In early December Sierra2theSea ran an article about the Lemoore Golf Course saying the property was for sale. We relied on a listing we saw on the LoopNet website that listed a broker and a sales price. We have been told by city officials that the golf course was was never “listed” with any company as for sale and that the sales price was in any case far too low. The article quotes city officials as considering a sale at that time, a matter still under consideration after an offer from the Tachi tribe. We regret whatever confusion this might have caused 
and apologize for the error.
John Lindt
Category: Central Valley
Food Link Plans Move To Exeter
FoodLink for Tulare County plans a move to Exeter from Visalia this Spring upon completion of a USDA loan to buy warehouse property there.
Executive Director Sandy Beals says the loan process is almost complete on a $800,000 loan enabling the non-profit group to buy the former Pinkham warehouse at 611 2nd St. The warehouse is 23,000 sf including a 5000 sf cold storage facility with the configuration allowing the food bank to store lots more product says Beals.
“The high ceilings help us store more going up.” The money will be used for both purchase and remodel of the facility.
The warehouse also sits on 2.2 acres enabling them to hold distribution functions outside and do projects like a community garden she says.
“This move for us will be more affordable for us” – an organization that depends on community and corporate donations to stay afloat. ”We barely get by each month and this will make our monthly payment easier.” USDA’s low interest rates helps make owning less expensive than renting.
FoodLink has always rented space in the Visalia Industrial Park since 1978 but would own their Exeter facility.
“We hope to be in by April.”
Beals who has worked at the food bank since the beginning says they have 7 staffers and 1000 volunteers.”
“FoodLink is committed to ending hunger for those in need by providing healthy food and nutrition education through community involvement” states its purpose.
FoodLink warehouses and distributes millions of pounds of food annually to a network of more than 80 local nonprofit agencies, which directly feed needy families. In 2010, food distributed through FoodLink’s efficient network of food collection, preservation, and distribution reached more than 120,000 people, with more than two thirds of those served being children.
But food distribution alone is not enough to end hunger in our area. FoodLink also works to combat hunger through hunger-relief advocacy, and to eliminate its long-term effects through proper nutrition.
FoodLink is always looking for volunteers.FoodLink relies on the help of many individuals and groups who give of their time to help us prepare and distribute food. If you have time to give, there is sure to be a place we can use your talents! Or you may wish to schedule a friendly FoodLink volunteer competition between teams from your workplace or church group! Call us at (559)651-3663.
BONE DRY & SCARED – Tulare County Faces Grim Water Prospects
It’s the middle of January 2014 and the Kaweah River watershed and all of California is bone dry. This picture of the high country above Visalia tells the story.The Mineral King webcam at 9500 ft elevation provides a doss of reality for anyone who hopes to take a drink of water in June or wonders how we can irrigate 1.3 million acres of productive farmland this summer in Tulare County.
Last year on this date Farewell Gap meteorological station in Mineral King showed a foot and a half of snow on the ground.The site gets an average of 37 inches of water content by April 1 on average.
Reservoir storage is at historical lows with only a 11,500 acre ft puddle in Kaweah Lake that holds 174,166 af. Lake Success has just 5151 af with storage capacity of 82,314 af. Sprawling Pine Flat Lake on the Kings that can hold one million acre feet – has 174,166 af.
If the mountains are dry, the Valley floor is parched from 13 months of record drought. In the calendar year 2013 Visalia’s rainfall total was 3.25 inches,a record low according to the Western Regional Climate Center that lists the existing record low for Visalia in 1910 at 4.10 inches. So far 2014 is no better.
Typically,December and January are some of the biggest rainmakers each year with an average in Visalia of 3.75 inches. This year December’s total for Visalia was 0.20 and nothing fell in January. Nor will there likely be any. So far this water year that started last July – the Dinuba tree fruit region area has received just 0.88 inches according to Alta Irrigation District.
