Reedley Exponent 9-6-18 E-edition

Preseason honors for local soccer star at Fresno Pacific
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Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 | 50 cents Price drop forces council to amend recycling deal
Reedley High Pirates Marching Band celebrates Parent Night
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Vol. 129, No. 36 | Thursday, September 6, 2018
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New restrictions from China means higher cost of business
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
The plummeting cost of recyclables has forced the city of Reedley to redo its recy- cling agreement with its business partner, Pena’s Disposal Service
At its Aug. 28 meeting, the Reedley City
Council unanimously voted to amend the 2016 deal between the city and Pena’s Disposal. The new deal, effective for fiscal year 2018-19, calls for the pay scale of a price per ton to be based on 85 percent of the material value, minus the processing costs, which will equal what the city makes or pays out. The materi- als value will be updated every six months to reflect the current market value of materials.
Initially, the agreement results in an ad- ditional cost of $46,000 for the coming fiscal
year to process and dispose of residential and commercial recyclables.
Russ Robertson, public works director for the city, said the recycling market worldwide “has drastically changed for the worst” and “is in turmoil at this point.”
How volatile has the market been? Rob- ertson said in November 2016, mixed paper (binder, poster, cardboard, newspapers and magazines, etc.) sold for $77.42 a ton. In Janu- ary 2018, the price had tumbled to $12.50 per
ton. Currently, it is processed and sent to the landfill as there is no market for mixed paper. How volatile has the market been? Rob- ertson said in November 2016, mixed paper (binder, poster, cardboard, newspapers and magazines, etc.) sold for $77.42 a ton. In Janu- ary 2018, the price had tumbled to $12.50 per ton. Currently, it is processed and sent to the landfill as there is no market for mixed paper.
See RECYCLING on page A8
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Robert Takacs, chairman for Reedley’s Measure G oversight committee, spoke to the Reedley City Coun- cil giving his evaluation of the city’s use of funds from the 2008 tax.
Zieba praises Measure G’s effectiveness in workshop
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
Measure G, the 2008 voter-approved tax measure raising funds for police and fire ser- vices in Reedley, received a ringing endorse- ment from City Manager Nicole Zieba during a 10-year review workshop before the Reedley City Council on Aug. 28.
Standing at the speaker dais instead of her usual position next to the council, Zieba praised the city’s vision in suggesting and voting on the half-cent sales tax in November 2008, three years before she came to town as city manager.
“The earliest documentation went back to 2005, when the community comment asked about combatting crime, particularly gang crime,” Zieba said. She said back when the measure was implemented Part 1 crimes (ho- micides, rapes and in particular aggravated as- saults) were at 950 incidents annually. By 2017, that figure had dipped to 469.
“It shows me where the community’s heart was when it comes to public safety,” Zieba said. Zieba displayed charges showing the mea- sures total revenue to the city in 10 years hags been $9.79 million. With expenditures of $9.5 million, the city has managed to keep a fund reserve while continuing to make large capital purchases to increase police and fire staffing
and upgrade equipment.
The revenue split of 70 percent police
and 30 percent fire have allow for the hiring of three full-time officers, several contract reserve officers and community service of- ficers. New, reliable vehicles also have been
See WORKSHOP on page A8
Homeless camp cleanup
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Joe Garza, left, Reedley police chief, and Paul Melikian, right, assistant city manager, picked up litter left by homeless near the Kings River on Aug. 31.
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Some of the debris is pictured along a trail just east of the river, below the River Bottom neighborhood. The city is legally required to hold the
Police chief, city manager part of crew clearing debris
By Jon Earnest
jon@midvalleypublishing.com
A six-person contingent — featuring three of the city’s top offi- cials — hiked through brush east of the Kings River below the River Bottom subdivision on Aug. 31 as they removed trash and waste left by homeless people who have been illegally camping in the area.
Police Chief Joe Garza led the detail that included City Manager Nicole Zieba and Paul Melikian, assistant city manager. Also picking up items were police officers Eric Freedenburg and Jennifer Villan- ueva and Community Service Officer Victor Perez.
The group participated in a measured process in which the city ini- tially notifies homeless people that they illegally camping in the area. “We were out here earlier this week,” Garza said. “We posted some signs with notices of cleanup. We give people the opportunity
to collect their personal property and move on.”
Garza said that law enforcement can’t simply move in and collect
and dispose of items left by the homeless. State laws protect their
Water incidents on river kept to a minimum during holiday
By Juanita Adame
juanita@midvalleypublishing.com
It was a relatively safe and uneventful Labor Day weekend along the Kings River in Fresno County.
Water levels on the river were low on the afternoon of Sept. 2 as the Boating Unit with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office prepared for the second day of the three-day weekend that marks the unofficial close of the summer season.
The boating unit is made up of four depu- ties; Chad Stokes, Erik Unruh, Uriel Mejia, and Nicholas Buffaloe.
“We have been patrolling the shores con- tinuously throughout the summer,” said Dep- uty Stokes. “After this weekend, we will only come out here when we are dispatched for service.”
Classified - B6-7 Directory - A5
The currents along the river were calm even along some of the more treacherous parts of the river and Stokes said those condi- tions were a stark contrast from the day prior.
“There was a group of floaters stuck in those trees yesterday,” said Stokes on Sept. 2 as he pointed to an exposed rock island sur- rounded by trees along the river. “We had to come in and perform several rescues.”
The deputies said this season has been av- erage with the number of rescues they’ve had to perform. Normally, they pull about a dozen people out of the water.
“Its been a good year we haven’t had any drownings here on the Kings River. It’s al- ways a good thing we don’t want to see that happen,” Deputy Unruh said.
However, one common occurrence depu-
Juanita Adame / The Exponent
See CLEANUP on page A8
Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputies (from left) Eric Unruh, Uriel Mejia, Chad Stokes and Nicholas Buf- faloe stood together before patrolling the Kings River north of Reedley on Sept. 2.
See RIVER on page A2
Legals - B5 Sports - B3-4 Lights & Sirens - A3 Health & Fitness - A6-7 Obituaries - A2-3 Opinion - A4