While there will be no layoffs, no new taxes or tax increases, and no major changes to how the city does business, the national and local economy, coupled with the state's fiscal crisis, are having a big impact on the city's 2008-09 budget.
Council members got their first look at the city's proposed 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscal year budgets Monday night. It was not a pretty picture.
“We are trying to position ourselves so we don't have a crisis,” said City Manager Steve Salomon during a press briefing Friday. “We've been doing this for some time,” he said, adding the weakening economy and the state's fiscal mess have been evident for more than a year now.
While residents will see little, if any changes, Salomon and Eric Frost, Administrative Services director, said the city expects to shave about $4 million from the city's $161 million budget that goes into effect July 1. Of that budget, about $60 million is the general fund.
Frost pointed out that much of the city's budget growth over the past few years has been in capital projects such as the sports park and in Enterprise funds, those departments that are self-supporting such as sewer, water and garbage.
Hitting the city in the financial belt are higher
costs for fuel – city budgeting $2.4 million next year
compared to $850,000 two years ago; a severe drop in sales and
property tax revenues; and a potential cut of $1 million in
funding from the state.
Frost said while the state's takeaway is uncertain, it is only
about a fourth of the city's problem. Much bigger are the increased
costs, especially fuel and the drop in local revenues.
Sales and property tax make up almost 75 percent of the general fund's revenues, noted Salomon in his budget message. That translates into about $2.5 million less in revenue next year. The biggest hit appears to be in sales and property tax revenues, but reassessing property values downward will have a lasting effect.
The good news is the city has seen this train
wreck coming. “Things we did in the past year are close
to having a $2 million effect on this,” noted Salomon
of efforts to cut spending. The city froze 11 positions this
year. However, more will be needed.
In the budget proposal, staff is proposing freezing 13 positions
until revenues are available. Among those are four in fire dispatch,
an assistant city manager position, two senior planners and
a parks and urban forestry manager. Total savings is projected
to be $1.4 million.
The city is still planning on picking up the costs of four police officers now paid by grants funds and adding six police officers using Measure T funds – four next year and two more in '09-10.
While that may seem like a small dent in a city staff of 578, it does not allow for the city staff to keep up with the growth of the city. Salomon said the number of city workers per 1,000 residents continues to go down.
The city is also suspending a few capital projects, but the council indicated Monday night it wants to save the Miki City Park development.
Staff was recommending not spending the entire $274,000 the park is expected to cost, but Councilman Greg Collins said the city should find the money to build it this year and seek the community's help.
“Hopefully, some folks will step up to the plate,” he said. He was supported by all of the council, with Mayor Jesus Gamboa saying it is something the city promised its sister city.
However, the city may hold off on several other projects, including beginning the update to the city's 2030 General Plan, playground safety surfaces reconditioning and not purchasing three thermal imagers for the fire department.
Several projects where money has already been allocated will move forward. Among those are the $5.2 million second phase of the Riverway Sports Park and 10 new transit buses at $4.5 million.
By taking the steps already taken, freezing positions and more, the city hopes to only have to dig into its reserve for $300,000, leaving it with a healthy reserve of $8.7 million for next year that looms with as much uncertainty as this year.
“The budget is a collective effort of a large number of management personnel. It requires a great deal of cooperation and usually involves conflict. However, this budget goes a long way in addressing needs throughout the community and continuing the city's tradition of conservative budgeting,” wrote Salomon.
Councilman Don Landers agreed. “This is not a fun thing we're doing. They (staff) have done a tremendous job.”
The council will look over the budget once again at its June 23 meeting.
Gloomy news across the economy continues with newspapers suffering along with real estate, car dealers and retailers – all big newspaper advertisers. This week, McClatchy (Fresno Bee) reported it would cut its workforce 10% as its stock sank to about $8 a share, down from a high of $76 some years ago. Not a whole bunch better is Gannett (Visalia Times-Delta) whose stock sits at $25 per share, down from $58 in the past year and over $90 per share a few years ago. The Bee is laying off six people in its Visalia bureau and is eliminating the Friday South Valley section, as well as ending publication of the Clovis Independent.
High natural gas prices and low hydro power availability due to reduced precipitation this year is driving up your power costs with PG&E announcing a rate hike of 4.5% beginning in October. U.S. natural gas prices have risen about 70% over the past year, part of a rise in all petroleum products. SCE has just announced a proposed increase of 0.8% in domestic rates.
