LETTER TO THE EDITOR

On Saturday, October 28, 2017, the community of Visalia again came together to help "Make a Difference."  According to our head count, approximately 300 volunteers turned out to assist the city in freshening up our local parks and city properties, including planting trees and plants, spreading bark, weeding, painting, and trash clean up.  The projects included Rotary Park, the Piano basin, Packwood Creek, Soroptimist Park and Oval Park.  In addition to private individuals who came out to show their civic mindedness, the event was supported by Downtown Rotary, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Alpha Gamma Sigma Club at COS, Redwood Key Club, World Link, Sequoia Visalia Kiwanis, West Coast Believers, Ismaili Community Engaged in Responsible Volunteering (ICERV), Visalia Sunset Rotary, V-Town Roller Derby Team, Center for Spiritual Living, and Soroptimist International of Visalia.

Afterwards, most of the participants came to Lions' Park where my wife and I served free root beer floats to say "thank you" for a job well done.  Two thumbs up to the many Visalians who came out and donated their Saturday morning to make "Make a Difference Day" a success!

Mayor Warren Gubler

Valley Voice, Nov. 2, 2017

REFLECTIONS

Recently I took a moment to reflect back on the almost eight years that I have served on the Visalia City Council.  I have served with a number of hardworking and diligent council members and staff and together we have accomplished a lot.  As always, there is still a lot to be done.

While I was in this reflective mood, I compiled a list of what I felt were some of the most significant accomplishments by our council since I have been on it.  Let me share that list with you, in no particular order:

▪           Created work program for homeless (Environmental Cleanup Opportunities ECO) 2017

▪           Re-instated the city’s 4^th of July fireworks celebration, 2017

▪           Started Visalia Senior Games, this year is the 3^rd annual, last year over 500 participants

▪           Built 10 pickle ball courts

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Visalia Emergency Communications Center 2017

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Animal Control Facility 2015

▪           Discontinued Retiree health care benefits in 2010, when the city was in the midst of a recession, saved city $2 million annually in premiums, would be double that now

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Fire Station 53, 2016

▪           Voted to not allow recreational marijuana dispensaries within city limits, 2017

▪           Led Visalia delegation to sister city Miki Japan in November 2016

▪           Planned, built and dedicated new Miki Sister city park 2017

▪           Started V Line, bus service between Visalia and Fresno 2015

▪           Planned and built Visalia Water Conservation Plant upgrade, largest public works project in Visalia history, $130 million upgrade, to be dedicated Fall 2017

▪           Expanded Riverway Sports Park, working now on plans to add 4 Women’s softball diamonds

▪           Balanced the city budget each year since 2009

▪           Currently changing Residential Waste from split containers to separate containers

▪           Added miles of walking trails

▪           Navigated city through change from at large to district elections, 2015

▪           Remodeled Visalia Convention Center

▪           Purchased land for future East side sports park combined with ponding basins

▪           Started Sequoia Shuttle partnership between National Park Service and Visalia, our transit center runs buses to Sequoia National Park and within the park

▪           Finished update of the Visalia General Plan 2014

▪           Planned and built the Plaza Drive Interchange widening with Cal Trans 2014

▪           Rebuilt city reserves after the Great Recession to approx.. 20% of General Fund

This is just a partial list of many accomplishments, and of course there are many more.  I compliment this city council and prior city councils along with our dedicated city manager and staff for all that they do to keep Visalia moving forward as the jewel of the valley.

ECO Update

July marked the beginning of our homeless work program, which has been renamed the Environmental Cleanup Opportunity (ECO).  For a 3-month period, we have recruited 10 homeless people who have been doing trash pickup and various odd jobs around town to make our city look even better.  On September 28, I took the opportunity to work with one of our ECO crews for the morning.  Joseph was the crew chief from Able Industries.  The five-man crew included Mike, Robert, Jesse, Frank and Kevin.  We picked up trash along the St. John's Parkway.  I had an opportunity to visit with them all about the ECO program, and they were all grateful to be a part of it.  The best news was that of the three original participants, all three of them are still on the job, Mike, Robert and Jesse.  Frank actually has a second part-time job now with a local petroleum company.  They told me that they really enjoy it when passersby tell them "thank you" for their good work.  I would hire any of these gentlemen, they were bright, articulate and eager for another opportunity.  They have been down on their luck, but this is a chance for them to make a comeback.  If any of you know of employment opportunities for them in the private sector, please shoot me an email with that information.  And if you see one of these crews out working in their yellow vests and their ECO t-shirts, please tell them "thank you" for a job well done.

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