State of the Vision – May 2003
Highlights of Progress

Downtown
To date, a number of important activities have occurred, resulting in significant improvements in the city, and a plan to assure continued improvements is in place. These include:

• The Downtown charrette process in May 2000 resulted in a work plan adopted by the City. A subsequent charrette process has been completed for Southeast Bakersfield, and another one May 2003 for Old Town Kern.
• Economic Development and the City are working to attract new development in the downtown area.
• Wall Street Alley has been refurbished.
• A new commercial three-story building at 900 Truxtun has been built to house Economic Development and the Parks and Recreation services, and a new Housing Authority office building has been completed.
• A $21 million, 180-unit senior housing project at California and “M” Streets is planned for 2003-2004, and an 80-unit senior housing development on “R” Street is planned for 2004.
• The Padre Hotel is being developed into apartments and retail, while the J.C. Penney building will house retail and offices; the Montgomery Ward building has been converted into a mart of small shops, and more retail is planned for the area around 24th and “M” Streets.
• The Visitors & Convention Bureau will relocate to a new facility by the Amtrak Station.
• An “Arts District” has been created utilizing landscape, lighting, etc.
• A new 40,000 square foot Aqua center and Community Ice Rink is expected to be completed by 2004.
• 74 urban-style cottages, including water features, will be constructed north of Central Park beginning in 2003; a Veteran’s Memorial is also planned.
• $1 million in EPA funding to establish a loan program to assist owners in cleaning up “Brownfield” sites is expected to be received in June 2003; Economic Development has applied for an Urban Park Development grant to develop a parkway along the Kern Water Canal from Golden State to California Avenue.
• A landscape ordinance to increase parking lot shade coverage from 30% to 40% was passed in 2001.
• Streetscape on Chester Avenue, 19th Street & Old Town Kern continues.
• $1.25 million in federal funds for public improvements on Baker Street, including a public plaza, has been obtained.
  

Education and Life Long Learning

This element of the community’s Vision is a very broad and integral part that many strategies and action items were developed. The Vision Force agreed to focus in on a few of the strategies that appeared to be foundational to the achievement of many of the other strategies. Listed below is the update of those strategies.

A ‘Target Reading First’ Collaborative was created to coordinate efforts that focus results in increasing exposure to and practice of reading by our children and by providing leadership to achieve the Vision. The Collaborative, which meets monthly, has several working committees. One is completing a comprehensive inventory of reading programs and activities in the Greater Bakersfield area in order to identify gaps, opportunities for further collaboration, and needs that may be satisfied in terms of volunteer hours and financial support by the business community. Another committee is applying for a $4.5 million Early Reading First federal grant. This collaborative is housed at the Kern County Network for Children and is co-chaired by Steve Sanders and Bernie Herman. Strategies to accomplish the Mission of the collaborative include:

• Identifying and evaluating community resources and gaps;
• Linking people, programs and organizations; Identifying and supporting necessary resources, including funding, to address identified needs;
• Creating an identity of the Collaborative throughout the community.”

Seamless transition between grade levels is one of the focuses of Jim Burke Foundation Education Leaders Focus Group. Their work includes increasing communication between educational leaders from pre-K through the university, which has been very successful so far. In addition, the Kern High School District developed KernLearn, a web based effort to address academic needs of students in grades 7-12, and as such, streamline the transition between junior high and middle school students in participating districts to high school

Community Planning and Transportation

Many of the strategies and action items in this section of the Action Plan were legislated into law through adoption of the update of the 2010 Metropolitan Plan by both city and county elected officials. Some specific action items accomplished or in process include:

• The Kern Economic Development Corporation has formed a not-for-profit committee, with diverse membership, to strategize how to accomplish a self-help tax to fund road infrastructure improvements. Consultants have been hired and polling is in progress for a potential ballot issue.
• Agreement by the City, County, and KernCOG on a preferred alternative route for Highway 58, and expansion of cross-town opportunities.
• Airport runway expansion is underway and groundbreaking for the new terminal building is scheduled for June 2003.
• The City Council and the Board of Supervisors continue to meet jointly to share information and provide policy direction. Staff members meet on an on-going basis.
  

