Rail Firms Express Interest in SJVR Issue
Tulare County - As the battle to halt the proposed abandonment of 40 miles of San Joaquin Valley Railroad track continues, at least five rail companies have expressed interest in purchasing the short line company.
Tom Sparks, chairman of the newly formed Tulare County Rail Commission, said this week that five established rail companies have contacted local officials expressing interest in what is transpiring in SJVR's abandonment bids.
The federal Surface Transportation Commission is scheduled to rule by early June on two petitions by SJVR for abandonment of a 30.59-mile segment and a 9-mile segment between Exeter and Jovista, near the Kern County line. Tulare County officials, lead by the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation and Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG), are fighting the proposal.
SJVR says the abandonment proposals and the moving of its dispatch and customer services center from Exeter to out-of-state locations simply is an effort to improve service to its 136 customers in the Valley while making its operations more effective and financially efficient.
In a separate action, not related to the abandonment issue, five positions in the Exeter headquarters office will be moved. Dispatching has moved to Saint Albans, VT, and customer service will be shifted to Roseburg, OR, by the end of summer.
The move to halt use of 40 miles of SJRV track could, some officials say, turn into a positive with the recent interest shown from others in the industry. Paul Saldana, executive director of the EDC, confirmed his office has been contacted by rail firms which he said appeared to be on “fact finding” missions on what is happening. Some of them, he said, have offered financial assistance or potential purchase of SJVR pending the outcome of the federal commission ruling. Saldana did not name any of the rail companies but said initial indications are that they are established railroad companies.
Sparks, the local rail commission chairman, said he has had contact with a Pennsylvania coalition of local governments, similar to TCAG, which pooled funds and purchased an abandoned rail line which has been very successful. Sparks said he expects to learn more about that in coming weeks. He also said it is not unusual for rail companies to keep close tabs on abandonment proposals for potential opportunities in places where rail service already has been established.
Like Saldana, Sparks said once the STC makes its rulings, Tulare County should have a better idea on which way to go in efforts to encourage and promote rail service in the county.
Despite the on-going issue with the federal STC, local officials have been talking with SJVR on several potential financial options, including subsidizing, a joint-powers agreement and other considerations but the situation generally is on a wait-and-see status.
No matter the STC ruling, it is apparent that the abandonment issue has ignited considerable focus on the importance of rail service in the Valley, especially in Tulare County. Officials are quick to point out that expanded rail use is a viable and needed option to transportation costs and reduction of truck traffic, air quality standards and highway congestion and roadway impacts.
SJVR is seeking to abandon the two rail segments which largely service southern Tulare County, claiming a lack of business and high maintenance has made keeping the lines financially unfeasible. The lines have, for the most part, been void of rail traffic for months as the abandonment petitions are considered. If abandoned, the 40 miles of rail could be ripped out and sold for salvage, a consideration already expressed by SJVR.
But with recent interest in a potential purchase of all or a portion of the SJVC system, some abandonment opponents have expressed optimism for keeping the segments viable. Local officials say once rails are gone it is almost impossible to replace them.
Officials fear abandonment will not only impact the county's ability to attract and expand industrial development in addition to generate more trucking, they say SJVR has discouraged the use of the targeted segment. They point to a $950 per car surcharge imposed and later rescinded and a reluctance to promote additional service as a means to support the abandonment petitions. County officials also said that they termed inadequate and selecting financial data provided by SJVR to the federal agency.
In its originally protest documents and rebuttal to STVR's answers, Tulare County say the company's information ignored economic facts such as rail car storage fees and other revenues generated along the SJVR system. They say selective information has not painted a true and complete picture of the company's economic status on the two segments in question.
Some see the abandonment bid as a trial balloon by SJVR's parent company, Rail America, to either downsize or eliminate its short line operations. Critics say the company pushing for small segments demonstrates poor financial performance to win abandonment approval.
Rail America, owned by Fortress Investment Group, has 41 short lines and regional railroads in 25 states and three Canadian provinces.
Visalia - Small recycling centers such as D&D Recycling at 800 North Burke St. and Sunset Waste Paper Inc. at 1707 E. Goshen are coming under scrutiny from the City of Visalia.
Both small recycling businesses have been given cease and desist orders for what the city says are violations to their conditional use permits.
The two companies are crying foul, claiming the city is trying to close them, or at least move them out of the downtown area.
