In mid-December, Visalia Mayor Link, assistant city manager Mike Olmos, and myself met in Hanford with Hanford’s mayor and vice-mayor, along with members of the High Speed Rail Authority. Our main objective was to begin coordinating efforts between our communities to get ready for and to help implement the new Kings/Tulare station that will be built between our communities, near the corner of Highways 198 and 43.
The Rail Authority announced recently that the first phase of California’s high speed rail line will be built from Fresno on the north, south through Kings County and Tulare County, and ending approximately at Bakersfield., The only two stations announced to date are the Fresno Station and the Kings/Tulare station. When adding up the bond money previously approved by California voters, and matching federal ARRA funds, along with the additional ARRA funds which Wisconsin and Ohio declined and which got re-directed to California, approximately $5.5 billion dollars will be available for the first 100+ miles of track.
At this meeting we learned that this section was chosen to be built first, because construction and land acquisition costs in the Central Valley are anticipated to be less than elsewhere in the state, and thus more can be built with less. It is estimated that for every billion dollars spent on this high speed rail line, 20,000 jobs will be generated. This is the first time that such massive funding has been appropriated to the Central Valley by the state and federal government. I believe that this infusion of cash will jump-start our local economy.
Construction needs to commence no later than September 2012 so that these funds are not forfeited. The track will continue to be extended in both a north and south direction as additional funds become available on a yearly basis. We learned at this meeting that it will still be a few years before high speed trains will actually run on these tracks, as the electrical power source will be added later. Ultimately, passengers will be able to travel on these bullet trains at a speed of 220 miles per hour between San Francisco and Los Angeles and elsewhere.
At one time, there was a question as to whether we would even get a station in our area, and there were discussions that our local communities would have to pay for such a station if and when it was built. Due to the location selected for this first phase, our station became indispensable as part of the initial game plan, and full funding thereof is anticipated from federal and state monies. With the work already progressing to add two additional lanes to Highway 198 between Visalia and Hanford, Visalians will have easy access to the station. There is excitement in the air as we anticipate this new project, and what it will mean for local jobs, for boosting the local economy, and for the future. This is the train to prosperity! I have ridden the Shinkansen in Japan and the Eurostar in Europe, and high speed rail is a superior form of transportation.
Speaking of mass transit, the Visalia City Council has agreed to participate in a program with COS to initiate a COS student pass, commencing winter semester 2011. All students at COS will be charged $5.00 per semester, with COS contributing another $.40 per student per semester. In return, all enrolled students will receive a transit pass good on most fixed-route systems in the county. This pilot program has the goal of giving our students an affordable option for transportation, will hopefully cut down on some of the parking problems at COS, and will give them a taste for the benefits of public transit.
Finally, kudos to city staff and personnel for their prompt and efficient response to the recent rain storms that hit our area. While many citizens were just coming to terms with the 4+ inches of precipitation, city staff had opened up an emergency operations center in the basement of the downtown police department, where our city manager, Steve Salomon, and other personnel directed the city’s emergency response. Many of our city staffers stayed up throughout the first night directing workers at various ponding basins to make sure that pumps were in place and working and that waters were being discharged through local ditches and creeks to prevent flooding, similar to that which occurred in 2006 in the Cobblestone area. On Sunday, December 19, I drove around the community with my youngest daughter, and we observed our fire fighters and other city staff manning the pumps and hoses at these ditches and basins. Water damage was limited. Hats off to our city personnel for their quick and effective response.
If you have questions or topics regarding the city which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at wgubler@ci.visalia.ca.us, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.
Warren Gubler
Visalia City Council Member
