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. WWW.THESUNGAZETTE.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 00,201Z Sun-GazeRe
Exeter raises community services fees
i City increases recreation program, animal control
fees to offset costs of services in difficult fiscal year
By Me Montgomery
SuN-GAZETTE
The current economic crisis
has led to local municipalities
cutting costs and seeking rev-
enues wherever they can. At
its July 10 meeting, the Exeter
City Council approved new fee
increases for the department of
Community Services, which
includes everything from ani-
mal control to parks and recre-
ation.
The city has appropriated
about $7.2 million for the
2012/2013 budget and estimat-
ed $7.6 million in revenues for
the year. Their current fund bal-
ance as of July I was just a little
over $2 million. Exeter's total
budget is down almost a whop-
LETTERTO
THEEDITOR
Lions Club donates
$100,000 to Exeter
community
To The Editor,
The Exeter Lions Club has
had a great year and wants to
thank the citizens for all their
support. During the year, the
club has donated approximate-
ly $100,000 to the youth of
Exeter and people in need.
The following are some of
the beneficiaries:
- Exeter Union High
School: Press Club, basket-
ball, football, soccer, baseball,
wrestling, softball, volleyball,
track/field, four scholarships,
Montgomery Aquatic Center,
Sober Grad night, Student
Speaker Contest, FFA, Top
Student awards, Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, Senior
Boys BBQ, API Score Cel-
ebration, Fall Festival Queen,
Cheer Squad, Senior Class
Project, Percussion Group, 5th
Quarter.
- Community/Other: Boys
Scouts, Cub Scouts, People 2
People, Wilderness Camp, Li-
ons Eye Foundation, Deaf/Au-
tistic Chidlren, Canine Com-
petition, Operation Friendship
with Mexico, Exeter Food
Closet, Blind Babies, Sequoia
Union Boosters, School Career
Days, Exeter City youth sports
(football, baseball, basketball,
softball and soccer), Exeter
Christmas Tree, Exeter Christ-
mas Parade, Free Eye Exams/
Surgery, School Field Trips,
Christmas Gifts for the Troops,
Terry's House, Enchanted
Evening, American Cancer
Society, Exeter Relay For Life,
Friends of SCICON, Fourth of
July Fireworks Show.
Sincerely,
Miekey Hirni, Treasurer
Exeter Lions Club
ping 10%, $7,286,705 com-
pared to last year's $8,094,304
which was only down 2.44%
from the previous year. This
giant crunch was felt in every
department.
Council discussed raising
fees during their budget study
sessions and finally settled on
amounts at their July 10 meet-
ing.
The department has been
struggling for some time as
their budget has been cut, but
fees have remained at the same
low rate. Most local foothill
cities do not have their own
city run youth sports programs.
Visalia, Dinuba and Tulare do,
but Farmersville, Woodlake
and even Kingsburg do not.
Memories In The Park
To The Editor,
Thank you Exeter Optimist
Club for another fabulous
season of free "Movies In The
Park," and thank you Orange
Valley Church for the yummy
complementary barbecued
hamburgers and hotdogs. So
add to the memories another
huge thank you to the city for
• filling the wading pool and
providing a lifeguard.
In March when the sun
appeared our grandchildren,
Brodey and Sloan, started talk-
ing about and looking forward
to our annual tradition in the
park.
Thank you to the hands that
gave their time for this gift to
Exeter's kids. We will see you
next year!
Kerry & Marta King
Exeter
ContactUs
Send briefs via e-mail to
editor@thesungazette.com
FAX to 592-4308.
Call 592-3171.
Mail to the Sun-Gazette at
P.O. Box 7, Exeter, CA 93221
Visit www. thesungazette.com
Sports programs are run by the
city because local elementary
schools do not provide youth
sports. The programs are pretty
much year round from youth
flag football to summer camps.
And while teams often rely on
sponsors, the city still main-
tains everything from signups
to facility maintenance. In years
past the city has raised fees on
the program, but it has still not
been enough to compensate for
the loss they experience every
year. The city's fees are com-
parable to nearby cities with
programs.