Tim Burns, city Neighborhood Preservation manager, said all the city is trying to do is make the recyclers collect only what is allowed in their permits.
“Nobody's telling them they have to leave, only to come into compliance,” he stressed.
Deborah Parmer, who owns D&D Recycling along with her husband, Lincoln Dukes, says the city is picking on them, going as far to say the city is discriminating against her and her husband because they are African-Americans.
“No business has been put through hoops like this,” said Parmer. “We're small, we're the little guys,” she added. Dukes added, “It's OK for them to own the Radisson Hotel, but I can't own this little junk yard.” He said he thinks the city just wants to get rid of businesses like theirs where the city has plans for the East Downtown Civic Center.
Burns says part of the reason for the enforcement of the conditional use permits is the prevalence of metal thefts in recent months, although he said neither D&D or Sunset have ever been accused of accepting stolen materials.
However, Burns says the agreement with the city limits both recyclers to accepting only CRV (California Refund Value) products, such as aluminum cans, bottles and plastics. He says both are accepting metals beyond the CRV items, such as wiring, old stoves, etc.
Dukes says he is a “junker” and that is how he makes his living. His wife said the CRV items make up about 25 percent of their business and without the other materials, they couldn't stay in business.
Victor Guzman, operations manager for Sunset, said they have turned over the city's order to their corporate attorney and that they feel they are legal to accept items beyond CRV. He said they have been in business – collecting reusable materials – for 30 years.
Darlene Mata, a consultant who has been assisting D&D, said she does not understand why the city appears to be changing the rules now. D&D was shut down in December and is operating on a limited permit that only allows it to accept CRV items. She says the zoning for the area D&D is located allows for it to accept any “reusable item,” not just CRV items.
“The municipal code doesn't say only CRV recycling. It does say only things that can be reused and that includes metals,” she said, citing the city definition:
“Recyclable material means reusable material including, but not limited to, metals, glass, plastic and paper, which are intended for reuse, remanufacture or reconstitution for the purpose of using the altered form. Recyclable material does not include refuse or hazardous materials.”
The city needs to make the decision to change the code, she added.
However, Burns said it is not a zoning matter, but the permit under which the companies agreed to and the enforcement is something he has been proposing the city do for some time. He admitted a recycling company that was found to be accepting stolen metals was the impetus that started the enforcement.
He and City Attorney Matthew Bahr said that to accept things more commonly found in junk yards – old appliances, etc. – the businesses should be located in an industrial zone, not a commercial zone. Bahr wrote a letter to D&D stating its appeal of the cease and desist order was not appealable because it violated conditions of the permit. Mata claims the business should have the right to appeal to its situation to the planning commission or city council.
Bahr said the city was looking at all recyclers and that all would be treated the same. “To accept metals, that's more like salvage and junkyard. They need to be moved into an industrial zone,” said Bahr.
Mata disagrees, saying the city code does allow such operations in a commercial zone. The city's changing the rules in mid-stream. Only people that can do that are the city council, not city staff,” she said.
Mata has written several letters to the city and when the planning commission looked at D&D's permit, it did agree to let the business reopen, but only to accept CRV items.
Dukes says the business offers a service in that it collects items people find in alleys, in parks and that would otherwise clutter property. Burns agreed, but said unfortunately stolen materials also are taken to such facilities and the city wants to get a handle on that.
Mata would like to see the city council take up the issue, but Bahr said it is really a code enforcement issue and not something for the council. Burns that while there is not a lot of room for compromise, the companies can remain open if they comply with their agreements.
Tulare May Get Kosher Chicken Plant
The new company will be called House of David Poultry.
The project is headed by former Israeli chicken businessman Hillel Shamam, an orthodox Jew who will bring the kosher style of raising and slaughtering chickens for the U.S. market to Tulare.
Shamam told the Voice that demand for kosher products of all kinds has grown in the U.S. in recent years, from chocolate to meats. “We follow the teachings of the Old Testament from thousands of years ago to treat the animal with respect” before it is slaughtered, he says. “That includes raising the chickens in a stress-free environment as range free birds and everything organic as much as possible.”
Shamam says “we discovered Tulare and Tulare discovered us.”
Shamam says the company could open as soon as October
and employ 70. “God willing, we could grow to 250.” He
says they plan to build the Leed certified building using sustainable
materials and techniques “because that's the way I will teach
my children to run the business in a way that is good for the environment.”
