Fresno and Kings counties are in the final run for the proposed Central Valley heavy maintenance facility for California high-speed rail, and Kings County officials said Tuesday that they are in support of “anything that can promote business and jobs in our county.“
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is evaluating two potential sites for its heavy maintenance facility. The locations are near the cities of Fresno and Hanford. The facility would create jobs and other economic opportunities.
The authority held two in-person “public scoping meetings” this week. One in Fresno on Monday and one in Hanford on Tuesday. Each meeting included a project overview.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority seeks public comments on two proposed Central Valley heavy maintenance facility sites near Fresno and Hanford. Submit input by Sept. 14. María G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
“My personal thought is, probably against some of the landowners here, is that we deserve this more than Fresno County because of the impact they did to us back in the early 2010s,” said Kings County Supervisor Doug Verboon on Tuesday after the public scoping meeting at the Hanford Civic Auditorium.
Verboon explained that about 15 years ago, the High-Speed Rail Authority didn’t want to go through Kingsburg, Fowler and Selma and instead “went through our community because it’s cheaper, faster route. We deserve a little respect for that.”
While Kings County has a high-speed rail station that will be built outside of Hanford, Verboon said having the maintenance facility, too, would be great because it would bring jobs to the area.
“As elected officials, sometimes we are put in a position of make a decision that is not the best of the time but might be the best for the future,” he said. “But anytime we can get jobs in our community, we like that.”
City and county officials said that ultimately, it is up to the High-Speed Rail Authority to make the final decision on where the facility will be built.
“Our city is always growing. As elected officials, we want to bring more jobs, but we want to bring the right jobs,” said Hanford Councilmember Travis Paden.
Hanford Councilmember Travis Paden, left, during the in-person “public scoping meeting“ in Hanford. María G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
“It would be an amazing boost to our local economy. It would be huge. That’s up to 2,000 new jobs that we could have right here in Kings County, and we need those jobs,” Hanford Councilmember Nancy Howze said. “We’re where you want to go. We’re the county you want to work with. We’re the city you want to work with.”
Verboon said having the facility in Kings County is a “big deal,” but at the same time, the HSR Authority needs to address the concerns of the people, especially those who would be directly impacted by losing their land.
The heavy maintenance facility would serve as the primary location for inspections, servicing, maintenance, overhaul and replacement of major components for the high-speed train fleet. The authority anticipates at least 1,700 jobs, and up to 2,100, positions at the site.
“From an economic development perspective, the city is always looking for opportunities, and this might provide that,” said Jason Water, Hanford deputy city manager. “Hanford has a lot to offer.”
From an initial 11 potential sites in five counties between Merced and Bakersfield, the authority narrowed the list down to Fresno and Hanford as the two potential sites based on operation needs, land use compatibility, construction feasibility, community impacts and environmental considerations.
California High-Speed Rail seeks public comments on two proposed Central Valley heavy maintenance facility sites near Fresno and Hanford. Submit input by Sept. 14. María G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
Augie Blancas, a spokesperson for high-speed rail, said a third meeting will be held Thursday virtually via Zoom at 5 p.m. To register for the virtual meeting or to provide input, visit www.hsr.ca.gov/hmf.
Public comments will be accepted through Sept. 14. Comments may be submitted:
by email to hmf@hsr.ca.gov with the subject line “Central Valley HMF Scoping Comment,”by phone at 559-248-1060, andby mail to Stefan Galvez-Abadia, Director of Environmental Services; ATTN: Central Valley HMF Scoping Comment, California High-Speed Rail Authority, 770 L St., Suite 620, Sacramento, CA 95814
The Fresno Bee
María G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy’s Vida en el Valle and the Fresno Bee. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee’s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | María G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fotógrafa de Vida en el Valle de McClatchy y el Fresno Bee. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el boletín semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos.
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