In Memoriam
Council to take action on Figueroa, Jones Highway
The Porterville City Council will approve an action on Tuesday that will lead to Highway 65 in Porterville to be renamed the Captain Ramon Figueroa Firefighter Patrick Jones Memorial Highway.
The council will approve a Caltrans permit for the installation of memorial signs along Highway 65 in honor of Ramon “Raymond” Figueroa and Patrick Jones at Tuesday’s meeting. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. with oral communications and then the council will go into closed session. The open session of the meeting will resume at 6:30 p.m.
The council will take the action that will lead to Highway 65 being named after Figueroa and Jones as part of its consent calendar. Figueroa and Jones were killed in the February 18, 2020 fire that destroyed the Porterville Public Library.
State Senator Melissa Hurtado introduced a resolution that would name Highway 65 in honor of Figueroa and Jones. The Captain Ramon Figueroa Firefighter Patrick Jones Memorial Highway will run along Highway 65 from Teapot Dome to Pioneer.
The families of Figueroa and Jones were consulted on the preferred memorial highway signage. Caltrans has designated the southbound and northbound locations of the signs.
The city will be financially responsible for the maintenance of the signs should the become damaged or if they need to be replaced. KRC Safety Company, has donated the cost for the signs and their installation.
After the council’s approval on Tuesday, a dedication ceremony for the Captain Ramon Figueroa Firefighter Patrick Jones Memorial Highway will be held at a still to be determined date.
FOURTH STREET REC CENTER
The City Council is expected to approve the application as part of its consent calendar for a grant the could help provide the rest of the founds for the Recreation Center/park that will be developed at Fourth Street and Henderson.
The City received a $7.8 million Proposition 68 grant for the development of the recreation center and park. Total cost of the project will be $10.3 million.
The city plans to apply for a grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund for new outdoor recreation opportunities. The city could potentially receive about a $1.25 million LWCF grant as the grant requires a 50 percent match. City staff states it could use Community Development Block Grant Park Improvement funds and funds from the Prop. 69 State Park Development and Community Revitalization Program to provide for the match.
City staff states there are two key factors that will increase the city’s chance of receiving the competitive LWCF grant. One is 42 percent of Porterville’s residents live more than a half mile from a park which is 18 percent higher than the state average.
Two, the Rec Center/ Park will be located in an area with a median
income less than $9,119, which is the maximum allowed to be eligible for the grant.
The city also had the option of applying for a LWCF grant to help with the development of the multi-sports mini arenas adjacent to the Heritage Center and the new library that will be located nearby. The city is already developing several multi-sport mini arenas near the Heritage Center and is applying for more money to possibly expand the site. City staff eventually decided the Fourth Street site would score higher in the LWCF grant application. Among the features that will be included in the site will be a splash pad, playground, minipitch arena, pump track that can be used by both skateboarders and BMX bicyclists and a challenge fitness course.
BOAT, RV ENFORCEMENT
A staff report on ordinance enforcement will be presented at Tuesday meeting and part of that report will include enforcement when it comes to the parking and storage of R Vs and boats. The City Council covered that issue at its July 20, 2021 meeting. The city reported during the past quarter it received 13 complaints concerning R Vs, boats and trailers.
BUILDING PERMITS
The city will also hear a report on building permits issued at Tuesday’s meeting.
During the second quarter of 2021, 32 residential permits were issued which was down from the 36 issued during the second quarter of 2020. There were three new commercial permits issued during the second quarter of 2021 as opposed to one in the second quarter of 2020.
There have been 70 new residential permits issued this fiscal year as compared to 68 during the same time period of last fiscal year. There have been six commercial permits issued during this fiscal year as compared to two during the same time period of last fiscal year.
The Building Permit Activity Report (BPAR) presented herein to the City Council covers the months of October, November, and December 2021. The two main categories include new residential permits issued and new commercial permits issued. 2nd Quarter of FY 2021/2022 compared to Second Quarter of FY 2020/2021
BUTTERFIELD STAGE CORRIDOR
As part of its consent calendar, the council is expected to approve to accept bids for design work to be done on the Butterfield Stage Corridor which will be a walking, jogging and cycling path that covers nine miles of the former Union Pacific Railroad right of way that’s owned by the city. It will run from Teapot Dome to Avenue 196.
The city has received $7.1 million from the state to develop the first phase of the corridor that will go to North Grand. The city is working with the county on how to fund the remaining portion of the project that will cost $11.2 million.
NEW PORTERVILLE RESCUE MISSION
Another report will be presented on the New Porterville Rescue Mission’s effort to meet city guidelines and the report essentially states NPRM is meeting the city’s guidelines. The report states NPRM has had four successful inspections since the last update that was provided on the mission at the council’s October 19, 2021 meeting.