“If everybody does that, we will have a better world.”
Shamam says they have already contracted with a number of local ranches to raise the birds and expects all the birds to be raised nearby.
The site will include space for several rabbinical personnel who are key to the operation and will actually have residential units onsite.
“They'd like to be operational by the end of the year,” says Kyle Rhinebeck, the company's Tulare real estate broker. “The plant is a first class operation and will even invite tours in the future to visit the plant.”
The Central Valley is the largest chicken raising area in the state. Nearby Sanger and Porterville each have chicken packaging facilities.
City Planner Bonnie Simoes says the company needs to apply for a conditional use permit and possible general plan amendment to make the zoning M2.
Tulare City Manager Darrel Pyle says the company heard about Tulare because a major meat packing plant was doing an environmental impact report here. That plant, to be located out by the city water treatment facility, is expected to get a planning commission hearing soon. “With the recent closure of meat processing plants in California, there is plenty of demand for modern facilities here,” says Pyle.
Kosher has to do with how food is processed, what food may be eaten with other food and operation of manufacturing facilities that meet kosher dietary standards.
Eating kosher is part of the Jewish religion and tradition related to how an animal is slaughtered, aiming for the most humane way possible. The goal is to raise a stress-free animal. Rabbinical inspectors are always on hand to ensure kosher rules are followed. Some 10 million Americans keep a kosher table including Jews, Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists and an increasingly health-conscious general public who have heard about kosher food. Trader Joe's, for one, features several lines of kosher foods including chicken – but not from the West Coast.
Visalia - The third Mercado El Progresso supermarket in Tulare County – and the first in Visalia – is currently under construction at 1610 N. Dinuba Blvd. The new 27,000-square-foot store, which should be open in July, is expected to cost about $6 million, according to Joseph Nguyen, acting CFO.
“Hispanics dominate this area, but they don't have a Hispanic market,” Nguyen said. “This is the first time they will have a Hispanic market to cater to all of their day-to-day needs.”
“People categorize stores,” said Victor Lambarena, general manager. “We're more of a general market store, but at the same time, we cater to Hispanics.”
The family-owned business, with stores in Porterville and Lindsay, was started in 1984. In addition to serving the shopping needs of the community, the company also provides local employment.
“We expect to hire 100 new employees,” said Nguyen. “About 90 percent of them will be full time, from cashiers to bakers, from butchers to the accounting department.”
Mercado El Progresso supermarkets are known for fresh tortillas which are prepared on site. The new location will have a cafeteria and a full-size bakery offering cakes and 35 varieties of fresh pan dulce (sweetbread). The market will also offer homemade carnitas, pollo los rostizado (rotisserie chicken), several varieties of tacos and fresh seasonal juices, including watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple and orchata (rice).
The company is headed by its 28-year-old president, Jorge Camacho, who having started in the family business at the age of 5, has 23 years of supermarket experience.
“He knows the business inside out,” Nguyen said. “He plans to take the company to the next level. He plans to have up to 10 stores in the Central Valley in the next five years. We want to progress to becoming the dominant Hispanic market.”
The Mercado El Progresso in Porterville will be moving to a new location, about a quarter-mile from its current site, according to Nguyen.
“And look for a second location in Visalia,” he said. He would not get specific about the location because the company has a competitor, but he did say that the location would be in south Visalia.
The new supermarket was designed by the Townsend Architectural Group of Porterville. The Pickett Construction Corporation of Tulare is constructing the facility.
San Joaquin Valley - The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will take up Senate Bill 27, the now amended settlement agreement over the restoration of the San Joaquin River, this week where it is expected to pass.
The news comes after all parties agreed in recent days to amend language over the water management portion of the settlement in this two-decade-old struggle. The focus now shifts to Washington where federal funding will implement the agreement that dates from 2006.
For the past several years, farmers and local officials have debated the wisdom of the settlement with key leaders fearing the supply loss will mean farms and towns that depend on it will suffer. One critical issue has been how to provide some certainty that some of the water used for salmon could be put to double duty – recirculated with the proper plumbing to green up orchards and vines in the south Valley.
Friant Water Users Authority General Manager Ron Jacobsma says “mark up” – the changes to be made to the existing agreement – will occur in the committee and the bill will then likely be bundled with other water bills on the Senate floor. The bill's language would be changed in the House version as well.