"Whenever you increase fees
it does affect participation but
we do have a scholarship pro-
gram for participants that can't
afford the program," said Com-
munity Service Director Fe-
lix Ortiz. "We are hoping that
sponsorship money will pay for
those participants."
Most fees increased only
about $5 per activity. Others
like Men's Softball registra-
tion increased by $20 and Co-
ed volleyball increased by $25.
New charges include a stray cat
removal fee of $15, a kenneling
fee for $25 and a cat trap rental
for $10 a week.
Ortiz said he hopes the pub-
lic will continue to participate
in the various programs and
events the department offers.
"We offer these programs to
keep the children as well as
the adults involved instead of
staying home playing video
games," said Ortiz. "These
programs are fun and keep you
fit."
The fees took immediate ef-
fect.
COURTESY OF UC MASTER GMDENERS
Group several plants of the same species together to increase their effect. It's easy to want to overplant
young seedlings for a more instant full effect. Instead lay mulch around the widely spaced plants.
GARDENINGGURU
Downsize the Lawn with an
Herb and Flower Garden
mNleDmMm
UC MASTER GARDENER
Do you have a backyard with a
large lawn?
Is your landscape looking
a little tired and ready tbr a
facelift?
Why not convert a portion of
lawn into an herb and flower gar-
den? You can create a functional
yet artistic design by cutting out
large portions of turf. You can
even keep strips of lawn within
the design to serve as pathways
between the planted areas.
Any site can become an herb
and flower garden. Garden styles
and layouts are as varied as the
people who grow and use them.
They can be as small or as large
as space permits. Herbs can
be tucked into existing flower
borders, vegetable beds, or
decorative pots. When more
space is available a separate area
set aside specifically for herbs
often becomes a special place for
a peaceful respite from the day's
chores.
1.) Analyze your sprinklers.
If your lawn's sprinkler system
runs on more than one valve and
you wish to keep an undisturbed
lawn area, then design the herb
garden so it uses one valve and
the lawn uses the second valve.
The herbs and flowers will need
less frequent watering than the
lawn.
2.) Make sure the area receives
6-8 hours of sun all year round.
Many aromatic herbs are
Mediterranean in origin, which
works out perfectly for us in the
Central Valley, since we mimic
this climate.
3.) Think about some designs
that would work in your area.
Sometimes a geometric design
like a square, diamond, circle or
triangle in the center works, but
then some backyards lend them-
selves to a meandering freeform
that takes them to other parts of
the yard.
4.) Sketch a few ideas on paper
then go outside and outline your
designs in the lawn with hoses
to get an idea of where to cut Out
the lawn. A fescue lawn is easier
to convert than a bermuda lawn,
since it is easier to slice into and
remove the roots. Bermuda
lawns will need extra work to
remove the runners (you may
wish to help the process along
with herbicides). Lawn bits
and pieces can be piled up and
composted or recycled in the
greenwaste.
5.) Lawn paths should be 24-
36" wide so you can easily walk
between planted areas and still
be easy to mow. For convenient
access to the herbs and flowers,
plant within 3 feet from the path
or consider placing some step-
ping stones in larger plots.
6.) Take time to prepare the
planting beds. Amend the soil
with compost and organic matter
and let it set for a few weeks.
Fall is the best time of year to
plant many herbaceous perenni-
als. We proclaim October to be
the best planting month of the
year, but you can begin as early
as Labor Day when the days
become a little shorter d the
nights are a little cooler.
7.) Use tall plants as focal
points in central beds or as
screens. Position annual plants
so you don't have to disturb
perennials when planting, clip-
ping, or harvesting them. Plant
lists are abundant (visit the MG
website for our herb and flower
garden samplers) and nurseries
are chock full of herbaceous an-
nual and perennials, just be sure
that they are adapted and thrive
in our area.
8.) Where you have space£
group several plants of the same
species together to increase
their effect. It's easy to want to
overplant young seedlings for a
more instant full effect, but resist
the urge and instead lay mulch
around the widely spaced plants.
