Reedley Exponent 4-5-18 E-edition

An event-full weekend awaits in Reedley
Immanuel baseball finishes 3-1 at Selma Classic
Vol. 129, No. 1 | Thursday, April 5, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com Reedley (Fresno County) CA 9365 | 50 cents Council vote on shelter set for April 10
Reedley Mayor Pro Tem Frank Pinon, left, and Pastor Ken Baker of Heritage Church stand in front of the proposed Hope Now House of Faith emergency shelter transitional housing facility in southwest Reedley.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Proponents defend the facility’s grant process
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Days before a Reedley City Council vote to accept or reject a proposed emergency shelter in southwest Reedley, proponents of the facility explained their roles in the proj- ect and defended the grant process.
Ken Baker, pastor of Heritage Church in Reedley and director of operations for Hope Now Ministries, said April 2 that the church currently is the 501c3 nonprofit in charge of
the ministry and operations of the proposed Hope Now House of Faith, located at 1697 W. Huntsman Ave. The facility, formerly called Faith House and once the site of the Marja- ree Mason Shelter, will come up before the Reedley City Council at the council’s Tues- day. April 10, meeting.
A group of neighboring Reedley resi- dents — titled Reedley Beach Families — have formally opposed the project since it initially was brought before the Reedley Planning Commission last summer.
Baker and Mayor Pro Tem Frank Pinon talked to The Exponent at the facility, which would need 30 to 60 days of work and re- furbishing if the council formally approves $560,000 in grant funding from the Califor- nia Department of Finance. Baker reiterated that neither men would receive any pay for their work.
Baker also emphasized that the facility would not be used as transitional housing for parolees. He said the city and state have an agreement in writing that allows the city to restrict residence to women and families who are victims of violent crimes or tempo-
Electric planes unveiled
See SHELTER on page A8
State honors Riverview
School
Staff Report
Riverview School’s commitment to academic excellence and its focus on reading has earned the campus statewide recognition — Riverview is a 2018 California Distinguished School.
Statewide, 287 elementary schools were selected. And, River- view was only one of 13 elementary schools named in Fresno County.
The state Department of Educa- tion program this year is recogniz- ing elementary schools that “have made exceptional gains” in academ- ic content and performance stan- dards adopted by the State Board of Education, according to the de- partment.
Riverview previously was named a California Distinguished School in 2010.
Tom Torlakson, state Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, said in a statement on April 2 that the 287 elementary schools “implement outstanding educational programs and practices that help California students realize their potential and put them on the path to achieve their dreams.”
“Every day at these schools, teachers, administrators and clas- sified employees — working with parents — apply their dedication, creativity and talents toward pro- viding a great education for all their students.”
Riverview Principal Josh Dar- nell said school officials learned of the honor on April 2.
“We are very proud of the talented students, outstanding staff and sup- portive families that have been dedi- cated to continuing excellence at Riv-
See RIVERVIEW on page A3
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
ABOVE: City Council members for Reedley and Mendota, along with other officials, on March 26 watch one of the experimental electric airplanes taxi away from the hangar at Chandler Airport in Fresno.
BELOW: Joseph Oldham, left, director with the San Joaquin Valley Clean Air Transportation Center, stands with Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba and Mendota City Manager Vince DiMaggio next to one of the electric airplanes at Chandler Airport in Fresno.
Experimental aircraft to be on display in Reedley at May Fly-In
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
The historical significance of the moment wasn’t lost on Joseph Old- ham as he talked to city leaders from Reedley and Mendota on March 26 at Fresno’s Chandler Airport.
“Seriously, we are making history,” he said. “This is just as real and his- toric as when Charles Lindbergh took off in 1927 in the Spirit of St. Louis and flew across the Atlantic Ocean. That’s exactly the level of history we are making.”
Oldham — the director of the San Joaquin Valley Clean Air Transporta- tion Center — was talking about the sustainable aviation project being
shared by Reedley and Mendota. The $1 million project, funded by Fresno County, is bringing to the two cities four Pipistrel Alpha Electro battery electric training airplanes — current- ly the only operating all-electrical air- craft in the United States.
The March 26 event was a joint special meeting of the Reedley and Mendota City Councils. All councils were present with the exception of Reedley Mayor Anita Betancourt, who was out of town. Also in atten- dance were Reedley City Manager Ni- cole Zieba and Mendota City Manager Vince DiMaggio.
Once the partnership is estab-
See ELECTRIC on page A8
Opposition group speaks out, Opinion, page A4
William Conrad honored as state Cemeterian of the Year
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
William Conrad suspected some- thing was unusual was happening at the 60th annual Conference of the Cali- fornia Association of Public Cemeteries.
A speaker at the San Luis Obispo event on Feb. 24 was reading aloud in- formation about the yet-to-be-named Cemeterian of the Year.
“I’m sitting there and I think ‘hmm, that sounds like me.’ And then I could feel my heart starting to beat out of my chest,” he said.
That’s when Conrad — manager of the Reedley Cemetery district — learned he had been selected for the prestigious award, presented annually by the association that has a member- ship of public cemeteries from San Di- ego County to the Oregon border.
Conrad is the second Reedley man- ager to win the Cemeterian of the Year award. His predecessor, Jimmie Rogers, won the award in 1976 during a 42-year
Classified - A6-7 Directory - A5
stint working with the cemetery district. Conrad has been with the district for 26 years, the last 14 as manager after he served 12 years on the cemetery board.
“What was neat about [the award] was it was the 60th annual conference and I just happened to turn 60 this year,” he said.
Carol Griese, executive director for the association, cited Conrad’s leader- ship and longtime work with the CAPC committees and association board.
“I think he was very deserving of the award and it was exciting to see him receive it,” Griese said.
Conrad was nominated for the award by an independent member of the association. Judy Guzman, Conrad’s ad- ministrative assistant for 10 years, said she was notified by the association of Conrad’s selection before Christmas and had to keep the secret while providing information to CAPC.
“They called me when he was [in the
See CONRAD on page A8 Legals - B5 Sports - B3-
William Conrad, manager
of the Reedley Cemetery District, is pictured here with Judy Guzman, administra- tive assistant for the district. On Feb. 24, Conrad was presented with the Cemete- rian of the Year award by
the California Association
of Public Cemeteries during the association’s annual con- vention in San Luis Obispo. Conrad became the second Reedley Cemetery manager to win the award. Conrad’s predecessor, Jimmie Rogers, won the award in 1976.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
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