Phase III  

Visioning Meeting

Centennial High School � March 9, 2000

Our Slogan:

�        The best of California!

�        Big on Hospitality

�        A great place to visit-a better place to live

�        A city you would be proud to live in

�        And proud to give back too!

Our Image:

�        People want to come here

�        People = Asset

�        I�m from Bakersfield and proud of it

�        Clean

�        Contemporary

�        Pedestrian friendly

�        A town of willing inclusives

�        Everyone is so caring and compassionate

�        City of flowers & trees

�        More pleasing transitions between housing/industrial/business/etc

�        Where are you going to retire? Right here, of course.

�        Clean, family friendly city

�        Positive

�        Destination spot (as we once were)

�        Open-ness

�        Inclusive

�        Cultural high spot

Our reputation:

�        A great place to raise kids

�        State-of-the-art health care

�        Quality living that is affordable

�        The best of California!

�        A great place to visit�a better place to live

�        A friendly place

�        No child abuse

�        Being sought after

�        Still affordable living

�        Community wide diversified jobs

�        Dynamic, progressive

�        Bakersfield setting the standard!

�        Oil, Agriculture & High Tech capital of California

Civic Culture:

�        Leaders of our state, nation and the world

Business environment:

�        Broad business base

�        Lots of knowledge worker opportunities

�        Affordable �Silicon Valley� environment

�        Business employment cycles that keep seasonal workers employed

�        Business supports city

�        Nordstroms

�        Many types of high-paying jobs

�        Business friendly but responsible

�        Healthy business climate � retention of current business � incubation of new businesses

�        Attract large, reputable business that support our community�s goals

�        A great deal of interaction with our schools

Arts & Culture:

�        Performing Arts Center

�        Youth Arts Festival

�        Numerous art galleries

�        Continue outdoor murals with goal to have largest outdoor art gallery, depict Bakersfield history, founders, assets

�        Business supported

�        Big name concerts

�        Broadway production quality plays

Heart of the City:

�        Welcoming and walkable

�        Outdoor shopping mall

�        Downtown College Campus � CSUB

�        Better use of water resources

�        Much better and safer malls

�        Skateboard friendly

�        Business & cultural center

�        Great restaurants

�        Pedestrian friendly

�        Places to have outdoor concerts and gathering spots

�        Gas lamps/good lighting

�        Trees-trees-trees

�        Government center

�        Revitalized buys downtown (as it was many years ago)

�        With protection of Downtown neighborhood areas

�        Keep it clean!

�        Great traffic flow

�        Let downtown grow larger

�        Infill!:  build on empty lots downtown

�        Excellent food; entertainment; inviting

�        Good neighbors

�        Broad based community/humanitarian service

�        Respect and admiration for our history

Our Values:

�        Respect

�        Integrity

�        Collaboration

�        Family & church

�        Where God/family and others come before self

�        Family unity

�        Tolerance

�        Morals

�        Love & protect our children

�        Respect for others

�        Patriotism

Technology:

�        Every child with educational software at home

�        Mecca for high tech companies

�        Affordable place to do high tech business

�        Tie to higher education opportunities

�        Everyone has access to latest mediums of communication

Transportation:

�        Shuttle services between residential/retail/downtown/transportation terminals (air/train)

�        Mass transit system connecting centers of population, business, entertainment

�        Historic transit vehicles that goes between downtown venues

�        Water transit

�        High speed rail (N, S, E, W)

�        Mass transit � easy to get anywhere

�        Satellite airport to handle U.S. transportation

�        Use our flights so they won�t leave us

�        Ease of getting from place to place within city

�        Parkway joining whole city

Biggest changes:

�        Downtown housing

�        Developed signature attractions

�        Attractive �entrances� to the city

�        Cleaner air

�        Low drop out rate

�        Connecting freeways

�        More libraries

�        No substandard housing

�        Thousands of mature trees

�        Highways all connect

�        High speed rail system

�        Bring back the water thru our town

�        Stoop selling our water to L.A.