It’s no wonder the Tulare County Board of Supervisors are expected to urge Governor Brown to declare an emergency drought declaration soon.
“Maybe that’s what we need in the state to wake the average person to the crisis we have ” says county Ag Commissioner Marilyn Kinoshita who will be attending this week’s water rally in Sacramento January 16.
The Central Valley Latino Water Coalition is coordinating the rally hoping to turn out a big crowd to both find short term water supply solutions an support a new California Water Bond.
They favor both sustainability in the Delta and more water storage.
“Our whole economy depends on how much rain God gives us over the next two months” states Tulare city mayor David Macedo.”Right now the situation scares me death.”
“This the fourth driest December we have seen on the Tule River in over 100 years” says Dick Schafer, local water expert. Schafer favors an emergency drought declaration that was called for the Tulare County Water Commission this week. Schafer is a member. The designation could allow some flexibility allowing more Delta exports.He also favors a bill by Congressman Devin Nunes to scrap the salmon restoration effort on the San Joaquin River that sends water down the river for habitat restoration.
Tulare County gets an important amount of its annual water supply not from our watersheds but the next watershed up the Sierra – from the San Joaquin River. Much of that water is sent along the Friant Kern Canal that hugs the foothills including about half to Tulare County farms and towns. The drought is threatening that supply as well.
Statewide it is no better.“This is my third extended drought period as president of the Association of California Water Agencies” says Tim Quinn and “more than any other – it is the scariest.” He says usually our reservoirs are down at the end of the water year. This January, mid term of the water year – our reservoirs are empty and the is no rain in sight.”
Quinn says water districts are going to rationing as the dry spell continues.”This is our third dry year in a row” adds Quinn and ”people need to wake up and stop watering those lawns.”
“The message has to get out that we must conserve now and invest statewide in water storage and conveyance. ” Quinn notes that his old boss Metropolitan Water District is better off than most districts in the state “because they invested 10 years ago in water infrastructure.”
Visalia City Council member Greg Collins says the City of Visalia needs to be leader in calls for new conservation efforts.”We will be talking about at this next weekend’s council retreat. We have to do something.” Visalia loves their green lawns but Collins says he turned off home irrigation system last September. ”We may have to put with brown lawns while we try to save the trees.”
Quinn calls the stubborn high pressure system dominating the state’s weather pattern for months now a ”ridiculously resilient ridge” that is warding off the plentiful storms entering North America, pushing them tot he north or weakening like those series of storms this past week.
Saturday a report says Tahoe ski resorts got around 3 inches of snow but like almost all recent storms – this one lacked the punch to bring much precipitation across the state. Hope that a pattern change comes in February seems to be ebbing in the latest models.
Climate Change?
PG&E forecaster John Lindsey had an interesting perspective this week on why it is so dry.
“For one reason, a large-scale, high-pressure ridge has continued to dominate our weather, never fluctuating far from the western edge of North America. This condition hasn’t allowed the normal wintertime storm systems to progress southward into California.
An area of high pressure about 3,700 miles away as the crow flies may be the culprit. This year’s drought pattern across California is related to a strong and persistent area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere near Greenland. The “Greenland Block” is a high-pressure ridge that has forced the polar jet stream south over the Midwest and East Coast.
There’s a growing amount of evidence that climate change may be altering the path of the jet stream, keeping storms farther to the north of California’s longitude.”
With no heavy downpour in coming weeks “The Governor is likely to declare a drought emergency after the February 1 Snow Survey” say officials.
The impact of the drought is being felt the worse in the Valley’s westside with less groundwater to rely on, In the Westlands water district hundreds of square miles may have to be left fallow if there are not a series of significant storms, said Jason Peltier, chief deputy general manager recently.
A formal drought emergency declaration could assist in a number of ways but as Brown has said the “government can’t make it rain.”
Brown visited Fresno this week and the Bee reported the following.
