We've
just finished Veteran's Day and the Thanksgiving season and look forward to our
wonderful December religious holidays and celebrations. During this special time of year, we tend to
reflect more upon the importance of giving thanks for our many blessings. My family feels especially blessed to live in
this great city of Visalia and to call it home.
It's not just the bricks and mortar that make our city great, but the
many wonderful people and friends that we have here. The Gublers have resided in Visalia for 35
years, and have watched the community grow from 57,000 to 133,000 people during
that time. I receive many compliments
about what a well-planned city Visalia is, and how we have experienced smart
growth. But I still believe it is the
quality of our citizens that makes the difference.
With
the many natural disasters this country has experienced in the last few months,
including in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and fires in our own state, we
should give thanks that we live in a stable environment here in Central
California, that food is plentiful, and our infrastructure is sound. Even flooding, which Visalia has historically
experienced, is now a rare occurrence.
Visalia
also has the lowest crime rate in the county, and one of the lowest in the
state. We thank our public safety
officers, both police and firefighters.
You might be interested to learn that we recently received a federal
grant for $153,000.00, covering 50% of the cost of purchasing body cams for our
police patrol staff of 112 officers.
Visalia actually applied for this funding previously, but got turned
down because the federal agency determined that our local police efforts were
effective, and we didn't have problems with community relations like more needy
communities. It was actually a
compliment, recognizing that local law enforcement is on such good terms with
our citizens. Now that the initial federal
funding has gone to more needy communities, our turn has arrived. The City Council previously chose to take a
wait-and-see approach on body cams, but are ready now to move forward on
this. By holding off a little, we were able
to learn from the experiences of other cities who already have implemented body
cams, and we were able to obtain this extra funding to help defray expenses.
We
should also be thankful for our straight, wide roads throughout the city. Our Public Works Department is constantly
vigilant, timely resurfacing our roads to make them top quality for traveling
purposes. I was recently asked by a
citizen for an update on the coned-off area of westbound Visalia Parkway, just
east of Demaree. The coned-off area of
the roadway is closed to traffic due to a subgrade settlement. The city performed an inspection by boring,
and learned that a previously unknown organic cavity underneath the roadway had
caused the settling. The cost associated
with this boring and repair requires a formal bid and city council
authorization. Staff is working to put
this project out to bid now and once the bid period closes, staff will take the
report to the city council for review and authorization. While this process continues, the roadway
will remain coned off to prevent further safety concerns.
We
also sometimes take for granted the ease with which we dispose of our
garbage. We appreciate our solid waste
department for making this appear effortless.
The plan in 2018 is that Visalians will convert from split cans to a three-can
system. As part of the implementation of
this project, the city will bring in-house a new utility billing system and
solid waste operation system at a cost of approximately $1.5 million. Currently the city is using an outside vendor
in Phoenix, Arizona to handle this, and by bringing it in-house, we will create
more local jobs and there will be a cost savings factor. It should pay for itself within three years. Included in these new garbage cans will be
computer chips so that the city can monitor trash pickup, time of pickup, and
location of the trucks. If the city
receives a complaint from a citizen, it will be able to determine immediately
what occurred and how to remedy the same.
I
could wax eloquent about many other services provided by the city which we
sometimes overlook. Suffice it to say
that we are very blessed to live in this great valley and city. Let us all give thanks for the many blessings
we enjoy, and continue to contribute in our own ways to make Visalia our home.
Mayor
Warren Gubler
warren.gubler@visalia.city
