Page 6 - Mid Valley Times 3-5-20 E-edition

Thursday, March 5, 2020 | A6 | Mid Valley TiMes
Dinuba Business Expo will be held March 18
By George M. Villagrana
Mid Valley Times
Businesses in the city of Dinuba looking to collabo- rate and share information to the community at-large will have a chance to do so at the Dinuba Business Expo. The Expo will be held Wednes- day, March 18, at the Dinuba Transit Center parking lot located at 180 W. Merced St. from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
“I look at it as a combina- tion of letting people know what business are their community, but also letting businesses interact with one another and be familiar with what they offer,” said Dinuba Chamber of Commerce Pres- ident/CEO, Sandy Sills. “In this area, it seems the best marketing tool that anybody has is a referral. Whether its family or friends, or some- one you work with. That is
something that builds trust with the business owner.”
Sills said last year there were 18 to 20 businesses that attended the Expo that was held in the Vocational Educa- tion Center.
“I’m hoping this year we will have more businesses and we’ve really tried to em- phasize to get a few more restaurants,” Sills said.
In addition, there will be a “Paint the Town” poster con-
test for kids.
“We’ll do that again to
help the Relay for Life event in April,” Sills said.
Winners will be awarded prizes and posters will be displayed throughout down- town, according to Sills.
Pena’s Disposal will offer free paper shredding.
There will be information- al booths, raffles, refresh- ments and much more.
“Even if you are a busi-
ness owner, come on by and see what we have to offer,” Sills added.
A few of the businesses that will be attending are Mechanics Bank, Best West- ern, Walmart, Newton and Sons, Pet Haven, and Circle K.
For additional information contact the Dinuba Chamber of Commerce at (559) 591- 2707 or by email at ssills@ dinubachamber.com
Dinuba Fire Department will begin weed abatement in April
WATER
Continued from page A2
ted to providing reli- able water for families, farms, cities and the environment."
California benefit- ted from wet weather and significant snow- pack in late 2019, but precipitation and snow- pack have fallen below average so far in 2020. That included a Febru- ary that had almost no measurable rainfall in the Valley. The Califor- nia Department of Wa- ter Resources reported on Feb. 24 that the av- erage snow water con- tent statewide in the Sierra Nevada was just 41 percent of the April 1 average. The situa- tion is slightly better in the northern part of the state.
T.J. Cox (D-Fresno), representative for the 21st Congressional Dis- trict which includes rural areas west of
COUNCIL Continued from page A1
City attorney Hilda Cantu Montoy clarified that, though the ordi- nance would allow for verbal quotes under $8,000, each purchas- ing agent would be re- quired to provide the city with a written ac- count of each offer and purchase.
Councilman Ontive- ros reiterated his objec- tion to the ordinance at the meeting.
“I’m not in favor of
Reedley and south of Sanger, said the Val- ley is constrained by current hydrology. He said the allocation an- nouncement "shows the ned for increased in- vestment in water stor- age and the supporting conveyance infrastruc- ture to better man- age extreme weather swings between heavy precipitation and ex- treme drought."
Friant Division con- tractors' water supply allocations develop in the Upper San Joaquin River Basin Watershed and are delivered from Millerton Lake through Friant Dam to the Madera Canal and the Friant-Kern Canal run- ning through the east side of Fresno County. The first 800,000 acre feet of available water is considered Class 1, and that is the 20 per- cent allocation from the bureau.
this new amendment,” said Ontiveros. “In nine years in serving in the public sector as a council member, this has been the most non- transparent administra- tion I’ve ever seen... My administration has an agenda now, and I’m whole heartedly against it.”
Despite the objec- tions from the public and Ontiveros, the ordi- nance was approved at the meeting by a vote of4to1.
MVT Staff Report
The city of Dinuba Fire De- partment will start their annual city-wide Weed Abatement pro- cess beginning in April.
The process is continuous and ongoing, however, in the summer months after the sea- sonal rains, overgrown vegeta- tion, can lead to a hazardous situation both vacant and occu- pied properties. As assessment of properties within the city limits will be conducted over the next few weeks, and letters will be sent out explaining that property owners are in violation of one or more of the following code sections:
• 2019 California Fire Code 304 “Waste Accumulation Pro- hibited”
• 2019 California Fire Code 311 “Combustible Waste Mate- rial”
• Dinuba Municipal Chapter 9.18 “Abatement of Hazardous Weeds and Rubbish”
These violations can be any- thing from tall weeds/grass and litter, to furniture (couches, mat- tresses), and piles of debris. The letter requires that the violations be cleared within 30 days of re- ceipt of the letter.
If the hazard is not taken care of after 30 days, the City will contract with a company to clean the hazards on the proper- ty, according to Fire Chief Chad Thompson.
“The owner will be respon- sible for the costs,” said Thomp- son. “If the property owner does not pay for the cleaning of the hazards, there will be a lien
Photo Contributed
Dinuba's city-wide weed abatement process begins next month, as the city will assess property for violations such as tall weeds and/or grass starting on April 1.
placed on the property.” Thompson also said if there
happens to be a fire, accidental or otherwise, the property owner will be charged for fire suppres- sion costs.
“All the costs will vary de- pending on the size of the prop- erty and hazards,” he said.
Last year, the Dinuba Fire Department responded to a total of 28 calls for service regarding fires involving grass, brush, rub- bish and trash.
The fire department would like to see those numbers reduced and have a safer community for everyone.