“The bishops are advising us to pray for rain,” he said later Monday at a Fresno City Hall news conference. “I am planning to go beyond that and do whatever we can in terms of water exchanges, working with local farmers and water districts to maximize the resources that we have. It is really serious and my staff and administration are preparing appropriate papers to do what is necessary.”
Asked specifically if he would be declaring a drought emergency in the state, Brown said “not today, but we’re working on it.”
So far this water year the rain pattern statewide is reverse what it has been historically when rain was more plentiful in the north and a surplus sent south to help farms and cities in Central and Southern California.
So far this water year Northern California has an average Snowpack or snow water equivalent of 1 inch or 7% normal for this date. The rain totals are just 3% of April 1 average The Southern Sierra stands at 25% normal for this date.
60 Year Old Deal
With low north state rain Central Valley farmers in the prosperous east side of the Valley including Tulare County farmers – stand to lose big time because of a water deal set up some 60 years ago.
As it looks now it is likely the federal government will not have an adequate supply of water north of the Delta to deliver to the “Exchange Contractors” north of Firebuagh triggering a call on San Joaquin River water stored in Millerton. That will come out of the hide of east side farmers who depend on Friant Kern Canal water – farmers in Fresno,Tulare and Kern counties who irrigate a million acres of mostly trees and vines.
“We hope the governor makes a drought declaration soon that could spell some relief from environmental restrictions that limit the Delta flows south.” This could enable the Exchange Contractors to get more of their contracted supply so they would take less San Joaquin River water says Friant contractors General Manager Ron Jacobsma.
In normal years, the Exchange Contractors are guaranteed 100% of their contractual water allotment (840,000 acre feet) and in critical years the amount is 75% (650,000 af).
Also,the Bureau of Reclamation and Friant contractors are apparently discussing a possible delay in February’s restoration water release from Friant Dam that could save some 25,000 af and agree to pay it back later.
Jacobsma adds“ the bigger issue for us is the potential to have to contribute up to 200,000 af of San Joaquin River water to the Exchange Contractors because the Bureau can’t find enough north of the Delta. That could leave us with virtually nothing.”
A number of water districts in Tulare County have no groundwater supply.
“This would be the first time in 60 years that this happened” says Jacobsma. These districts claim senior rights and receive Delta water in “exchange” for their historic supply from the San Joaquin River. The districts northwest of Fresno gave up the San Joaquin supply when Friant Dam was built.
The Fresno Bee reported this past week “that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Jim Costa, both Democrats from California, last month called on Brown to immediately declare a drought and to request a broad emergency declaration from President Barack Obama, which would expedite some water transfers, provide financial assistance and suspend some state and federal regulations.
Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the California Natural Resources Agency, said Brown’s task force is meeting weekly to address concerns related to the dry conditions and draw up plans for dealing with it. He said specific conditions must be met before an official drought is declared.
“We do have to see how the hydrological circumstances play out for the coming month. That said, you know, the long-range forecasts, we’re not optimistic,” he said.”
Some water districts may follow what happened in Paso Robles and consider a moratorium on new wells to save what groundwater supply that is there. Restrictions on pumping have been discussed in Tulare County as well where groundwater levels continue to plunge.”They are digging new wells like crazy in the Tipton/Pixley area” remarks David Macedo. Macedo a cattle auctioneer,also notes he “has never seen so many cull cows sent to auction in January because of a lack of foothill grass.”
While much of northern and central California remains parched the Pacific Northwest appears to be getting more rain after a dry spell. The Columbia River forecast is for 97% of average river run with the Snake River at 95%.Eastern Oregon and Washington is dry like California however.
In Arizona on the Colorado River so far the southern Colorado River snowpack is 97% of average.Unregulated flow into Lake Powell is expected to 93% of average.
California gets 4.4 million af of water from the Colorado River. LA’s Metropolitan WD appears to have more water stored for this situation and the is some talk that they ought to be neighborly and share some of the supply in a critical dry year like this.
