April, past and present

Eight years ago our son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When he was released from the hospital and we were attempting to settle into a new normal at home, the Columbine High School shootings occurred and 13 were killed.

That week in April 1999 was devastating, both personally and collectively as a society. I’ve been in a reflective mood this week as I recall that our son has now had this disease, for which there is no cure, for half of his life.
As I introspectively marked this anniversary, the news broke about the Virginia Tech massacre, the worst mass shooting to ever occur in the U.S. Sadly, such violence is most pervasive in the United States.

Our society is in moral decay and our children are the victims. I lose sleep each night trying to get my youngest teen through adolescence safe and intact. As the parent of a college student, I understand the exciting and brilliant futures that were savagely stolen from so many families on Monday.

These days, it’s parents against the world. Core values taught at home are constantly undermined through an onslaught of media and more, such as social-networking websites, video games, music, television and movies, and peers who are allowed unlimited access to it all.

There is no escaping any of this in Three Rivers as it was possible to do when raising children here in the past.

The Internet, for instance, permeates every home and offers children a level-playing field, which can be good or bad. The technology knows no boundaries such as a remote, rural location and destroys all naiveté.
Just this month in the news, we’ve witnessed brutality, violence, and intolerance. These are primitive actions in this civilized society of the 21st century, but it becomes especially alarming when students are both the perpetrators and the victims.

I am proud of the next generation for what they have the potential to achieve. I fear for the horrific events they may witness or perhaps initiate. They are at once the victims and the solution.

During our young people’s school years, they have been exposed to the violence of campus shootings, 9/11, and war. This is a new frontier and we, the adults, need to wake up and be proactive.

We’ve allowed selfishness and disconnect to be learned. We’ve watched our children become desensitized to violence and increasingly troubled.
The Internet can be blamed in part for the change. Want to build a bomb? Get a recipe for meth? View porn? Buy a police badge? Spew hate, racism, sexism, homophobia? Buy drugs? Download pirated music and movies? Steal someone’s identity? Obtain a gun? Plan a hijacking? Be a suicide bomber? Play a violent video game (there is actually a simulation of the Columbine High School shootings)? This and more can be accomplished with the click of a mouse.

Corporate greed is another player in the demoralization of society. No matter how morbid, distasteful, or shocking, if it will turn a buck, it’s for sale.

There is no substitute for plugged-in parenting. Communication is important; to cope, to understand, to be aware of what’s going on.

It’s a steep, uphill battle against a powerful gun lobby that protects the right to bear arms that our founding fathers could have never foreseen would exist, and a video-game industry and the Internet that take advantage of the First Amendment. So it is more productive to heal this nation one child at a time.

We are duty-bound to reconnect. Take time to communicate with kids, be a mentor, a role model, or just catch an eye and smile. Even brief moments of guidance, support, empathy, kindness, or love will help offset the negative influences that are encountered on a day-to-day basis.

Since the mass shootings in recent history have all been instigated by males, pay special attention to boys, whether they act like they want it or not. And, finally, let’s aid the troubled before they become the troublesome.

Signs... of the times

As a family, we enjoy our annual 10-day camping trip. To me, road trips are an exciting way to travel and offer a way to discover small-town America.
Because of this lifetime of experience, I know that along the Highway 198 corridor — the most used access to Three Rivers — this community is being severely misrepresented or just plain ignored.
Here, on the eve of another busy visitor season, all local business owners should take a trip from Highway 99 to Three Rivers via 198 and look at the route critically through the tourists’ eyes.
If I were planning a camping trip to Sequoia National Park, I would already know that there is no gas available there. That means we would be looking for a town close to Sequoia where we could fill up the tank and stock up on groceries and ice.
I would also want to visit a gallery to buy some local art by which to remember our trip, a bookstore for history and hiking guides, a museum, and a gift shop for T-shirts and other souvenirs.
I would have already seen “Three Rivers” on the map as the closest community to Sequoia and would tentatively be planning to stop here. As we exit onto the Highway 198 corridor, however, we would become increasingly more concerned that, sight unseen, Three Rivers might not have the services we would require.
After all, there isn’t one highway sign until after Lemon Cove that even mentions Three Rivers. There are signs that give the mileage to Sequoia National Park, Lake Kaweah, and Lemon Cove.
But no Three Rivers! When Three Rivers does appear on a road sign near the junction of Highway 216 (Woodlake road), it is overshadowed by a huge yellow sign that directs vehicles over 22 feet in length away from Sequoia Park’s Generals Highway and, thus, Three Rivers.
But it would have been way before this point that I became convinced that we would need to stop before taking a chance on Three Rivers. So rather than get caught at the entrance to Sequoia without gas, ice, and more, we most likely would have stopped sooner.
This scenario is repeated on the Highway 65 access route from the south.
Hopefully, community groups are working toward validating Three Rivers as a full-service community by improving state and county road signage.
This would go a long way toward increasing visitation while ensuring that businesses could remain viable and profitable year-round by never losing a single potential customer.

3R Inc., part two

Three Rivers needs a collective voice – of the people, (elected) by the people, (to speak) for the people. However, only the people of Three Rivers can decide whether incorporation is good or bad for the community.

There does, however, seem to be a positive element that develops from incorporation movements. When a community is examining incorporation, it is asking basic questions about its past, its present and, most importantly, where it wants to go and what it wants to accomplish in the future.

This is an important point to remember because incorporation can be a controversial issue, but policy debate is a healthy and natural characteristic of our system of government.

Initially, we could still contract with the county for law-enforcement and fire coverage. However, the one sheriff we have now who has a coverage area that is not inclusive to Three Rivers would instead be assigned to only here.

