50th ANNIVERSARY OF SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP

Visalia has had a sister city relationship with Miki, Japan since 1965.  This year celebrates the 50^th anniversary of that relationship.  It has been at least 10 years since Visalia last sent a delegation to Miki.  To celebrate the 50^th anniversary, my wife Alisa and I will be hosting a delegation of citizens and city officials traveling to Miki, Japan, November 3 through 9, 2016.  The planning for this event has been underway for quite some time, such that we can now start promoting this event.

Miki officials asked us to visit during this time frame because it coincides with their annual Hardware Festival.  According to an article I googled, Miki is famous throughout Japan as one of their country's largest producers of hardware, from kitchen knives to hedge trimmers, almost every kind of hand tool is manufactured in Miki.  This festival is said to attract 160,000 visitors annually.  You can expect to see people pounding mochi (rice cakes), dance and drum performances, people in traditional costume, and stalls selling delicious festival food.  Beneath the rows of brightly colored tents are tools of every kind.  One can browse through metal rakes and hoes, saws, axes, nata (Japanese hatchets), scissors, thread cutters, Ikebana (flower arrangement) shears, shovels, saws and a plethora of knives.  Produce from local farmers can be picked up for cheap.  There is also an eclectic mix of other local handicrafts, baked goods and various products, and the nearby cultural center has flowers, bonsai and local art on display.

We plan to fly into Osaka International Airport on Thursday evening, November 3, where we will be greeted by a Miki sister city delegation, and transported by bus to Miki City Hall.  From there, we will fan out to our host families' homes or to hotels.  Accommodations may be either Japanese style, i.e., the use of futons on Tatami mats, or American style, with tables, chairs and beds. 

On Friday we will visit schools and public places such as Shinto/Buddhist temples or factories.  Saturday will be free time with the host families.  Sunday will include visits to Miki City Hall, the hardware festival, and Horseland Park.  On Monday, the group will be hosted on a visit to Hiroshima and the Peace Memorial Park, and on Tuesday to Miyajimi, a scenic island which is the site of one of Japan's most famous Shinto shrines, a Torii in the ocean, pictures of which you may have seen.  The group will be bused back to Osaka Airport on Wednesday for the return flight home.

The cost for this trip will be the responsibility of each of the attendees.  Likewise, my wife and I will be traveling on our own dime, at no cost to the city of Visalia.  However, much of the price for this fabulous trip will be defrayed by Miki and the host families, who will assist with travel arrangements, food and overnight accommodations. 

Visalia received a grant a number of years ago, to build a Japanese sister city park, which park is now under construction on Mineral King Avenue, near City Hall just east of Redwood High School.  We look forward to a reciprocal visit from a delegation of Miki city officials and citizens in Spring, 2017, as they come to attend the dedication of our new park.  At that time, we will be looking for host families to help with their transportation and accommodation needs here.

If you are interested in being part of Visalia's delegation for this visit to our sister city in Japan, or being part of next Spring's celebration here in Visalia, please contact Gladys Ruiz at the City, 713-4314, gladys.ruiz@visalia.city by July 22, 2016.  Additionally, we will hold an informational meeting for all interested on Tuesday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

I invite you to join the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of our sister city relationship with Miki, Japan.   

Visalia Times Delta Commentary, July 9, 2016

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS

In late May 2016, City Manager Mike Olmos, Economic Development Manager Devon Jones and I attended the ICSC Recon Convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Recon is the world's largest retail real estate exhibition and conference and is a must attend event for shopping center industry executives, retailers, financial companies, and product and service suppliers.  Estimated attendance was 36,000.

Every commercial retailer and franchise company you can imagine were in attendance.  We made some cold calls on those that we thought might be nice additions to Visalia.  We handed out city pamphlets and brochures, and extolled the virtues of doing business in Visalia.

While visiting these retailers was interesting and fun, I would suggest that our most effective work was done while meeting with various developers and getting updates on their local projects.  We met with Colliers, commercial real estate agents who have listed some property on South Mooney Blvd., the Orosco Group which developed Packwood Creek, Dave Paynter and his associates, which I will discuss hereafter, General Growth Properties which owns the Visalia Mall, Foothill Partners which is seeking to develop some property on South Mooney, and Donahue Schriber, developers of Orchard Walk, east and west projects in north Visalia.  They each gave us updates on their development projects, and we assured them that the city will do whatever is possible to assist and support them in building our retail base here.

As to Mr. Paynter, you may remember that he was the developer of the successful Kohl's shopping center (formerly Sin City).  He currently owns properties on three corners of Caldwell and Mooney Blvd., including the Walmart Center, the Dick's Sporting Goods Center and the Sequoia Mall.  As to the Walmart Center, the last large puzzle piece going in will be JoAnn's in the old Circuit City location (with a second Smart & Final stepping into JoAnn's current location).  For me personally, the most interesting discussion had to do with the rehabilitation and redevelopment of Sequoia Mall.  While at this time I am not at liberty to share specifics, I will say that I predict that this mixed-use project will have an appearance and feel like River Park in Fresno when completed.  Look for some major announcements and the beginning of construction, hopefully in the next 12 months.

After two days of meetings, it was good to leave the big city and return home to Visalia.

Sequoia Shuttle Tenth Anniversary
The Sequoia Shuttle began in 2007 through a partnership between the City of Visalia and the National Parks Service.  It has provided 2,770,533 passenger trips inside Sequoia National Park and 71,252 passenger trips to and from Sequoia National Park.  The Sequoia Shuttle provides a convenient, comfortable and car free way of traveling to and within Sequoia National Park.  It kicked off its tenth year on May 26 and will run this year through September 11.  It runs 7 days a week and all shuttles are equipped with bicycle racks and wheelchair seating.

On May 16, 2016, the city council recognized the Sequoia Shuttle program for its success and presented it with a resolution of commendation.  I have personally used the shuttle system with my family and highly recommend it to everyone, particularly during the dogs days of summer when you want to escape the valley heat.

Kudos to the Fire Department
To wrap up this article, I'll add a Facebook post that the city recently received from Shelley Brewer-Martell: "Just wanted to give a special thanks to Engine E-54.  A little boy at Baskin Robbins waved out the window to a passing fireman.  The fireman took the time to walk in to see the little boy and give him a sticker.  I was just watching this little guy's face light up, it was a wonderful moment.  Just wanted you to know what wonderful people you have on staff."

If you have questions or topics regarding the city  which you would like to have addressed in future articles, please email Warren at warren.gubler@visalia.city, or call (559) 713-4400 x 3313.  For past articles, visit directfromwarren.blogspot.com.