One glimmer of hope. Dick Schafer says historically an early dry winter often ends with a wet March that helps bring back the year to 50% of average. We have a way to go with the state saying they can only supply 5% to water contractors.
Around Visalia: Franks Liquor / Mall News / Cigna Bld
Chapter Closing On Another Downtown Business Icon
First there was news that Downtown landmark retailer Surplus City would close.Then the Links announced their retirement sale. Now a third shoe is falling.
Local favorite Frank’s Liquor and Superette, a fixture Downtown since 1964 will change hands late this month. The friendly neighborhood store where they really did know your name is located on the corner of Willis and Murray. The place that is a favorite pit stop for Times Delta employees on break was founded by Frank Lovero Sr who passed away in April 2013. Now son Frank Lovero Jr is selling the business to a group led by George Kassab from Porterville. The bulk sale is expected to be complete January 23.
Frank Jr says he feels like he “has worked 8 days a week” for years and is ready to retire.He says it has been hard to hang on as independent operator with all the chains noting that the buyers of the Visalia store already have 19 other locations.’”It been the great selection we have here that has helped us.”And good advice on wine selection too. Frank says staff at the store will stay employed.
Luncheon Will Showcase Visalia Office Building
With some 75,000 square feet of Class A office space available in what is known as the Cigna building – the owner of the property – the Weingart Foundation plans to host a luncheon January 22 at the building on corner of Tulare and Akers. Local realtor Doug Burr says the space is the largest of its kind in the Central Valley. The Weingart Foundation is big supporter of non-profits that help the poor in southern California. With assets of $718 million, the foundation has authorized grants totaling over $900 million over years.
Founder Ben Weingart’s life began in poverty, but when be died in December 1980, his Southern California real estate holdings were comprised mostly of hotels, shopping centers and apartment buildings worth many millions of dollars. He probably was best known as the man who led the multimillion-dollar venture that created a new town, the City of Lakewood, on what previously were sugar-beet and bean fields.
Express/Hallmark To Open At Visalia Mall
Visalia Mall General Manager Richard Feder says they are in talks with a Hallmark corporate store to open in the same space being vacated by the Wright’s card store next month. In addition Feder says the mall has leased the 7,800SF space that now houses New York & Co – in the process of closing by the end of this month – to Express, Inc. The store advertises itself as an American fashion retailer that sells stylish clothing for men and women. The anticipated opening of the store is planned for 6/1/14. Express operates over 600 stores in the United States and generates $1.8 billion in annual sales. Express used to be in the mall in the 1990s says Feder when it was owned by Limited Brands. You may remember New York & Co used to be called Lerner.
March of the Dollar Stores continues across Tulare County with plans in the works for new stores in Strathmore and Pixley says county Economic Development Manager Mike Washam.
New Home Values Double In Visalia in 2013
Home building is back in Visalia. The number of new homes permitted jumped 70% in 2013 compared to 2012 and valuation more than doubled to 109%. Valuation topped $109.7 million vs $51.2 million in 2012.
Total permit valuation climbed to $177.5 million from $112.9 million the year before, the best performance since 2008.
Boosting this year’s home building mini-boom, in December builders took out permits for 60 new homes in what is typically a slow time of the year. December of 2012 saw only 10 home permits issued.
For the year 2013 the 429 new home permits is the highest since 2008 when we built 496 new homes. The 2012 number was a decade low 252 units.
City statistics show the average new home in Visalia cost $248,853 – up from $203,157 in 2012. Visalia saw no new apartments built in town for the second year in a row with only 21 multi-family units built in town over the past four years.
Top Builders
Top single family home builders showed the return of the out-of-town builder to the marketplace with number one McMillin Homes permitting 81 new homes followed by Lennar Fresno at 73. Next was Fresno’s Woodside Homes at 69 units. Centex built 62 new homes and Bonadelle, also from Fresno, permitted 26. Fresno’s Wathen Castanos permitted 15 and Woodside Homes of Fresno permitted 12. Visalia’s Mangano Homes built 6 new homes in 2013 with the builder now concentrating on the San Luis Obispo market.
