News & Notes (03/25/15)
MODESTO TO DISCUSS FARMLAND FEES
Modesto’s City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday morning to discuss whether to authorize City Manager Jim Holgersson to sign and forward a letter to the Stanislaus County Local Agency Formation Commission regarding the commission’s proposal to modify its farmland preservation strategy. The proposal would use a formula to determine how much developers would pay in fees when they develop agricultural land; opponents claims the fees are too high. The commission will take up this proposal Wednesday at 6 p.m. The council will meet at 11:15 a.m. in Room 2001 on the second floor of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St. The agenda for the meeting does not state whether the letter supports or opposes the proposal. A copy of the letter was not included with the meeting agenda. A city official said Tuesday afternoon that the letter still was in draft form and had not been completed.
CONGRESSIONAL ART CONTEST VOTING OPENS
Voting in the 2015 Congressional Art Competition for high school students has begun on the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock. Denham’s office received 35 submissions from the 10th Congressional District. Participating high schools include Enochs, Patterson, Turlock, Pitman, Ripon, Central Catholic, Modesto, Keyes Charter, Merrill West in Tracy, Kimball High in Tracy and Wilberforce Prep in Hickman. Submissions are posted on Denham’s Facebook page, where 10th District residents can vote on their favorite. The submission with the most “likes” at midnight April 3 will win. The first-place winner will have his or her artwork sent to Washington, D.C., where it will be displayed for the next year in the pedestrian walkway leading to the Capitol. A scholarship may be offered to the winner to fly to Washington for the reception and announcement of the national winner. Second- and third-place winners will have the opportunity to display their art in Denham’s Modesto office. For more information, call Denham’s Modesto office at (209) 579-5458.
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR ‘LOVE’ PROJECTS
Volunteers of all ages are needed April 18 to help with family-friendly projects in Modesto and throughout Stanislaus County. More than 80 projects will provide opportunities such as offering food to the hungry; visiting senior adults; building a home for a family in need; delivering baked goods to public servants such as fire, police, sheriff, CHP and emergency departments; cleaning a park; and donating blood to save lives. Festivities begin at 8 a.m. with free food and refreshments, a kids zone, music and activities in front of the Gallo Center for the Arts on I Street. To learn more, go to http://lovemodesto.comor contact Jeff Pishney at (209) 566-9343 or jeff@lovemodesto.com.
This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "News & Notes (03/25/15)."