July 11 2014
First Construction Demo Set For Monday For HS Rail
California High Speed Rail Authority spokesperson Elizabeth Jonasson says the contractor on the 29 mile Fresno to Madera route will carry out the first construction related demolition of a building on Monday. The vacant building is former bar,Hollywood Inn, at Golden State and Pine in Fresno. The demo will take place at 8AM and expected to take only a few minutes. More work on the route is expected later in the week.
High Speed Rail Contractor Plans Hanford Office
Tutor Perini, a joint venture contractor who held a subcontractor meeting in Hanford last week told the assembled crowd they plan to open a modular office complex of about 20,000 square feet and will employ about 100 persons at the center once the work on this leg of the bullet train between Fresno and Kern County begins.”Hanford is about half way” says principal Ron Tutor, confirming the news. “We were pleased we had a large turnout of a couple of hundred people in Hanford” says Tutor. “ We won’t know if we have a contract to build this second section of the route (CP2-3) until perhaps November.” LA-based Tutor Perini does have a contract to build the first leg from Fresno to Madera – CP1.
Falling Corn Prices Buoy Local Dairy/Livestock Industry
A big Midwestern corn crop promises to boost margins for livestock owners including the local dairy industry here. The news this week is that corn futures for delivery this December have now dropped below $4 a bushel compared to $6 to 7 in past years.The price fell Friday to the $3.91 level. High feed costs coupled with low milk prices from 2009 to 2012 pushed many dairy operators to the brink and scores of local dairy farms shut down. But in mid-2014 the cream is rising for milk producers with prices buoyed by strong exports. The latest Tulare County crop report says dairymen got an average of $16 per cwt in 2012 rising to $18.40 in 2013. This year the price has jumped to around $21.”Dairymen are finally making money” says Visalia broker John Grimmius. ”There were three years that we did not.” Grimmius says while there have been survivors of the tough years a number of operators did not survive.”We are seeing smaller dairy facilities sell for about the same as open ground where people are now talking about planting trees.” Indeed the latest county crop report shows some 4080 acres of nonbearing pistachio trees have been planted in recent years.
Milk Powder Sales – New Record High
U.S. exports of nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder increased 10% in May from April – a new all-time monthly high. In May, exporters sent 60,358 metric tons, or 133 million pounds, of nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder to destinations overseas, a 7.8% jump from May 2013 according to USDA. One of the largest producers is California Dairies in Visalia.
Tulare Council Will Discuss CaliCheese Project
The Tulare City Council will discuss the sale of 59 acres to CaliCheese July 15 asking for an additional $10,000 from the company to cover staff time on extending an exclusive right to negotiate the purchase.
Tulare To Get Forever 21 Store
The community of Tulare will get a Forever 21 clothing store at the outlet mall. Bidding on tenant improvements on a remodel of a 7618sf store – the former Ralph Lauren Polo space at the mall – has been completed as of July 9 with the store expected to open late this summer. Polo closed their location in Tulare in March.
Hanford Costco To Get Hearing July 24
Hanford City Manager Darrel Pyle says the city Planning Commission will take up the final EIR for the new Costco shopping center at Hyws 43 and 198 on the east side of town on July 24. That will be followed by a City Council hearing in August. Pyle expects construction to start by year end with the popular retailer to open in fall 2015.
Tulare Digester Could Start Construction in September
Colony Energy VP Matt Schmitt says the $25 million anaerobic digester project near the WWT plant in Tulare could start construction by the end of summer. “We are finalizing the site plan with the City of Tulare as well as the ground lease.” Schmitt says the biogas project could take about year. “We will be one of the first to inject biogas into the pipeline grid.” The biomethane,used in transportation – will be sought after by companies wanting to lower their greenhouse gas footprint. The biogas will be produced from a mix of green waste, food waste and cow manure.
Gas Pains Relief
Local wholesale price drops have finally brought a little gas price relief in many areas of Southern California, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The retail state average is $4.128 a gallon for regular today, 1.2 cents less than last week.
Gas Buddy says statewide the average price has dropped about 2 cents in recent days. Several stations in Tulare are selling gas for $3.75.
Helping to lower the pump price is falling oil futures this week as concern over the Iraq war have eased fears it would affect supply here. Bloomberg says “new U.S. pipelines and a revival in Libyan supply are increasing the likelihood that oil prices will slump through year-end after climbing in the first six months.
Wall Street analysts tracked by Bloomberg predict West Texas Intermediate oil will average $100 a barrel in the fourth quarter, down 5.1 percent from June 30.”
“Wholesale gasoline prices have dropped locally by more than 30 cents a gallon in the last two weeks, indicating a more steady fuel supply,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring this week. “If this trend holds, we can expect to see more drops at the pump.”
Chinese Lead U.S. Home Sales to Foreigners
RealtyTrac reports that international buyers spent $92.2 billion in 2013 on U.S. properties, up from $68.2 billion a year earlier, a 35 percent jump, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The increase in international sales was fueled by a 72 percent increase in activity from Chinese buyers, who purchased $22 billion in U.S. real estate, or 24 percent of total foreign sales.The report — titled “2014 Profile of International Home Buying Activity” — found that Chinese buyers’ favorite state is California, which accounted for 35 percent of sales.