One new player is San Joaquin Valley Homes who opened for business on July 1, 2013. They have 2 open subdivisions (Hanford and Tulare) and plan to open 3 more in the spring (Tulare, Corcoran and Visalia). Their staff has now grown to 11 says partner Jm Robinson.Their office is in downtown Visalia.
Visalia Wins Key Court Case
Judge Gives Green Light For Wastewater Treatment Plant Construction
Tulare County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Hicks rejected arguments by a spurned second place bidder over construction of an expansion of the Visalia’s wastewater treatment plant in a ruling dated January 2.
The court case had held up construction on the largest public works project in the city’s history in a battle pitting two giant construction firms.
Hicks ruled that the construction firm Balfour Beatty did not provide convincing arguments that the low bid by rival W.M. Lyles, accepted by the city, should be thrown out.
Judge Hicks ruled “Lyles’ bid was $900,000 less that Balfour’s.The City is required by law to award the bid to the lowest responsible,responsive bidder. There is no basis on which to find that Balfour’s appeal was denied arbitrarily and capriciously and only because Lyles was local company” as claimed by attorneys for Balfour.
Balfour had argued that Lyles bid did not specify the manufacturer of certain equipment to be used on the job. But Judge Hicks pointed out that both Balfour and Lyles relied on the same third party subcontractor to supply the same equipment even though one lists the supplier as Crescent,the distributor, and the other, Square D, the manufacturer. Both use a bid from Berg, the supplier. Therefore, Hicks found no advantage to Lyles.
While the city did say there were “irregularities” because of the mix-up they called the issues minor and waived them in accepting the low bid and the judge agreed.
City attorney Alex Peltzer said the city held off moving forward on the project until the court cleared the matter which it has now.
“We are pleased the judge agreed we made the right decision.”
Peltzer says the contract paperwork would now be signed and the complicated multi-phase project would now move forward.
“It could be a month before they get underway” expects Peltzer.
While the contract for the wastewater treatment plant is for $92.3 million, the overall project includes a solar farm,water recycling, water basins and a pipeline that add up to around $150 million.”We bought other equipment not included in the bid” says Peltzer.
It will be three years before the complete project is done.
Tulare County Roundup
Veteran Tulare Staffers To Step Down
City of Tulare will lose two veteran department heads. City Engineer Mike Whitlock will leave in March to join the Visalia firm of Mendoza and Associates who do construction engineering. Whitlock has been shepherding the big Cartmill interchange project this past few years,nearing final funding approvals from the CTC. He also has been in charge of several other multi-million dollar infrastructure projects in town.
Public Works Director Lew Nelson will leave as of January 1,2014 ending 10 years with the City of Tulare. Previously he was with the City of Visalia. Nelson has been honored as an a advocate of green energy “self generation” at the wastewater treatment plant in Tulare using waste biogas to generate power as well as adding solar power.
Tulare Weighs Fuel Cell Performance
Tulare’s Public Utility Board is again taking up shortfalls in the performance of the fuel cell technology at the wastewater treatment plant. Public Works Director Lew Nelson says the company who both installed and maintains the fuel cells has been lapse in their maintenance and has agreed to offer the city a credit because the fuel cells have not put out the amount of power that was promised in the past year. Nelson says the company claims they have now fixed the problem. Thursday the board decided to extend the contract until 2016.If they had abandoned the fuel cells, the city may have had to pay even more to buy electricity again from SCE. Nelson says while results from the self generation program using fuel cells has been mixed the city solar farm is saving an estimated $100,000 a year. The city killed a plan for a battery plant that would store power to be located next to the WWT plant recently.
JD Heiskell To Expand Office
J.D. Heiskell will expand their corporate office in Tulare says CEO Scot Hillman.”We will add on 7500sf to our office on Cedar and move staff from the historical H St location where the company was founded in 1886.” Then they plan to donate the historical office building for a non-profit use.
