by Mary Gadberry
January 10, 2024 – The Clovis City Council held their first meeting of 2024 on Monday, January 8. The Council presented a proclamation declaring January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
The proclamation was received by Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission representatives and several other agencies in the area who actively work to help rescue men and women caught up in these situations.
The Central Valley Against Human Trafficking Project, under the heading of Fresno EOC, provides awareness, training, and assistance, in addition to advocacy and direct services to those who need help.
CVAHT operates in the six-county area of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern counties. If you, or someone you know, may need assistance from CVAHT, they can be reached at (559) 500-7630 locally, 1-888-373-7888 nationwide, or text “HELP” to 233733 (BEFREE).
The new Clovis Senior Activity Center has been open for seven weeks, and already there have been around 800 new participants. In the center on Fourth Street, on average, around 120 residents would participate in various activities, and they served lunch to 40 people each day.
With the new building on Third Street, around 420 residents are participating, and lunch service has increased to 98. In addition to meals, the Senior Activity Center provides a wide range of classes that should appeal to almost everyone.
For more information on the Clovis Senior Activity Center and the services they offer, you can check their website at https://cityofclovis.com/general-services/senior-services/
While two of the four administrative items on the agenda were resolved quickly, the other two created a great deal of discussion. The results of an analysis of the City’s fee schedule for development caused some debate.
However, the item that generated the most discussion was whether to close Shaw for widening and the building of an underground passage near Shaw and Leonard.
Although this design was on the original plans for the area, construction delays have pushed the project back and closing Shaw completely would interfere with the new businesses being built at Loma Vista Marketplace by not allowing access into the center from Shaw.
Among the interested people speaking during the public comment section were a local Starbucks District Manager, a building contractor for Me N Ed’s, Loma Vista property owners, and a representative from the shopping center’s leasing company.
All of whom were against the complete closure of Shaw for at least twelve months, citing public safety, loss of sales revenue, and possible loss of anchor tenants, among other issues.
The City Planner’s office offered three options regarding the closure. In light of cost analysis, however, Mayor Ashbeck and the rest of the council are not fully onboard with closing Shaw, especially for that length of time.
A housing development of affordable senior housing units is planned for a parcel of land between Osmun and Baron, off of Second Street. The development is being called 135 Osmun Senior Housing Development Project.
A public hearing was held during the meeting which dealt with awarding Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PHLA) Affordable Housing Funds to Central California Housing Corporation (dba Affordable Housing Development Corporation (AHDC)), and Better Opportunities Building, Inc. (B.O.B.) for the development of affordable senior rental housing units.
These units are planned to be three story. Other local projects this group is involved with are Cottonwood Grove, Coventry Cove, and Silver Ridge Senior Apartments.