November 6 Newsletter
Model Train Display Makes Debut at Transit Center on Nov. 15
MADD, State Office of Traffic Safety Honor City Engineer
AlertTC Keeps You Informed in Emergencies
City Awarded $1.5 Million in State Funding for Traffic Improvement Projects
ABLE Industries, Supporters of Miracle League lauded as Community Partners
VWR Ribbon Cutting
City Offices Closed Nov. 12 In Observance of Veterans Day
Convention Visitors Bureau Makes Headlines
Recycling Food Scraps, Yard Waste Conserves Resources
Doug Elliott Named California Code Enforcement Officer of the Year
CalTrans removes trees along Houston Nov. 6-9
Kiwanis Park Dedication Set for Nov. 10
Model Train Display Makes Debut at Transit Center on Nov. 15: The Transit Center will be the new home of a model train display, which will be unveiled at 10:30 am, Thursday, Nov. 15, at 425 E. Oak Ave. Visalia Mayor Amy Shuklian will pay homage to the three individuals who spent over 3,000 hours putting the display together. The unveiling is open to the public and light refreshments will be served. For more information, click here.
MADD, State Office of Traffic Safety Honor City Engineer: Eric Bons, City of Visalia Engineer, was honored Oct. 30 by the California Office of Traffic Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his efforts on behalf of the AVOID DUI Campaign. Eric, working closely with the Visalia Police Department's Traffic Unit, ensures the completion of speed surveys, correct signage is in place, and other efforts that help in the campaignd efforts. Eric's support, like other civilian personnel, helps increase awareness of the impact of impaired driving and ensure the success of the AVOID Anti-DUI effort in Tulare and Kings Counties in saving lives.
In addition, MADD also honored eight Visalia police officers for their efforts in apprehending drunk drivers. Honored officers are: Officer Michael Elliot, 27 arrests; Officer Adam Aguallo, 34 arrests; Officer Amerie Norman, 37 arrests; Officer Todd Johns, 52 arrests; Officer Art Villareal, 56 arrests; Officer William Hansen, 62 arrests, Officer Andrew Swarthout, 72 arrests; and Officer Andrew Souza, 120 arrests.
AlertTC Keeps You Informed in Emergencies: Hurricane Sandy is a grim reminder that emergencies can happen at any time. Register today by clicking here for Alert TC, an emergency phone notification system that sends out phone, text and email alerts in times of emergencies in the City. With AlertTC, the City is able to send time-sensitive, targeted messages to select groups and geographic areas. The system is capable of reaching landlines, cellular and VolP phones, BlackBerrys/PDAs, pagers and TTY/TTD devices for the hearing impaired. It also sends messages via SMS/text messaging, fax and email and posts messages to Facebook and Twitter. The City's contact database currently includes all residential and commercial landline phone numbers. You must register additional methods of contact, such as cell phone numbers, VolP numbers and email addresses. The system is primarily used to disseminate messages pertaining to the health, safety or welfare o the City when affected by an emergency event, including severe weather warnings. To learn more, go to www.alerttc.com.
City Awarded $1.5 Million in State Funding for Traffic Improvement Projects: The City of Visalia received notification from the State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) that it was awarded three grants totaling $1.5 million for traffic improvement projects. The funding will be used for the following projects: $309,900 will go toward installing traffic signals with vehicle/bicycle loops and construct curb ramps at the intersection of Ben Maddox Way and Douglas Street; $698,300 will go toward installing traffic signal improvements, pedestrian and bicycling improvements and curb ramps at the intersections of Main and Giddings Streets, Murray Avenue and Jacob Street, Walnut Avenue and Chinowth Street, Walnut and County Center Street, and Tulare Avenue and Giddings Street, and; $574,500 will enhance safety for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists on State Route 63 adjacent to the Oval Park with the installation of channelization, overhead signs, bicycle lanes, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons. In addition, Caltrans District 6 allocated approximately $200,000 of the project cost will be funded by the District 6 Minor Program. City transportation funds will be used for the balance of the project costs, which total $2.02 million.
Building Permits up 6%; 27% for new single family dwellings: Building permits for new commercial projects took the lead with a 46% increase through October 2012 over the same time period last year. Total permits were up 6%, with increases in new single family dwellings and additions and alterations, new commercial permits and additions and miscellaneous. Total valuation of all permits was down by 15%, with decreases in new commercial, commercial additions and alterations, and multi-family units.
ABLE Industries, Supporters of Miracle League lauded as Community Partners: The Disability Advocacy Committee recognized the recipients of its Community Partner Award at the Nov. 5 City Council meeting. ABLE Industries and Gary and Jennifer Geiger, supporters of the Miracle League of Visalia, were honored for their efforts to make a difference in the disabled community of Visalia. The committee consists of seven members and two alternates that meet on the second Monday of the month. The committee advises the City on the needs of the disabled and brings awareness to the business community of the barriers that these citizens face on a daily basis. The committee promotes physical, social, and communicational access for every citizen of Visalia. For the staff report, click here.
