Category: Central Valley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several years of negotiations between Tulare County and the City of
Porterville related to land use and the process for possible collection
of impact fees wrapped up this week.

Tulare County and Porterville finalized a settlement agreement on
Tuesday that outlines measures to coordinate land use in unincorporated
areas just outside city limits; establishes a process for consideration
of the future collection of impact fees; and ends lawsuits the entities
have filed against each other related to the County*s General Plan
Update and a Redevelopment issue.

Fifth District Supervisor Mike Ennis, who represents the Porterville
area, said the MOU is a win-win for the County and Porterville.

*Porterville doesn*t want to spend millions on fixing roads and
infrastructure to make these areas compatible with city services and
standards,* Supervisor Ennis said. *In return, the County can be
assured that in the future Porterville will collect county impact fees
that help pay for much needed infrastructure used by city and county
residents alike.*

Tulare County and its eight incorporated cities have been in
negotiations for more than five years to agree upon Memoranda of
Understanding (MOU) that outline how to implement city development
standards around cities within their urban development boundaries.
These MOUs are intended to establish new urban development standards in
unincorporated areas adjacent to current city limits so new development
will meet city standards.

“This settlement agreement is the result of many years of concerted
effort and negotiation between the City of Porterville and Tulare
County,” said Phil Cox, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “This
agreement will allow Porterville and Tulare County to work more
collaboratively from this point forward.*

The entire settlement agreement can be located at:
http://bit.ly/1hidr4A

Highlights of the settlement agreement:

Porterville

– All construction within Porterville*s sphere of influence will be
built to city development standards.
– The County will recognize city plans for infrastructure within the
city*s 50 year boundaries.
– Porterville will receive $750,000 in Rule 20A Underground Utility
Project funds.
– County will drop Redevelopment lawsuit.

Tulare County

– In the future, the City of Porterville will consider the collection
of impact fees within the city on behalf of the County. (There are
currently no impact fees in place)
– The County and City will work together to recommend a sphere of
influence for the City to LAFco.
– Upon completion of the projects under the settlement agreement
(targeted within the next year), the County will assist the City with
improvements through a transfer of $750,000 in Rule 20A Underground
Utility Project funds.
– City will drop General Plan Update lawsuit.

County Farm Jobs Fall In Latest EDD Report

March farm jobs fell by 2000 in the past month and by 400 year-over- year in Tulare County.The drop is not unusual for this month with the wind down of citrus picking. Meanwhile non-farm jobs grew in the County by 1500 year-over-year but fell by 400 in the past month. The County’s unemployment rate was 15.6% in March – up from 15.1% in February but down from 15.7% in March of 2013. Farm jobs spike up to about 40,000 in Spring but this years drought could cut those numbers.

Lindsay Fears Loosing Highway Frontage

City of Lindsay continues to negotiate with CalTrans over the state’s plan to straighten out the curve on Highway 65 as it turns toward Exeter/Tulare.”We stand to lose our highway commercial frontage from  Tulare Ave to Hermosa” says Pam Kimball, city council member. That frontage includes several well established businesses including a gas station,Burger King,Country Waffles and a Super8 Motel. It does not include the SaveMart shopping center. ”We’re hopeful we can come up  with a plan we can agree on” she says.

Mixed News On March Homes Sales

The good news: More new homes in Tulare County were sold, 59 in March 2014 compared to 39 in March 2013 and the median sales price of these homes is up 8.2% to $233,500. More good news: The median price of existing homes sold in county is up 20% compared to a year ago,from $137,560 to 165,380.Translation:the home you own is becoming more valuable. Now the bad news. The number of existing home sales are down 17% year-over-year and its taking longer to sell.Time on the market is now 40 days compared to 27 a year ago.

Religious Conventions Bring Visitors Here 

The United Pentecostal Church, Western Division, kicks off its Youth Convention in Visalia April 22 through 26. Event organizers are anticipating nearly 2,000 in attendance for the five-day conference. In addition, the Great Western Fan Festival is coming  back to Visalia May 1-3. This 3-day gospel concert series and celebration attracts over 1,200 attendees daily. The faithful attendees return year after year and are true patrons to the local economy says a city notice.

Porterville Closer To Buying 8 miles of RR Track

A TCAG report this month says the City of Porterville is about a month away from completing the purchase of 8 miles of rail track  owned by Union Pacific connecting Strathmore, north of the city, to Teapot Dome Ave, south of town.

Two New Roundabouts

Two new Caltrans roundabouts are in the works in the county – one east of Tipton at 190 and Rd 152 and one in Woodlake where state highway th 245 and 216 come together- the entrance to town.

