Ask TBC: The latest on the Sports Village
| Sunday, Jul 05 2009 12:00 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Jul 05 2009 12:00 PM
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Q: Who can tell me what is going on with the Sports Village that was supposed to be constructed on Taft Highway between Ashe Road and Gosford? You see no sign of any construction. This has been going on for two years now….Any update?
— Janett Mendoza
A: The first phase of the project — eight soccer fields plus a road, parking lot and restrooms — are out to bid, said Recreation and Parks Department Director Dianne Hoover. Construction is expected to start in October and play should start in late 2010 or early 2011, she said.
Q: I live near Pioneer Drive and Morning Drive. There's a new liquor store just opened. I wonder how those people were able to get the license to sell alcohol near a middle school, high school, and a rehabilitation center for alcoholics.
There are already at least five other locations within a mile radius that sell alcohol. I was reading the paper June 14 about the number of people who have been killed by drunk drivers. It concerns me how liquor stores can be opened in such a location. It increases the crime rate and creates more trouble in the area.
They were supposed to send a letter out to the neighborhood and post the big yellow liquor sign (ABC License) on their door to let the community know that they are going to do that kind of business; but never did. I wish there's something or somebody who can take care of this, because the schools, law enforcement and the city didn't seem to act on it.
— Amanda Romero
A: Notices about the store, P&M Mini Mart, 624 Morning Drive, went to one school and 35 homes, plus the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Office, none of whom had any objections, said Armando Gonzalez, district supervisor for Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The notice requirements are homes within 500 feet, hospitals, schools, playgrounds and churches within 600 feet. That’s about a one-block radius. People have 30 days to protest.
Q: We noticed that the dirt lot at the corner of Stockdale Highway and Buena Vista Road (across the street from the Park at Riverwalk) has been groomed, and we're wondering if construction is going to begin on the lot soon.
For several years there has been a sign on the lot noting that an Albertsons store and McDonalds would be built there.
— PG Torrez
A: The work you saw being done was weed abatement ordered by city code enforcement, said Bakersfield Planning Director Jim Movius.
Scott Underhill, partner at commercial brokerage Grubb & Ellis-ASU & Associates and who represents Albertsons, said the property remains in Albertsons’ inventory for future development but there are no plans now to start construction.
Ask The Californian appears on Mondays. Submit questions to asktbc@ bakersfield.com or to The Bakersfield Californian, c/o Christine Bedell, P.O. Bin 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302.
