In my recent water bill I received a notice from the city of Delano that was titled, “Would you like to be involved in city of Delano government?”
I assume that is in response to a suggestion from the recent Kern County grand jury report.
I believe the report suggested that council members be from specific parts of Delano. I assume this idea will also be considered by the high school board of trustees.
The city response to the grand jury was that it was difficult to find citizens who wanted to serve on the council and school boards, for example.
My concern would be that certain “groups” within the city would suggest to some citizen from an area where nobody wished to take part that such citizen sign up for that particular group and the GROUP promoting the citizen would then have control over that person’s decisions. Hopefully you get the idea of my concern.
The city notice invites residents of the city who have an interest in city government to apply and serve on boards, commissions or committees, dependent upon vacancies.
The city listed the planning commission, citizen review committee, the retirement committee, board of appeals and police liaison board.
Applications are available online at www.cityofdelano.org under the City Clerk’s tab. For more information, call 661-721-3300.
There was no deadline listed for response.
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The city mailing also included the announcement of a household hazardous waste collection event, which is today, Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Delano and McFarland residents at 11249 Stradley Ave. I believe that is the ”county dump.”
Accepted materials will be motor oil, batteries, paints, light bulbs, sharps, pool chemicals, automotive products, cleaning products and more.
Citizens are advised to label all containers, no leaking containers, do not mix wastes and transport no more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of waste per trip.
The notice also says that business waste will not be accepted and that the collection event may be canceled due to weather conditions.
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Delano’s 27th annual Distinguished Young Woman event, years ago referred to as Junior Miss, is still awaiting word from national headquarters on specifics but will take place either in person or virtually, probably some time in the spring, according to director Liz Velasco-Ramirez.
She reported that about a dozen junior girls from within boundaries of the Delano Joint Union High School District have already entered.
Others wishing to take part in the scholarship program for the Class of 2023 may go to the website of distinguishedyw.org and fill out an application.
Included in the program are the areas of interview, talent, physical fitness, spirit, scholastic and leadership.
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The city of Delano was scheduled to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, March 9, regarding a conditional use permit sought by Crystal Gin to allow a tattoo parlor at 1334 ½ Main Street.
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Another legal notice I spotted in The Californian was posted by the Delano Union School District.
The notice solicited individual proposals for E-rate funded Category 2 projects form qualified, licensed vendors to provide network hardware in the district. Such notices were due to the district by Feb. 28.
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In my perusal of Californian legal notices, I have noticed over the last couple of months many notices from the McFarland School District.
In December I sought to deliver in McFarland a billing to accompany Delano’s Harvest Holidays souvenir program.
I was unable to find the address, as there seemed to be no logic to the numbering and naming of streets in the community. I am spoiled in the older parts of Delano as the avenues run east and west and are in numerical order and the streets run north and south and are in alphabetical order.
Some corners in McFarland were missing their street name poles on all four corners, which really threw me for a loop.
However, I was very impressed at how clean and neat the streets and homes were in the community and really impressed with the school grounds at several school sites.
New housing developments are located in many of the areas of the west side of McFarland, where I was in the search for that specific address.
McFarland residents can be very proud of the appearance of their community.
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Maybe restrictions are loosening up in the Delano Joint Union High School District.
A concert featuring singers from Delano High School was scheduled March 18 in the school auditorium.
The Prom at Delano High — and I believe at all campuses — is set for May 14.
Academic Awards Nights at DHS are slated March 28-31 and senior awards on May 19.
Within the district I think that teachers have received an email with a date on which students no longer are required to wear masks in the classroom but are highly encouraged to do so.
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Michael Young is doing much to keep his circle of friends from Delano High’s Class of 1969 close.
Tonight (March 19) there is to be a gathering of about 50 persons at the El Rey Restaurant in Delano from 2 to 6 p.m.
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The Delano College Center was spotlighted with the recent groundbreaking and coverage of the new $14 million, 39,589-square-foot two-story building, the college’s Learning Resource Center.
The building, scheduled for completion by the fall of 2023, will include classrooms, office spaces, a library and computer labs.
A report I heard was that either students from Delano OR the Delano College Center accounted for 14 percent of the Bakersfield College students. Let me know if someone knows the correct answer.
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Maybe there is still hope for a Little League program in Delano this spring.
Art Armendariz told me that he had seen something on Facebook regarding an organized effort to revitalize the program.
