Community Input

Results from Phase III Community Forums:

South High School - April 27, 2000

Our Slogan

  • Garden in the Sun

Our Image

  • Cosmopolitan
  • Multidimensional
  • Visionary
  • Symphony, CALM, Muserum are nationally recognized
  • Value progress/Value history

Our Reputation

  • Good place to live
  • Affordable
  • Desireable
  • Friendly people
  • Well-educated populace
  • Culture availabe to all and participated in
  • A Festival town

Business Environment

  • Diverse base
  • International logistic center
  • Produce oriented festival complete with parade, band competitions, King & Queen

Arts & Culture

  • Performing arts complex
  • Evening performances of the symphony
  • CALM and KCMuseum are destination points for L.A. tourists
  • Every child take a music program in our schools
  • Every child take art

Education

  • Children have opportunities to try and excel at any endeavor
  • Technology-science center for Agri-biotech
  • All children in our town can read (at grade level0
  • Another Jr. College
  • A medical/dental school
  • Test scores up to national average

Heart of the City

  • Shopping, parking, housing (apts/condos), office buildings, entertainment, restaurants
  • Blues Bar!
  • Business/Govt/Education
  • Theatre for children
  • Symphony Hall
  • Unique restaurants
  • City of music/art/gardens
  • ALL citizens involved in volunteer activities

Our Values

  • We value the quality of life in Abkersfield
  • We're not too big yet not too small
  • Education!
  • One for all/all for one
  • There's something for everyone
  • Celebrate our city's diversity

Technology

  • Infrastructure-fiber throughout the town

Transportation

  • High speed rail stop
  • Can go anywhere in the city in less than 1 hour on public transit
  • Several N/S, E/W throughways - no dependence on just a few congested routes
  • More reliable Amtrak service

Biggest Changes

  • Better parking around Ciic Center
  • Clean air
  • Civic pride
  • Rapid transit like big cities

Break Thrus

  • Less need for pesticides due to advances in agriculture

Looking back I'm most proud of…

  • How we unified the city
  • How family oriented Bakersfield is

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

  • Scale back social programs (put people to work)

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

  • Revitalize low income areas to encourage regrowth

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

  • High tech jobs-medium size companies
  • Manufacturing of farm and oil equipment
  • Canning factory to can local produce
  • Communications industry to service related jobs
  • Professional sports

Our Vision for Downtown

  • Pioneer Village is one of Top 10 outdoor museums in U.S.
  • Community Sports Complex (multi-sport) S of California, W of Union.
  • Connected Freeway through downtown
  • Central Park area Concert Hall, High rise condominiums/offices, lots of fountains, lake, outdoor concerts, outdoor mall, More outdoor cafes and traveling musicians
  • Children's theatre and children's museum

In our Community's Future We Wanted and We Got…

  • We encouraged a diverse set of businesses to locate here. No dependence on a couple of industries
  • We built a downtown that people go to for business, shopping, restaurants, recreation. It is a safe, attractive place to be. So much so that people live there, too!
  • A diverse public transportation system tht covers all majaor areas of the city providing 24/7 transportation.
  • Performing arts center- art museum, children's theatre, symphony hall, theatre
  • A great big city with a small town feel
  • Greenways/ trees/gardens
  • More major airlines to be here
  • Drive-in movies
  • More of our children are college grad.
  • Curbside recycling
  • Museum CALM, Art Museum are national attractions
  • Trees in developments with sidewalks
  • Planned growth -preserve Ag alnd and water
  • All our children educated (grade level for everyone)

In our Community' Future We Didn't Want and We Didn't Get…

  • Mahor pollutors, ie toxic waste and sludge dumping grounds, animal factories
  • Uneducated citizens
  • Crime/gangs/drugs
  • Don't want to be an L.A. suburb
  • Don't want to abandon neighborhoods and move on and build more - "recycle" vacant buildings' have a percentage that must be occupied before more are constructed
  • Leapfrog growth
  • All our farmland gone
  • Blighted downtown housing - remodel those old houses
  • To be TV comic's big joke - want statewide respect attached to our name
  • Don't want everybody to say "Let George do it"

Metropolitan Bakersfield - 2010 General Planning Area

  • Beltway around the city - Freeway to I5 off Panama Lane
  • High priority for preservation of Ag land - city density increased
  • High speed rail around the city with a spur into downtown
  • Big Park W of Buena Vista in undeveloped area
  • Multi faceted sports complex S of 58 in undeveloped area
  • Water Park Activity Center with Mini-golf - E of 99 and S of Panama. Outdoor umbrella tables and restaurants too plus bike trail
  • Drive In Movie S of Di Girogio, E of Cottonwood
  • Greenbelt all along river from Hart Park to the Big Park - new in the West. Green belt around canals off of Kern with Golf course shown at Riverlakes
  • Rebuild Baseball stadium at Sam Lynn
  • Interesting, unique restaurants downtown
  • Symphony Hall complex downtown with a Lake, Nordstroms, and a Children's theater nearby
  • Industrial Zone moved S of Houghton, W of 99 and N of Hwy 223 Common Themes
  • Planning and fulfillment of plans
  • Cultural arts development
  • Revitalization downtown
  • Family oriented activities
  • Recreational and sportscomplexes
  • Education centers
  • Lakes, gardens, parks, trees, water (we have a river)
  • Increased tourism
  • Useable public transportation