http://www.valleyvoicenewspaper.com/vvarc/2009/jan082009.htm

Busy Year Ahead for Porterville

By Rick Elkins

Porterville - John Lollis, who will take over as Porterville's city manager Jan. 14, will lead that city in 2009, a year that promises to be busy and one where the downtown of that southeastern county city will begin to change forever.
Lollis, who has been Porterville's deputy city manager since July of 2007, follows John Longley who is retiring. Longley served as city manager since 2002.

Lollis inherits a city on the move with many challenges and opportunities ahead.

“It will be very challenging times,” said Lollis late in December. He has been working closely with Longley for more than a year. The city council selected him as the next city manager several months ago with the idea the time he would work with Longley would make for a smooth transition.

“I see great potential for the community,” he added.

Like every other governmental entity, the economy will pose a challenge, but Lollis said the city is in a good position financially.

“The city has been fiscally conservative in the past and we should be OK and should be able to weather the storm,” said Lollis. He added the city did not quite get into the housing or retail building boom as occurred in other cities, so the slowdown is not as great.

Still, the city is not looking to add any new staff. “We call it a chill, not a (hiring) freeze,” said Lollis. He said that is also the reason that not a lot of new projects were added to the city's list of priorities.

However, he sees the current fiscal crisis statewide having a lasting effect. “I believe there'll be fundamental changes in local government,” he said.

2009 Agenda

At the top of the city's 2009 agenda is finalizing the sale of property to the state of California for a new Superior Courthouse. That project will have a domino effect downtown, leading to a revitalization of the area along Olive Avenue from Plano Street to Main Street.

Lollis said the state is going through the EIR process now on the project and hopefully it will enter escrow on the property in April. However, the state has only so far allocated funding for the land purchase, but not the construction.
Once that project gets in motion, it will trigger others, including the relocation of the Porterville Fairgrounds out to near the Porterville Airport where the Tule River Indian Tribe has hopes of building a resort/casino.

The courthouse project is also catalyst for the city to change the look of its downtown, especially the central intersection of Olive Avenue and Main Street.

There, the key is the demolition of the old Porterville Hotel, a 1920s-era structure that has seen its better days. The building was condemned last year and Lollis says plans are to tear it down in the summer of 2009. The city is also working on a master plan to develop the area along Olive Avenue, called the Courthouse Commons master plan that will include what the city hopes to do with the old hotel property.

Many Projects

Lollis said one major goal the city has for 2009 is the development of a softball complex next to the new Santa Fe School on Orange Avenue.

“That's one that will rise to the top. There is a lot of energy for that,” said Lollis of the Heritage Softball Project that will be part of the Heritage Center that has been developed at that location.
To make that happen, the city is looking for a grant writer. Lollis said the city will have to apply for the Prop. 84 park money that is available.

Another project that is in the infancy stage is the development of a new city library. The city manager said a citizen's library advisory committee has been formed to begin work on that project.

A few other projects include a new public safety building – combination of police and fire – to be built at Jaye Street near Gibbons Avenue on the southern end of the city's industrial area. There is also a plan to connect Jaye Street to Gibbons and Scranton, using Measure R funds. Also, Scranton will eventually be connected to Indiana.

Another project is the Indiana Street Low Water Crossing. Lollis explained that will be a low-level bridge that might actually be under water when the flow down the Tule River is strong enough, but the project will enable the city to qualify for bridge replacement money in the future for a permanent crossing.

“Instead of building a $15 million bridge, you spend $3 million for the low water crossing,” he said.
The city is also in the process of setting up its own animal control department with plans to eventually take over operation of the city of Lindsay's animal control facility.

Porterville also wants to establish a LOOP bus similar to the ones operating in Visalia and Dinuba. Lollis said the city has offered to donate one of its transit buses to the county which would operate the LOOP bus. He said they would like the bus to serve Terra Bella, Poplar, Woodville and Strathmore, giving children a safe ride to the community center, library, sports complex and Murry Park Pool, all in Porterville.

Accomplishments

A major hurdle for the city was the lifting of the cease-and-desist order placed on the city's wastewater treatment plant. An effluent pipeline and the purchase of 200 acres for ponding helped the city to have that federal order lifted.
The city continued to develop the area of Highway 190 and Jaye Street where the Riverwalk Shopping Center continues to grow.

Besides Lowe's, the center is already home to several small restaurants and plans are to construct a small visitor center at the location this year.