Seven more to be inducted to city's Wall of Fame
The Porterville City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved seven additions to the city’s Wall of Fame.
The portraits of Mary Baker, Robert Christenson, Cyrille O. Faure, Vivian Lucey, Emogene McCullar, George Overcash and Clara Rutherford will be hung on the wall of the main hallway of the Porterville Heritage Center at a date yet to be determined. Each 5-inch-by-7-inch portrait will feature a brief biography and a bronze-engraved name plate. All seven will also be featured on the city’s website.
The council’s 5-0 vote came after a discussion about the procedure behind the nomination and selection of honorees. Council member Cameron Hamilton said he didn’t want to “dilute” the council’s original intention.
“The council started out with one nominee; pretty soon we’re going to be up to 10 or 12,” he said.
Council member Greg Shelton said he wasn’t worried about the “dogma” behind the process and said he thought there was plenty of room to go around.
“I did the math and there’s room for 1,600 nominees in that place,” he said.
Joe Faure, brother of Cyrille O. Faure, asked council members to not get bogged down on the mechanics of how they should go about selecting nominees.
“I’m personally acquainted with many of the nominees and to have this discussion in front of family members is a little awkward,” he said.
Every year, the City Council receives and reviews nominations for individuals who have made significant contributions to the Porterville community. Only the mayor and members of the council may submit nominations for Wall of Fame honorees.
During this round, Mayor Virginia Gurrola nominated Baker, Vice Mayor Pete McCracken nominated Lucey, Hamilton nominated Overcash and Rutherford, and Shelton and Brian Ward both nominated Christenson and Faure. Shelton also nominated McCullar.
Originally, the council said the honor would last five years, at which time the honorees’ portraits would be taken down. That plan didn’t pan out, Hamilton said.
There are currently 15 honorees (including one couple) on the Wall of Fame. They are: Jim Cone, Edward B. “Ted” Cornell, Carmen Martinez-Eoff, Mona Young Gauger, Estha Mae Hinton, Teresa Jackson, Cpl. Brett Land, Jim Maples, Forrest Mock, Roy Rockholt, Bill Rogers, Alice Seal, Helen Louise and Orlin Hudsen Shires, Frank “Buck” Shaffer and Waltraut Wilson.
In other matters, the council:
- granted Arizona-based American Renal Associates a minor conditional use permit to allow an 8,400-square-foot dialysis clinic at an existing building at the Porterville Plaza Shopping Center, near Galaxy 9 Theater. The dialysis treatment area will provide seating for 21 patients at one time. The clinic will also feature a waiting area, office, changing rooms, conference room, lounge, records room and an employee locker alcove, according to a report prepared by city staff;
- approved scheduling a public hearing for April 2 before considering the formation of a sewer utility district in an area that was annexed into the city in 2006;
- scheduled a special meeting regarding the Tulare County Association of Government’s proposed amendment to the Measure R expenditure plan. Measure R is the county’s half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2006. The meeting is set to take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the council chambers at City Hall, 291 N. Main St.
Contact Denise Madrid at 784-5000, Ext. 1047. Follow her on Twitter @DeniseMadrid_.