Youth and Family

The strength of this Vision Force that meets every other month to monitor and champion progress is that many of those attending are social service providers who are able to increase their effectiveness through sharing of information and collaboration. Some of the specific accomplishments include:

• Youth Leadership Training: There are several new and on-going activities for youth leadership:

• The 4th Annual Leaders in Life Youth Conference took place in Spring 2003, planned by and for your, 900 attended.
• Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership Bakersfield Class of 2003 is the 2nd only of this new 4 month intensive program that helps youth develop the skills, knowledge and insights to be tomorrow’s leaders.
• The National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century took place with Katie Ball representing our community at the State Capitol

• Community Safety: The Bakersfield Police Department is in the planning stages of a comprehensive plan to enhance their community policing efforts. They have also opened two new substations in difficult areas and has formed a Hispanic liaison committee.
• Senior Collaborative obtained a Long Term Care Innovation Grant to work with community groups, agencies, and business partners to find ways to allow adults to remain at home and enjoy independent lives.
• Kern County Mental Health Children’s System of Care Treatment and Recovery Committee completed a service gap analysis that will serve as an action plan to improve service, education, and outreach.
• Foster Care Committee spearheaded by the Department of Human Services was formed with 4 subcommittees: housing, employment, health, mental health.

Economic Development

Economic development by attracting new businesses has been negatively impacted by the budget crisis in the state of California. Nonetheless, some progress has been made in other areas.

• The City and County Connecting Kern County effort has established an implementation plan to develop the hardware, business development, and workforce development aspects of achieving High Tech capacity. A technology incubator project is in place.
• Industry cluster groups have been formed to provide mutual aid and identify needs of their industry that could be locally fulfilled.
• A new Kern County Economic Development Partners group has been formed to bring individuals and groups together from throughout the county to discuss potential synergies and cooperation, recognizing that economic development in any one location impacts other communities in the county.

Quality of Life

There are a large number of diverse strategies and action items included in improving the Quality of Life in the community. Listed below are just a few of the ongoing efforts.

• Air Quality: Ongoing efforts to replace diesel buses with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are taking place in agencies with large fleets. See the “Improving the Air-Selected Progress Reports, May 2003 for detail. Raising consciousness of the Air Quality issue is driving more public education forums similar to that co-sponsored by Vision 2020 and CSUB. In addition, more right turn lanes and traffic light synchronization are being added to avoid the pollution created by idling engines.
• Trees and Shade: The new Urban Forester and the Tree Foundation of Kern have petitioned the city council to implement new licensing for tree pruners to stop tree-harming pruning practices. Tree planting and pruning training is ongoing through the auspices of the Tree Foundation, and the Urban Forester is slowly improving the lot of city trees. Streetscaping continues throughout Bakersfield.
• Kern River Bike Path is complete for 30 miles from the Mouth of the Canyon to I-5. The capability for water in the river year ‘round through Beach Park is complete, however inadequate water supplies in the previous year prevented fruition of this goal.
• Keep Bakersfield Beautiful is in place. The Mayor led the drive for a freeway beautification plan, including freeway clean-up. The plan was approved by the city.
• Health and Wellness subcommittee completed community wide meetings and development of strategies. A new Vision Force was created to refine the strategies and action items, and then proceed to monitor progress.
  Image: Research on the perception of Bakersfield by Californians outside of Kern County has been completed and the results are available on our website. Development of the Image Plan and marketing campaign are on-hold pending the current budgetary shortfall.

 

Vision 2020 was an 18-month process involving over 13,000 residents, including our youth, to develop a Vision for our community’s future and an action plan to accomplish that Vision. The Plan was handed back to the community January 2001. Since that time more than 100 agencies, and organizations have been actively involved in implementing the Plan. What has been most impressive is the extraordinary increase in cooperation and collaboration throughout the community in accomplishing the community’s Vision.