Rooftop Solar Boom

Tulare County permits for rooftop solar panels on homes are booming this year up about one-third over last years pace. Through April 9 contractors have permitted 326 solar projects on homes valued at $6.2 million compared to 233 through the same period in 2013.

Move Rapidly To Go Whitewater Rafting

Little rain means local Skiing is done early, no regatta this year at Huntington Lake and now this Spring’s whitewater rafting season will be gone in the next few weeks. So says Kaweah Whitewater Adventures owner Frank Root. “There are eight companies with permits to offer rafting on the Kaweah but we’re the only ones who will run this year” expects Root.”It’s more a hobby this year” because he lives there. The popular Kaweah River Page” website says peak flows will be this weekend with 3 to 4 more weeks of rafting depending on the temps.  The rafting season on the Kings River will at least go into May. Boat recreation at Lake Kaweah will be impacted as well as the lake is  estimated to receive just 90,000 acre/ft of river flow compared to 153,000 acre ft last year. Think low lake levels.

Kaweah Delta To Open New Clinic Downtown

Kaweah Delta will open a new medical clinic in Visalia at the privately owned 202 W Willow building,the corner of Locust and Willow, next to the hospital campus. The clinic, to open this fall,will be staffed by new Family Medical resident physicians who are part of the district’s Graduate Medical Education program says David Garrett,Director of Outpatient Health. “We will take the top floor of the 5-story building“ says Dave, “with 12 new exam rooms,2 procedure rooms,and offices” totaling 6500sf.
The new clinic will be part of the district’s network of rural clinics that include Exeter,Lindsay,Woodlake and Dinuba – coming this fall.
Garrett says family medicine resident Docs will be growing in the next few years with 6 now enrolled, 12 by July and 18 at maturity. The resident program lasts for 3 years and will continue with new residents year after year. ”We’re building this clinic for the long haul” says Garrett. The hope is that many of these young physicians that include more GME specialties, will decide to remain in the area helping to increase our decline in physician to patient ratio in this county.
Garrett says the clinics proximity to the hospital make it an ideal location and a clear alternative for some patients who would otherwise clog the nearby ER.The building is owned by a private partnership managed by Harvey May. May says the building is going through a major upgrade  to attract more tenants that include a new eatery on the ground floor.

Tulare Getting A Chipotle

Tulare Planning Commission will hear a request for a beer and wine license for a Chiplote restaurant at 1108 E Prosperity in the Walmart shopping center at their April 28 meeting. The site is the former Quinoz location that has closed.  Chipotle is one of the first chains of so called fast casual dining establishments that now has some 1500 locations.One affiliated with McDonalds, the now independent company is publicly traded with first-quarter sales figures indicating the eatery’s popularity isn’t fading: sales at established locations rose 13.4 percent they just reported.

Tulare Buys Land Near WWT Plant For $3.04 Million

The city of Tulare has purchased 160 acres at West and Levin near their wastewater treatment plant to both buffer the plant from future development  and allow for for future expansion says Mayor David Macedo. A city notice says they paid $3.04 million to the Catron family.

City of Visalia Buys Main St Land
City of Visalia has purchased the NE corner of Garden and Main St, the former Razzari Ford lot for parking in Downtown. The city paid $400,000 to Korwood enterprises who own Crawdaddys.

California Gas Prices Rise To $4.07 Average

Gasoline prices are heading higher in April climbing 9 cents in  the past week to an average of $4.07 says Gas Buddy. Meanwhile the federal EIA released a report predicting the 2014 average price for gasoline on the West Coast will be about 2 cents lower than last year at $3.85 per gallon.

State Says Its Wrapping Up Review of Kettleman Hills Expansion

California Department of Toxic Substances Control is still analyzing more than 5000 comments it received as of October 25,2013 on the permit  \request to expand  the Kettleman Hills waste facility.
So says project manager Wayne Lorentzen who says the agency is “
wrapping up our review” of the request and “ should have a decision soon.” He would not estimate a date.

The department has given a provisional OK last summer but has yet to finalize that decision.

The application dates from December 2008 looking  to expand capacity at the hazardous waste dump by one third. The company says the are running out of space But critics blame the dump for causing illness in Kettleman City, 3.5 miles away.

Now the Kings County Board of Supervisors has said they may not be able to move forward on a water treatment facility for the low income community if the Kettleman Hills facility is not approved soon because of debt owed that the facility owner Chem Waste, has agreed to pay off -more than half a million dollars – but only if they get their expansion permit. Kettleman City’s groundwater is tainted with arsenic and benzine.

