Community Input

Results from Phase III Community Forums

Kern County Superintendent of Schools - April 12, 2000

Our Slogan

  • A place for everyone under the sun…

    Our Image

    • Clean-respectable
    • Safe
    • One of the best places to live
    • Beautiful city with lots of greenery - no more dry and dusty image

    Our Reputation

    • The best place to live
    • Hometown for everyone
    • Escape from L.A.
    • Community oriented
    • People are our greatest strength
    • Great place to live, to visit
    • A city known for its creative architecture

    Business Environment

    • Highest % of businesses partnering to build & support families (#1 in the nation)
    • Environment and business ventures are compatible
    • More friendly coop with state over taxes returned to community for public projects

    Arts & Culture

    • Symphony Hall
    • More Broadway Shows
    • More Arts

    Education

    • High parent involvement
    • Child care providers
    • Better pay for college teachers
    • A U.C. (doctorettes)
    • Affordable, quality childcare
    • Kids excel at off the chart levels!
    • Change the way we "do" school
    • Known as a feeder for U.C.
    • We can get P.h.d.'s here

    Heart of the City

    • Unity and hope for all
    • Operat house or state of the art musical center
    • Trees
    • Waterways
    • Esthetics part of all development and redevelopment

    Our Values

    • Diversity
    • Honesty
    • Strong families

    Technology

    • Electronic manufacturing
    • Computer
    • Viable electric cars
    • Control negative aspects of the internet - i.e. porn

    Transportation

    • Hovercraft
    • Monorail to L.A. & S.F.
    • Major airline hub
    • Convenient metro transportation
    • No gasoline powered vehicles allowed
    • Nice train station
    • Bike lanes everywhere
    • Freeway from East to West with off ramp to downtown
    • California train system
    • Large Airport with planes to all U.S. destinations

    Biggest Changes

    • No homeless population
    • Educational options
    • Freeway from 99 to I5
    • Mass rail link in valley

    Break Thrus

    • Gov. shared financial responsibility
    • Agriculture breakthrough - control of pollens, pesticides
    • Pollution free

    Looking back I'm most proud of…

    • Kern County collaboratives
    • "incubation" support for new businesses What's our Vision for our economy over the next 10-20 years?
    • Diversified - not dependent on Ag & Oil
    • More cultural diversity and tolerance
    • The weakerst of us can provide all that is desired by our families
    • Unlimited opportunities to provide for our families
    • The Grand Canal
    • Let's develop a new Silicon Valley Industry

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

    • Technology
    • Entertainment (movie making) industry
    • Processing plants for our ag products
    • Recreation/leisure center
    • Software development
    • Ag program for Cal State Bakersfield
    • Everything
    • City & County recreation upgrades that hire students while providing needed service

    Our Vision for Downtown

    • Riverwalk/parkway near Museum with Art Galleries
    • 24th Street (Chester to Oak) Grocery store, protect neighborhood environment, bars, shopping & galleries & luncheonette
    • Downtown core Opera/playhouse & theatres; Safe/attractive "Walking/shopping" entertainment
    • RiverWalk
    • Paseo Nuevo mall type
    • Living center for homeless fmilies
    • Nordstroms
    • Extend Beale Library to Excot Center
    • Renewed "Old Town" Kern
    • Larger roads and redevelop industrial park S of California
    • Equity in city maintenance along Union Ave.
    • Lakeview area parks and shopping; Youth centers
    • Clean up homeless problem on Golden State area
    • Baseball/sports complex - Museum/entertainment complex in Museum grounds area
    • Interactive Theme Park Museum near Garces Circle
    • Riverwalk thru Central Park
    • Eliminate deadend of fwy 58
    • Spend $$ on streets and park S of California; enhanced recreation opportunities
    • Neighborhood clean-up program in Lakeview area
    • Redeveloped East communitite
    • Amusement Park on East side

    In our Community's Future we wanted and we got

    • An amusement park
    • A football stadiu;m & team at CSUB
    • Science museum (exploratorium type)
    • More emphasis on trees and water to encourage street life
    • Return of dept. stores to downtown!
    • Air Travel to hubs in the mid-West & East (Dallas, Chicago, etc.)
    • Infrastructure improvements prior to development - rather than after
    • More public art (sculptures, murals, fountains)
    • Clean Air!
    • Cultural and civic upgrade
    • Beautification of S.E. Bakersfield
    • Grocery stores & shopping center in S.E.
    • Thoughtful mixed use development
    • Open space near city
    • Lake Wobegone!
    • All the children are above average
    • Ice rink
    • Krispy Kremes
    • Better quality medical care
    • Living & health centers for all
    • Better planning
    • Clubs for under-age children
    • Land and water use policies and practices
    • Upgrade existing community parks and their facilities
    • Water park for youth

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

    • A downtown with an imposing skyline
    • Junky strip malls
    • Drugs and gangs-graffiti
    • Housing development without planning/sprawl
    • Earthquake damage
    • Los Angeles
    • People ithout "hope"
    • Hunger Metropolitan Bakersfield 2010General Planning Area
    • Metro Plan (K.C. Museum area) developed museum, Discovery Center (Science and Math), agricultural center, oil exhibit, etc.
    • Fully developed soccer park near CALM, with new Water Park and CALM zoo developed as a unique destination point - (fully developed educational and recreational site)
    • KCSOS - college classes offered during lunch hour
    • Mall downtown career clothing, activities, babysitting, food
    • High speed rail - L.A. to S.F. along 99 corridor
    • Regional transportation centers scattered throughout metro Bakersfield linking air/rail/downtown
    • Do not develop the flood plain section of the river W of Gosford
    • Monorail along Rosedale Hwy direct East along College Ave
    • New freeway connection - Hwy 58 along Stockdale turning North at Ashe and connecting E. of Callloway with Rosedale
    • Center for arts and enternainment downtown
    • Water Park on Rosedale - W of 99 E of Mohawk
    • Hacienda for children and families (homeless?) in Northeast hillsides
    • Motorcross park adjacent to Mesa Marin
    • Large industries W near I 5
    • Theme Park/resort destination - W side
    • West/East Transporation corridor

    Common Themes

    • Bariety in transportation
    • Beautification
    • Cultural Enhancement/entertainment
    • Bakersfield as a focal point to stay
    • Economy that includes everyone
    • Taking care of "everyone"
    • Environmnetal issues
    • Partnering/collaboration