Ingram-Thurston: Los Banos mayor talks new development, projects coming to city

Recently I had the privilege to have a great conversation with our Mayor, Tom Faria. He allowed me to ask him a broad range of questions and he responded with thoughtful answers. I want to share that conversation with you here.

Diana: Wow, Tom, half a year has passed since you became our new mayor and we last talked. First, I want to know, what has been the greatest surprise for you since taking office? Good or bad. What has been the easiest part of the transition for you, and what has been the most challenging?

Mayor: “Well, I think that the biggest surprise for me is how much governmental bodies (regional, state, federal) rely on the Mayor’s input as to how they manage the policies that affect our city. It is good to know that I can influence policy makers at all levels; it is also a great responsibility. The easiest part is running meetings with our local council. The most challenging, so far, is the changes in senior staff.”

Diana: COVID 19 seems to be slowing some. Do you have a sense of how much it has affected Los Banos’ revenue? How do our number of deaths, cases of illnesses, and our rate of vaccinations compare to other cities in the county? Also, June 15th was supposed to be a big day for lifting precautions, how will this affect us?

Mayor: “We are getting a clearer picture of the effects of the COVID 19 epidemic on our city and region. Our initial revenue loss estimates ranged between $300,000 and $500,000, the final results are not yet completely tabulated. The assistance coming from the state and federal government will help recover those losses, but we have only been recently learning exactly how we may use those funds via webinars and email notices.

We have lost 70 residents in the greater Los Banos area, very sad news indeed. The vaccination rate in Merced County is quite low ( mid 20-s) when compared to the rest of the state. Our senior legislators are asking what we can do to increase it. As of 3:30,Friday 19th, 2021, there are 32,291 confirmed cases in Merced County.

We are working on starting up more vaccination clinics in our area with our healthcare partners. With the opening on June 15th we are looking forward, particularly for your hospitality and dining establishments which have been hit especially hard. We are looking forward to being able to spend time with our friends, family and students. I, personally, am looking forward to teaching my classes in person again. The city will be sponsoring some fun activities at our parks, like more movie nights.”

Diana: I want to ask about our joint concerns about the vacant buildings and the need for added revenue and employment, adding that we have heard that a Big Lots was moving into the old Penny’s building and that a new discount market was coming to the old Save Mart. That is good news.

Are there any words about any other possible additions to our fair city? Also, sales of homes have been going very well. How do you think that will continue? With this increase in building, is there more strain on our schools and public services?

Mayor: “Yes, we are happy to announce the addition of BIG LOTS and Grocery Outlet as anchors to their respective shopping centers, along with the potential that they create more jobs and tax revenue. We are also adding another service station near Home Depot.

Regarding City Capital projects, we are completing our Fire Department Training Tower and are in the process of designing our new Police Station to be built next to our new Courthouse. I believe the home sales will continue as long as the Bay Area continues to increase industrial and commercial developments beyond its ability to house its workforce. Thanks to the school bonds we have passed we now have sufficient elementary and high school space available for awhile, but our Junior high schools are starting to feel a bit crowded.

Thanks to Measure H, we have been able to increase our public safety forces to the highest in years, but those numbers are only just catching up with our needs. More houses and residents will put a greater strain on these services. Remember that Measure H is not a permanent sales tax and will have to be re approved by the citizens when it expires, so we must be cautious how we commit our funds in the future.

Water, and wastewater, too, are a great challenge. We are capable of providing both for all the potential developments within our annexed and zoned areas, but the expansion of these services will present some challenges.

We are pursuing the procurement of more groundwater sources ( wells) but we must also consider the aquifer recharge rate as we do. We are working closely with our water services partners in the region on projects to improve our aquifer recharge, but those are years down the road. For wastewater, Los Banos is one of the last municipalities to utilize ponds for wastewater treatment. When our capacity runs out, we will probably not be able to expand them,, which means we will need to find and fund a new water system.”

Diana: Attending the last street fair, I noticed how happy everyone was to be out. Are there any more events coming that our residents can look forward to?

Mayor: “Along with our traditional street fairs and parades (except for the Veterans Parade because of issues created by COVID), our residents can look forward to increased civic activities like movie nights and the grand opening of our new Dog Park. The Downtown Association is putting on a Fourth of July event at Henry Miller Plaza on July 3rd to be followed by fireworks to be shot over our fairgrounds. For more information on events go to the City’s Recreational Web and Facebook Pages. There is a lot there. I understand that the Christmas Parade along with the May Day Spring Fair are scheduled to go on this fiscal year.”

Diana: OK, Two words. Pacheco Park. It is unpopular and this is a very popular topic in town. Do you have any idea what can be done to help the flow of traffic? Any words of comfort, Mayor?

Mayor: “I am happy to announce that MCAD , with the help of a CMAG grant, has programmed a traffic synchronized project for Pacheco Blvd which will make it easier to get through a dozen-plus lights on that road. The project is scheduled to be completed sometime next year. I believe that will help a great deal. We are working with our partners at Cal Trans and MCAG to continue planning for the construction of widening of Pioneer Road which will give our residents an alternative route to Pacecch Boulevard. Council has also been discussing the idea of a Northern route” .

Diana: Tom, thank you so much for all your time. As a final question, please tell us what you want us to know. What can we do to help you and our city? What do we not know? Talk to us.

Mayor: “I want our residents to know that their city is in excellent condition. Our City Council, along with our administrators, public safety, public works, planning and development and recreation staff are deeply concerned and engaged people who are working tirelessly to bring the quality of life to Los Banos to its maximum potential. We love Los Banos and we want it to be the place where everyone wants to live, work and play.

What citizens may not know is how much we rely on non profit organizations and volunteers to enhance our total quality of life. All our parades, street fairs and city recreational programs are produced by volunteers. For those wishing to help and volunteer, our city always can use a volunteer in our Parks Department, our VITAL program ( police volunteers) and on the Volunteer Fire Department.

Local nonprofits need volunteers to help run their many programs. Our Community and Economic Development Department and Chamber of Commerces have a list of these organizations along with their contact information. I would also like the community to know that the city does not directly bring in new businesses. We attend conferences and actively recruit, but it is ultimately a financial decision on the part of the individual business whether or not to locate here.

Regarding my work as Mayor, I prepare a weekly video address called the Mayor’s Corner which is posted on the city website. Also, when everything opens up I will be holding in person office hours at City Hall. Keep watching the Mayor’s Corner updates every week to know what is going on, an alternative route to Pacheco Boulevard. Council has also been discussing the idea of a Northern route” .

This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.