Page 1 - Reedley Exponent 2-15-18 E-edition

River City Theatre Company presents ‘Swing!’ on Feb. 23
Panorama
Reedley High basketball’s ‘King of the Court’
Sports
www.reedleyexponent.com
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Residents change course in bid to recall Soleno
Vol. 129, No. 7 | Thursday, February 15, 2018
Spokesman says group ‘going a different route’
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
A group of southwest Reedley residents who took initial steps to recall City Council Member Ray Soleno for actions surrounding a proposed emergency housing facility are taking their fight in a new direction.
Packing plant plans expansion project
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Sun Pacific Facilities’ plans to expand an existing fruit stor- age and packing facility moved took a step forward Feb. 1 when the Reedley Planning Commis- sion approved a conditional use permit and environmental assess- ment at its regular meeting.
The commission voted 4-0 to approve the permit and en- vironmental assessment, which would allow construction of a 96,000-foot cold storage facility, including an enclosed hallway that would connect the facility with the existing packing plant. Commissioner Dawn Barcellos missed the meeting because of illness.
Commissioners did raise concerns about increased traffic congestion at nearby intersec- tions to Sun Pacific — formerly Ito Packing — located at 22477 E. South Ave., between Reed and Frankwood avenues.
Commissioner Brian Bissett said he drives South Avenue ev- ery day and currently there is a substantial amount of traffic. He asked about possible added traf- fic congestion and if there were possible steps the city could take.
Ellen Moore, associated plan- ner for the city, told Bissett that the city doesn’t have right of way for the northern side of South Av- enue because it is in the county. She said the street and frontage to the plant entrance off South Av- enue will be widened.
“Ultimately, that is something that at least can help the [traffic] a little bit more,” she said.
Pete Perez, the new commis- sion chair, also said he had con- cerns. He said that on his drive home from Fresno, he watched a 53-foot-long big rig truck waiting to turn east off of Reed Avenue onto South. He said the delay for a break in traffic caused of backup of nearly a dozen vehicles.
“I think we need to do some- thing as a city to rectify those is- sues,” Perez said. “Because it is an issue.”
Tim Snodgrass, with Sun Pa- cific addressed the commission on behalf of his company. He said truck traffic would be coming from both directions in the city,
See PLANT on page A8
The residents from Riv-
erview Estates — located just
northeast of the proposed Faith
House residence at 1697 W.
Huntsman Ave. — and the near-
by Kings River Mobile Home
Park didn’t submit their recall
petition with more than 25 sig-
natures to City Clerk Sylvia
Plata by the Jan. 29 deadline.
The group filed the initial petition of intent to recall on Jan. 12, and Soleno submitted a re-
sponse letter on Jan. 17.
“We’re going a different route. We’re not
divulging what that is yet,” Riverview Estates resident Robert Miller told The Exponent on Feb. 9. Miller was one of two residents who turned in the initial petition of intent to recall Soleno. The group would have to refile the pe- tition of intent and turn it in to Plata — who serves as the elections clerk official for Reed- ley — for any recall process to proceed.
Residents signing the recall petition were upset at Soleno for his not meeting with them
despite repeated requests to discuss the emer- gency housing facility, which once housed the Marjaree Mason shelter for domestic violence victims and their families. Soleno has said he and other City Council members did not meet with residents on the advice of Scott Cross, city attorney.
Before the Feb. 13 City Council meeting, Soleno said he preferred not to comment on the action of the residents.
The issued heated up last September, when
See RECALL on page A8
Ray Soleno
Best in the state again
Immanuel HIgh School’s 2018 state champion fruit tree pruning team members, from left, are senior Preston Pauls, sophomore Curtis Balakian, junior Ashleigh Sorensen and junior Drew Vogt. The team edged Righetti High School of Santa Maria by two points Feb. 3 in Fresno to capture a second consecutive state team title.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Classified - B5-6
See CLEMONS on page A8
Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4
Immanuel High fruit tree pruning team captures a second straight title Feb. 3
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
When it comes to pruning fruit trees, no high school in California does it better than Immanuel High School.
For the second consecutive year, Immanu- el FFA’s fruit tree pruning team captured the championship during the Winter State FFA Fi- nals at Fresno State on Feb. 3. The four-member team of senior Preston Pauls, juniors Ashleigh Sorensen and Drew Vogt and sophomore Curtis Balakian edged out second-place Righetti High
of Santa Maria by two points in the single-day competition. Thirteen schools consisting of 46 students competed in the event.
“I’m very proud of the team,” said Jean Myers, teacher with Immanuel High’s FFA program, and adviser to the fruit tree pruning squad. “We’re a program in just our fourth year. It’s real exciting to see the success we’re having.”
“It was really super cool that we went back-to- back,” said Vogt. “It was our other team last year that won. Once you win, you can’t compete again. So we were all fresh.”
Vogt, Sorensen and Balakian all competed last year and were on the reserve team. The all- junior main team of Lantz Adams, Kallie Hue- bert, Adam Simonian and Hunter Ward captured the school’s initial state title in 2017. Huebert, Simonian and Ward competed this year in the vine pruning category.
“Last year’s team came back and taught us how to do it,” Vogt said.
Jake McHaley, a crop associate who formerly competed in fruit tree pruning when he attended Reedley High School, worked with both recent state championship teams at Immanuel.
“That school has some amazing talent there,” he said. They all have a competitive mindset. It’s amazing to have a school so fresh in the FFA pro- gram to have this kind of success.”
Pauls, in his first year with the program, won the third high individual award. He said the four levels of competition were a true test for the stu- dents. Each class of tree has one scaffold, which had to be completely pruned in 15 minutes. The classes of trees were early peach, late peach and plums.
See PRUNING on page A2
Clemons is Chamber’s Citizen of the Year
Will be honored at annual awards Feb. 24
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Jean Clemons was named Woman of the Year in Reedley more than two decades ago. Now, she’ll again be recognized as the city’s top citizen.
Clemons — former longtime educator with the Kings Canyon Unified School District who remains active in community organizations — was selected as Citizen of the Year for 2018 by the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce. She and seven other recipients will be honored at the chamber’s 28th annual awards dinner on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Reedley College.
“I feel very honored that the community recognized me,” Clemons said. “I’d rather be behind the scenes working. But I appreciate it.”
Clemons’ community involvement contra- dicts being “behind the scenes.” She’s spent
Directory - A5 Legals - A6-7
a quarter-century with the Rotary Club of Reedley — she currently is on the board and has been a past president. She’s also been as- sociated for three decades with the Reedley YMCA Committee.
John Callahan, current president for Reed- leyt Rotary, calls Clemons “fantastic” for her work with Rotary.
“She’s great. She’s been a leader with the Rotary Auction as long as we’ve had it,” he said. “She’s a no-nonsense woman.”
An “absolute awesome lady” is how Gary Dodd, branch manager at Reedley Rabobank
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Jean Clemons, selected by the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce as the 2018 Citizen of the Year, holds her vintage accordion at her Reedley home.
GREATER REEDLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS DINNER
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, social hour at 5 p.m.; dinner and awards at 6 p.m. Where: Reedley College Student Center Ticket information: 638-3548 or online at info@reedleychamberofcommerce.com.
Exponent office closed on Feb. 19
The business office of The Exponent will be closed on Monday, Feb. 19, in observance of Presidents Day.
There will be early dead- lines this week. All advertising deadlines are noon on Thurs- day, Feb. 15.
The office will reopen for business at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20.