“We believe the changes agreed to will be significant and beneficial,” says Jacobsma on two fronts – the financing of the package and more clarity on how water lost to the re-operation of the salmon fishery will be recaptured. Regarding the latter, Jacobsma says the bill will have language requiring the Friant Kern Canal and the Madera Canal each be rebuilt to increase their water-holding capacity for delivery in wet years. The Friant Kern Canal capacity could be increased as much as 800 acre feet a day, restoring the concrete canal to its operational capacity after years of subsidence. That would allow more reservoir release in wet years that the district could send down the canal for ground water banking.
Previous language required the Secretary of the Interior to act to implement the program, but now the funding is earmarked in the bill.
Similarly, the agreement calls for funding several reverse pumping stations on the south end of the Friant Kern Canal that could send water back up the canal as far as Delano when needed. That would allow water to be delivered down the state-owned California Aqueduct and pumped across the Cross Valley Canal that already connects to the Friant Kern below Bakersfield. The water could now be sent north through these reverse flow pumps.
“We hope to recapture of some of that water sent down the San Joaquin for river restoration and deliver it to farmers in the south Valley,” says Jacobsma.
Farmers and local officials in Tulare County, including Devin Nunes and Allen Ishida, have been worried about the settlement agreement and the possibility that farmers could go dry because of the river restoration effort.
The Friant board has been working to prove more certainly that infrastructure would be in place to allow the recapture of at least some of that water, along with keeping more wet year water that otherwise goes out to sea.
Jacobsma says construction of the project could happen in as little as one to two years, putting the facilities in place before full water release is required by 2012, when Friant could “lose” perhaps 15 to 25% of its allocated water supply, depending on whether it's a wet year or not.
Critical of the plan, at least so far, Ishida of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors congratulated Friant on its effort to provide more certainty to the process but was less than overwhelmed adding that “it's better than nothing.”
Jacobsma says the language in the bill has Congress appropriating $50 million at a later date to build new ground water banking facilities up and down the Friant system with the understanding that locals would match the money.
The return of water flows to the San Joaquin will end 18 years of litigation brought by environmental groups against the U.S. government and Friant Water Users Authority. They argue that because of the dam a 60-mile stretch of the river typically goes dry, thwarting the return of the Chinook salmon that were plentiful at one time.
That fishery is on the edge of collapse this year all over the West Coast. Restoration of the flow will begin in 2009 with salmon to be reintroduced in late 2012. In a dry year, the salmon will be trucked in.
Visalia - Supervisors Allen Ishida and Mike Ennis are pushing a plan for an organized mosquito abatement district on the south part of the county, fearing the potential widening of West Nile Virus where there are no vector control efforts.
About half the county has no ongoing effort to eradicate mosquitoes implicated in the spread of the disease.
“Our biggest problem is we are next to Kern County that has the highest incidence of West Nile,” says Ishida. “Our effort will be to have a district that covers all the way from Three Rivers down to the south part of the county including Porterville and up to the national forest area,” he says. “We will be asking the cities of Porterville and Lindsay to support the plan.”
Ishida says in the end “it will be up to the voters” if the plan moves forward requiring residents to support the district with a “very affordable” assessment, he says.
“We hope we could be operational in as little as a year, but more likely in two years.”
Delta Vector Control fights the spread of mosquitoes in Visalia, Dinuba, Cutler-Orosi, Woodlake and Exeter. Tulare has its own district. But neither Lindsay, Porterville, nor Springville has a program. The agency dates from 1904 when malaria was devastating the Central Valley.
Today, the problem is the West Nile Virus that can be fatal to animals and humans.
Last year, there were 10 human cases of West Nile Virus reported in the county, 38 dead birds with the disease, 23 mosquito samples testing positive and 27 chickens found to have the disease. Things were worse in Kern County where 140 cases of West Nile in humans were reported, including four deaths. There was one fatality reported in 2007 in Kings and one in Tulare County.
West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness. Experts believe WNV is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites.
About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness, says the Center for Disease Control. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.
Most often, WNV is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they bite.
People over the age of 50 are more likely to develop serious symptoms of WNV if they do get sick and should take special care to avoid mosquito bites.
People typically develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days after they are bitten by the infected mosquito.
