Reedley Exponent 9-13-18 E-edition

Lopsided road victories for local football teams
Sports
Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Court ruling halts police’s homeless enforcement
KCUSD maintenance extends a lengthy record of safety
Panorama
Vol. 129, No. 37 | Thursday, September 13, 2018
www.reedleyexponent.com
9th Circuit says camping ban violates Eighth Amendment
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
A ruling last week by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has forced the Reedley Po- lice Department to back off its enforcement of a camping ban for homeless people along the Kings River.
The appeals court ruling took place Sept. 4, and states that ordinances in Boise, Idaho
Council OKs accessory dwelling amendment Staff Report
The Reedley City Council unani- mously approved a first reading and ordinance amending the definition of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) at its regular meeting on Aug. 28.
Ellen Moore, associate planner with the Community Development Department, said the ADU issue was addressed earlier this year in response to state law changes that have been made and continue to be made.
Accessory dwellings are size-re- stricted units that can be built on the same lot as a single family home in a residential zoned district. The ADUs can be converted from an existing living area in a current home; can be attached and expanded onto an existing house as a separate unit; or they can be detached from a single family home.
“What’s unique about these units is that they provide complete inde- pendent living facilities and can be rented separately from the prima- ry unit on the lot,” Moore said. She added that they can be rented out.
Moore said that in 2016 there were some state law changes and have had changes made every cou- ple of years. “We’re trying to keep up with the times in terms of what the state is mandating each year,” Moore said.
Additional changes occurred in 2017, and this year the state has rec- ommended increased changes. The main content of the ordinance re- mains, but wording has been changed to cover primary dwelling unit and proposed primary dwelling units.
The new ordinance will clarify how an accessory unit can be cre- ated through a conversion of a ga- rage, carport or existing structure. It also defines “tandem parking” and allows replacement parking in any configuration of the unit. This will reduce parking requirements to one space per unit.
that ban camping on streets. sidewalks, parks or public places are a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
“In essence, [the appeals court said] what [Boise is] doing is criminalizing homelessness,” said Joe Garza, Reedley police chief. “What we’ve always said is that homelessness is not a crime, but yet how do you not commit a crime if you are violating an ordinance or a law?”
Garza said the 9th Circuit Court’s ruling puts the department into a “holding pattern” from telling homeless people who had set up
encampments along the east bank of the Kings River, west of the River Bottom neighborhood, that they are prohibited from camping. He said any trespassing on private property will be en- forced, but police will not enforce local ordi- nances banning camping on public property.
“We’re not back to square one, but we had to take a couple of steps back on what we do and how we’re doing it,” Garza said.
On Aug. 31, Garza led a six-person contingent of officers and city officials to clean up areas next to the Kings River from trash and other items left by homeless campers. The contingent
also placed signs instructing homeless how they could pick up their possessions from police.
City Manager Nicole Zieba, one of the par- ties removing trash and items left by the home- less, said she was in disbelief when she read about the appeals court ruling.
“We have a community that is clearly calling for the city to do something about the blight, crime, violence, property value decline, and unsanitary conditions caused by the major- ity of these individuals who are not law-abid-
See HOMELESS on page A8
Walk for Recovery
TOP: Members of the public joined with Teen Challenge residents in the 5K Walk for Recovery on Sept. 8. The walk course circled the Teen Challenge and Immanuel Sports Complex facilities.
LEFT: From left, Bruce Arbuckle, Don Self and Len Arbuckle walk along the west side of the Walk for Recovery path. Self used the walk for continued rehabilitation from a stroke he suffered in recent months.
RIGHT: Teen Challenge residents Shane Hughes, left, and Matthew Sullivan lift their hands as they walk the opening lap.
Photos by Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Fourth annual Teen Challenge event draws more than 400 participants
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Teen Challenge Central Valley’s fourth annual Walk for Recovery on Sept. 8 drew more than 400 people to walk an estimated five kilometers and raise money for the facility’s annual operations.
Walkers — consisting of many of the 110 male residents of the alcohol/substance abuse rehabili- tation facility as well as friends and family mem- bers — walked the approximate 5K distance with
four circles around the facility south of Reedley on Road 44. That included a walk past the Im- manuel Sports Complex football stadium and baseball-softball fields.
The facility — which provides free residency for men of all ages who are battling alcohol and/ or drug abuse — has grown from an initial 20 residents to 110, with 150 available beds. John Burns, director of the Central Valley chapter, said the walk is one of the facility’s main fundraisers to be able to fund the residency of the men.
“The public coming out and participating and businesses sponsoring the event have helped it grow,” he said. “And that helps to fight addiction in our community. And that’s why we’re here ... [changing] one life at a time!”
Before the walk, early registrants checked in and late entrants signed up while sitting in a shad- ed area on the front lawn of the facility property. Just before the walk began, the crowd gathered
See WALK on page A2
Reid now is fulltime Community Services director
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Sarah Reid, named as Reedley’s Community Services director on July 1, stood in front of the Reedley Community Center. Reid has been with the city for 15 years.
Classified - B6-7 Directory - A5 Legals - A6-7
Longtime employee promoted
from interim position in July
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Sarah Reid initially planned to be a school teacher. While working for the city of Sanger’s afterschool and special events programs in the mid 1990s, she told her boss that “I can’t see myself being in a classroom.”
Presented with the idea of going into recreation, Reid switched her emphasis and found a new career calling.
After joining the Reedley Parks and Recreation Department in 2003 as a recreation supervisor — later serving 12 years as superintendent — Reid now is the city’s full-time Community Services director as of July 1. She has run the department on an interim basis since January, when she replaced longtime director Joel Glick.
“My goal professionally was to eventually be a direc- tor because I just love what I do,” Reid said. “I love Reed- ley, it’s been a great town for me. So I’m really honored to be able to stay here and do it.”
City Manager Nicole Zieba said Reid has been a solid leader in the city since Zieba arrived in Reedley in 2011. “She has a passion for all things parks, recreation,
found her to be the most eager advocate for these ser- vices, even when she was not the department head.
“Since taking on the lead role in the department, she has shown me that her ability to actually lead a team and direct a department is top-notch.”
Reid said she faced some challenges with the recre- ation department during her dozen years as superinten- dent, and was proud of two notable achievements. One was finding a facility to teach summer swim lessons when the Luke Trimble Memorial Pool closed in 2011.
She approached Sierra View Homes and worked out a deal with the retirement community through the Reed- ley Sunrise Kiwanis Club. She and Vito Genna, executive director at Sierra View Homes, were members of the Sunrise Kiwanis and Reid reached out to Genna to see if the facility could host swim lessons at its indoor pool.
“It would have been easy to say ‘Let’s not do it.’ But instead, we were able to have an outlet so that people could still have swim lessons,” Reid said. “That was one of my prouder moments.”
Another source of pride for Reid was her being a part of the beginning stages of the Reedley Sports Park on East Dinuba Avenue.
“I was part of going through the process and apply- ing for the grant funding,” she said. “Then actually hav-
and is community focused,” Zieba said of Reid. “I have See REID on page A2 Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3 Obituaries - A3 Opinion - A4