Central Valley Ski Resorts Shut Down

Central Valley ski resorts are now closed for  the season.Both Badger Pass and China Peak are shut down with Bear Valley to the north the closest ski resort to remain open.  A half dozen resorts in the Tahoe area and Mammoth are open this week.

Kaweah Rafting Season Starts

If ski season is over – rafting season on the  Kaweah River is starting this week with warmer air temps and likely to last just a month. The Kaweah River page website reports that rain in  Three Rivers  at Pumpkin Hollow got 7.82 in so far this year compared to 12.52 in of rain this time last year.

Some Rain Expected Late Next week In No California

While mid April is not typically a wet period in northern California, that part of the state could get some rain by next Thursday/Friday (April 17) according to preliminary forecasts. Another model shows the rain coming down further into middle California. That would follow a weak disturbance this Sunday and Monday that could bring light rain to some of the Sierra.

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, THREE RIVERS, CALIFORNIA— Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) are now occupying the Great Western Divide for the first time in over 100 years due to recent efforts by state and federal agencies. Between March 19-22, a total of 10 ewes (females) and 4 rams (males) were translocated from land in the Inyo National Forest to the Big Arroyo area
of Sequoia National Park by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in cooperation with the National Park Service (Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks), U.S. Forest Service (Inyo National Forest), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This major milestone in the recovery of this endangered species was conducted through helicopter-supported capture of bighorn sheep in wilderness areas of the Inyo National Forest. CDFW staff and volunteers, including veterinarians and biologists, as well as several staff from other agencies, were present to assess each animal’s health and ensure their safety throughout the entire process. Each animal was fitted with a radio collar and a GPS collar in order to track movements and survival.
Superintendent Woody Smeck of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks said, “This project would not have been possible without the leadership of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and strong interagency cooperation with our partners, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”
This work was part of ongoing efforts to monitor the status of other radio-collared bighorn sheep that use the parks, to study bighorn sheep habitat use, and to evaluate the impacts of wilderness recreational activities on the sheep and their habitat. Following this recent effort, there are now 11 herds of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep between Owens Lake and Mono Lake, including areas outside of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Two additional herds are needed to meet recovery goals: (1) Taboose Creek, which overlaps the eastern boundary of Kings Canyon National Park, and (2) Laurel Creek, which is almost completely within Sequoia National Park.
In general, CDFW conducts ground surveys annually to determine the population size of Sierra bighorn and recent estimates place that number in excess of 500 animals.

DeJong Group Completes Purchase Of Visalia Land For Cheese Plant
The DeJong family has completed the purchase of 117 acres in the Visalia Industrial Park as of April 1. Realtor Doug Burr confirms the sale as does family spokesman Johnny Gailey.
“Yes we bought it” says Gailey who says plans for a cheese plant on the site will be worked out over the next year. Gailey says his group met with the City of Visalia who was positive about the project.”As long as market conditions stay strong – we will move forward.”
The land is the former Jacuzzi property on Plaza Drive, one of the largest vacant parcels in the heart of the park. The plant would be located right across the street from the big CDI milk plant. The seller was the Allen Group.

Bravo Farm Prepares To Open In Kettleman City

Bravo Farms owner Jonathan Van Ryn hopes to open his long awaited, Kettleman City Bravo Farms location on Friday April 11.The $3 million tourist complex has been on the drawing board since 2011 says Van Ryn and under construction for almost 2 years. “It’s not your average dry wall project” quips Jonathan, who has built a unique Old West storefront along Hwy 41 that is some 500 feet long. If it looks like something out of the movies – there is a reason why. The building frontage was designed by Paso Robles own Daniels Woodland who used to build for Disney(Check out the company’s wild tree houses).
Inside, visitors in this cross-roads town can enjoy ( coastal favorite) Doc Bernstein’s’ ice cream, visit a never-ending gift store or catch a full meal at Wild Jacks restaurant offering TexMex faire. The 2-story complex has something for everyone no matter which direction you are heading.
The place will be advertised on bill boards for I-5 motorists with Van Ryn expecting it will take a while for LA-SF travelers to learn about Bravo Farms, that it all started with making cheese for example. Both Valley and Coast travelers are ahead on the learning curve.
The new business will be a good shot in the arm for Kettleman City with 30 to 40 jobs, he says. The retail pit stop is built on land owned by Mike Jackson of Kingsburg who would like to build more highway commercial nearby. For Jonathan – this the fourth restaurant /store in the Central Valley that includes the new steakhouse on Willis in Visalia.