�        Positive image

�        Hispanic community active; included; involved; participating in the development of the city!!

Break Thrus

�        No children with lead poison

�        No surplus dogs & cats that need to be �put to sleep�

�        90% recycling

�        Low unemployment

�        �West� and �East� (of Hwy 99) meet and work together

�        Decline in unemployment, fewer people with drug problems,

�        Excellent quality education for all students

�        Trees everywhere

�        Emphasize and enforce traffic safety

�        Computer/high tech innovation developed here

Looking back I�m most proud of�

�        Successful Vision 2020 process!

�        Didn�t become Fresno

�        Community investment in children

What�s Our Vision for Our Economy over the next 10-20 years?:

�        Stable growth � not tied to just one or two industries

�        More technical jobs and places where people can increase their technical skills

�        ..and education for filling them

�        Diversified, limited polluting industry

�        Tourism, shipping, tech.

�        Continual employment opportunities for seasonal workers

�        Value added agriculture

�        Water banking for community profit and habitat/open space

�        Opportunity for anyone who wants to work

�        Educational opportunities to create high paying jobs

�        Stability

�        Thriving agriculture

�        Greater demand for domestic oil (ours)

�        Lowest property tax in California

�        More millionaires per capita than any other community

�        Diversity

�        Not only in volume but  and concentration. Greater affluence will raise all boats

What kind of Economic Development Initiatives do we want to create?

�        Credits designed to attract entertainment-leisure-Tech industries � communications

�        Dedicate tax collection to industry/agency doing solicitation/market.

�        Job/work force with skills that match business needs

�        Incentives for using clean technology, recycling, telecommuting/transportation

�        Remember small businesses can be remarkably successful

�        A cooperative effort among agencies

�        Low or no taxes; Fewer or more streamlined regulations

�        Tourism

�        Support for home businesses

�        Business retention policies

�        Balance

�        More women in leadership positions

What kind of Jobs do we want to attract here over the next 10-20 years?

�        Non-polluting

�        Limited use of chemicals

�        More higher paying jobs � possibly more manufacturing

�        High Tech

�        Warehousing

�        Service industry

�        Hospitality industry

�        Entertainment/arts

�        Jobs with growth opportunities

�        Jobs that pay adequately even at bottom levels

�        Jobs-that are focused on brain power (less manual)

�        So much demand that there is a shortage of knowledge workers

�        E-commerce

�        Companies that have many types and levels of jobs

�        Auto assembly plant

�        Production of goods � made in Bakersfield!

�        Value added Ag, year �round employment

Our Vision for Downtown:

�        River �flowing

�        Trees! Trees!  Trees! along  Hwy 99

�        Nice Welcome signs on Hwy 99

�        Sculptures

�        Murals

�        Fountains

�        Statues

�        Parkway along river all through town

�        Expanded Museum with family recreation, water park, cultural center

�        Schools parks housing around 34^th

�        Old Town Kern:  trees, businesses, retail

�        River canal project around convention center

�        Nordstroms

�        Tunnel into center

�        Latin Quarter

�        Residence downtown

�        More trees

�        Businesses, Education Center, Art Center along canal Lake

�        Exhibition Hall & Baseball stadium @ California & Union

�        Lakeview:  Trees; safe housing; Playgrounds; Parks, Retail � just like downtown

�        A freeway with  a new, landscaped look to reflect our great town

�        Welcome to Bakersfield sign on 99

�        7^th Standard/Golden State turns into a new loop around the city

�        Run down hotel on Golden State now a major business center

�        Arts District

�        Lots of flowers and green ways

�        No traffic or stoplight waiting on 24^th.  Not a defacto freeway

�        Freeway doesn�t end

�        Housing downtown

�        Tree lined side streets

�        Senior housing

�        Water along Truxtun

�        Child care center and retail South of California

�        Entertainment theme downtown from beginning California & throughout

�        Lakeview: Industrial park

�        No drug trafficking

�        Mini-downtown

�        Senior housing

�        34^th Street:  Pedestrian-oriented commercial center; Mass transit concentrated parking

