Neighbors square off against each other in the Bakersfield Country Club area over a proposal to gate off parts of the community, and David Gordon takes over the Arts Council

 * … GATES: There is a mini-storm brewing up in the Bakersfield County Club area where some residents are asking the county for permission to gate off parts of the neighborhood. The gates would be installed at Dalehurst Drive and Wingfoot, Wingfoot and Country Club and at Pinehurst and Country

Club, even though a number of homes in that area are already behind their own private gates  I am told a spike in home burglaries has led to this proposal, but opponents say it will only divide the neighborhood and funnel traffic down non-gated streets, not to mention close off streets to folks who like to take a morning walk. I have a feeling this topic will make the installation of cul-de-sacs in Westchester look like walk in the park.

 * … ARTS COUNCIL: I was happy to hear that David Gordon has been appointed director of the Arts Council of Kern. Gordon is an accomplished artist himself and a former employee of the Bakersfield Museum of Art. His experience will no doubt be an asset to the Arts Council, which has struggled in recent years to remain relevant.

 * … OLD SALT: My pal and Navy veteran Gene Bonas provided this shout out to all his fellow submariners: "Thought you'd like to know that on April 11, 1900, the Holland VI was acquired by the U.S. Navy. Although not actually commissioned as a warship until October 12, 1900, April 11th is celebrated as the birthday of the U.S. submarine fleet.  The U.S.S. Holland was considered to be the world's first truly successful submarine. In honor of our special day, this Friday all submariners are encouraged to wear their 'dolphins' to work or play.  Happy birthday, fellow bubbleheads!

* … SPOTTED: Talk about bad form. Cheryle DeMarco was at the Target store on Mall View Road a few months ago when she spotted this:  "I was getting in my car which was parked about three spaces down from the entrence. I looked at the car parked in front of me and a little girl (about 8 or 9) was unloading quite a bit of trash right onto the parking lot. Her mother stood at the opened car door on the other side looking all around the lot like pretending to not see what she probably told her daughter to do, throw all the trash from the car out. We were only about 40 feet from a trash can. I thought this is one reason we have a litter problem. Parents teach their kids this bad habit. I always made my kids throw their trash out, even in places like the movie theater. You clean up after yourself, simple as that!"

 * … MORE TRASH: Deanna Haulman extended props to the Just Johnson Park Work Center. "These young men and women are faithfully out at Hart Park Monday through Friday cleaning rest rooms and picking up trash that people are too lazy to do.  I think even if large trash bags were provided it still wouldn't help because these are the same people who can't walk 20 steps to a large trash can. There are those that leave their trash bags but do not realize or don't care that the park critters get into those bags at night."

 * … GRANT: Hats off to the Kern Economic Development Corp. and the East Bakersfield High Health Careers Academy for winning a $15,000 grant to prepare the local workforce to fill healthcare positions in Kern County. The grant will support the purchase of medical equipment for Academy students to practice treatment solutions as well as job shadowing at Kern Medical Center. The grant came from the Office of Statewide Planning and Development.

Remembering the Indian statue at the Garces Circle and gal pals raise money to fight domestic violence

 * ... MUSEUM MAKEOVER: Jeff Nickell, director of the Kern County Museum, added some details to the new paint job the museum recently received. Said Jeff: "We were able to do the exterior painting due to the generosity of Jim Black Construction who gave us a great deal. If you think that looks good, I invite you to check out the interior. We ripped out the mezzanine, which allowed us to re-install the original windows that had been taken out in the 1950s. We also took out the 'ugly track lighting' and chandeliers have been installed. The interior now has fresh paint matching the original colors as closely as possible just as we did with the exterior."

* ... GIRLS NIGHT: Lili Marsh at the Petroleum Club asked me to spread the news of a fun evening to benefit the Alliance Against Family Violence. Apparently some gal pals were sitting around talking about going to the premiere of the new "Sex and the City 2" movie that opens May 27. That led to an idea about turning it into a event to raise money for the Alliance while having some fun. So for $100, you get reserved tickets to the 7 p.m. movie, drinks and light snacks at Mama Tosca's at the Marketplace and an after hours dessert party at Hourglass. Stilettos required, I am told. Interested? Call 661-378-5646 or pick up tickets at Christines or Lolo's.



