City Council will discuss construction, recreation projects Tuesday

At its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, the Porterville City Council will vote on items that would clear the way for two construction projects and discuss new recreational opportunities.

At its last meeting, the Council, at the request of Brian Ward, continued a public hearing to determine whether it will allow a portion of H Street and Kessing Street between Oak Avenue and the Porter Slough to be vacated so Sierra View District Hospital can move forward with its plan to expand to the east. If approved, the street closure would make way for more parking spaces and administrative buildings, but some residents have expressed concern that it will disrupt pedestrian pathways, including the route that children regularly take to school.

Another agenda item calls for a vote to approve designs for medical office buildings on 1.2 acres, just east of the Cobble Stone Court. If approved, construction would be done in two phases, the first would be to build a 3,200 square-feet medical office building, with 19 parking stalls, wrought iron fencing along Morton Avenue and encompassing landscaping. The second phase would be the construction of  a 1,100 square-feet space for lease.

Gary Weaver is listed as the applicant on Tuesday’s agenda, while Nirupama Yalamanchili is listed as the property owner.

The Council is also slated to discuss two ideas to increase recreational opportunities within the city.

The first item is an informational report on the city’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan, which was already submitted to the county’s transportation authority to be funded with $2 million in Measure R money during the 30 year life of Measure R — the county’s special transportation fund.

According to the staff report included with the agenda, Councilman Felipe Martinez has requested that staff explore ways to leverage Measure R money with loans.

“Martinez has asked staff to explore funding options to determine how much money can be borrowed using the city’s $67,000 per year bike and pedestrian funding stream to pay the loan,” the staff report states.

While no specific project has been reviewed to any detail, approximately 2.5 miles of 8-foot-wide hard walking surface can be constructed with a million dollars.

Additionally, Councilman Cameron Hamilton has suggested that the Council consider authorizing the review and potential creation of a off-highway vehicle sandrail course. Similar to dune buggies, the off-highway vehicles are lightweight and specifically built for traveling across sandy terrain.

He envisions that a course would need to be between five and 10 acres, including large mounds. He has suggested land near the Tule River, or at the police department shooting range adjacent to Porterville Airport, as potential sites.

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall, located at 291 N. Main St. For a copy of the full agenda, visit www.ci.porterville.ca.us.

Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or jchandler@portervillerecorder.com.