The community will be given a chance July 1 to look over the two new schools in the Visalia Unified School District. Open houses will be held July 1 at both Annie Mitchell Elementary School and Manuel F. Hernandez elementary schools. The Manuel F. Hernandez open house will be 6-7:30 p.m. and the Annie Mitchell open house will be from 7-8:30 p.m. “It will be a nice opportunity for folks to see these schools,” said VUSD Supt. Stan Carrizosa. School will start Aug. 14.
A Coalinga solar plant will tap cow manure and orchard clippings to make electric power, PG and E announced recently. The big utility will buy the renewable power produced from the sun as well as a biomass component being built by Martifer Renewables. The plant will use solar mirrors on 640 acres with backup power produced from cattle manure instead of natural gas.
California Senator Dianne Feinstein and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), introduced a measure to reduce the tariff on imported ethanol. If passed, the legislation would allow U.S. refiners to purchase cheaper and more climate-friendly ethanol from foreign sources, which could then help lower gas prices at the pump. “The price of oil has hit $130 per barrel and prices are going higher every day. This means that the need for inexpensive and cleaner-burning fuels continues to grow. And yet U.S. refiners are forced to pay a 54-cent tariff on ethanol imported from Brazil and other foreign sources. This makes no sense, given the record oil prices and the limited supplies of domestic ethanol,” Senator Feinstein said.
Talks between the new Tulare Council of Cities and the county to settle a variety of revenue sharing ideas are ongoing with plans to meet two times a month in place. One issue that appears to be heading toward agreement is the long festering booking fee disagreement. County Administrator Kristin Bennett is negotiating with city representatives that include Tulare City Manager Darrel Pyle. The county sued several cities last year over the issue, but now the parties seem more agreeable. “The cities want to pay their fair share,” says Pyle. “I will be meeting June 23 and try to find consensus. There is a good relationship right now,” suggests Pyle. Still to be worked out – once you book the prisoner – will they have a place to lock them up.
Visalia Unified School District Superintendent Stan Carrizosa was recently rewarded with an extension of his contract. Carrizosa was at the end of the first year of a three-year contract when the board agreed to extend that to another three-year contract.
Saputo Inc., with a cheese plant in Tulare, reported fiscal 2008 net earnings totaled $288.2 million or $1.40 per share, up 20.9% compared to $238.5 million or $1.15 per share in fiscal 2007. Consolidated revenues totaled $5.059 billion, an increase of $1.058 billion or 26.4% compared to $4.001 billion posted in fiscal 2007.
Top of the News
Mooney Widening to Begin July 7
Construction on the widening of Mooney Boulevard from Noble to Packwood will begin on Monday, July 7, Caltrans said.
The work will be done in phases with the first phase on the southbound lanes from Noble to Walnut. In all, the work will be divided into six phases, three on each side of the roadway. A majority of the work will be done at night and that is when motorists can expect to see lane closures.
Drought Damage Hits $10.9 Million in Kings
Kings County has suffered from $10.9 million in damage to crops and rangeland, says Deputy Ag Commissioner Steve Schweizer who reported to the Board of Supervisors this week.
The damage included $1.1 million in rangeland, $6 million in alfalfa fields that were abandoned, 2,574 acres of cotton not planted for a $2.8 million loss, and 330 acres of wheat not planted for a $921,000 loss. Schweizer says “most permanent crops look like they will make it through the summer” despite shorter surface water deliveries.
“Farmers are having to pay up to $400 an acre-foot to pump and move water to irrigate this year instead of paying $80 an acre-foot for canal water.” Kings and Tulare counties were named in Governor Schwarzenegger's drought declaration announced a few days ago.
Council Wants Look at Washington Area
After approving a general plan amendment and a zone change to allow an older home on South Court Street to be converted into an office, the council requested city staff to come back to them at a later date with an overview of potential development in the Washington School area.
Councilman Greg Collins asked for a “larger discussion” on design elements for the area to keep its historical flavor. He suggested maybe antique street lighting would be a nice element.
The house being converted is on the city's list of historic structures. The transition to an office will not alter the historic look of the structure, staff said.
East Visalia Plan Moves Forward
Despite the doldrums in the economy, Visalia's ambitious master plan for a new civic center area will move forward, says Ricardo Noguera, the city economic development director, who presented the plan to council this week.