City Eyes Property Sales
Visalia’s new mayor Steve Nelsen says he is pleased the council decided this week to move forward on a new Dispatch Center but hold up on construction of full Public Safety Building. ”We have lots of other needs in town” he says,and the City cannot afford to build the more expensive project right now.The Visalia City Council gave the go ahead to begin the design of a $16.1 million emergency dispatch center. The $52.6 million price tag on a joint Visalia Emergency Communication Center and Public Safety facility and difficulties in financing the project convinced Council members to build just the 19,000-square foot dispatch center.
To potentially raise money Nelsen has asked staff to prepare full list of city-owned properties that might put on the market.“If we can get a return on what we paid and can do without them I would look at a sale.” He expects the list to be available in January.Other council members agree. Member Collins has suggested selling the city parking lot on Stevenson at Mineral King perhaps for a multi-story mixed use residential complex that would benefit Downtown. Sale of properties might be used to build up funds to construct the Public Safety Building and Civic Center,both near Burke and Oak. Architects plan to show a layout in January of how the different Civic Center buildings might be located.
The good news gleaned from a city finance estimate – sales tax revenue is expected to rise 4% this coming fiscal year and property tax 5% as the economy heals.
Woodville Health Clinic: The farmworker town of Woodville will get a new Tulare Community Health Clinic thanks to a $316 667 Affordable Care grant. The clinic to be built by the Tulare non-profit group will open in 2014 with a full time doctor and be open 40 hours a week,also offering dental care. Tulare Regional Medical Center has clinic in Woodville.
Streamline Irrigation, a fast growing ag company based in Traver has expanded from 3 to 11 employees and will relocate to to Ave 384 east of Hwy 99 says Mike Washam,county Economic Development manager. Streamline has filed for a permit to be heard by the county Planning Commission to build a 3800sf office and 17,000sf of warehousing.
Around Tulare County…Biz News
Visalia Mall Card Shop Closing
Visalia will be without a Hallmark store with the retirement of Don and Donna Wright who are closing their Wright’s Hallmark outlet in the Visalia Mall at the end of February. ”Visalia has been very good to us” says Don. “We will miss our customers and friends” adds Donna. The couple used to have the Hatch’s franchise at the Visalia Mall but chose not to renew it in 1983. Instead they agreed to be dealer for Hallmark on their own and opened a second store in Sequoia Mall in 1984.”That store did very well next to to Mervyns in those days” remembers Don. But after the the department store closed in 2009 it was a different story and the Wrights closed it. By this time they had a store at Mary’s Vineyard and then consolidated back to to the Visalia Mall during the recession. Now that too must end with no news who will replace them in the mall or whether Hallmark will open a corporate store in town.
Sales of both new and used homes were up 13% in November year over year in Tulare County. The median price of an existing home climbed 11.5% to $145,000 compared to a year earlier.
Over at the City of Tulare, home building permits have rebounded from a low in 2012 of 61 to 109 so far this year. Commercial permits also jumped from 8 in 2012 to 13 this year. City planner Bonnie Simoes says the rebound in home permits includes several “dead subdivisions” that are getting a new lease on life and new owners. Active in town is Jim Robinson’s San Joaquin Home Builders who are working on several formerly abandon new home subdivisions.
Speaking of Bonnie Simoes,the City of Tulare will lose another long time staffer as Bonnie steps down after 23 and one half years. Bonnie started as an Assistant Planner and has worked up to the position of Principal Planner for the city. The position will be left open for now. Simoes says she plans to spend retirement relaxing as much time as possible at the family cabin.
Another locally-owned grocery store will close – this time in Dinuba. Farmers Food Market owned by Steve and Doria Gong have sold their business and building on North Alta to the Grocery Outlet chain who will open in May.
