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Making Kernville a more ‘walkable community’ focus of KRVR agenda - 2011/12/14 11:12
SOURCE: http://www.kvsun.com/articles/2011/12/13/kv_life/doc4ee7c51d331ae652372788.txt
Published on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 12:07 AM PST
Making Kernville a more ‘walkable community’ focus of KRVR agenda
Valerie Cassity/Special to the Sun
Kern River Valley Revitalization (KRVR) held their monthly Community Meeting last Wednesday, Dec. 7, covering a wide variety of local topics of interest.
Kernville Walkable Community
Mark Evans, Engineering Manager with the Design Division of the Kern County Roads Department, discussed plans for making Kernville a more walkable community. Kern County successfully applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation and received a $950,000 grant through the Federal Transportation Enhancement Act to make the improvements.
The project began earlier this year, when the department introduced three crosswalks with the re-striping of the roads, which were reduced from four lanes to two along with the speed limit which was reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph.
Further work will include adding another crosswalk on the north side of the bridge, installing handicapped accessible ramps at some of the frontage businesses, paving the crosswalks with colored concrete to make them more visible, and enlarging the corners with a “knuckle” feature to help visibility and reduce the distance across Kernville Road. Construction plans also include the installation of lighting at the crosswalks, and Evans said the department is hoping to utilize solar lights to avoid financial impacts. The lighting he showed as a suggestion was Spanish style, inconsistent with the western heritage of Kernville, but said that we as a community could decide what light fixtures we wanted used. “This is your plan,” he said.
Evans brought up the possibility of installing one way streets along Rio Vista Ave., Big Blue, and Burlando Roads to increase room for off-street parking.
There were numerous comments about that proposal; of primary concern is the perceived increase in congestion that could result from the modifications.
Evans moved on to a discussion of the Whitewater Park Project and how the Kern County Roads Department may be able to assist in the funding and/or construction of some of the components of the plan. Evans said he felt the “River Walk” could be partially accomplished with the Walkable Communities project.
Evans said the Roads Department anticipates construction beginning in September, with estimated completion about three months out. He characterized the project as a “necessarily inconvenience” to Kernville residents and visitors during that time. Further comments may be e-mailed to Mark Evans at marke@co.kern.ca.us.
CSUB Small Business Development Center
Cal State University Bakersfield’s Small Business Development Center lead consultant and advisor Jay Thompson described the SBDC’s primary mission to “promote the development and growth of small businesses by providing high quality business assistance throughout Kern, Mono, and Inyo Counties.”
Incorporated in SBDC’s mission is eliminating “middle class poverty” by fortifying small businesses with essential tools for success. Most small business owners are good at what they do but may not have much training in actually operating a business, Thompson said. In an effort to bolster these businesses’ chances for success, Thompson pointed to SBDC’s provision of one-on-one consulting to business owners.
“The Federal government has determined that 80 percent of the jobs are created by small businesses,” noted Thompson, “and there’s a big push right now for women and veteran-owned businesses.”
Thompson said one of the center’s objective is to raise small business owners’ awareness of business retention and growth services available to them through SBDC.
Thompson pointed out that counseling services can help owners gain skills in monitoring and managing cash, collecting accounts receivable, contacting creditors, adjusting prices, managing inventory, marketing and much more.
He also talked about the importance of having a “Plan of Action” (aka a business plan) that includes goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time oriented. If a business owner’s goals aren’t clear and measurable, how does he or she know if they are moving in the right direction, he noted.
Thompson said business strategies should be developed for the short term – the next 12 months – and long term – two to three years.
A geographic information system (GIS) used by SBDC can help prospective business owners understand potential markets and provide information regarding the number of similar businesses located in the area.
A relatively new technology, GIS lets users visualize, question, analyze, interpret, and understand data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
Thompson said the center plans to ramp up its outreach efforts in the Eastern Sierra, including the Kern River Valley.
“Kern County is number one in agriculture, oil, and aerospace, and SBDC wants to make it number one in entrepreneurship as well,” he said.
More information about CSUB’s Small Business Development Center is available at www.csub.edu/sbdc or interested parties can call 661-861-7951.
Kern Valley Healthcare District Update
Tim McGlew, Kern Valley Healthcare Distreict CEO, addressed recent news articles focused on budget cuts and their potential impact on skilled nursing facilities.
California Assembly Bill 97, the Budget Act of 2011, calls for a 10 percent reduction in payments made to the state’s skilled nursing facilities in hospitals throughout California.
McGlew said Kern Valley Hospital is already struggling with the most recent reductions in Medi-Cal payments, and this newest proposal would cut payment rates (exceeding $2 million annually) for skilled nursing residents by more than 30 percent.
McGlew said a reduction of this magnitude would have devastating effects on the hospital, including the closure of the skilled nursing unit, the possible closure of acute services and the hospital’s emergency room, and, the worst case scenario, could force the closure of the entire hospital.
The Brown Administration said it will hold off implementing the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider cuts until after a Dec. 19 federal court hearing on a lawsuit to stop reductions.
KRVR meets the first Wednesday of every month, and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 9 a.m. at the Kernville Chamber Building. For more information, visit www.krvr.org.
Administrator, KRVR.org
eworinkrv@mchsi.com |
