City Council preview

BMX Bike Park has raised the money, now its time for building The City Council is expected to accept donations for the community BMX Bike Park. Volunteers have achieved their goal of raising $10,000 and staff is now ready to begin the development of the BMX Bike Park. The total donations collected is $10,470. Donations in the amount of $2,115 will be accepted at Tuesday's meeting from various donors to help support the Bike ...

Valley Blueprint Process forges ahead despite economic setbacks

The San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Process held a public forum last week to discuss the challenges of implementation of the preferred scenario (B+) and how it got selected for the Valley.

$16.3 million to go to California specialty crops

California has long led the nation when it comes to specialty crop agriculture. Now the state is first on the United States Department of Agriculture's list to receive Specialty Crop Block Grant funding.

Lazar gathers with county mayors to discuss economy, tourism

Turlock Mayor John Lazar was one of four county mayors to attend the first annual State of the Region luncheon hosted by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 14.

Council accepts COPS grant; four new officers to be hired

Turlock City Council members voted to accept grant funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services on Tuesday for the reinstatement of four sworn officers in the Turlock Police Department. The three year grant stipulates that the officers must be retained for a fourth year at the expense of the City of Turlock.

Congress says yes to dairy aid

The U.S. Congress moved an emergency spending bill through on Tuesday to provide $350 million in aid for the nation's struggling dairy producers.

Council approves all projects for RDA plan

The Turlock City Council sidestepped the issue of predetermining what projects should receive Redevelopment funding over the next five years on Tuesday evening. Rather than picking and choosing from a list of wished-for projects and those currently funded in the RDA budget, the council agreed to include all proposed projects into their 2010-2014 RDA Implementation Plan, and sort out the funding later.

Council to discuss redevelopment in special meeting

The Turlock City Council will convene a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the next five years of programs and projects to be funded by the Turlock Redevelopment Agency.

$698 thousand to stay in city coffers

In 2008 the State of California revealed a plan to balance its budget by taking funds from local Redevelopment Agencies - just as they proposed in 2009 - but the state won't see one cent of those proposed 2008 takings.

Former homeless shelter leased to new tenants

The former site of Turlock's Emergency Cold Weather Homeless Shelter, a city-owned warehouse at 400 B St., has finally found new tenants.

Carnegie lease vote continued

The motion to accept a lease agreement with the nonprofit Carnegie Arts Center Foundation to run the Carnegie Arts Center was neither approved or denied by the City Council Tuesday night.

Council: Yes to prayer

The Turlock City Council opened their meeting Tuesday evening with an invocation - before the gavel struck to formally begin the proceedings.

County to revisit farmland mitigation

The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors isn't finished fighting new residential development on agricultural-zoned land.

Our own town hall meeting

The nation-wide controversy over health care reform came to the Valley Friday afternoon when U.S. Rep. George Radanovich held his own town hall meeting in Oakdale. While there were no violent confrontations that led to arrests - as has happened in St. Louis, Mo. - booing and heckling were common during the question and answer time.

County budget coffers fuller than expected

More money will be in Stanislaus County's 2009-2010 final budget than had been initially expected, but fewer workers will be employed by the county this year.

More affordable housing needed, finds report

While housing prices have dropped, California still needs more affordable housing, according to a new state Department of Housing and Community Development report. "Prior to the foreclosure crisis and current economic downturn (also known as the Great Recession), California had experienced decades of undersupply, contributing to significant price escalation and the affordability crisis," the report reads. "... While the recession of the early 1990s was most devastating with regard to poverty and unemployment, ...

Failing water meters to get upgrade

City expects no changes for skate park when police offices move

The future of Turlock's popular skate park, located adjacent to the current Turlock Police Department, is in question given the construction of the new Public Safety Facility several blocks away. Turlock Parks, Recreation, and Community commissioners posed the question a month ago: without the close police presence, would the park – home to some acts of crime throughout the years – continue? But commissioners learned Tuesday that the skate park will remain ...