Porterville historic landmark – the Porterville Hotel burned down this week in a fire of unknown origin.The condemned structure collapsed after the night time fire on Main Street gutted the empty building.
Final EIR is now set to be certified January 8 at Tulare County Planning Commission for the Pixley Biogas project. The alternative energy project using pipeline gas from a dairy nearby is opposed by California Dairies Inc. who has a milk plant about a block away. The biogas would replace natural gas to make ethanol.
Hotel occupancy in November fell in the Visalia/Porterville market by 2.4% compared to November 2012, perhaps a hangover from the government shutdown of the National Parks. Statewide, hotel occupancy rose by 5.2%.
King County lost population in the past year. Kings County had a negative 0.16 growth rate and a population of 150,279 a state report says. In Kings County there was a continued decline in the population dropping 239 residents in the latest July to July period. Since 2010 the county has 2,217 fewer residents.Kings County’s net migration since 2010 is even more dramatic with a loss of nearly 8000 residents since 2010,mostly recession years.
Tulare County grew by 0.86%, a little slower than the past two years according to the same report. The 2013 population is 840,320 adding 5173 person,births minus deaths. Foreign immigrants numbered 961 compared to 2260 residents who left the county in the year.
Visalia’s rainfall total this calendar year is a little north of 3.25 inches,a record low according to the Western Regional Climate Center that lists the existing record low for Visalia in 1910 at 4.10 inches.
Construction Teams Seek to Build High-Speed Rail Fresno-Bakersfield Segment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) today announced that five, “world-class construction teams” submitted qualifications to bid on the next 60-mile phase of high-speed rail construction from Fresno south to the Tulare-Kern County line near Bakersfield.
“These five, world-class construction teams represent international interest in helping deliver California’s high-speed rail project, a transformative investment in California’s future,” said Jeff Morales, CEO of the Authority. “The Authority will carefully review these applications and select the most highly qualified firms to submit proposals to design and build the next 60 miles of high-speed rail.”
Statements of Qualifications were received by the following teams listed in alphabetical order:
- 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.
In October, the Authority started the process of finding a design-build contractor by formally issuing a Request for Qualifications for Construction Project 2-3 (CP 2-3). Firms had until December 13 to submit their statement of qualifications.
The Authority will now review the applications and establish a list of the most highly qualified firms to provide design-build services for the project. Firms will be selected based on experience, technical competency, ability to perform and other factors. The qualified firms will then be eligible to submit formal design-build proposals in 2014.
The selected design-build firm will be responsible for delivering final designs for bridges, culverts, trenches and tunnels, utility relocations, aerial structures, grade separations, security and drainage. The environmental clearance for the route is already underway and is anticipated to be final by summer 2014.
The $1.5 to $2 billion 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.
For more information on the high-speed rail project and the design-build contract for CP 2-3, visit: http://www.hsr.ca.gov/
Citrus Tasting This Weekend in Tulare County
Locals get a chance to see and taste all varieties of citrus on Saturday December 14, 2013 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Lindcove Research & Extension Center, 22963 Carson Ave, Exeter, CA 93221, USA.
Lindcove was featured in an episode of California Country’s 30-minute weekly television broadcast produced by the California Farm Bureau describing the people, places and lifestyles that have made California the nation’s largest food-producing state. This show illustrated the significant benefits of the Lindcove facility to the California citrus industry.
During the Citrus Fruit Display day, you can see and taste more than 100 citrus varieties that are grown at Lindcove.
Join us for this wonderful event where you can sample fruit at your leisure and participate in our Asian Citrus Psyilld survey. The Master Gardeners as well as UC Farm Advisors will be happy to answer questions from home gardeners and citrus connoisseurs.
Directions: From Visalia take Highway 198 east to Mehrten Drive (Approximately 15 miles) and follow the signs to our Event. The University of California, Lindcove Research and Extension Center is located at 22963 Carson Avenue (corner of Road 228) Exeter,