Wet Seal Plus Coming To Packwood Creek

After opening their first Plus-Only size store in Clovis last year Wet Seal is about to open their second Wet Seal + in Visalia’s Packwood Creek shopping center.  The popular teen retailer already has a store in the Visalia Mall that will be unaffected.The new Wet Seal Plus Only store is under construction at 4021 S Mooney near Cameron on the westside of Mooney.

Tenant improvements are going in with the contractor needing about  6 weeks to finish up he says, meaning the store will be likely open before this summer.
Last year the retailer, typically located in malls,had announced it would increase its plus-size offerings a their stores that were previously available only on-line. Collections include skirts, sweaters,dresses, belts and more.
Wet Seal has been struggling to earn a profit recently,reporting an operating loss of $27.3 million in the latest quarter after a loss of $25.5 million the same quarter a year earlier. For the year, same store sales declined 4.1%.
CEO John Goodman said a few days ago said that the retailer made  “substantial progress” on their “turnaround strategy” that includes “significant opportunity we see in the the plus size market.”
In Packwood Creek shopping center competitor Lane Bryant also is selling plus-size clothes in an existing store. Center developer Patrick Orosco said “we are pleased to expand the soft goods store lineup at Packwod Creek” noting the  shopping center has about a half dozen national apparel stores.

Construction Moving Forward On Visalia Animal Control Shelter
Local firm Forcum Mackey submitted the low bid of $4.6 million to build the new Visalia Animal Control Facility to be built next to the Visalia airport late last week. Mayor Steve Nelson says “we’re doing cartwheels because our earlier estimates were it would cost us $5 to $5.5 million.” The existing shelter is small, built in 1968.

COS May Lease Out Mooney Parking Lot

Trustees of the College of the Sequoias recently adopted a “Vision Statement” offering  some new board priorities for the year. They include removing the mold from the Live Oak building to allow future use on the Visalia campus,purchasing the TCOVE facility on south Mooney and “maximizing  the use” of the Mooney student parking lot across Mooney from the college. Sources say the idea is to lease the lot next to the drive-in for income,perhaps something like a CVS drug store that could also benefit students. The board will discuss each project later this year.

Pacific Southwest Container Expanding

Pacific Southwest Containers in Visalia is expanding, leasing an additional 50,000 sf warehouse next to their box making plant  in the Visalia Industrial Park says realtor Doug Burr.

 Visalia Building Permits Stay Strong

The number of building permits in the City of Visalia climbed 22% through March. New home permits are at 79 – up 5% over this time last year.

Groundbreaking Set For April 8 For Porterville Cancer Care Center

Sierra View District Hospital will break ground on a new Cancer Care Center on April 8 with construction set to last 15 months. The project is valued at $5.2 million. The addition includes a second linear accelerator vault, a new and relocated lobby, new exam rooms, a patient consultation room, additional chemotherapy bays and refinishing the exterior to blend better on the hospital campus says spokesperson Ramona Chiapa. “The additional square footage is 3000 sq/ft. with the  total project area is 12,763 sq ft. 
“We will continue to provide comprehensive care throughout the project, without interruption to radiation or chemotherapy services.”For patients the new facility will mean enhanced treatment options, Improved imaging and patient positioning, Reduce treatment times, minimize patient side effects, improved radiation therapy technology.

Landmark Springville Inn Closes

Built in 1911,the landmark Springville Inn along Hwy 190 has recently shut its doors with the property now for sale.The current owners filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy last month.

Kaweah Delta Lobbies To Retain Mineral King Hospital Wing

In a meeting with Visalia city officials March 26,Kaweah Delta CEO Lindsay Mann made it clear they have not given up on retaining the existing Mineral King wing of the hospital long-term,despite state seismic rules. Visalia Mayor Steve Nelson says the hospital presented seismic studies to show they ought to be granted a waiver of state rules to meet the 2030 deadline.
KD board member Jody Graves says keeping this building is important “just to retain the investment and rooms we already have rather than building space just to replace it.”
The hospital has been lobbying the state to allow a waiver with Graves adding ”we are not the same as the mud flats of the Bay Area or the shaky ground around Northridge” that spurred the rules.
Lindsay Mann says hospital officials and Visalia city manager Mike Olmos will meet with state officials April 16 to plead their case.
‘The seismic risk under this well-built building is radically different than urban areas on the Coast “says Mann. Rules require the risk be at a 0.75 level and the land under the Mineral King wing is under 0.1, he says.
If they can’t get a favorable ruling in the next year and a half “we need to start work on what could be a half billion dollar replacement complex” adds Mann.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Moving forward with the continued construction of the nation’s first high-speed rail system, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) today issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to five world-class teams inviting them to bid on the Construction Package 2-3 (CP 2-3) design-build contract.

