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Proudly Serving Madera County
Since 1957

• Obituaries
• Randy Hyatt appointed as Conductor
• YHS defeated by Reedley 73-38
• St. Raphael's gifts Little Church with ‘Episcopal Window'

Original Ironman Competition

At last week's 50th annual Ironman competition, lifter Jimmy Garza demonstrates perfect form in the squat. Garza had a personal best day. In three years he has added 650 pounds to his totals. On the left, spotter Bob Packer is the event promoter/co-ordinator. The middle spotter is local lifter Delbert Shay.

Contentious decision on
school district merger

    MADERA - In a unanimous vote, the Madera County Committee on School District Organization has agreed to recommend to the State of California Board of Education the joining together of Yosemite Joint Union High School District and Coarsegold Union Elementary School District. And thus begins a process that could result in an election on the issue sometime in 2006 or 2007.
    Two issues are contentious regarding the recommendation which was based on a feasibility study prepared for the Committee by Geri Kendall Cox, Director of Business and Administrative Services for Madera County's Office of Education.
    Foremost was representation on the Board of Trustees for the newly formed district. Second was the choice to "opt out of the unification plan by several of the "feeder school districts in Eastern Madera County.
    The members of the Madera County Committee chose to recommend a seven-member board for the new district. One member would come from each of the original five Yosemite High School feeder districts, and the remaining two, from Coarsegold which has been cited as the fastest growing area in Eastern Madera County.
    
    A brief history
    When the Yosemite Joint Union High School District was formed in 1974, there were five relatively small elementary school districts "feeding students to the high school district: Bass Lake, Wasuma, Coarsegold, Oakhurst and Raymond-Knowles. Over time, Wasuma and Bass Lake merged with Oakhurst to form the Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District. This Bass Lake District, the Coarsegold Union Elementary School District and the Raymond-Knowles Union Elementary School District are the three in existence at this time.
    In the fall of 2000, Coarsegold found itself in financial straits due to unexpected funding shortfalls, administrative illnesses and vacancies, and unanticipated liabilities. The trustees of Yosemite offered to work with both Coarsegold and the Madera Office of Education to help develop and implement a recovery plan.
    In the 2001 business plan, Coarsegold was offered the option of contracting with Yosemite for part time administrative services as an alternative to recruiting and maintaining full time staff positions. This was agreed to and the contract was set for three years. In the following year the trustees of both the districts began to explore the possibility of unifying, thereby eliminating duplication of resources and efforts. Public hearings were held in September of this year [see SIERRA STAR September 3, 2003 "School unification public hearings ] and at that point a feasibility study was authorized.

FULL STORY

The new Resources Management Agency

    Sometimes a governmental entity makes the right call and everybody benefits. That's how Madera County's Resources Management Agency came into being.
    For nearly two years Leonard Garoupa, RMA director, has worked to streamline many of the county services under one roof - a kind of "one-stop shopping mecca where county residents can go to check on their property and examine files, and where numerous scattered county records can be housed in one convenient place.
    Now residents can do that at 2037 West Cleveland Avenue in the Madera Market Place mall in a 34,000 square-foot building that once housed the J. C. Penney store. Where Penney once displayed its jewelry department now stands a spacious lobby manned by a battery of county employees and, for the holiday season, a cheery Christmas tree.
    The building was purchased by the county for $2.85 million with tobacco money. The desk sound-absorbing cloth panels which neatly partition the various areas were purchased from the state of California for a cost-saving $3,500. The overall effect has been to greatly reduce costs and to improve service.
    The facility now houses the engineering and survey services department and the building inspection division, the environmental health department, the planning department, the roads department and the county fire department. Some 80 employees work in the facility. Mr. Garoupa's total work force comes close to 200.
    Still a work in progress, the RMA facility will add a computer information center in the lobby so that residents can obtain needed information quickly and easily.

FULL STORY

New vehicle laws go into effect on Jan. 1

    SACRAMENTO - New laws affecting children in safety seats, safety belt fines and drivers with video screens in their vehicles are among the statutes that will become effective Jan.1, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Included are:
    • Children who are required to be secured in safety seats will have to ride in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle (AB 1697, Pavley). There are several exemptions, including cases where there are other children in the back seat, where a restraint system cannot properly be installed or where there is no rear seat or the rear seat is rear- or side-facing.
    Infants less than one year of age or weighing less than 20 pounds must ride in back, no exemptions, if there is an active passenger air bag.
    • Safety belt violation fines will be doubled by (AR 1625, Benoit), allowing penalty assessments and court costs to be added rather than included in the total fine. The first violation's fine will increase from $20 to an estimated $41 and for a subsequent violation from $50 to an estimated $106 depending on the county.

FULL STORY

Christmas Day volunteers needed

    FRESNO - On Dec. 25, Christmas Day, from 9 a.m. to "whenever, the Veterans Crisis Programs will be giving out toys to children and food and clothing to the homeless, including many families.
    Special Program Director Bill Maple said, "We will be giving out 150 toys which were given to us through the Toy for Tots program. We'll have 100 blankets, 150 gloves and plenty of hot coffee and hot chocolate, food, juice, and cookies. This is a tradition for us.
    Volunteers will help with serving and set up. They can also bring food. For information call Veteran Crisis Programs at 486-5701. The site will be at the corner of "G Street and Ventura avenue in Fresno but call to confirm the location.
    See SIERRA STAR [Thanksgiving Stand Down for the Homeless, Friday, Dec. 5] for an idea of what the organization will be doing.
    Veterans Crisis Programs serves the community with many programs - housing, work, counseling, and much, much more. On Wednesday, Dec.17, they distributed over a hundred coats, gloves and shirts to the Senior Center in Fresno.

The Sierra Star
49165 Crane Valley Rd [426] • PO Box 305 • Oakhurst, CA 93644-8621
Phone (559) 683-4464• Fax (559) 683-8102

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