VWR Ribbon Cutting: A ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of VWR's Visalia Distribution Center will be held at 10 am, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 8711 W. Riggin Ave. Tours of the facility will be available. For more information, click here.
City Offices Closed Nov. 12 In Observance of Veterans Day: There will be no change in either residential or commercial refuse services.
Convention Visitors Bureau Makes Headlines: As a result of Visalia Convention & Visitors Bureau PR efforts, tourism to Visalia was featured in one trade and one consumer publication this fall. Group Tour Magazine highlighted the diversity of experiences for groups visiting the area, noting local restaurant's cooking demonstrations, mural and history walking tours, hands-on ag adventures and the plethora of outdoor adventures in our backyard. The publication is a trade magazine with a primary market of travel agents, tour operators and group travel leaders. The city was also featured as one of California's best destinations in Dreamscapes Magazine, a popular Canadian-travel publication.
CVB Successful at Visit California's San Francisco Media Event: The CVB and Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau teamed up to attend Visit California's annual media reception in San Francisco. The exclusive event offers California partners the opportunity to promote their destination brand and corresponding story angles directly to key editors, writers, producers, bloggers and qualified freelance travel writers in the Bay Area. The pair of Bureau's gained visibility in the market and met with nearly 100 journalists to promote Visalia and the Majestic Mountain Loop.
CVB Recharged While Meeting with Faith-Based Convention Planners: For the second year in a row, the CVB attended Rejuvenate Marketplace. It’s a conference where faith based meeting and convention planners convene and do business with supplier industry professionals. Staff learned fresh ideas from the education presenters, participated in tailor-made networking opportunities, and most of all had great conversations with planners during one-on-one appointment sessions. CVB staff met exclusively and one-on-one with 29 qualified planners, actualized 3 request for proposals, and generated numerous hot leads to follow up on. The return on investment in 2011 has paid off and we are getting ready to welcome the 2013 Aloha Spirit Championships cheerleading event to Visalia this February. We look forward to booking additional business this year!
Recycling Food Scraps, Yard Waste Conserves Resources: Your yard waste bin can now hold food items that help create a healthy environment for the community. With the exception of proteins (meat, fish, poultry or seafood - raw or cooked), food items sucha s bakery goods, beans, coffee grounds, and egg shells, just to name a few, can be placed in your yard waste bin for disposal. Want to get started? A helpful brochure tells you what items are recyclable and compostable. Property owners and business managers can schedule a free waste stream assessment today by calling the Natural Resources and Conservation Division at 713-4532. For a copy of the recycling brochure, click here.
Doug Elliott Named California Code Enforcement Officer of the Year: A genuinely surprised Doug Elliott learned he had been named the State's Code Enforcement Officer of the Year at the Nov. 5 Council meeting. His manager, Traci Robertshaw, managed to keep the news under wraps and Mayor Amy Shuklian presented him with the award with family and co-workers looking on. Doug began his career with the City of Visalia in 2002 as a building inspector. He was later transferred to Neighborhood Preservation to handle substandard housing complaints, becoming the City's first building inspector specifically assigned to Code Enforcement full-time. In 2009, he assisted in creating a 3-year Rental Inspection Program designed to assure that the rental housing stock in the City meets industry standards and is safe. Even though the situation has the potential to be adversarial, Doug’s friendly and positive attitude has been instrumental in making the program a success. He has also built a relationship with Adult Protective Services to assist elderly tenants and homeowners with hoarding issues that create substandard living conditions. The relationship has allowed them to return to their homes and returning the property to a safe living condition. In addition to his Code Enforcement duties, he recently has also been assigned to Community Development’s Housing Division to assist in the rehabilitation process for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The program purchases foreclosed properties, rehabilitates and then sells them to qualified buyers. Doug is responsible for inspecting the properties and then works with contractors to assure that the rehabilitation meets their contract requirements. The program has been successful with rehabilitating troubled properties and selling them to first-time homebuyers. In January, Doug also began assisting the Fire Department in completing State-mandated fire inspections on multi-family housing units. He has used the opportunity to further educate the public regarding the importance of building safety. Doug firmly believes that Code Enforcement is an integral part of preserving neighborhoods and his enthusiasm has built a positive relationship with the community and city departments.
CalTrans removes trees along Houston Nov. 6-9: Monday, CalTrans announced scheduled shoulder closures on State Route 216 (Houston Avenue) beginning just east of Lover’s Lane to McAuliff Street to allow construction crews to complete remove trees as part of an upcoming widening project for State Route 216. Shoulder closures along Houston will be done between 6 am and 6 pm Nov. 6-9. Houston will remain open to traffic. Closures may continue for longer periods of time if necessary, due to delays caused by weather or uncontrollable events.
Kiwanis Park Dedication Set for Nov. 10: The City's newest park in southeast Visalia off McAuliffe and Tulare has its official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 am on Saturday. Since 2007, an additional four parks have been added to the City's landscape: Riverway Sports Park and the Youth Baseball Complex, Soroptimist Park, Lions Park and the Perry Family Park. Join Parky as the Parks & Recreation Department welcomes its newest park into the fold.