What's New
A bill requiring smog checks on collector cars has been junkpiled by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, but in its place, he is proposing a license plate bill that would, among other things, distinguish between rarely driven classic cars and gross air polluters. Florez' first version of the bill called for smog checks for all vehicles built before 1976 and registered in the Valley, including those infrequently driven collector cars. His new proposal, Senate Bill 1549, requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to evaluate whether to allow vehicles as recent as 1976 to carry special year-of-manufacture license plates. The license plates would distinguish classic vehicles from non-classic.
A bill by Assemblyman Bill Maze approving the Joint Powers Agreement between the Tule River Tribal Council and the City of Porterville made it through the Assembly Committee on Local Government. Passage of the bill pays the way for the Tulare River Tribe to develop about 200 acres of land at the Porterville Airport for a resort/casino. The project would be a joint effort of the tribe and the city. AB 1884 still must be passed by the Assembly and the Senate and then signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before becoming law.
Mozzarella Fresca in Tipton is undergoing another expansion, reports company CEO Andrew Branagh. He said the cheese plant is adding both a cold storage unit and a dry storage unit. Stage 1 of the project should be completed in early June, with Stage 2 set to begin immediately and be completed by October. The projects will allow the plant, which opened in 2003, to double its storage capacity. The plant employees about 200 workers.
Workers in Downtown Visalia may soon find a way to combat high gas prices – thanks to the City of Visalia. The city council approved the Vi-Cycle program Monday night that will provide refurbished bicycles to downtown businesses to offer to their employees as a way to ride to work – saving gas costs and cutting down on pollution. The city will send bicycles recovered by police that go unclaimed to the Corcoran Prison Substance Abuse Facility for refurbishing, and then offer them to downtown businesses for $25. The bicycles will be painted green and clearly marked and if they break down, the owner will be able to exchange them. The city hopes to distribute 100 of the bikes at first, and then expand the program.
Exeter's downtown streetscape will get a reworking this year with the redesign and landscaping of six Pine Street corners and installation of traffic circles at each end, says City Planner Greg Collins.
Woodlake's Bravo Lake Botanical Garden will dedicate a portion of the garden to the late Woodlake olive farmer Everett Krackov this weekend.
Central Valley Parkinson's Support Group raised over $28,000 this past weekend – the number two chapter in the national fund raising walks. “We're so grateful for all the donations,” says Mary Dickerson of the Visalia-based group. Bruce McDermott was honorary chair and major sponsors were the Gindick Family Foundation, the Glen Wells Construction Company and the Dwelle Family. Major donors were Buckman-Mitchell Insurance, Comfort Keepers, the Law Offices of James P. Hurlbutt and Kaweah Delta Medical Center.
Residents who took park in the county's Blueprint process to direct future growth strongly supported increasing residential densities by 25 percent over the next 50 years, the Tulare County Association of Governments reported. The Blueprint process is designed to reduce air pollution, curtail urban sprawl, increase public transportation and enhance the quality of life. The vote on densities found 37 percent favor the 25 percent reduction, while 30 percent went for the most extreme reduction of 75 percent. Seventy-eight percent of those who took part in the public forums support an urban separator between Visalia and the cities of Tulare and Farmersville.
Tom Cairns, owner/operator of Lemon Cove Granite, has asked Tulare County planners downsize his request for expansion. The Lemon Cove mining operation is currently being evaluated as part of an Environmental Impact Report being prepared by Quad Knopf of Visalia.
The FY 2009 Defense Authorization bill includes language to ensure that “sole survivors” who leave military service receive improved separation benefits. The language was crafted after a bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen Devin Nunes, R-Calif. and Jim Costa, D-Calif. This language partially addresses the situation of Jason Hubbard of California, an Army veteran and sole survivor who lost his two brothers in Iraq. Hubbard, a Fresno County sheriff's deputy, was required to leave the combat zone, and was denied separation benefits when he left the military early. Jason Hubbard is one of 51 sole survivors identified since the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks.
Air Pollution District Moves to Tighten Controls
Tulare County - It seemed appropriate that the same week the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's governing board adopted new rules to limit particulate matter in the air, the American Lung Association listed the Visalia/Porterville and the Corcoran/Hanford areas as two of the worst metropolitan areas in the nation for all forms of pollution.
The two announcements also fell on the same week that the Tulare County Asthma Coalition reported that one in four children in the county has been diagnosed with asthma.
It has long been known that because of the geography, the Valley traps airborne pollutants, putting people with respiratory problems such as asthma at greater risk. Studies show that ozone and particulate matter not only increase symptoms, but can cause asthma.
