Page 5 - Dinuba Sentinel 7-12-18

The Dinuba Sentinel
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entirely new stadium, from the ground up, both track, field and stadium.
Work on the new stadium began in early March, soon after the field’s last game, a State playoff victory by the Orosi High Lady Cardinals soccer team. Fittingly, the Lady Cardinals’ head coach Sara Vega’s grandfather helped build the original stadium.
The field now looks vastly different from the old one. The dirt track is gone. The turf is a vibrant new green sod, sitting beneath the bookend of two new bright-yellow goal posts. A diamond sand pit sits just behind the west goal post. Soon it will host the school’s track and field shotput event.
According to Reyes, the ground in which the new aluminum stadium will be built upon is ready to go. But Mac and Fulcom was not contracted to build the new stadium bleachers. That job was contracted to another company, as was the repositioning of the bleachers on the visitors’ side.
But visitors will have one new amenity that past visitors have not had the privilege of having – their own ticket booth, bathrooms and concession stand, all of which is now up at the new stadium.
Home spectators will also get a new ticket booth and concession stand, one that will be nearly twice the size as the one erected on the visitors’ side. But for the home concession stand to go up, the new bleachers must first go up first.
If the bleachers construction were to start soon, Orosi High could see a repeat in stadium achievements, as the original stadium was said to be finished the day before the opening home game of the Cardinals’ football season, some 40 decades ago.
CORRECTION: A previously reported story of a proposed new digital score board for the new Orosi High School stadium was incorrectly said to have a price tag of over $300,000. The score board will actually cost $130,000. The Sentinel apologizes for the mistake.
Thursday, July 12, 2018 | A5 Driver smashes into house, arrested for DUI
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
According to the Dinuba Police Department, the driver of this vehicle was traveling northbound on Crawford Avenue when he attempted to turn west onto Sierra Way Monday afternoon. Instead he smashed straight into the triplex unit on the northwest corner of the intersection. Several people were reportedly inside the house at the time of the collision but were unharmed. The driver of the pickup truck received lacerations to his face. A minor in the passenger seat was also reportedly unharmed in the accident. The driver was arrested at the scene. Among his charges is driving under the influence, say police.
Alta Healthcare District seeks public input
Stadium
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New goal posts and new light posts are already up at the new Orosi High School stadium, which is currently ahead of schedule.
Reyes Arellano of Forcum Mackey Construction looks over plans last Thursday as the sod to Ed Coats Field was being laid. The next step is installing the synthetic track.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Every year the Alta Healthcare District reaches out to the community of Dinuba and its surrounding areas to continue the tradition of providing for the district’s medical needs.
In the past the Alta Healthcare District has provided the city of Dinuba with critical medical items, such as ambulances and defibrillators. Now the Alta Board is reaching out once more to get a better understanding of the district’s needs.
The board will be having a meeting next Thursday at the Dinuba Fire Station training room to take public comments as well. That meeting starts at 11 a.m.
Below is a health needs survey provided by the Alta Healthcare District to determine best way to meet the community’s needs.
Age___ Sex ___ Height ___ Weight ____ Do you smoke? ____
How would you describe your general physical
health?
How would you describe your general mental
health?
How would you describe your hearing?
How would you describe your eyesight?
Do you suffer from any diagnosed medical/
mental conditions? If so, what?
When was the last time you visited a medical
When was the last time you visited a dentist?
When was the last time you visited an eye doctor?
Have you ever had a physical in a doctor’s office?
How often do you exercise each week? For how long on average?
How much sleep do you average a night?
How would you describe your diet?
In a normal year, how many days are you off
work or school due to illness?
Do you feel you have access to information on
good nutrition?
Do you ever look at the nutritional information
on food packages?
How many restaurant/fast food meals do you
eat a month?
Do you have a problem with: Anger, Depression,
Memory, Drugs, Alcohol, Fatigue, Weight Management?
How would you describe the stress level in your life normally?
Do you have allergies? If so, what kind?
What services or programs could be offered in your community that would improve your physical or mental health?
What is the biggest healthcare need in your community?
Fresno and Visalia.
Wilder also pointed out that many of the
individuals digging through trash cans, vandalizing and burglarizing can also be attributed to transients or those with substance abuse issues, which is independent of homeownership.
Wilder said, “We’ve come in contact with people that are not homeless but don’t want to be in their house if they have a drinking problem because they don’t want to drink in front of their kids... That’s a different type of homeless.”
The council was presented with homeless demographics for Dinuba and other neighboring cities. Wilder reported updated numbers that Visalia has 850 homeless while Tulare and Porterville have about 250. There are about 200 others across the county, Wilder said.
“Demographically, Dinuba has nowhere near the homeless problem that some of our neighbors do,” Dinuba Public Works Superintendent Ismael Hernandez said.
Recently, Dinuba Unified School District reported 91 students in DUSD that classified as homeless, although their definition of homeless is expanded to include instances such as a student’s family living with other relatives to get by. Wilder said those that are actually homeless can be identified as about two families that he works with regularly.
Wilder and Molina work with the Kings Tulare Homeless Alliance to help get homeless individuals
assistance that is available to them, but many decline or resist the help.
Hernandez explained, “The primary focus for our outreach team is to engage, build a rapport with the homeless, refer them to resources. Our police officer responds to any complaints and then we have follow-ups. When we receive a complaint about a certain location we respond, enforce what we can and try to follow up.
“They’ve found that sometimes they will meet with a homeless person weekly, or for a year, before the person decides they want some help and accept the help.”
Molina added, “They live here, they are from Dinuba. They don’t want to leave. It’s hard because they’re attached to their families. We try to get them help.”
Of the 11 homeless individuals in Dinuba, five recently agreed to assessments, four were evaluated and two were enrolled in rapid rehousing - a program that finds temporary rehousing for homeless individuals to help them get back on their feet and find employment. However, property owners are often reluctant to accept them as residents.
Another factor with preventing eyesores and nuisances for homeowners is that property owners will sometimes decline to sign off on identifying them as trespassers in a display of compassion.
“There’s no law against being homeless,” Hernandez commented.
Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Sentinel staff report doctor?
Homeless
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