 * ... PROUD GRANDMA: Norene Todd wrote to brag about her grandson, 2008 Stockdale High graduate Brent Lomas. He went to USC on an academic scholarship, graduated with honors and is now working at a charter school in Los Angeles. Not being done yet, he went on to UCLA to get his masters and will soon graduate. His dream is to live in New York and Norene expects him to be there before the end of the year. "How proud I am of him," she said. "I'm sure that whatever he sets out to do, he will." Brent is the son of Barbara and Tony Lomas. Thanks for sharing, Norene.

 * ... KEDC EFFORT: Heard from Robin Fleming, who works in business development for the Kern Economic Development Corporation, about a push by the KEDC Foundation to get more women involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM courses.) Apparently the Foundation is the umbrella organization for the Alliance of Women in Energy, and the Alliance of Women in Energy Mentoring Initiative.  "The AWE Mentoring Initiative promotes innovation-centered education and increases female students' achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses through a year-long mentoring program at the Independence High School Energy and Utility Academy. Currently 44 young ladies obtain one-on-one mentoring with professional women in a cross-section of energy-related businesses and are introduced to real-life career opportunities in the energy sector. What better way to learn about energy than from some of our brightest Kern County women." 

 * ... CHIEF FIRE WATER: Had a couple calls from readers questioning the veracity of an earlier "Bakersfieldism" reporting that there used to be an Indian statue on the Garces circle. This is the response from reader Will Winn:  "Guess you are too young to remember when the huge Indian statue (now at Ethyl's Old Corral Cafe on Alfred Harrel Hwy) was in front of, I think it was a Big 'O' tire shop, on the circle as you headed north on Chester Avenue My oldest son, Jason, wanted to stop there one evening after dark and take a closer look at the big chief.  When I lifted him up he began to scream, 'Let me down, let me down.'  I put him down and as he ran back to our car I looked up and saw that the chief appeared to be looking right down at me with a very angry visage. Scared me, too!"


* ... EAST BAKERSFIELDISM: A new thread comes from an anonymous Bakersfield resident now living in Visalia. "You know you're an East Bakersfield old timer if Ben Stinson Sr. was your letter carrier before the store opened."

 

KEDC pushes Alliance for Women in Energy; program reaches out to young women

Good to see the Alliance of Women in Energy (AWE) getting some traction locally. This is a group established by the Kern Economic Development Corp. (KEDC) last year to provide a forum for women in the fields of solar, fossil fuels, utilities and wind energy. Trish Reed, one of the marketing officers over at KEDC, tells me there was a big turnout for the group's networking meeting this week, which was hosted by Susie Geiger of Oxy and Carla Musser of Chevron. Trish says Chevron also opened its wallet to help make this happen. Groups like this are important and provide terrific role models for the young women in our community, particularly given the huge role that oil, wind energy and natural gas play in Kern County. AWE also has an outreach and mentoring program for young girls in high school in an effort to promote careers in energy. In a community with a high school dropout rate nearing 25 percent and a dismally low percentage of college graduates, this is important stuff. Let's wish this group all the luck.

$308 million in Obama stimulus money helps land a new power plant to Kern County

Turns out we can thank the Obama stimulus package for bringing some much needed jobs to Kern County. The New York Times is reporting that a new power plant that turns coal and waste petroleum into cleaner-burning gas has won the support from state and stimulus funds. The paper says the plant was awarded a $308 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is the largest grant yet from the Department Energy's Clean Coal Power Initiative. Thanks to Trish Reed, head of investor relations over at the Kern Economic Development Corp., for alerting me to this story. (you can read the full piece here)Said Trish:

"Hydrogen Energy’s 250-megawatt facility will take petroleum coke (left over from refining), then will filter out 90 percent of its carbon dioxide for permanent underground storage in an adjacent oil field in Elk Hills, where it will also help with enhanced oil recovery. The hydrogen will power the plant’s turbine electrical generators."