Community Input

Results from Phase III Community Forums:

Norris Rd. Veteran's Hall - March 24, 2000

Our Slogan

  • There is nothing we can't be or do when we stand United!
  • Unity begins with you
  • Opportunity for every community

Our Image

  • Shady & cool
  • Moderate
  • Clean air
  • Attractive to residents and visitors
  • Encouraging place where people are working together
  • A diverse community working in harmony

Our Reputation

  • Friendly greeters
  • Friendly people
  • Positive place to live
  • Athletic teams: pro soccer. Ladies pro basketball
  • A clean, attractive community

Civic Culture

  • City/county cooperation

Business Environment

  • Incentives for business to choose Bakersfield
  • Marketing of Bakersfield thru U.S.
  • Use tourist trade for city tax
  • County/city/private sector partnerships

Arts & Culture

  • Cultural arts pavilion (indoor/outdoor)
  • Recreation: Family resort(s)
  • Symphony Hall/Performing arts center
  • Professional basketball
  • Children's Performing Arts Center

Heart of the City

  • Mix youth and elderly activities
  • Friendly, caring community
  • No cars in the city center
  • Friendly people
  • Pretty streets - lots of trees
  • Churches/business/government working together for social, economic change

Technology

  • Computers for each student
  • Universal access, on-line education systems
  • School of engineering

Transportation

  • Light rail system
  • High speed rail
  • Bake lanes the norm on all streets
  • Affordable electric cars
  • Mass Trans/underground - reduce by ½ cars

Our Values

  • Community involvement
  • Strong families
  • Families first

Biggest Changes

  • 1,000's of new trees planted
  • New airport
  • Lots of restaurants!
  • Employres sponsor child care for employees
  • Good medical care for families
  • Internet communication - schools, churches, business, government
  • Higher education level of the citizens

Break Thrus

  • Public transit vs More big stores
  • 400 billion bps processing speed
  • Drug, alcohol free community
  • Valley Fever Research

Looking Back I'm Most Proud of…

  • A culturally integrated community
  • Each high school grad has a place incollege
  • Safe environment

What's our Vision ofr Our Economy over the next 10-20 years?

  • More diversity in economic base
  • Business development in incubator
  • Use solar energy - get away from dependence on oil
  • Diversify beyond oil/ag. Perhaps we could focus on transportation and also emphasize recreation and tourism
  • Offer tax incentives for businesses to relocate to this area
  • New malls
  • Lots of fun family activities (water parks, etc.

What kind of Economic Development Initiatives do we want to create?

  • Lazer tech to purify saltwater for more water supply
  • Transportation, communictions and recreation
  • Better educated population will allow greater market penetrtion to the high tech industries

What kind of Jobs do we want to attract here over the next 10-20 years?

  • High tech
  • Clean industries
  • Television and movie related
  • Jobs in tourism, communictions, and recreation, and also oil/ag
  • Job opportunities for unskilled workers that will pay whilethey train for more skilled positions
  • Better pay, better benefits, people friendly work environments

Our Vision for Downtown

  • Nice new airport
  • Light rail system completely surrounding the downtown area
  • Expanded Metro Rec Center for Youth Activities - near Museum
  • Trees everywhere
  • Park N of 24th and S of California between Chester and Oak
  • Water Park and youth activity center N of 34th ST. between Chester & Union
  • Pedestrian friendly housing developments (European Model) N of 34th St. E. of Union
  • "River Walk" in central downtown through Central Park
  • Water, trees, pedestrian urban entertainment zone along riverwalk
  • Marketplace in core downtown
  • Continue downtown beautification
  • Zoo in Lakeview Area
  • Canal diversion from river - Riverwalk business similar to San Antonio
  • Oildale: attractive housing - business growth
  • Hope Center near Oak and 24th and and S. of California - W of Unio and E of Lakeview
  • Performing Arts Center between Union and Truxturn (Central Park area)
  • People living downtown
  • Complete revitalization of Truxtun South in the Lakefiew area
  • Attractive affordable housing on Lakeview
  • Marketplace II E of Lakeview
  • Central Square between California & Truxtun, W of Union

In our community's future, we wanted and we got

  • Safe, clean neighborhoods
  • Lush vegetation/trees
  • High paying jobs
  • Preserve mobilehome parks for low cost housing
  • All major streets to have a landscaped median - especially Airport Drive - 1st road visitors see
  • Lights on all freeway street signs
  • Senior citizen developments/children
  • Clean up blighted areas for improved neighborhoods and city
  • High speed rail to L.A./Bay area
  • Cross town freeway - a real one
  • Widen Freeway 99
  • More Ed for welfare reform
  • Ball park
  • Positive visual entries to community
  • Trees- flowers
  • Open more Hope Centers
  • Lower gas prices
  • Continued maintenance of parks
  • Ice skating rink
  • More medical centers for lower income people
  • Big amusment park with water element
  • Enough water
  • Affordable care, housing & recreation for seniors

In our community's future we didn't want and didn't get…

  • Graffiti
  • Crime
  • Indifference in our communities
  • Pollution Air/Water
  • Concrete canals
  • Dairy odor
  • Pollution/litter
  • Higher taxes
  • Bad air quality
  • Kids with no hope
  • Continued increase of abuse and neglect
  • No gangs, more drug enforcement
  • Run-down neighborhoods

Common Themes

  • Transportation
  • Unity
  • Family friendly
  • Water Themes
  • Tourism
  • Trees and landscape
  • Less pollution
  • Performing Arts
  • Activities for children & seniors together
  • High tech job opportunities
  • City/county cooperation
  • Alternative energy
  • Education
  • Eliminate blight
  • Professional sports
  • Economic sevelopment
  • Shopping malls