You might be interested in learning that a typical Monday City Council meeting begins at 4:00 p.m. and can last until 10:00 p.m. (or later!).
Recent council meetings have addressed adopting a two-year budget, determining to provide funding for local non-profits, lowering new development fees by 15%, and relaxing signage ordinances for realtors and developers during this recessionary market.
One issue that caught the public’s attention dealt with the future softball fields at the new Riverway Sports Park. The council preliminarily voted to restrict the use of those softball fields to youth teams only.
Thereafter, a particularly well-written and persuasive email was sent to me by Dwight Merkel, who has participated as a player and manager in the Visalia adult softball leagues for over 20 years. He wrote, "Some of my fondest memories are from some of the softball fields all over town. Our teams were always family and church oriented, so our kids and extended families were always present for games. I can say that alcohol and profanity were minimal at best, and if it did occur, the umpire put a stop to it immediately. . . now we need more and better facilities with 100,000 (population) plus. We used to host tournaments but I know that has fallen off lately. . . As a resident of Visalia, I fully support the use of Riverway Sports Park for adult play and I believe you and the council should rethink your position."
As a result of this and other contacts, the council asked to have the matter put back on a subsequent council meeting agenda for further consideration, where two cogent points were raised: 1) the softball fields at Riverway won’t be built for a number of years since currently that location is used for a ponding basin, which can’t be moved until a new ponding basin location is found; and 2) the council wants to receive more public input on this issue before making a final decision.
City staff were instructed to seek out further public comment and come back to the council with recommendations. Mr. Merkel addressed the council, and was asked to serve on a committee to be formed for that purpose. If you are interested in commenting, or serving on that committee, please contact Parks & Recreation Director Vince Elizondo at velizondo@ci.visalia.ca.us.
At a recent council work session, Chief Mestas and the police department proudly had their new "Bearcat" armored rescue vehicle on display. The purchase of this armored vehicle was authorized by the city council to replace one that was old and outdated, was no longer impervious to current armaments and ammunition, and which did not adequately protect our brave officers. This rather impressive new vehicle is essentially bullet proof, has a tank-like turret, and does not need to enter through the front door when pursuing felons. When the criminal element see this "tank" coming, they will know that our SWAT team means business. Contact Lt. Jason Salazar at 713-4104 to arrange a time to view it.
Also, the Historic Visalia Walking Trail was reintroduced to the public at a recent council meeting. A brochure was developed as part of an Eagle scout project of Eddy Gubler (yes, I’m the proud father) five years ago, and the initial 7,000 brochures were immediately snapped up by the public. The city has gotten involved to perpetuate this walking trail project, and Jostens was kind enough to recently print an additional 7,000 brochures for distribution, at no expense to the city. This is just an example of what can be done not only to make people more cognizant of their local history, but to use Visalia’s history as a means to attract more tourism to Visalia. The brochure is available for free at city hall, at the convention center, and at the Chamber of Commerce. A printable version can now be found on the internet at www.visitvisalia.org/historical-walking-tour.
Also, kudos to our gallant Visalia firefighters for their involvement in charitable causes. Their recent "Pass the Boot" program raised $7,000.00 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
If you have questions or topics which you would like to have addressed in future articles regarding the city, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.
Warren Gubler
Visalia City Council Member