Most flowers and herbs are
exuberant growers and besides
the aromatic or culinary benefits
these plants provide, appreciating
their natural shape is additional
beauty to behold.
9.) Consider adding garden
artifacts such as fountains, bird
baths, bird houses, chimes, lath
screens or arbors, statuary, and of
.course a bench or sitting area that
beckons you in for a rest•
10.) Initially your new plants
will need frequent watering to
get established, but then the
winter rains will come and root
systems will develop naturally.
You will need to care for your
gardens, but weekly maintenance
and water usage should be less
than a traditional lawn.
Happy gardening!
- To contact the Tulare/Kings
Master Gardener Program,
phone 684-3325, email cetu-
lare@ucdavis.edu, or write to
4437 S. Laspina St., Suite 13,
Tulare, CA 93274.
- This column is not a news
article but the opinion of the
writer and does not reflect the
views of The Foothills Sun-
Gazette newspaper.
WEEKLYWEATHER
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Sunshine. Highs in
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the mid 60s.
97/65
Sunshine. Highs in
the 90s and lows in
the mid 60s.
NOTESFROMHOME
A New Leaf
"He can't do it,
he can't change it -
It's been going on for
ten thousand years...."
--from "The Great Mandala"
by Peter Yarrow
"How's the campaign going?"
a friend asked this weekend.
"Which campaign?" I asked
back, wondering why he'd think
I'd know. Earlier I'd confessed
to thinking like a political ani-
mal - he must have thought I'd
become one.
Actually, I'm still celebrating
the fact that we're going tohave
an election. This is the first year
in almost a decade that city coun-
cil seats will be on the ballot,
thanks to the fact that we actually
have candidates running against
the incumbents. Que milagro!
My friend, who's partici-
pated in many campaigns over
the years, had several ideas
about how to get new faces on
Lindsay's city council, hospital
and school districts. They all
sounded foreign to me, being
politically reclusive myself re-
garding elections. But it raised a
very important question: what's
the right way to campaign in a
town like Lindsay?
Bumper stickers and yard
signs? "Walking," as the politi-
cos call it, going door to door?
Canvassing the big flea markets,
having a booth at events? Hold-
ing a forum for candidates, a
night out on the town where we
can hear what they think? Space
in this newspaper, interviews on
KTIP Radio? -
I sense that many people in this
community are a little more like
me than I'd like: private, want to
keep their political choices close
to their chests, not demonstrate
what "side" they' re on, just mark
their ballots and walt for the
results. This town's reputation as
"friendly" and "nice" was built
by Lindsay Ripe's sales pitch
("A nice town, a great olive r')
and I think the urge to live up
to that reputation is still with us
even though Lindsay Ripe is not.
Elections so seldom are nice that
! think we shy away from partici-
pating even when our interests
really are at stake.
Another reason we tend to
keep to ourselves is that we
have become demoralized about
our ability to participate in the
By TrudyWIscbomann
ordinary details of this city's
life. I'd blame it on the former
city manager, who took demor-
alization to new heights, but it
continues under the current ad-
ministration with the full blessing
of the council. And then there's
the dirty little fact that no one can
remember when it was different.
"It's always been like this - you
can't change if' is something
I've heard since I moved here 19
years ago.
That demoralization is the
most important thing at stake
in this election, more important
than getting the streets paved
and the budget balanced. I don't
believe it's always been this way,
and I don't believe it can't be
changed. It's going to take some
people willing to be candidates
(THANK YOU, ALL!) and then
to campaign and work for change
if they're elected. That's going
to require that we, the electorate,
move out of our protective "nice"
" shells and start participating in
the process.
So, fellow Lindsayites, let's
turn over a new leaf and wel-
come this election, with all its
potential for saving our Ameri-
can souls as well as our city.
- Trudy Wischemann is a
political recluse who's been out
of her comfort zone for a couple
of years now. You can write to
her with your campaign requests
- P.O. Box 1374, Lindsay CA
93247.
- This columnis not a news
article but the opinion of the
writer and does not reflect the
views of The Foothills Sun-
Gazette newspaper.
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