- 1
- 2
- next
- | single page
2012 is here and it looks as if it’s going to be filled with challenges, projects and further development for Imperial County.
In the education sector “there is a lot of stuff going on,” said Anne Mallory, superintendent of the Imperial County Office of Education. In her agency the most pressing issue is, of course, the state budget, Mallory said. “Everyone knows we are in a fiscal crisis.”
About 86 percent of the ICOE funding comes from the state, Mallory said, and she expects that 40 percent of that money is not coming. “Not many districts can handle that kind of a hit,” she said. So this coming year Imperial County schools are keeping an eye on the budget, Mallory said.
But exciting things are also in the making, she said, as the ICOE is working on ways to better utilize technology in classrooms. A pilot program to introduce handheld devices in reading classes is in the making, Mallory said.
County
When it comes to the county, “the main thing is solar,” Imperial County Supervisor Jack Terrazas said.
There are 28 pending applications for solar projects this year, he said. There is also the Ocotillo Express Wind Energy project — a 155-wind-turbine development — coming as well, Terrazas said.
The county will also be working on setting water and sewer in the Keystone Project, he said, which is an industrial park between Brawley and Imperial where many Chinese investors are looking.
Two residential construction projects south of Brawley are expected to come through the Planning Commission as well, Terrazas said. “These are major projects,” he said, a total of 2,000 units could be built in the next 20 to 30 years.
A partnership with a private finance entity to expand the Calexico West Port of Entry is also high on the agenda, according to Supervisor John Renison. “We can’t wait for five or six years for the feds to (provide) the money,” he said.
This year the county will know if the federal government will allow the leasing of the West Port, Terrazas said, a $380 million project.
El Centro
In El Centro most projects will be a continuation of what the City Council started in 2011, Mayor Sedalia Sanders said.
“We are moving forward with the Martin Luther King Jr. Pavilion Skate Park,” she said. Fire station No. 3 will be completed early this year, Sanders said. “We think that (fire station) is going to be a big plus for our community,” she said.
One of the things the council will also have to consider is the state Supreme Court ruling allowing the dismantling of redevelopment agencies, councilmember Efrain Silva said.
“That is going to have a huge impact in the city and (its) ability to continue to do public projects,” he said.
Calexico
In Calexico, a couple of large projects that have been years in the making are expected to come to fruition in 2012.
“We’re looking forward to the groundbreaking of the Gran Plaza and hopefully the (Manzanita) casino this year, which will create many jobs that are needed in this community and provide venues for entertainment and shopping,” Councilman John Moreno said.
In the education sector “there is a lot of stuff going on,” said Anne Mallory, superintendent of the Imperial County Office of Education. In her agency the most pressing issue is, of course, the state budget, Mallory said. “Everyone knows we are in a fiscal crisis.”
About 86 percent of the ICOE funding comes from the state, Mallory said, and she expects that 40 percent of that money is not coming. “Not many districts can handle that kind of a hit,” she said. So this coming year Imperial County schools are keeping an eye on the budget, Mallory said.
But exciting things are also in the making, she said, as the ICOE is working on ways to better utilize technology in classrooms. A pilot program to introduce handheld devices in reading classes is in the making, Mallory said.
County
When it comes to the county, “the main thing is solar,” Imperial County Supervisor Jack Terrazas said.
There are 28 pending applications for solar projects this year, he said. There is also the Ocotillo Express Wind Energy project — a 155-wind-turbine development — coming as well, Terrazas said.
The county will also be working on setting water and sewer in the Keystone Project, he said, which is an industrial park between Brawley and Imperial where many Chinese investors are looking.
Two residential construction projects south of Brawley are expected to come through the Planning Commission as well, Terrazas said. “These are major projects,” he said, a total of 2,000 units could be built in the next 20 to 30 years.
A partnership with a private finance entity to expand the Calexico West Port of Entry is also high on the agenda, according to Supervisor John Renison. “We can’t wait for five or six years for the feds to (provide) the money,” he said.
This year the county will know if the federal government will allow the leasing of the West Port, Terrazas said, a $380 million project.
El Centro
In El Centro most projects will be a continuation of what the City Council started in 2011, Mayor Sedalia Sanders said.
“We are moving forward with the Martin Luther King Jr. Pavilion Skate Park,” she said. Fire station No. 3 will be completed early this year, Sanders said. “We think that (fire station) is going to be a big plus for our community,” she said.
One of the things the council will also have to consider is the state Supreme Court ruling allowing the dismantling of redevelopment agencies, councilmember Efrain Silva said.
“That is going to have a huge impact in the city and (its) ability to continue to do public projects,” he said.
Calexico
In Calexico, a couple of large projects that have been years in the making are expected to come to fruition in 2012.
“We’re looking forward to the groundbreaking of the Gran Plaza and hopefully the (Manzanita) casino this year, which will create many jobs that are needed in this community and provide venues for entertainment and shopping,” Councilman John Moreno said.