“Council approved proceeding on construction of Oak Street and School Street extensions to Burke with construction to be summer 2009,” says Noguera. To extend School they will need to buy land from the Gas Company.
Later this summer the EIR on two parks in the civic center area will begin. Noguera says the new public safety building could be built within three years and the new civic center within seven. “Council told us not to let this plan sit on the bookcase.”
Access Roads Play Roles in Fighting Rangeland Fires
By Miles Shuper
California - Having access to rangelands, especially in remote areas, is important for firefighters as well as property owners.
For those who battle the blazes, knowing where the access roads are and their condition, can often mean saving thousands of acres and dozens of structures from destruction and even the saving of lives.
With California geared up for what already appears to be a high-risk fire season, most fire access roads in Tulare County are in shape. Last week, California was declared in drought status and in May, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed an executive order bolstering California's firefighting resources. Those actions and others are part of an all-out attempt to prevent a repeat for last year's devastating firestorm which killed 10 people, charred more than 518,000 acres, destroyed at least 3,000 homes and forced the biggest mass evacuation in the state's history. Other fires made an even more staggering toll.
Cal Fire personnel used bulldozers, road graders and drag sleds to scrape grass, repair and sometime re-cut portions of several hundred miles of fire access roads in the foothills and mountain areas in the three months prior to the start of the fire reason. Weather conditions, especially during the first quarter of the calendar year, and work force and training schedules often determine how many miles of access roads are tuned up annually. Cal Fire, formerly known as the California Department of Forestry, divides the county into north and south for fire road maintenance.
The amount of work done ranges from simply running a grader blade clearing vegetation to patching or filling in, repairing or reconstructing drainage crossings, to hauling in fill dirt or gravel to fix washouts. As a rule of thumb, work is alternated between northern and southern county areas, meaning that most roads are repair every two years.
Randy Wilson and Bernie Eaton handle the Tule and Fountain Springs districts in the southern county while Forest Cooper III and Shaine Brazel work Badger and Kaweah districts to the north. As the department's Heavy Fire Equipment Operators, they hold Class I driver licenses and the two teams provide coverage for the entire Cal Fire Tulare District.
Wilson said inmate crews from Miramonte and Mountain Home adult detention centers also help in maintaining fire breaks and access roads, in addition to their tasks as ground crews on fires.
Land owners and fire officials have forged long relationships over the years with Cal Fire personnel, placing their own locks on gates separating parcels, property lines and fields, ensuring quick access without having to cut or take down fences.
John Shannon, who along with his brother, Bill, ranches several thousand acres east and south of Porterville, and whose family has run cattle in the area for more than 80 years, knows the value of access roads and fire brakes. Last year, flames blackened about 2,100 acres in the foothills near the Tule Indian Reservation, much of it on the Shannon brothers land and the ranch of their father, Jack Shannon.
The Pot Hole access road, which winds for at least 20 miles through rolling hills and valley and drainage areas, is the longest and one of the oldest access roads in the county. John Shannon says Pot Hole Road was a Civilian Conservation Crew (CCC) project during the 1930s after the Great Depression, built about the time his grandfather purchased parts of the property.
Although last year's fire did not border Pot Hole Road, Shannon said it was a major factor in getting equipment and fire fighters to the razing blaze.
Sam Travioli, whose family has ranched northeast of Orosi for decades, knows the value of fire fighters knowing cattle range land and having adequate access to rangeland areas. Last year, there were 16 arson-caused fires in the area and all were relatively small. Travioli said “they do a good job getting men and equipment to those areas quickly,” adding that getting the helicopters and aerial bombers on the scene quickly makes a big difference.
The Wilcox fire control road runs through the Travioli ranch and is one of the major access roads in the Drum Valley area, Cal Fire officials say.
Paul P. Marquez, battalion chief for law enforcement, who has been stationed at headquarters on Lovers Lane the last six of his 22 years as a fireman, can attest to the value of men and equipment having the best possible and quick access to fire locations.
Computers with current maps, weather updates, manpower and equipment, and terrain conditions make today's firefighters better prepared to battle blazes, Marquez explained. Spotters' plane crews can direct ground crews and equipment to locations, often using access roads as indicators. Dispatchers also relay information to fire bosses who have up-to-date maps, often relying on the proximity of access roads or fire breaks to plan their attack on the fire.
