Sanger Herald 6-27-19 E-edition

Lady Apaches embrace preseason
Hoping for a home
Rescue Animals 8A
Celebrating 70 years of barbering
Sports 1B
Lifestyles 2B
WeeklyNewspaper Sanger(FresnoCounty)CA93657 50¢ (taxincluded)
School district aproves a $133 million budget
Holly Willet promoted to vice principal at WAMS
Angela beats the heat
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
Angela Nuñez, a 4th grader at Jefferson Elementary School, knows the Spray Park at JFK Park, North and Faller avenues, is the perfect place for an 8 year old to cool off on hot days. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
The Sanger Unified School District board of trustees has ap- proved a balanced general fund budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.
"We're projecting a total revenue of $135 million and expenses of $133 million," said the district's chief financial officer Marsha Alfving.
The budget approval at a June 25 meeting came just five days before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
The board also announced that:
• Holly Willett has been pro- moted from a curriculum service provider to vice principal at WAMS beginning with the new school year; and,
• Del Beshore will be retiring as the district's director of technology
OTHER $27,636,527 21%
WAGES AND BENEFITS $105,765,531
79%
Chart prepared by Sanger Herald
Is this the beginning of the end of Sanger's water problems?
Dick Sheppard/Sanger Herald
L-R, city manager Tim Chapa, public works director John Mulligan, city councilmember Esmeralda Hurtado, city councilmember Daniel Martinez and mayor Frank Gonzalez break ground on June 26 at the site where a new 750,000 gallon water tank will be constructed. Mulligan called it one of the largest and most important projects he's been associated with since he's been public works director. Gonzalez thanked state senator Melissa Hurtado for her efforts to secure the state funding "that put the cherry on top and made it possible to finally get this long talked about project started."
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
Sanger's water woes go back a decade, maybe fur- ther.
The groundbreaking ceremony on June 26 on the southwest corner of Church and J streets may have her- alded the beginning of an end to many of those woes.
Construction on a 750,000 gallon water tank at the groundbreaking site will begin on July 8 and will take approximately nine months to complete, said public works director John Mul- ligan.
"This has been a project we have been discussing for nearly 10 years but funding was an issue. With a cash infusion of $1,237,500 from the Economic Development Administration we were able to move forward.
"Unfortunately, initial bids
for construction of the tank came in well above our esti- mate due to increased steel, electrical and labor costs. We had to put a new water well on hold and shift funds to the tank.
"But with the recent $3 million state appropriation to Sanger, we can proceed aggressively to repair our water system for today’s use and also for the future," said Mulligan.
The new water tank will supplement Sanger's two 100-year old tanks, allowing for increased water service throughout Sanger and reducing stress on the older tanks.
Part of the $3 million from the state will go toward con- struction of the new well.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sang- erherald@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
• July 2 - City council rezoning meeting, 6 p.m. at the community center, 730 Recreation Ave.
By Dick Sheppard
Sanger Herald
Maybe the third time will be a charm.
The city council meeting at the com- munity center at 6 p.m. on July 2 will bethe thirdtimethecouncilhashad an opportunity to make a decision on a stateorderedrezoningissue. Thefirst two times it gave in to pressure from angry and obviously confused residents and delayed the decision.
Many of those who attend the July 2 meeting may be even more confused. It has become obvious that at least
one person who wants a large parcel of land rezoned is making an effort to cre- ate the impression that councilmembers who refuse to consider his property for rezoning are somehow doing something
shady.
You can add that to the misconcep-
tion expressed at previous meetings that rapid construction of Section 8 housing will follow a decision on the state ordered rezoning of 54 acres with- in the city limits for affordable housing. Then toss in another often stated mis- conception - a favorite on social media - that the City is the entity that will do the building of the Section 8 housing. It all adds up to another meeting where city officials will say the same things they have at previous meetings and likely hear the same "Not-In-My-Back-Yard" objections. Then the council will have
to decide whether it will make a final decision it can send to the state in order to comply with the state's rezoning - not building- demand.
If you want loads of details about the background and the sites being consid- ered go online to the city website www. ci.sanger.ca.us and click on "Govern- ment." Then click on "Agendas and Min- utes" and scroll down to the city council agenda for June 6, 2019. The agenda for the July 2 meeting is the same as the meeting on June 6.
You can also find the agenda in a binder in the lobby at city hall and also at the library. Contrary to the impres- sion some are trying to create, the whole process is very transparent.
The city is just trying to do what the state told it to do or face the conse- quences.
The reporter can be contacted by email at sangerherald@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
• July 2 - Measure S oversight meeting, 6 p.m. at city hall, 1700 7th St.
• July 4 - City of Sanger 4th of July Spectacular, 5:30-9:30 p.m., Sanger High School practice field.
mid July 4 - Sanger+Reedley+Dinuba= valley
TIMES
Council will try again to reach rezoning decision
THURSDAY
June 27, 2019
VOL 130 NO. 26
2 sections, 16 pages
CLASSIFIED 5B LEGALS 6, 7B BUSINESS DIRECTORY 8B LIFE STYLES 2B OBITUARIES 2A OPINION 3A SPORTS 1B POLICE LOG 2A WEATHER 6A
SANGER HERALD: A MID VALLEY PUBLISHING NEWSPAPER • (559) 875-2511 • www.thsangerherald.com
See SUSD, page 7A