According to the Kaweah commonwealth, Three Rivers is one of 147 nominees in Budget Travel magazine's Coolest Small Towns in America poll. On the magazine's website it is noted: “Three Rivers lies in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near the entrance to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. Together, these parks encompass over 1,300 square miles of wooded wilderness and include Mount Whitney, the highest point in the Lower 48, and General Sherman, a giant sequoia that is, measuring by volume, the planet's largest living thing. The community has enjoyed a reputation as a flourishing artists' colony for over 60 years.” You can vote online by going to www.budgettravel.com.

The Laws in town. The city of Lemoore has named Jeff Laws as its new police chief. Laws has been with the city PD for 13 years and has been acting chief for the past five months. He began is law enforcement career in Porterville and in Lindsay.

The COS board of trustees will appoint to fill the board vacancy caused by the resignation of Ward 2 trustee Sue Shannon. The board decided Monday night to accept applications for qualified candidates until April 8. The appointment will be made by May 30. Candidates must be 18 years or older, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Ward 2, which covers Tulare and Three Rivers.

The city of Porterville is installing four solar-power speed signs. The $21,000 cost is being covered by a Safe Routes to Schools grant.

A sinkhole at Riggins and North Dinuba Boulevard is causing headaches for Caltrans which has been working at the site for several weeks trying to stop the sinking.

Scott MacIntyre, nephew of Christine Statton with the VUSD and one of the finalists in last year's American Idol show, will perform on the show tonight, reports Statton. “He's pretty excited. He may perform a single from his new album, or possibly a dueling piano duet with Matt Giraud,” shared Statton.

The Visalia Fire Department has received a Homeland Security Grant for $78,808. The money will be used to support the city's hazmat team.

Visalia Mayor Bob Link said the city's trip to Washington D.C. was fruitful, although no one came back with an armful of cash or promises FEMA was going to change its flood maps in the city. However, Link said he, Vice Mayor Amy Shuklian and City Manager Steve Salomon did meet with FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers officials in Washington and “we got some really good information.” He said the city is seeking information as to what measures can be taken to “remove as many people from the flood zone as possible.”

State Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, who represents Tulare County, was arrested by the CHP last week on a charge of driving while intoxicated. According to reports, Ashburn was pulled over at 2:10 a.m. March 3 near the state Capitol in Sacramento. He was booked into the Sacramento County Jail. On Monday, Ashburn admitted to being homosexual.

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By Miles Shuper

Ivanhoe - The Boys and Girls Club is getting a new permanent home in Ivanhoe, something which the organization's leaders as well as county officials describe as “great news.”

Tuesday, Tulare County Supervisors authorized the purchase of the two-story building for $117,000, part of $125,000 received from the Workforce Housing Grant to develop a community center in Ivanhoe.

The county has partnered with the Boys and Girls to provide county services in the community.

Supervisor Steve Worthley, who represents the Ivanhoe area and has been working with fellow Supervisor Phil Cox, who has been the driving force in developing the Step Up anti-gang and youth violence programs, said “this is great news.”

“It's great news,” echoed Galen Quenzer, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Tulare County, who said the Ivanhoe club has about 100 members.

Worthley said the remainder of the $125,000 will go toward needed improvements to the building at 15892 Azalea Avenue.

Quenzer estimated it will cost $200,000 to $250,000 to complete the project with a substantial portion expected to come from additional grants, volunteer work, fund-raising and other sources.

Brian Summers, Tulare County Capitol Projects director, said a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture could provide a major portion of funding to recondition the building which he said is structurally sound but needs substantial interior upgrading.

The renovation will start on the bottom floor of the 5,000 sq. ft. building, Quenzer said, adding he hopes a move into the new site can be made in about six months.

The Boys and Girls Club took over the youth program, formerly known as the Ivanhoe Youth Center, in August 2007 and operated in the Presbyterian Church which had been vacated when the congregation disbanded. The church building was sold by the Presbytery to a local congregation in March 2009. That new congregation needed the entire building and the Boys and Girls Club ended it's stay last June. A county bus transported Ivanhoe youth to the Visalia boys and Girls Club last summer until the club started operating temporarily at the Ivanhoe Lions Club facility, Quenzer said.

“The Ivanhoe Lions Club was so very gracious in providing us a home but we simply needed more space,” he said, explaining that equipment had to be moved in and taken down repeatedly and programs and activities were limited due to space.

Referring to the new site, Quenzer said, “Bank of the Sierra had just foreclosed on the owner of the building. We knew the county redevelopment agency had some grant funding for a youth center in Ivanhoe and the county was approached about using the money to purchase the property.” he said.

Tuesday's approval of the purchase by supervisors, he said, “Is just great news.”

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Strathmore - Cindy Armstrong, who owns and operates Armstrong Olives near Strathmore along with her husband, Mike, pays several different property tax bills a year.

So, it went unnoticed that she had not paid one since 2004 - the tax bill on the land where their processing plant sits.

That was until early February when a representative of the county's assessor's office showed with a sheriff's deputy with a delinquency notice that also said their property was going to be auctioned off within 30 days.

“I pay 12 to 14 tax bills a year,” explained Cindy Armstrong, adding that for some reason the county somehow changed the address for their main property tax bill - sending that bill to an address in Idaho for the past six years.

Several times the Armstrongs were listed as having delinquent taxes - the most recent time in the Valley Voice last month - but they never noticed. It was until the deputy and person with the assessor's office showed up that they found out that their tax bill had not been paid since 2004.