�        Canal looks like San Antonio

�        Lake Boats

�        River Walk

�        Theatre District

�        Thriving businesses

�        Lots of people walking (all hours of day and night)

�        Fun nightlife for residents and visitors

�        Historic District a la Old Sacramento

�        No panhandlers

�        Big cool water park � East side

�        Stadium South of Truxtun

What we Wanted and we got:

�        Excellent medical care available

�        International airport

�        Neighborhoods (planned)

�        Water park

�        Trees � serenity

�        Well maintained community parks

�        Stadium, baseball

�        A river that flows

�        Good water quality

�        More churches, temples, mosques, etc/

�        Mountain views 365 days a year!

�        Hillls & less productive (Ag) land used for community development

�        Positive image

�        Better transportation (infrastructure)

�        Coordinated economic development

�        Highest achieving students in the world

�        Higher quality teachers with better pay!

�        More cultural amenities, museums

�        Better planning � land & water

�        No children living in substandard homes

�        Baseball stadium

�        Lots of shade trees � good pruning

�        Excellent, affordable child care for every need

�        Concentric urban development with lots of parks & trees to shade us in the summer

�        Available health care to ALL � not just emergency services

�        Water theme park

�        Ice rink

�        Respect for each other

�        Open spaces

�        Identifiable, diverse neighborhoods

�        More sports contest and leagues

�        Lots of agriculture on this fertile land

�        Attractive entrances to the city

�        Higher education centers-CSU-UC, etc. that attract research-related companies, Tech-related

�        More go-kart tracks

�        High speed rail

�        Business relating well to education

�        CSUB relating well to business

�        A first class zoo!

�        Open citizen participation in government issues that affect citizens

�        Community gardens

�        Higher grade average to play sport (in high school)

�        More adult volunteers for youth activities. Seniors/youth partners

�        More games

�        Clean air!

�        Cooler cars!

�        River walk running through the city with water

�        Capitalize on the Kern River & �green up� the town

�        Brighter paint & murals on buildings

�        Clean streets, benches

�        Much cleaners schools, and smaller classes

�        Educational opportunities for working adults (e.g. evenings-weekend)

�        Clean air- see the mountains every day!

�        Indoor surfing park

�        Safe highways East/West

�        Senior centers/activities/housing

�        Open space/natural areas nearby

�        Better signage on streets

�        Larger numbers to view from cars

What we didn�t want, and we didn�t get:

�        Gangs

�        Graffiti

�        No longer �meth� capital

�        School dropouts

�        Air polluting businesses

�        Ag burn � dust

�        �Hich image�

�        Child abuse

�        More �adult� businesses

�        Poorly maintaining Hwy 99

�        Abandoned buildings

�        Sprawl

�        Pot holes

�        Red light runners � macho driers

�        Dry river bed

�        Good ag land paved over

�        Weakened moral values

�        Intolerance

�        Traffic/gridlock

�        Gang violence

�        No more leaf-blowers

�        No more leap frog development

�        No L.A. gridlock

�        No more cities buying land and using our city or county as their dump

�        Kids who can�t read

�        Sprawl

�        Contaminated water

�        Major roads that are ugly

�        Neighbors who don�t have hope

�        Unskilled substitute teachers

�        High gas prices

�         No more kids jumping in the river & dieing

�        No more beggars & homeless people

�        Automatic graduations for failing students

�        A lot of dirt & dust

Common Themes:

�        Trees

�        Beautification

�        River development

�        Technology

�        Historical value

�        Transportation

�        Arts & Culture

�        Education

�        Image

�        Social environment

�        Diversified

�        Senior housing

�        Traffic safety and efficiency

�        Pedestrian friendly

�        Investment in children and youth

�        Family values