Mobile library to debut at Family Literacy Day Vaccine gift cards to be given; library plans continue
As Porterville Librarian Vikki Cervantes said it’s been a long time in coming.
The mobile library in which the process has taken more than a year to come to fruition will finally make its debut at Family Literacy Day on September 25 at Centennial Park. “It’s been a interesting process that’s for sure,” Cervantes said.
Right after the February 18, 2020 fire that destroyed the Porterville Public Library and killed Porterville Fire Captain Ray Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones, the city of Porterville was awarded a $60,000 grant for the mobile library.
Cervantes said the mobile library isn’t a bookmobile. Instead it’s a mobile library that will provide early literacy resources to young and preschool children. “We had to be very specific with the grant,” Cervantes said.
The mobile library is the first of its kind in Tulare County. “I’m sure you haven’t seen anything like it in the area,” Cervantes said.
The mobile library is an electric Polaris vehicle that resembles a golf cart with a pop up area in the back that will feature various resources for developing early literacy skills, including educational games.
The vehicle can go 35 miles an hour. “The graphics are eye-popping,” said Cervantes about the exterior of the vehicle. “It’s really cute.”
The vehicle also provides bilingual resources in English and Spanish. “This is really exciting for us,” added Cervantes about Porterville City Library staff being able to offer the services provided by the vehicle.
The vehicle will mainly be used in partnership with the Porterville Unified School District and the Burton School District as it will visit nine preschool sites in the two districts, Cervantes said.
But the vehicle will also be featured at community events such as Family Literacy Day.
As far as Family Literacy Day goes, the city of Porterville will once again provide $100 gift cards for those to be vaccinated at the community event.
The $100 gift cards will be presented at Family Literacy Day, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, September 25 at Centennial Park. Everyone who receives a first and second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will receive a $100 gift card to a local business. The vaccines will be administered by Sierra View Medical Center and Imperial Ambulance.
Numerous organizations will have booths at the event including the Porterville Library, City of Porterville Parks and Leisure Services, Family Health Care Network, Porterville Police Department, Galaxy Theater, Grocery Outlet, Friends of the Porterville Library, Porterville Fire Department and KTIP La Bonita AM 1450-FM 101.3
There will also be a book walk and drawings.
LIBRARY PLANS
Porterville City Councilmember Kellie Carrillo, whose also a member of the City of Porterville Library Facilities Committee, said at Tuesday’s Porterville City Council meeting the contractor is set to begin work on the interior of the temporary library adjacent to Grocery Outlet. Cervantes said with all the furniture that needs to go into the building it’s likely the temporary library won’t be open until sometime around the first of the year.
Carillo also covered some possible locations for the new, permanent library that are being reviewed by the library facilities committee. One of the potential sites is for the library to be part of a proposed recreational center and community park on Fourth Street just south of Henderson. That project is contingent on the city receiving a competitive Proposition 68 grant.
Other potential sites include between Murry Park and Plano, a vacant site on Prospect east of Petsmart, a vacant site at Indiana and Morton and for the new library to also included as part of the Heritage Center.
Carrillo said the library facilities committee will continue to review such issues with potential sites as access, parking size and the surrounding area.
OTHER BUSINESS
The Porterville City Council approved a change to a zoning district south of Olive at its meeting on Tuesday.
While the zoning district will remain a retail zoning district, the council also voted for the zoning to be changed to allow for more heavy commercial use in the area. There have been a number of requests for businesses such as major automotive repair and automotive washing to be placed in the area.
Two more public hearings will need to be held on the issue and the zoning changes would go in effect 30 days after those public hearings are held.
In anticipation of the Highway 190 and Main Street intersection to be turned into a full intesection providing access to Main off of Highway 190, the city created the Downtown Retail South zone district designed to be a “welcoming gateway” to downtown, rezoning it as retail. The zone district includes Main south of Olive to Date as well as on Orange from Main to Locust.
But since that time the state has indicated it no longer has plans to make the Highway 190/Main intersection into a full intersection. City staff also reported there are now 15 business in that zoning district that were open before the zoning change that wouldn’t be able to open if they applied for a business license in that district today.
So the council moved to make changes to the district to allow for automobile service, major automobile repair and automobile washing businesses to be located in the district.
As part of its consent calendar, the council also approved the purchase of a jet aircraft refueler. With the increased demand for jet fuel at the Porterville Municipal Airport due to the continued increase of wildfires, the City will purchase a new 5,000 gallon jet aircraft refueler to replace the current 1970 truck that has a capacity of 3,000 gallons.
The city noted in just the past month the airport sold almost 110,000 gallons of jet fuel mainly to the firefighting fleet of CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service. It’s expected the cost of the new truck will be $230,000 and funds for the purchase of the new truck are available in the Airport Operating Fund.