The North Visalia Advisory Committee (NVAC) will survive another year.
At the March 6 Visalia City Council meeting the council voted to temporarily keep the North Visalia Advisory Committee (NVAC) officially affiliated with the city. The city council will revisit the issue in November, 2018, after the last three district elections are completed. The vote was 3-2, with Councilmembers Steve Nelsen and Bob Link voting to immediately discontinue the advisory committee.
The issue was an extension of the February 21 meeting, when Councilmember Greg Collins was absent. The vote was split 2-2.
The three choices presented to the city council were to discontinue the committee immediately, discuss the issue again November of 2018, or vote to keep the committee indefinitely.
Several members of North Visalia came to the meeting to encourage the city council to keep the official status of its advisory committee. Bill Huott, a member of the NVAC, said that the area has received much in the way of money and attention, but that the city is making up after 50 years of neglect. He said nothing is stopping other disadvantaged communities from forming their own official advisory committee.
Vincent Salinas, another NVAC member, reminded the council that parts of North Visalia are “completely blighted.” He was supportive of keeping the committee for two more years while the members finish implementing their business plan for the area.
Two north side residents said that it is a source of pride that their own community members have contributed to the revitalization of the Oval. Huott said that the Oval Park now is actually a park. “You couldn’t even enter it before.”
“I tell everyone we are a victim of our own success. We get taken for granted on all the magic the city accomplishes when we play this huge role as catalyst,” said Huott.
The residents who live in North Visalia and the members of the NVAC want the advisory committee to be affiliated with the city indefinitely. Councilmembers Phil Cox, Warren Gubler and Collins want to review the committees status after November 30, 2018.