January 15, 2013
Council Approves Splash Pad at Recreation Park: A big splash was made at the first Visalia City Council meeting of 2013. During work session, Council authorized an agreement from the Rotary Club Foundation and the City for $200,000 on constrution of the splash pad, and approved entering into a contract with the splash-pad designer and to contract the lowest bidder for the $200,000 upgrade of the two infield light structures. The $400,000 Splash pad project is a 3,200-square-foot rectangular enclosed water feature in Recreation Park. Rotary's $200,000 donation will help with construction, with the rest of the funding coming from the City's recreational facility impact fees and community development block grant funding. No money from the City's General Fund will be used. The project is expected to be completed and in use by June 1. For the complete staff report, click here.
(From Left: Jed Grant; Cristina Cortinas; Dexter Valencia; Josh Pena; and Jenna Wells)Visalia Police Department Honors Employees of the Year: Officer Josh Pena was named Officer of the Year for 2013 by the Visalia Police Department. Other honorees: Jed Grant was named Reserve Officer of the Year; Cristina Cortinas is Communications Operator of the Year; Police Records Specialist Jenna Wells was named Records Employee of the Year; and Police Specialist Dexter Valencia was named Civilian Employee of the Year. Employees of the year are nominated by their respective supervisors and the final selection is made by Police Chief Colleen Mestas.
DUI/Driver's License Checkpoint on Friday: The Visalia Police Department Traffic unit will conduct the checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the City limits from 9 pm to 3 am. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can exceed $10,000. "Over the course of the past three years in Visalia, DUI collisions have claimed 3 lives and resulted in 120 injury crashes harming 157 of our friends and neighbors," said Sgt. Chris McLain. For more information, click here.
Plaza Drive Off-Ramp On Schedule to Open Feb. 1: Pending weather delays, the closure is in effect 24 hours a day and detours westbound traffic off Highway 198 at the Shirk exit, north on Shirk to Goshen, west on Goshen to Plaza Drive. Once the ramp opens, traffic will be moved to the east side of the bridge and drivers will be on the new section of the bridge with a view of the improvements being made on the old side. The next ramp closure isn't scheduled until March after a retaining wall is built alongside the Holiday Inn on the west side of Plaza Drive. Check plaza198.com for project details.
Building Permits Up 2% for 2012: A bump in new commercial building permits helped boost the total numberof permits to 3,082 for 2012, up from 3,017 the previous year. Also on the plus side: New commercial additions, alterations and signs were up 6%; and miscellaneous permits were up 5%. The REALLY good news is from Site Plan Review, which boasted a 60% increase in project submittals for the year. In comparison. numbers were virtually unchanged since 2010/11. Site Plan Review is the first step in the Development process for any building project - and it certainly bodes well for things to come in 2013.
Be an Energy Partner: The City of Visalia is a partner in the Energy Leader Partnership program, working to improve energy efficiency and energy conservation at all City facilities. Start the New Year off by taking advantage of energy saving ideas that can be implemented at home or at work. It just may surprise you the difference a little change can make. For more information, click here.
Looking for Involvement? Look no further than any one of the opportunities to participate on a City committee or commission. The City is currently accepting applications from interested citizens for vacancies on the Environmental Committee, Historic Preservation Committee, North Visalia Neighborhood Advisory Committee, Transit Advisory Committee, Waterways and Trails Committee, the Parks & Recreation Commission and the Tulare Mosquito Abatement District Board. For more information, click here.
Meet Bronson: Visalia Police K9 Officer Mike Carsten introduced Bronson to the Council at Monday night's meeting. The canines are provided by Friends of K-9, a non-profit organization brought together to assist in the funding of the Visalia Police Department K9 Unit and to help educate the community on the importance of this valuable resource.