Page 8 - Reedley Exponent 12-7-17 E-edition

Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
TOP: Sergey Yanovsky, an electrician with Reedley’s Public Works Department, looks up at some of the decorations he and three oth- ers donated to the city’s Christmas tree.
ABOVE: Large boxes were crafted and painted by Yanovsky and David Peters to look like large Christmas presents. The boxes are displayed under the city’s Christmas tree. Yanovsky said the wood for the boxes was donated by Reedley Lumber.
Work crews with the city of Reedley are demolishing the rem- nants of the locker room at the old Reedley public swimming pool this month at the corner of Reed Avenue and J Street. Once the site is cleared, a splash pad facility will be built in Luke Trimble Park. The city hopes to start construction in late February 2018. Weather permitting, the splash pad is sched- uled to open in June 2018.
ABOVE: Pieces of concrete are stacked in a pile in one of the
empty pools at the old Reedley swimming pool complex on Dec. 1. In the background, city workers continue demolishing ground below the old locker room and chemical shed building.
RIGHT: City worker Juan Heredia dumps a load of concrete into one of the empty swimming pools.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
YANOVSKY Continued from page A1
new gold and silver stars on the tree.
Yanovsky said he and Peters painted three boxes different colors to resemble large Christmas presents. The men used wood donated by Reedley Lumber to build the boxes.
“We had cardboard boxes last year, but once it rained they kind of fell apart,” he said. “These are made out of plywood, so they’ll last a couple of years. Every year, we want to add a little bit more and continue to upgrade.”
All told, Yanovsky has spent about $3,500 to make the tree an attraction that has drawn praise from com- munity members. The LED lights are energy-efficient, and Yanovsky said they pro- vide eight times more light- ing than standard bulbs.
At the Nov. 25 lighting ceremony, Yanovsky and a co-worker were stationed at the transformers behind the Reedley Flower Shop and near the Reedley Opera House.
Time was short to add
GALA
Continued from page A1
perform and enjoy the arts at Reedley College. The state-of- the-art building — estimated to cost between $20 to $30 mil- lion — will serve as a central location for the performing arts on campus and for the community.
The center received about $5 million in funding with the passage of Measure C in June 2016. The bond measure in to- tal provides $485 million for facility upgrades and expan- sions at campuses in the State Center Community College District. The district includes Reedley College.
Valerie Pieroni, a consul- tant for the college on the Center for Fine & Perform- ing Arts project, said that the fund drive is targeting indi- viduals, businesses and large corporations — as well as po- tential grant money — to raise the remaining funds. Reedley College faculty and staff have pledged to raise $250,000 and already have banked about $140,000, she said.
More information on the Center for Fine & Performing Arts is available on the col- lege’s website, accessing the “About” link.
VALENCIAS Continued from page A1
grew up in Parlier. For 19 years, she operated a beau- ty and hair salon there. She now works as a hairstylist at Spanky’s Salon in downtown Reedley, and through her job makes it her responsibility market the community.
“At the shop, I see a lot of people so I can always tell them about what’s going on,” she said. “I share that with them and then I go myself and enjoy.”
Harry Valencia was born in Sanger, moved with his family to Orange Cove and later graduated from Reedley High School in 1968. He be- came involved in the grocery business when he worked at his father’s store in Orange Cove. After a three-year stint in the U.S. Army, he returned to the Valley as the couple be- gan raising their family.
Harry worked for 25 years at Big John’s Food King in Hanford, then another eight years at Von’s in Fresno be- fore retiring in 2007. The cou- ple have been longtime mem- bers of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Reedley.
“When our children were in St. La Salle (Catho- lic School), we were in the support group,” said Harry, who served as president of the group in 1987. “Lillie was involved with the Catholic Daughters at the church.”
Lillie said her years work- ing in Parlier with the Cham- ber of Commerce were a
factor in her son’s interest in Chamber work.
“When Erik was small, he followed that and thought it was the normal thing we do,” she said.
The couple said they take pride in Reedley.
“You go to a lot of little towns, and they complain that there’s nothing going on. We’re lucky,” Lillie said. “I
know we have a lot of empty buildings, but there is still a lot to enjoy. People don’t know until they get out and look at what you have.”
Harry said he has rela- tives in Los Angeles who fol- low happenings in Reedley.
“They can’t believe it. They say ‘Wow, there are so many things happening in Reedley,’” he said. “They
think the Taste of the Town is special and they come up for that.”
Lillie said she practices the motto that she heard from a fellow Reedley business leader: “Be willing to polish the town, not tarnish it.”
“It’s hard to leave when you plant your roots here,” Harry said. “These are our roots.”
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Vehicles drive past the city’s illuminated Christmas tree at the intersection of G and 11th Streets the evening of Dec. 4.
all of Yanovsky’s wishes for the tree. He is postponing to 2018 his plans to install spotlights at the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection to further light the tree.
Yanovsky said working with the city’s Christmas tree is an annual labor of love for him.
“I fell in love with Reed- ley. It’s an awesome city,” he said. “I like the down- town area. It just has the small-town feel. It’s a re- ally close community.”
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