Of the Lung Association's listed Top Ten Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution, four are in the Central Valley, with Visalia/Porterville No. 5 and Hanford/Corcoran No. 9. While showing some improvement in air quality, Fresno/Madera was ranked No. 8 and Bakersfield was ranked No. 3.
Among the Top Ten U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Ozone, Visalia/Porterville ranked No. 3, behind Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside at No. 1 and Bakersfield No. 2. Fresno/Madera ranked No. 5 and Sacramento No. 6.
The report came at no surprise to Diane Sepeda, acting director of the Tulare County Asthma Coalition.
“Last year, the state held four top positions – Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno/Madera and Visalia/Porterville. This year, out of the top six, we hold five,” she said, adding the quality of air is why controlling asthma is such a challenge in the Valley.
“The report magnifies this. We feel we're making some progress, but what magnifies our problem is our geographic location. We are one of the highest regulated (areas) and I know everybody is doing their part,” she added.
“The air quality in several cities has improved, but in others, declines in pollution have stalled. The trends tell us loud and clear that we need to do more to protect Americans from breathing air that's simply hazardous to their health,” said Bernadette Toomey, president and CEO, American Lung Association, in a prepared American Lung Association State of the Air release.
Overall, the Lung Association gave Tulare County a failing grade for controlling most levels of pollution. Several coastal cities in California were given passing grades, including San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties.
Due to the lead time for the “State of the Air” report, the American Lung Association used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1997 standard for ozone levels rather than the new tighter standard announced on March 12.
“If we were to measure the number of unhealthy days against the new ozone standard, it would show that ozone pollution is worse than the report indicates,” said Toomey. “Even with these stricter ozone standards, Americans are being denied the health protection they deserve under the Clean Air Act.”
Controlling ozone is the goal of the Valley Air District's PM2.5 plan. The plan will increase the number of days that restrict the burning of fireplaces among other things. In all, the plan contains 13 regulatory control measures, 10 feasibility studies and emission reduction incentive programs with the goal that the San Joaquin Valley reaches PM2.5 attainment by 2014.
PM2.5 is particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameters. It is so small it can not only enter the lungs, but the blood stream, causing serious health problems. It has been linked to aggravated asthma, irrigation of the airways, coughing, difficult breathing and decreased lung function in children. The matter is so small that 24 particulates could fit on a single piece of human hair.
Scott Nester, director of planning with the pollution board, said the new regulations would be phased in over the next three years. The plan will bring the Valley into attainment of the PM2.5 standard. Besides the increased wood burning restrictions, the plan includes more limits on emissions from industrial sources, controlling dust and limitations on prescribed burning and ag burning. The studies will be on pollution caused by cotton gins and even Fourth of July fireworks, along with commercial charbroilers used by restaurants.
Last year, the district issued only four mandatory no burn days in Tulare County, the same for Kings County. While Nester said it is not certain how many more days will be added under the stricture rule, it could be two or three times as many. The district issued 28 voluntary curtailment days in Tulare County last year, 15 in Kings County.
The rule applies to all types of wood-burning devices, including those that use pellets, unless the fireplace is the only source of heat for a resident or the residence is above 3,000 foot elevation.
The air board uses a combination of weather conditions and pollution levels to determine if wood burning should be prohibited. The wood burning season runs from Nov. 1 to the end of February. The fine for violating the mandatory no burn rule is $50. Last year, the district issued 87 citations in the eight-county region, but only one in Tulare County and none in Kings County.
The Lung Association's report card ranked cities most affected by three types of pollution: short-term particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution. For the first time since the report has been issued in nine years, a city outside California, Pittsburgh, topped one of the most polluted lists
Other Key Findings of State of the Air 2008:
· One in 10 people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthful
levels of all three types of pollution: ozone, short-term and year-round
particle pollution.
· Two of five people in the U.S live in counties that have
unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution.
· Nearly one-third of the U.S. population lives in areas with
unhealthful levels of ozone.
· Over one quarter of the people in the U.S. live in an area
with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution.
· One in six people in the U.S. live in an area with unhealthful
year-round levels of particle pollution.
By Steve Pastis
Visalia - The 2008 Slick Rock Film Festival, billed as the biggest student film festival in the Central Valley, is coming to the Visalia Fox Theatre. The festival's prestigious awards ceremony, complete with limousines and red carpet for the student filmmakers, will be held at the theater on Saturday, May 17.