We would also, of course, retain Cal Fire because of the area’s wildland interface. And the Highway Patrol would still have jurisdiction over the state highway that runs through town.

Consultants could provide planning, zoning, building inspection, in cooperation with the County’s planning department.

We would have a five-member city council elected by Three Rivers voters. The council most likely would appoint a clerk/treasurer, tax collector, engineer, and other officers as required. These positions could be part-time employees, contractual, or consultants, or initially as an extension of the current Community Services District.

Revenue would come from sales tax, bed tax, property tax, business and occupational license taxes, utility franchise taxes, development fees, fines and forfeitures, Measure R road tax, and more.

So here are the pros:

—Municipal powers to control the character and future of Three Rivers;

—Receive state revenue that is not otherwise provided to unincorporated communities and access to significant external funding;

—Increased property values;

—Leadership, a voice, and a proactive constituency so the community can express itself, address its problems, and supply necessary services and solutions;

—Tax dollars would be revenue that could be used for local projects;

—Out-of-town services doing business in Three Rivers would provide revenue via business and occupational licenses.

—An accessible government body with accountability and personal responsibility;

—Three Rivers residents would be able to decide the scope and level of services the town provides;

—Future growth would be responsibly planned by establishing local planning and zoning regulations;

—Efficient and local handling of building permits and other civic services;

—Convenient access to council agendas and meetings;

—Foster a sense of unity and pride while maintaining local individuality;

—Memorandum of Understanding with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks regarding park issues that affect Three Rivers;

—Create our own general plan.

And here are the cons:

—Administrative costs associated with the operation of a town;

—Office space would be needed;

—There may be tax increases, however, some taxes (such as property and sales tax) could only be approved by Three Rivers voters;

—Law-enforcement would be provided at a cost;

—Septic versus sewer in some areas would have to be addressed;

—Local business owners would provide revenue via business and occupational licenses.

Granted, by owning and operating the newspaper, we have a bird’s-eye view of all that’s happening in Three Rivers and what’s working and what’s not. More so than most.

The motive is purely unselfish; we only want what’s best for Three Rivers. Incorporation does not have to mean that we have to look like a city or act like a city or grow into a city. It’s a means of controlling our own destiny.

Three Rivers: Do we explore our options or are you happy with the status quo?

Incorporation in California trivia

What was the last town to become incorporated in Tulare County and when?

Farmersville, Oct. 5, 1960

What is the smallest incorporated town in California and what is its population?

Vernon, 96

How many incorporated towns and cities are there in California?

478

How many incorporated California towns and cities have populations less than 3,000?

34

3R Inc.

Here is the question: Is incorporation something that residents want to explore or do we want to continue in isolation with little or no input in county decision-making regarding Three Rivers?
Although I’ve been pondering the subject of incorporation for many years, it was two of the front-page stories in last week’s Commonwealth that convinced me that the time is now to take action. The announcement that (1) the Visalia-to-Sequoia shuttle is set to begin May 24, and (2) the availability of grant money from the state’s Sierra Nevada Conservancy brought to the fore the fact that Three Rivers has no entity that can speak or act for the community as a whole regarding key issues that affect all of us.
For instance, I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more outcry from local businesses that the City of Visalia is positioning itself to be the “gateway community” of Sequoia National Park. Although the city’s shuttle is set to begin in less than two months, many details are yet to be finalized, but before they are, Three Rivers needs to understand its role and where we stand relative to the partnership between the City of Visalia and Sequoia National Park. For this shuttle to be a success, Three Rivers needs to be a key player.
That’s where incorporation could make a real difference. For instance, for the shuttle to operate in Three Rivers, licensing and ridership fees might be assessed that would provide a revenue stream for an incorporated Three Rivers. Also, Three Rivers would be able to be a viable, contributing partner in the project, not just a community through which the shuttle travels.
In addition, incorporation could be the conduit to purchase land to create a shuttle stop and town center, something that’s been discussed at local meetings but just can’t find wings. That’s because all the local service organizations – from the chamber of commerce to the CSD – are dependent mostly on volunteers; that is, well-intentioned, dedicated people who must also work, pay bills, raise families, maintain a home, and more, all of which limits the time and attention devoted to local matters.
In Three Rivers, we have more hotel rooms than any other community in unincorporated Tulare County. There is a bed tax collected on every night’s stay that is currently provided to the County of Tulare and used elsewhere for fire protection.
Also in last week’s newspaper, the report about the state grants earmarked for Sierra Nevada communities revealed a lack of coherent organization in Three Rivers. We will be going up against such (incorporated) cities as those in the Tahoe and Mother Lode regions; Mariposa, Oakhurst, and other Yosemite gateway communities; and Bishop, Independence, Lone Pine, and Mammoth on the east side.
That is stiff competition, and they all have local governments to set priorities and develop projects for their communities. And Three Rivers is considering a request for funds for weed abatement? Necessary, yes, but we need to think big and outside of our current, comfortable box.
And those are just two issues raised last week that a town government would already have on the next agenda.
In a nutshell, incorporation is a process in which a local governmental unit is established by the people of a community to deliver public services. This could be critical to our future, especially in an area where these county services are declining and face even more budget cuts.
We have the population numbers to be eligible for incorporation as a “town,” not a “city.” We also must be a body of people that reside within a certain proximity who have common interests such as public health, public protection, fire protection, and water, and where the people are acquainted and mingle in business, social, educational, and recreational activities.
Incorporation doesn’t mean a population boom, stoplights, and fast-food chains. It means a progressive, responsible, planned future that we, as a community, determine and control.
What is your vision for Three Rivers? Let’s begin the dialogue and explore the options.