Have you ever wondered what the early settlers in Visalia, such as Nathaniel Vise, Ben Maddox, Benjamin Willis, and Steven Mather, would have thought if they had seen our day? Visalia was founded in 1852, and numbered around 3,000 by the turn of the century. I suspect that they would be amazed to see a city of 130,000 people today, with its historic downtown, Mooney Boulevard, a large hospital, beautiful homes, and wide, straight paved streets, all surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland.
They probably would have laughed if someone had suggested that someday there would be ice skating in downtown Visalia. However, in late December 2015, for 15 days, Visalia in fact had its own Enchanted Ice Rink. This new adventure was brought to us by the city Parks & Recreation department. They installed 1,500 square feet of synthetic ice at the Garden Street Plaza, and over 1,300 skaters of all ages participated, along with several thousand spectators.
The evening of December 21 was our last city council meeting for 2015. The closed session ended much sooner than expected, and with some time to kill before the next meeting, I decided to get some exercise and take a walk from city hall east down Main Street. I soon arrived at the Garden Street Plaza to check out this new event. I saw many skaters, both new and experienced, enjoying the ice rink, with the Disney movie "Frozen" playing on a big screen in the background. I could almost imagine being by a frozen lake, or in New York City, watching the ice skaters. However, this was right here in our own downtown. The Garden Street Plaza was decorated in an ice garden theme, and concessions were being sold. This was such a unique event that no money needed to be spent on advertising. Local radio stations, newspapers and television channels voluntarily publicized the event. Many of the local merchants reported an increase in foot traffic and sales during the ice rink run.
Of course, we always have to consider how to pay for an event like this. The program generated $14,772.00 in revenue compared with $16,637.00 in expenses. These expenses included the rink rental, staffing, decorations, licensing, restrooms and fencing.
The city hopes to sponsor this activity in future years with a larger ice rink, and to generate a positive cash flow with additional sponsorships. For those who participated, memories of a lifetime were made. And to our city founders, you missed out on a great event!
PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT
The 8th annual Project Homeless Connect event was held January 28 at the Rescue Mission. This is a one-day, one-stop event, designed to provide those in our community who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless, the critical services and housing they need to become self-sufficient. The many volunteers provided medical and dental care, California I.D. replacement, vision screening, eyeglasses, employment counseling, veterinary care, haircuts, bicycle repair, and much more.
I try to attend this event each year and am always impressed by the many local volunteers who give selflessly of their time and resources to help the less fortunate. This is Visalians helping Visalians, and Visalia at its best!
HOW I SPEND MY TIME
I'm often asked"what does a city council member do and how much time does it take? My answer usually is that "it varies from week to week." Let me give you some insight as to how I spent the week prior to writing this article. Remember, in addition to serving on the council, I have a full-time law practice, and have other family, social and religious duties and obligations to meet. Monday, 7:00 a.m., meeting with the city manager to discuss city issues; 12:00 p.m. meeting with the Visalia Civic Joint Powers board; 4:30 p.m. meeting at city offices with mayor and facilitator to finalize plans for city retreat; Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.. meeting with the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation in Exeter; 2:00 p.m., meeting with Frank Miramontes to make a video for upcoming TCEDC workshop; Thursday, 8:00 a.m., Project Homeless Connect at the Rescue Mission to present a city resolution; Friday, City Council Retreat at the Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, download City Council agenda and staff reports to study over the weekend for the following Monday's city council meeting; start all over again. I also check my city emails a couple times a day (daily city emails average approximately 20), and return phone calls.
DONUTS AND DISCUSSION
My next Donuts and Discussion will be held on Saturday, March 26 from 7:00-8:30 a.m., at Mavericks on Caldwell. Please join me and other city officials to discuss any questions or concerns you have about what's going on down at city hall, and have a donut on us!
Warren Gubler
Visalia Vice Mayor
(559) 713-4400 x 3313
Warren.gubler@visalia.city
