EDITORIAL: JOIN US FOR DISCUSSION

Over the last four years, our city council members have tried various means to spread the word about what’s happening at city hall.  We have conducted town hall meetings, written magazine articles and letters to the editor, held office hours, and been interviewed on the radio and t.v.  We’re always available by telephone, email or personal contact.  Another purpose of this outreach is to get feedback from the community in order to find out what our citizens are thinking and concerned about.

To supplement the foregoing, and to reach out further into the community on an informal basis, I have been holding what I call “Donuts and Discussion” at various donut shops around town on Saturday mornings, to accommodate those early birds who may not be able to take off work otherwise. The idea is to hold these intimate meet-and-greets at different locations around town and to make it as convenient as possible for the public to attend.  I appreciate the graciousness of these various business establishments that allow us to come in and hold these get-togethers there.

At the D & D’s we’ve held so far, we’ve had some interesting discussions and issues come up.  Topics which have been brought up by those attending have included landscaping and subdivision issues, code enforcement, graffiti problems, sales tax, pension reform, homelessness, district elections, Agenda 21, public safety, and zoning issues.  To make these discussions more interesting and informative, I usually invite along with me a city official or department head.  Last month, I was accompanied by our incoming new city manager, Mike Olmos, and in the past I’ve had the fire chief, police chief, and other department heads present.  On occasion, other city staff have dropped by on their own to just say “hi,” and to be available for any questions from the public, which I appreciate.  In some instances, I or city staff have followed up with particular citizens subsequent to a D & D, by telephone calls and emails regarding concerns which they raised, with some affirmative action taken by the city.

I’d like to invite each of you to come to our next Donuts and Discussion, which will be held this Saturday morning, June 1, from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., at the Donut Factory, Etc., 3100 N. Demaree.  I will be fortunate to have with me at that time our current city manager, Steve Solomon, who is retiring in a few months.  Steve has a long resume of accomplishments, and has been at the helm of the City of Visalia since 1996.  He is a wealth of information and has keen insights about most things happening around town.  Come test him with some of your questions or issues, or just drop by to give him some gentle ribbing about his retirement plans.

Please come join us this Saturday morning and enjoy a delicious donut as well.  I recommend the “Man Donut” or the “Xtreme Glazed Sandwich,” which are some of the specialities at the Donut Factory, Etc.

Hope to see you there.

Warren Gubler wgubler@ci.Visalia.ca.us

Visalia Times-Delta Opinion page, 5/28/13

PARKS AND RECREATION

Reading the title to this article, you might first think of the popular TV show by that name.  In fact, the City of Visalia has its own Parks and Recreation department, lead by department head Vince Elizondo.  Under Mr. Elizondo’s direction is a paid staff that oversees the program.  Additionally, we have a Parks and Recreation Commission consisting of six community volunteers/commissioners.  This commission has been serving the City Council since 1939.  They hold monthly meetings where they review plans for new parks and improvements, establish policies and rules for park users, and advocate for the mission of Parks and Recreation, amongst other tasks.  Their theme is “Parks Make Life better!”   Visalia has a total of 42 parks.

Recently, the City Council held a joint meeting with this commission and received an update on their activities and those of the department.  Let me share with you some of the information that was provided at that meeting.

The parks and urban forestry division has a staff of 13 full-time and 9 part-time employees.  They maintain 268 acres of developed parks, including trimming trees every three to five years.  They maintain the landscape and grounds for 22 acres in the downtown area including City Hall, the transit center, senior center, and the library.  Additionally, they maintain 135 acres of riparian areas along the waterways throughout the city.  Park maintenance also subcontracts out park custodial service on 268 acres and eight restrooms; the mowing of 190 acres of city parks, the aerification of 46 acres of sports fields; and service and repair of three water features.  They have two city park rangers who enforce the park rules so that everyone can safely enjoy the parks.  This division oversees community volunteer projects including Serve Visalia Day, Arbor Day and Make A Difference Day.  They have completed the renovation of 15 city park playgrounds in the past three years.  In 2013, they will commence Phase III of the Riverway Sports Park where a new six acres of park area will receive trees and landscaping, a new restroom facility, and a stage and promenade area.  Recently, playground shade structures have been installed on seven park playgrounds.  16.5 acres of additional parks were added in 2010/11 and 10.5 acres in 2011/12.

The recreation division has seven full-time employees.  They oversee youth sports, adult sports, aquatics and maintain athletic facilities.  In youth sports, they have over 2,000 participants; there are 607 adult sports teams.  In 2012, their aquatic classes had 3,458 participants.  At the senior center, they oversee senior classes and health and wellness classes.  They recently opened a new outdoor renovated patio area at the senior center.  Adult and senior classes include art, dance, computer, ping-pong and pickleball.  Plans are in the works for a proposed pickleball court.  At the senior center, they also have a media lounge, monthly forums, and a nutrition program.  In 2012, at Visalia’s various facilities, including the senior center, Manuel Hernandez Community Center and Whitendale Community Center, they had 4,263 bookings and $95,000.00 in revenue.  They also oversee 25 park rental areas throughout 12 parks, where they average 900 rentals per year.  They sponsor numerous special events, including the father daughter dance, movies in the park, 4th of July celebration and family swim.

At our joint meeting, we also received an update on Class I trails and open spaces that follow the St. Johns River, Mill Creek, Packwood Creek, and the soon-to-be opened Santa Fe Trail from Tulare Avenue all the way south to almost Mooney Grove.  This should be completed by mid-summer 2013.  I look forward later this summer when my children are home from college, to explore these as well as other trails that will soon be connected up throughout the community.  Also in the works is a new


greenway trail that will follow along the north/south Southern California Edison corridor (you’ve probably seen the new transmission towers that SCE has installed on the east side of town).

If you are like I am, we often take all of these services and public amenities for granted.  The next time you use one of the city’s park facilities, or are walking downtown, or are biking some of our trails, remember the people in the Parks and Recreation Department and on our commission that help make this all possible.

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.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.

Warren Gubler
Visalia City Councilmember