City Backs Airline’s Rebid
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - The Visalia City Council voted unanimously Monday to send a letter of support for Great Lakes Airlines' bid to provide air service to Visalia Airport. The bid, a revised version of the one approved by the Department of Transportation last July, was the only new bid received by the June 13 deadline.
Great Lakes' first bid was for a $1.1 million
annual subsidy. The new bid asks for $1.5 million annual subsidy.
The city and airline will now wait for the Department of Transportation
to make its decision.
Visalia Airport has been without air service since May 31 when Air Midwest, a subsidiary of the Mesa Air Group, shut down its service.
The bid that Great Lakes submitted last summer was based on last summer's fuel costs. Every penny increase in gas prices costs Great Lakes $800,000 a year, according to Monica Taylor, director of sales and marketing for the airline. She said that when the company placed its winning bid last year, “fuel was $2 a gallon less.”
“After lengthy discussions with Great Lakes and the Department of Transportation, we requested that they allow an expedited rebid,” said Visalia Airport Manager Mario Cifuentez, II. “The DOT issued a request for proposals and Great Lakes was the only carrier to submit a bid.”
He said that Great Lakes' new bid was “identical” to the one that was submitted and approved last summer, except for an increased subsidy to cover the higher fuel costs – and that the submitted bid would allow Great Lakes to provide service to “Las Vegas or Ontario or a combination of the two hubs at Great Lakes' discretion.”
“They still want to get into Las Vegas, but there's a good chance they can get in there (Ontario) quicker than Las Vegas.” said Cifuentez.
“Great Lakes believes that it can acquire counterspace more quickly in Ontario than Las Vegas,” he said. He added that Ontario would provide the same good connections for long distance travelers, and that he expects the airline to eventually switch service from Ontario to Las Vegas.
He said the problems in Las Vegas were with ground and gate handling, and the need to integrate computer service with United Airlines, which would take passengers to their destinations beyond Las Vegas. He explained that these problems would be resolved if Great Lakes could get counterspace at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, something that looks increasingly promising as other airlines cut their flights there.
Cifuentez said that he expressed his concerns
to Great Lakes that, if and when the airline decides to switch
service from Ontario to Las Vegas, it supply “ample
time” for Visalia Airport travelers to make the necessary
changes to their travel plans. He expects the airline to announce
any move two or three months before it happens.
He also noted that the three cities in the bid, Visalia, Merced
and Ely, NV, would each be “stand-alone markets,”
with Great Lakes providing direct flights to and from each
city to either Ontario or Las Vegas. “All flights would
be non-stop,” he said.
Great Lakes has a marketing division committed to promoting its service, Cifuentez said. He added that they would be getting involved in the community, including speaking to civic organizations.
“Essential Air Service is a life support to us,” he said. “We need to build it to be where it can operate subsidy-free. If the community doesn't respond and use the service, we're not going to have it.”
Following the 5-0 vote to approve sending a letter to support Great Lakes' bid, Visalia Mayor Jesus Gamboa said, “Let's get flying again.”
Same-Sex Couples Take Advantage of Ruling
Tulare County - A handful of same-sex
couples in Tulare County did not waste in any time in making
their union legal.
Tuesday morning, the first day the State Supreme Court's ruling
legalizing marriage among same sex couples went into effect,
about a half dozen couples showed up at the Tulare County
Courthouse to get their marriage licenses.
Charity Posey and Chrystal Posey, a couple from Porterville who had already been married by a minister, sans the official license, were the first in line Tuesday. They have been together for five years.
Agreeing getting the ruling by the Supreme Court was “very significant,” they said. “We've been waiting for this a long time.”
The legal document, which they waived proudly after exiting the very crowded marriage license room in the courthouse at about 8:20 Tuesday morning, carries even more significance for the couple.
“We're having a baby and when the baby's born, she'll get to sign the birth certificate,” said Charity, rubbing her growing stomach.
The event was not without its protest. A group saying it was with the Save Biblical Marriage Central Valley, held signs saying “Resist Judicial Tyranny.” Daniel Kane of Lemoore, said the group opposes the marriages for two reasons: “A, we believe it's biblically and morally wrong and B, the people of California already voted defining marriage as one man and one woman.”
Opponents of the court's ruling are already circulating petitions to have an amendment to the state's constitution outlawing same sex marriages put on the November ballot.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
June 19, 2008
