Success & Service: Waterford honored for downtown redo

The city of Waterford received the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Award of Merit for its downtown beautification project. Completed in 2012, the downtown renovation included new sidewalks, streets, lighting, landscaping and upgraded storm drains.

The city benefited from a $1.4 million grant from the state Department of Transportation, which withdrew the funds due to lack of progress. Tim Ogden, who had just taken over as city manager, scrambled to contact state officials.

“After much discussion over the next two days with other officials, Caltrans finally said that if we could provide evidence of an expense incurred on the project in the next five days, they would restore the funds,” Ogden said in an email.

The project hadn’t gone out to bid yet. So Ogden and other managers erected a sign ballyhooing the impending construction and sent Caltrans a copy of the invoice for $500, the cost of the sign. “(And) a few days later our $1.4 million grant was restored,” Ogden wrote.

City officials are hoping the improvements will lure businesses downtown.

Korean War vets to be honored

Sons in Retirement Chapter 143 in Turlock will host an awards ceremony recognizing 86 area Korean War veterans with the Korean Ambassador’s Peace Medal, issued by the South Korean government in appreciation to the U.S. service members who served in the war. Additionally, the organization will honor 30 Korean and Cold War-era veterans.

The event will be Nov. 19, beginning with lunch at 11 a.m. and the ceremony at noon, at the Denair Community Center. Contact Rick Kindle at (209) 652-8608 to make reservations or for more information.

Thanks for service

Two local businesses are offering free products and services to military veterans in honor of Veterans Day.

Great Clips hair salons will give customers who get haircuts Nov. 11 a card to give to a veteran for a free haircut, redeemable through Dec. 31. The chain has five stores in the area.

And Golden Corral will provide veterans a free buffet meal and beverage Nov. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. at its Modesto location on north McHenry Avenue.

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Success & Service: Waterford honored for downtown redo."