June 5th Newsletter
First Residence to Receive Plaque
Music at the Main
Camps Abound This Summer
City's Building Permits See Slight Increase
Bev Mo Request Prompts Zoning Change
Dump On Us Adds Sharps Program
Ballot Language on District Elections Approved
Mayor to Hold Office Hours June 6
New Parking Area near College of the Sequoias Approved
Visalia Officer Honored for DUI Arrests
First Residence to Receive Plaque Through Historic Recognition Program: The Cisneros Home will be the first residence to receive an historic plaque through the City's Historic Recognition Program at a special ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, at 525 N. Court St. The plaque is the first to be dedicated on an historic residence and the third one through the program, sponsored by the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. The Historic Recognition Program allows interested property owners of residences or commercial buildings to be considered for a plaque to identify their local historical significance to the community. The site does not have to be a designated historic site, and the plaque does not obligate the site to any special historic status. Individuals and/or organizations can nominate a home or commercial building for the program. An application and property owner authorization form is required to be submitted for all nominated structures. Participation in the program is voluntary, with the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee making the final determination for the awarding of plaques. Funding for the program is provided through Kaweah Kollectors, a local organization dedicated to historic preservation. For information on the City's Historic Recognition Program, contact Andy Chamberlain at 713-4003.
Music at the Main is proud to present world famous cellist Lynn Harrell in a solo recital on Thursday, June 28 at 7:30 pm at the Main Street Theater in Visalia. In his long and prestigious career, Mr. Harrell has performed all over the world with the world's great orchestras and has won two Grammies for recordings with fabled violinist Itzhak Perlman and iconic pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. He is widely known for the depth of expression he draws from his remarkable instrument, a richly matured Montagnana cello made in 1720. Additionally, the Main Street Theater's remarkable acoustics are ideal for solo cello, revealing all of the nuances and subtle intonations that have made Mr. Harrell one of the world's most beloved cellists. This is an event not to be missed. Tickets are available at the Fox Theater Office, 308 W. Main, Visalia, or online at www.musicatthemain.org.
Camps Abound This Summer: Summer is here, so let the fun begin! The Parks & Recreation Department has a full schedule of programs and activities for all ages. Looking for full-time childcare? Check out Kamp Kaboom, a day camp proram that features games, swimming, field trips, arts & crafts, lunch & snack and a summer full of fun and memories. Check out the full schedule of specialty camps, which operate half days and focus on fun topics, such as Animal Planet, Bowling, Aquatic Adventures, US Passport, Super Science & Math, Volleyball, Hello Kitty and Fire Camp. A full aquatics menu for all ages is offered through Parks & Recreation. Public swim is offered daily at the Redwood High School Pool from noon to 3 p.m. Youth water polo and diving lessons are also offered. Looking to get fit this summer? Lap swim is a great way to tone down and beat the heat. Offered nine hours a day throughout the summer, there's a time to fit everyone's schedule. Visit www.liveandplayvisalia.com to see the summer brochure full of fun for the summer.
City's Building Permits See Slight Increase: An increase of 167%, from 9 in 2011 to 24 new commercial permits through May of 2012, helped boost the City's total number of permits to 1,224, a gain of 3%. Residential and commercial additions saw increases as well of 8% and 25%, respectively. Single-family dwellings are off 18% from last year.
Bev Mo Request Prompts Zoning Change: Council heard the first reading of a Zone Text Amendment that would allow BevMo to establish a new large specialty wine, beer, and spirits store at the Sequoia Plaza Shopping Center. The Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit which first requries a zoning change to be approved by the City Council. The CUP is a request by BevMo to occupy a 9,000 square foot building, which formerly housed Mainland Skate & Surf, to sell wine, beer, spirits, prepackaged food products, and related items. BevMo will also provide a 100 square foot beer and wine tasting room. Beer and wine tasting are offered by trained staff Sunday through Saturday, and will only be provided in the tasting room. In addition, signs will be posted at the entrance to the tasting room stating that persons under the age of 21 are prohibited. BevMo will have approximately 15 employees, and will be open Sunday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Support, with no opposition, was voiced for the project, and it will return to Council on June 18. If adopted, the amendment will take effect mid-July.
Dump On Us Adds Sharps Program: Council approved an interim program to provide City residents with a safe and legal way to dispose of medical sharps. Since the County ended its grant-funded program in March 2011, residents have not had a way to dispose of their home-generated medical sharps, such as syringes and lancets. State law prohibits disposal of sharps in trash to protect the health of Solid Waste workers and the public. The City receives daily calls from residents seeking a way to dispose of their sharps. The County or the local solid waste joint powers authority (CWMA) may eventually enact a home-generated medical sharps disposal program, but probably not within the next year. The program would collect resident’s home-generated medical sharps at the City’s quarterly Dump-on-Us events. The City’s household hazardous waste staff would oversee the drop-off of sharps by residents during the event. While the actual costs will vary depending upon the amount of sharps collected, it's estimated the annual costs of collection at the four events would be about $5,250. The costs would be funded by Solid Waste, an Enterprise Fund. The next Dump-on-Us will be held from 7 am to noon on Saturday, July 21 at the City's Corporation Yard, 335 N. Cain St.
Ballot Language On District Elections Approved: The City Council approved langauge for a Nov. 6 ballot measure regarding district elections. The City Attorney prepared the final resolution and other documents necessary to place a Charter amendment on the ballot in November. The Charter amendment would institute "by-district" elections for City Council members, while keeping the number of Council Members at five. For a copy of the Charter amendment, click here.
Mayor to Hold Office Hours June 6: Visalia Mayor Amy Shuklian will hold her regular office hours Wednesday, June 6, for Visalia residents to discuss issues of concern. Walk-ins are welcome from 5 to 5:45 p.m. in the large conference room at City Hall, 707 W. Acequia Ave. Appointments from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. can be schedulred in advance by contacting Gladys Ruiz at 713-4314.
New Parking Area near College of the Sequoias Approved: Council approved the addition of a new residential permit parking area adjacent to College of the Sequoias and the establishment of a permit fee of $25. The area includes College Court, Fairview Court, Meadow Court and Laurel Court between Woodland and Verde Vista streets. A petition was filed by residents living in the area adjacent to College of the Sequoias to establish a Residential Parking Permit Area in their neighborhood. Parking restrictions would be in place Monday through Sunday between the hours of 7 A.M. and 8 P.M. and vehicles would be required to display a valid City of Visalia residential parking permit to be able to park on the public street. Only residents living within the boundaries of the Parking Area would be able to obtain permits. Restricted parking areas were formed for four other neighborhoods in the COS area.
Visalia Officer Honored for DUI Arrests: Visalia Police Officer Andrew Souza received the 2012 MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) California Hero Award for his outstanding efforts in the apprehension of drunk drivers. A five-year veteran of the Visalia Police Department, Officer Souza made 120 DUI arrests in 2011. Officer Souza, who was assigned to the Traffic Division in January, 2011, was recognized during the 14th annual Statewide Law Enforcement and Community Recognition event held June 2 in Sacramento.