More than 200 films by students from 39 Valley schools will compete for over $20,000 in prizes. Comcast will tape the event to broadcast an on-demand show.
“The festival began five years ago as a federal grant that established after-school clubs to help students jumpstart their writing skills,” said Scott Smith, director of the film festival, adding that the Visalia Unified School District applied and received the $480,000 grant to improve students' writing skills.
The filmmaking clubs evolved into a festival with 18 entries, and then into a regional competition that attracted 39 student films. Last year, 170 films were submitted. This year, the number grew to 225.
“It's grown every year,” said Brian Lucas, film festival coordinator. “It's been a huge monster – which is a blessing, of course.”
Students submit their films by uploading them online, explained Lucas. Then the films go through a judging process. There are two divisions: high school and middle school.
“We actually had some elementary school students competing in the middle school category,” he added.
There are several categories for entries, with the most popular being the “five-minute blockbuster.” Other categories include documentary, animation, foreign language – there are three in German this year – and commercial, where students ask local businesses if they can create a commercial for them.
Animated films include claymation projects, where a student takes a series of still photos of clay characters, each manipulated slightly to create the sense of motion.
“Several of them were using a 3D computer art program,” Lucas said. “Sometimes they look like 'Jimmy Neutron.' Some have a virtual world, all in 3D. They bring characters in. It's very impressive.”
Part of the reason that film entries have increased in both quality and quantity is that high schools in Visalia, led by El Diamante, are teaching students the art of making films. Multimedia classes teach students how to use a camera, shoot film and edit it on a computer. They may also learn web design programs such as Photoshop to be able to manipulate still photographs.
El Diamante pioneered the video production course, said Smith, who cited the work of teacher Jim Sill. The high school has a film class where students can take a test to become certified as users of Final Cut Pro.
“They get an actual document if they pass the test,” Lucas said. “It's not hard to get a job right now if you are certified in Final Cut Pro.”
This summer, training on Final Cut Pro will be offered to high school teachers in the district, according to Lucas, who is also the VUSD's director of instructional technology, helping teachers of grade 7-12 students incorporate technology into their lessons and teaching styles
Sometimes the organizers of Slick Rock Festival can tell which film submissions are the result of a high school class assignment.
“We'll get groups of them that are similar, like
public service announcements” Lucas said, adding that if a single
film is submitted, “we have no way of knowing whether it was
created for Slick Rock or it was a class project.”
Indications are that video and filmmaking will continue to be an increasingly
important part of the high school curriculum.
“Finding facts are not the issue anymore in a 'Google world,'” Smith said. “Pulling facts together and presenting them in a compelling way is what matters more than facts.”
The Slick Rock Film Festival is named for a location near Three Rivers where teenagers hang out, explained Smith.
“The name carries with it independence, a little rebellion and a little freedom,” he said. “We think it's a perfect name for it.”
Admission to the film festival is free. For more information, visit www.slickrockfestival.org.
By Rick Elkins
Porterville - Porterville will soon have its own Visitor Center to promote the city, the Tule River Tribe and the many attractions offered in the million-acre Sequoia National Forest.
Porterville Chamber of Commerce leaders, Tule River Tribal Council members and Sequoia National Forest and City of Porterville officials announced the cooperative agreement to establish a visitor center at the Riverwalk Market Place at a news conference Tuesday.
The Riverwalk Market Place is a new shopping center being developed at Highway 190 and Jaye St., a large development at the city's busiest intersection. The area is already home to Home Depot and Lowe's. The Ennis family, which is developing the shopping center, is providing the land and the building for the visitor center.
“We're very excited the Ennis family has made this site available to us. We feel it is a premium location,” said Donnette Silva Carter, president/CEO of the chamber.
“This is a way they would like to give back to the Porterville area – according to Ennis. As far as we're concerned, it's a very generous offer,” praised Carter.
“What we are hoping to do is help put Porterville on the map,” says Manuel Ramirez, commercial property manager for Ennis Commercial Development. “That's why we are donating shell buildings and land at the Riverwalk development” for a new Welcome Center. “As you know, Ben Ennis has been part of this community for many years and it's been his intention to give back to the community. Secondly, we believe visitors will enjoy stopping off at the new Welcome Center right off Highway 190 where they will be able to get all kinds of services and a bite to eat” when they visit.
