Page 8 - Dinuba Sentinel 6-21-18 E-edition

A8 | Thursday, June 21, 2018 Downtown Continued from Page A1
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the plaza and catering it to pedestrians only. Also proposed in the area was additional retail opportunities and outdoor seating.
While the renderings received positive feedback, there are also realistic expectations on when and if such designs could be implemented.
At the June 16 council meeting, councilwoman Linda Launer said, "They had some nice insights - It at least gives us a vision for potential. We just need to work in some dollars."
The Cal Poly class will complete a comprehensive study to be given to the city of Dinuba, with additional statistics, studies and proposed paperwork for future policies.
Photos Contributed
Racing Continued from Page A1
could be implemented more realistically in the short term. One such idea was repurposing a vacant lot adjacent to the Dinuba Vocational Center into a paved area where food trucks could provide new eating opportunities to attract people to the area - fittingly named “food truck alley.”
The Downtown Main Street, largely consisting of the immediate areas near the intersection of Tulare and L streets, also calls for changes to one of the most well-known areas of Dinuba. The students also proposed extended sidewalks and landscaping on South L Street, along with parklets and outdoor dining. The students also emphasized
“activated alleys” to encourage pedestrian use of Downtown Dinuba’s alleyways. Those ideas included pavement, flooding mitigation, planter boxes and benches, bikeways and significant lighting.
A redesign of the Tulare and L streets intersection was also proposed with a more pedestrian-friendly design.
Entertainment Plaza was designed by the students as an extended version of the current Entertainment Plaza, taking advantage of existing nearby attractions such as the movie theater, bowling alley and Alta Historical Society.
The plans called for a closure of L Street between Kern and Ventura streets, expanding
TOP LEFT: A rendering of Tulare Street designed with extended sidewalks and a landscaped median. The final recommendation will likely be a tree other than the pictured palm trees. TOP RIGHT: A concept design by the Cal Poly students for a new Dinuba City Hall, located at the corner of L and Fresno streets.
LEFT: An "activated alleyway" design rendering, pictured from Tulare Street in Downtown Dinuba. ABOVE: A rendering of a "Civic Plaza" park, at the corner of L and Fresno streets.
north as Merced to as far south as Bakersfield.
“We were unloading them everyday off the truck,” said Cochran. “People just kept buying them.”
From go-karts Cochran moved up to racing actual cars and told the story of his first racing vehicle. It was an old Chevy Turbo Sprint that had a 1000 CC and three-cylinder turbo-charged motor.
In the car’s first competition, Cochran’s team broke a track record by going 110 mph. Though the time was protested after the race, due to the vehicle
not having a door panel, the record time set Cochran and his team off on an incredible racing career, eight in which were raced in Baja California.
“It was the most fun in the world,” said Cochran. “Down there in Mexico, they blocked off the streets, right there in downtown, brought a big carnival to town, with thousands of people and we got the privilege of racing our vehicles 160 mph down streets no bigger than most allies... It was pure fun. It was a thrill.”
From Baja California, Cochran moved on to the Bonneville
Speedway, where he also moved up to a 4-cylinder 920-horse power vehicle. With his new vehicle, Cochran and his team broke 10 records, breaking the first record by going 163 mph.
His team then continued to break records at Bonneville with their new 4-cylinder racecar, capping off their series of records by clocking in at 224 mph.
Cochran’s story was just one of many. Also sharing their race stories were David Biswell, Mickey George, Jon Koobatian, Michael Manning and Sam Surabian.
Photos by Rick Curiel | The Sentinel
Ron Cochran responds to a question from the audience.
The panel of former racers is pictured behind a display car.
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