“She (assessor's office employee) said, 'when did you get back from Idaho,'” recalled Cindy of the meeting in early February, adding they had recently gone on a trip to Idaho and wondered how did the county know they had taken a vacation.

However, after it was explained that is where the county had been sending their property tax bill, she told them they never had a mailing address in Idaho.

The reason the county finally went to the address to contact the Armstrongs was the last notice the county sent was returned. The previous notices had not been returned. When the latest bill was returned, the county decided to deliver the 'notice of sale' in person.

“Because that was returned, they though they need to do a home visit,” explained Cindy. She was glad they did.

It quickly became apparent to the Armstrongs and the county that something was not right and after about three days, the county admitted it had made a mistake and waived about $14,000 in interest and penalties. The Armstrongs have since paid the approximately $20,000 tax bill and the matter is considered resolved.

However, said Cindy, the county cannot change the lien put against their property, only stamp it that the bill had been taken care of. The matter had gone so far that the property was to be auctioned on Feb. 25.

Cindy has no ill feelings towards the county. She said it rectified the situation quickly and the assessor's office was very understanding. “As soon as they realized we were organized, not deadbeats, they were very helpful,” said Cindy.

“We have outstanding credit. We buy hundreds of thousands of dollars of product from Spain every year,” said Cindy of how solid their business and financial credit both are.

Still, it is not something she ever wants to go through again.

Tulare County Treasurer/Tax Collector Rita A. Woodard said the situation is a good example of how everyone should pay attention to their tax bills and the delinquent notices published periodically by the county.

She said it is the property owner's responsibility to ensure their bills are all paid.

Good Business

Armstrong Olives is a processor of gourmet olives. They used both locally produced olives and import olives.

Armstrong Olives can be found in almost any store, both locally, across the United States and in Canada. They also do a lot of private labeling.

“We do some 50 different types of olives, not all stuffed,” she said.

“Business is good,” said Cindy. She said last year was a “horrible” olive crop locally, so they have had to import a few more olives than the past few years. Armstrong Olive has been operating in the county since 1974.

Mike Armstrong, whose farther grew olives in the Lindsay area, began by experimenting in his spare time with cured olives in those two barrels. That was in the early 1970s.

By 1974, Armstrong bought his home, the surrounding land and acreage with olive trees on Road 232. In 1985 the company began to grow.

Now the Armstrongs produce 58 varieties of stuffed and marinated olives that are shipped all over the US and Canada, as well as being sold on the domestic market. Savemart, Raleys, Grommet Shops as well as many fruit stand and farmers markets carry the Armstrong brand.

“The most popular is the garlic stuffed, and the Jalapeno comes in second,” said Cindy Armstrong on the company's website. Other varieties are stuffed or flavored with various combinations of onion, almond and garlic cloves or pimento marinated in vermouth.

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By Rick Elkins

Visalia - Kaweah Delta Health Care District has some big shoes to fill.

Director Margaret Foley, who has served on the board 20 years, has resigned her position, citing health issues. Her resignation was effective March 1.

Monday night, the hospital board of directors agreed to appoint a person to fill the Zone II seat and announced it is taking applications. The board hopes to fill the position by May 1.

“It's a personal loss for me as much as a loss for the district. I depended on her for her moral guidance and her concern for the patients,” said Board President Carl Anderson, who served many years with Foley.

Foley served the Kaweah Health Care District for more than 40 years, first as a nurse and the past 20 as a member of the hospital board. Anderson said her knowledge and depth of caring will be missed.

“She was a steadying force,” said Anderson, adding she was a strong advocate for the patients.

Cindy Moccio, executive assistant for the hospital CEO Lindsay Mann and the board of directors, said Foley was not only the first woman to serve on the hospital board, she was also the first woman to serve as president of the board.
“She's definitely a fixture of Kaweah Delta,” said Moccio.

She said Foley is still a registered nurse, having just renewed her license. Moccio said she worked as a nurse in the hospital's Family Birth Center. She was first elected to the board in 1990, a year after she retired.

Anderson said Foley will not soon be forgotten and the board is formulating plans to honor her. “We will not let her go silently. She deserves substantial recognition,” he said.

Anderson said beyond the hospital, Foley is a very interesting person. “Did you know she took golf lessons from Sam Snead (the golfing legend)?” he said. She also served in the military and has donated her time and energy to many other causes in Visalia, including the Good News Center.

He added that Foley, now 87, was a major contributor to the growth of the hospital over the past 20 years.

“She's been part of all the major advancements the district has made - the north expansion and she has been really supportive of medical education program. A lot of those things are legacies that will live way beyond Margaret or the existing board,” he said.

Anderson said Foley's resignation made up his mind to seek re-election in November. His seat and Foley's are the two positions up for election this year.

“Margaret's leaving the board solidifies my running so I can bring that history to the board,” he said, adding that Foley's leaving significantly lowered the average tenure on the board.

He said severing as a board director has its challenges. “We spend a million dollars a day. It's a big business. It's a complicated business. It's a business that has challenges,” he said, adding it is also highly regulated and very competitive.

The person appointed by the board will serve the remainder of Foley's term until November, but would have to run then to retain the seat.

To be eligible for appointment, an individual must be a resident of Zone II of the hospital district. Zone II is generally central Visalia bordered by Goshen, Demaree, Conyer and Caldwell.

Those interested can submit a confidential resume to: Kaweah Delta Health Care District, c/o P.O. Box 2685, Visalia, CA 93279 no later than March 31. For questions, call 624-2330.

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