Success Dam among supervisors' federal appropriation requests

County supervisors will vote on Tuesday on a handful of federal appropriation requests, including $10 million in funding for the Lake Success Dam Seismic Remediation project.

The money would go toward completing the design of the new dam, acquiring property and other pre-construction activities.

If the Tulare County Board of Supervisors approves the platform, individual supervisors will have the ability to urge support for appropriations on the county’s behalf during their lobbying trips to Washington, D.C.

Other requests for federal funding include more than $542,500 for gang prevention programs, $1.5 million for engineering studies to potentially develop water systems in disadvantaged communities and $1.5 million to complete construction at Highway 198 and Plaza Drive in Visalia.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda are three requests from Resource Management Agency to use eminent domain to acquire three pieces of land that reportedly stand in the way of a project to widen Road 108.

Last week, the board voted unanimously to use eminent domain on a parcel in the northwest corner of Avenue 248 and Road 108 in Tulare, bringing the number of properties obtained forcefully through eminent domain to 22.

There is also time allotted for supervisors to discuss sending a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California lawmakers “expressing vehement opposition to future cuts to vital funding” such as the Highway User Tax.

The board meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. in Board Chambers at the Administration Building, located at 2800 W. Burrel Ave. in Visalia.

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