Ennis construction will build the 400-square-foot building that is at the entrance into the center, very visible to travelers along Highway 190. The goal of the center, said Carter, is to promote southeastern Tulare County with a strong emphasis on Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia Monument.
“We're pretty jazzed. It's a great location. Porterville has a lot of things on the move and this is just one of them. This has been a long-time vision of the chamber to have a visitor center,” said Carter.
The center will be staffed by the forest service and chamber volunteers. It will have brochures and maps of the region. Carter said there will also be video displays of various amenities of the area and “we will also will have some historical reference about the tribe and what is happening with the tribe,” including plans for a resort/casino near the Porterville Municipal Airport.
“We also plan to use that location to promote the Sequoia and Valley area – things happening throughout Tulare County,” she said.
The project is still in the planning stages, but if all goes according to plan, they hope to have the visitor center open in time for the summer season of 2009. And, it may not stop at just a visitor center. “A shuttle has been discussed,” said Carter adding a lot of other ideas are being discussed to compliment the center.
Visalia - VF Corp., which has the largest warehouse building in the Visalia Industrial Park, plans to install solar panels to generate electricity for the facility in coming months. The company has contracted with El Solutions – the company that put the photovoltaic panels on the Google headquarters in Sunnyvale – to design and build a system here.
The solar tracking panels that will follow the sun will cover 175,000 square feet and generate more than one megawatt of electric power – enough to power a thousand homes. At that size it's one of the largest solar arrays in the state.
Still in the early design phase, the new ground-mounted system will be located adjacent to VF Outdoor's Center and will allow for dual use of a storm water retention area located on the property. A key feature in the system's design is the use of Ray Tracker™ GC single-axis solar trackers. By tracking the sun as it moves across the sky, the Ray Tracker system will keep the mounted PV panels focused on its rays, thereby maximizing the amount of energy produced by each panel and significantly increasing their energy yield.
The contractor, El Solutions, points to the fact that solar energy electricity costs are fixed for the life of the project – 30 years – and that energy is 100% renewable. In addition, companies can take advantage of the company's program share in the tax savings offered by utilities and the government. Clearly VF can offset its power bill. El Solutions designs projects to fit their client's layout and offers to finance the solar projects.
VF Corp. owns a huge 800,000-square-foot distribution center in Visalia, employing several hundred workers. It opened in 2006. The company distributes a number of well-named brands of clothing including Wrangler and Lee jeans, Nautica, JanSport and North Face outdoor clothing. The company is headquartered in Greensboro, NC.
The system will be financed, owned and operated by San Francisco-based Recurrent Energy, the pioneer in Solar as a Service™. One-hundred percent of the electricity will be sold to The North Face, a subsidy of VF Corp., under a Power Purchase Agreement.
Visalia - Building in the city of Visalia awoke a little from its slumber with total valuation in April that was more than February and March combined, and nearly double of what it was in January.
According to Pamela Sing, senior administrative analyst with the city, building valuation last month totaled $43,821,606. In March, it was just $22,566,017.
More importantly, the number of new housing permits was up 23 percent over the previous month. In April, permits were pulled for 67 new homes with a total valuation of $14,373,020. That compares to 52 permits in March, 32 in February and 54 in January. The April number of new homes is the most since October of 2007 when 75 permits were issued.
The average valuation of the homes was $214,000, down from $247,000 in March.
There were also five permits pulled for multi-family housing – three triplexes and two duplexes. Total valuation was $1.3 million. Prior to April, only one permit for a multi-housing project was pulled this year.
On the commercial side, a $12 million alteration at California Dairies was the highlight. Sing said the large plant in the industrial park is installing a new evaporative dryer.
Also pulled last month was the $2.5 million permit for the new campus of Fresno Pacific University. That work has already begun and is the first in the Plaza Business Park. While the campus is separate, it is part of the overall business park that was approved by city planners last month. The business park portion of the development still must go before the city council.
Other highlights of the report:
· $6 million expansion of Recreation Park.
· $1 million alteration at VF Outdoor, a distribution facility.
Sing said the company is installing new racking.
· $656,000 for a multi-purpose building at Church of the Nazarene.
Total valuation for the year is nearly $109 million, which is about $4 million more than the first four months of last year, although the number of new home permits is off by 94 houses.
The above stories are the property of The Valley Voice Newspaper and may not be reprinted without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.
May 8, 2008
