Page 8 - Reedley Exponent 4:19:18 E-edition

SHELTER Continued from page A1
the transitional house,” Un- ruh said in an email to The Exponent after the council approved the project. “That is now a done deal, and we accept the outcome. Ours is a complaint about the way our City Council and city employ- ees conduct city business.”
The shelter was approved by a 4-0 vote from the coun- cil. Frank Pinon, mayor pro tem, recused himself. Pinon and Baker have been part- ners in establishing the non- profit agency for the facility before the vote was brought before the Reedley Planning Commission.
Council Members Bob Beck, Mary Fast and Ray Soleno and Mayor Anita Be- tancourt all cast “yes” votes on the project. Beck was the first to ask questions after the 17-minute presentation by Rob Terry, Community Devel- opment director.
Beck asked how many times an individual would be able to apply to stay at the shelter.
Baker said that his re- quest to the board would be that a person applying and staying for 30 days — 60 days maximum with an extension — wouldn’t be able to apply again for at least one year. He also answered Beck’s question about a family being removed from an apartment complex or lease agreement as the re- sult of breaking the law or a criminal action.
“If they themselves — the mother or any children responsible — did this, the answer would be ‘no,’” Baker told Beck. “One of the rea- sons that we wrote the ap- proval process with me being the director and first line of defense is this. That would be a red flag to me. So abso- lutely not. We don’t want to bring that kind of traffic into the home.”
Beck said he was looking for some type of agreement that anybody violating the law would be kept away from any- thing to do with the facility.
City Manager Nicole Zieba said the city had no control over who would go into the Marjaree Mason Center, the
ABOVE: Reedley Police Chief Joe Garza addressed the Reedley City Council while attendees — including both supporters and opponents — listened to discussion on the Hope Now House of Faith Emergency shelter. The council approved the project on a 4-0 vote at the April 10 meeting.
LEFT: Sage Clark, a member of the Reedley Beach Families group that op- posed the placement of the emergency shelter at the city-owned home on Huntsman Avenue, pointed out an area of his neighborhood on a map while speaking during public comment.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
From left, 25-year-old Miriam Saucedo, 22-year-old Mykel Saucedo, 15-year-old Damian Bautista and 9-year-old Angel Nunez were part of Team Maria DeLaPaz. Mykel Saucedo said DeLaPaz was his grand- mother, who died in 1999 after a long battle with cancer. The group raised money through drawings and purchases at their booth.
former shelter at the site for victims of domestic violence.
After 13 years of opera- tion that facility closed in 2016, and residents opposing the new project claimed that crime in the surrounding area increased while that shelter was there and then dipped when it closed.
“One of the nice things about this lease is that for the first time since 2003 we will have control over who goes into that facility,” Zieba said. “We also will have ac- cess to that facility. We did not have access to the facil- ity under the Marjaree Ma- son Center.”
In his presentation, Terry emphasized that the shelter is not a halfway house, drug re- habilitation facility, offender release facility or open home- less shelter. He said the facility will not serve sex offenders, active parolees, single males, or any person not passing what
proponents say is a strict vet- ting and approval process.
Eleven people spoke dur- ing public comment about the facility. Four — residents Melody Unruh, Dave Stewart, Sage Clark and Cliff Unruh — all reiterated their message that criminal activity would increase and property values would decline.
Clark said he went door-to- door to every single residence on his block and the block be- hind him.
“It took a long time — hours and hours, days and days, and they all told me their stories of how they were burglarized, their houses en- tered, their vehicles entered,” he said. “I had no idea that the crime was to that level. So I heard it with my own ears from the mouths of the people who live in these homes.”
During his comments op- posing the shelter, Stewart described how his home had
been tagged with graffiti. He said there were break-ins around his residence when the Mason center was oper- ating.
Seven people told the council they supported the project. Speaking in addition to Baker were Deb Barofka, Pat Bergthold, Kimberly Baker, Ruth Nunes, Anthony Jewell and Veronica Lopez.
Lopez, the operations man- ager of Open Gate Ministries in Dinuba, said she under- stands the concerns of resi- dents. But she said her facility has operated for 43 years and gained the trust of the com- munity and local churches.
“Not everything is going to be perfect, but for us at Open Gate those instances have been few and far between,” she said. “We’ve had people everywhere come not just for shelter but for food and for clothing. The need is out there, and the need is great.”
RELAY Continued from page A2
So I can keep fighting on,” she said.
A number of people came to the front to partici- pate in the balloon release. They held signs recognizing support or memorializing a mother or father, brother or sister, spouse, son or daugh- ter, grandparent, aunt or uncle, cousin, or friend.
Fowler said that cancer is an “unbiased” disease that can hit anyone.
“It knows no sex, no reli- gion, no personality, no fair- ness and no color,” she said. “Cancer is described as a disease of cells that uncon- trollably divide and invade the body.”
But Fowler said that di- vision “has created unity amongst all of us here to- night. In our hearts, in our souls and in our efforts to finish the fight once and for all.”
The ceremony conclud- ed with attendees — includ- ing a number of cancer sur- vivors — walking a tribute lap around the makeshift lap track surrounding the vend- er booths. The track was surrounded by white lumi- naria bags with lit candles inside. Printed on each bag were names of survivors being honored and cancer victims being remembered.
During the walk, a num- ber of people stopped and looked at bags they pur-
chased and placed along the track. A few walkers shed tears as they looked at the bags recognizing their loved ones.
The musical group Redline Band with guitar- ists Raul Flores and Raul Ramirez set the stage for the evening by performing a soulful rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” The band did a two- hour musical set after the ceremony.
Earlier in the day, the MMLJ Band (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) from Reedley and the County Line country band performed. Just outside the event, cars and motorcycles were lined up that earlier had partici- pated in a car show.
Other activities during the 24 hours included a si- lent auction, a Road to Re- covery race, zumba dance lessons, a ladies clog dance, musical chairs, an egg race and movies.
In the days and weeks leading up to the annual Re- lay, volunteers raised money with a number of events. On March 2, there was a Fill the Bucket campaign at the intersection of 11th and G streets to raise money. That was followed by a bra auc- tion at The Pub in downtown Reedley on March 6.
Volunteers continue to raise money, and organizers have until Aug. 31 to meet or beat their announced fun- draising goal of $32,000.
The Reedley Exponent A8 Thursday, April 19, 2018
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