Voters to decide library tax on June ballot

A voter supported one-eighth cent sales tax has been the lifeblood of the Stanislaus County Library since its 1995 inception. But the fate of that sales tax, due to expire in 2013, will be up to voters once again in the June 5, 2012 Primary Election, following the Board of Supervisors' Tuesday action to place the issue on the ballot for renewal. The county's dedicated library sales tax was the first such ...

Council looks at replacing failing water meters

The Turlock City Council will consider a $495,225 upgrade to the city's failing automated water meter reading system at their next meeting on Tuesday.

Planning passes on regional ag map

A countywide initiative intended to preserve agricultural land, driven by local mayors, was shot down by the Turlock Planning Commission on Thursday for sidestepping existing planning efforts and failing to truly protect farmland. The initiative, known as the Agricultural Preservation Plan Map 2050, asks cities to clearly define their borders as of the year 2050. By doing so, the areas outside of the 2050 boundaries would be preserved for agriculture. The plan ...

City balks at proposed storm drain regulations

Washing your own car or having sprinklers that splash onto the sidewalk could soon be illegal, due to a proposed new state storm water permit. The new permit, drafted by the State Water Resources Control Board, is based on a concept of "only rain down the drain." Planners say they're attempting to meet federal regulations, but local officials say they've gone far beyond the realm of reason. "The requirements are so prescriptive, ...

What should come first, money or a plan?

Should Turlock be practical, given budgetary constraints, or should it aim for the stars? The question was front and center at a special meeting of the Turlock City Council on Tuesday, where council members went to work updating the city's strategic plan. The plan, a conceptual long-term planning document which will guide Turlock policy through 2013, has been in the works since March. Before that effort, the document had lain dormant since ...

Stanislaus County receives federal grant for preventative health programs

A federal grant aimed at getting to the root causes of chronic diseases was recently awarded to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. The Capacity Building Grant of $293,899 was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a block of Community Transformation grants. The Capacity Building Grant money is to be used for laying the foundation for sustainable community prevention programs and practices that tackle smoking, ...

Ag secretary lauds Obama’s jobs plan in California

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited the state this week, lauding the positive impacts President Barack Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would have on Californians. "The American Jobs Act provides common-sense steps we can take right now to put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans, without adding a dime to the deficit," Vilsack said to attendees at a business roundtable in Sacramento. The ...

Council votes to keep RDA options open

With the fate of redevelopment agencies statewide still hazy at best, a split Turlock City Council decided to keep its options open Tuesday, approving a resolution which will allow Turlock to decide whether or not to retain its agency at a later date. The move effectively informed the state that Turlock may eventually decide to issue a large "ransom" payment to the state in exchange for the right to keep its agency active, ...

Council to plan the future of Turlock

It's time for some long term planning, says Turlock City Hall.

City reports successful summer for rec programs

Turlock Parks and Recreation wrapped up a successful year of summer programming earlier this month. They saw high participation numbers across the board, and they received grant funding to offer summer programming to ACES after school program participants. "Our numbers were high from youth to adults. Summer went very well," said Erik Schulze, recreation senior supervisor. Turlock Recreation ran a special summer clinic for students who participated in the ACES after-school program ...

Council hires firm to recruit new police chief

The search for Turlock's next full-time police chief kicked off Tuesday, when the Turlock City Council approved hiring Teri Black and Co. to conduct an executive recruitment process. The recruiter will be tasked with finding a successor to former Chief Gary Hampton, who left to head the Tracy Police Department on July 31. Since then, Dave Young has served as the Interim Chief of Police. The use of an outside recruiter drew ...

Council awaits decision on RDA take legality

The future of redevelopment remains hazy, but the City of Turlock is attempting to plan for whatever fate may befall redevelopment agencies statewide. The Turlock City Council held a special workshop Tuesday specifically to discuss the city's options following the state's action to force all redevelopment agencies to either close their doors, or pay large fees to the state. "I think it's just a wait and see for me right now," said ...