 CP 2-3 is the second major construction package of the high-speed rail program. It extends in excess of 60 miles through the Central Valley from East American Avenue in Fresno County to one mile north of the Kern-Tulare county line and is estimated between $1.5 billion to $2 billion. The selected design-build team will be responsible for delivering final designs for bridges, culverts, trenches and tunnels, utility relocations, aerial structures, grade separations, security and drainage.

 “The release of the Request for Proposal is an important step in moving this transformative project forward,” said Authority CEO Jeff Morales. “All five world-class teams passed a rigorous review process to become qualified to bid on this project. The Authority looks forward to seeing what these teams come up with and we anticipate the bids to be very competitive.”

 The qualified teams invited to bid are listed below in alphabetical orde

• California Rail Builders: Ferrovial Agroman US Corp. and Granite Construction Company
• Dragados/Flatiron/Shimmick: Dragados USA, Inc., Flatiron West, Inc. and Shimmick Construction Co., Inc.
• Golden State Rail Partnership: OHL USA, Inc. and Samsung E&C America, Inc.
• Skanska-Ames a Joint Venture: Skanska USA Civil West California District Inc. and Ames Construction, Inc.
• Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons, a Joint Venture: Tutor Perini Corporation, Zachry Construction Corporation and Parsons Transportation Group Inc.

The proposals will be due to the Authority on September 2, 2014. After they are received, the Authority will thoroughly evaluate and score the teams’ proposals to determine the team offering the best overall value. The scoring will be weighed 30 percent on technical and 70 percent on price. The Authority anticipates making a decision on the best written offer in November 2014.

The Authority is hosting an Industry Forum on April 8, 2014, at the Visalia Convention Center, 303 East Acequia Avenue, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This optional event provides an opportunity for small businesses to meet with the qualified firms eligible to submit proposals.

The design-build contract will bring thousands of jobs to the Central Valley, an area with one of the highest unemployment rates in California and the nation. The route will also provide environmental benefits, relieve roadway congestion and spur economic development. This contract will follow the Authority’s aggressive 30 percent Small Business participation goal.

The RFP is available on the Authority’s website at http://www.hsr.ca.gov/Programs/Construction/Design_Build_Construction_Pkg_2_3/index.html

 

The De Jong family has completed the purchase of 117 acres in the Visalia Industrial Park as of April 1. Realtor Doug Burr confirms the sale as does family spokesman Johnny Gailey.

“Yes we bought it” says Gailey who says plans for a cheese plant on the site will be worked out over the next year. Gailey says his group met with the City of Visalia who was positive about the project.”As long as market conditions stay strong we will move forward.”

The land is the former Jacuzzi property, on Plaza Drive, one of the largest vacant parcels in the heart of the park. The plant would be located right across the street from the big CDI milk plant. The seller was the Allen Group.

Wood Products Manufacturer To Hire 25

Forest Wood Fiber Products, based in Lake Elsinore California, is in escrow to buy a Richgrove plant site in Southern Tulare County and will relocate operations in the next 45 days.
So says company owner Mark Carlston who adds he is buying nearly 40 acres adjacent to the 5-acre site to cultivate agave plants for second business line. The family forest products business has been operating since 1905.
The wood fiber company grinds waste wood, some from nearby Sierra Forest Products of Terra Bella, into nursery products including organic  soil amendments and landscaping material.
“Many of our customers are from northern California and our trucks were having to go back and forth between there and our southern California markets says Carlston.
”Now we are half way to both places.”
On top of that finding enough logging material in southern California is becoming increasingly difficult, he says.
The manufacturing operation in Richgrove will be at a 5-acre former almond processing plant on Ave 24 that has not been used recently. Carlston says he is selling his Lake Elsinore building and will plow money back into his new Richrove facility to add power and do a septic system.
“Tulare County and especially (county staffer) Mike Washam have been great to work with.We expect to pet all permits in place in 45 days. In Southern California that took 3 years.”
Carlston says he will be hiring about 25 employees at the plant in addition to 10 others, mostly drivers who deliver product.
Regards planting agave Carlston says he also owns a tequila  company but that some of the agave will be harvested to make agave nectar, a source of sugar beneficial for diabetics. The outer fiber is used to make rope and the waste material is a good cattle feed.