The Porterville City Council continued to look at the city's “priority” list when it comes to a large number of projects it wants to accomplish in the coming years at a study session on Tuesday.

In the end the council directed city staff to continue to proceed with the direction it has taken in identifying the path to be taken in accomplishing the highest priority projects that need to be done along with many other major projects.

In 2021-2022 the council identified all of the following as priority projects: Street improvements; the new community recreation center to be developed at Henderson and Fourth; Henry Street Park improvements, essentially the expansion of Murry Park to the north; wastewater tertiary treatment; new animal shelter; temporary and new libraries; Porterville Sports Complex improvements, which would include a lighted, regulation size baseball park.

Drought Demonstration Garden; Westwood Tule River Bridge Widening; Olive Avenue median drought landscaping; Highway 190 and Highway 65 Welcome to Porterville signs; Skate Park shade structure and lighting; and American Rescue Plan funding.

The city is receiving $20 million from the federal American Rescue Plan and city staff has recommended revisions in how to use that funding which were covered in Tuesday's meeting. Along with ARP funds, the city has a myriad of funds from state and federal grants and various measures it's using to pay for all the projects.

Among the funds available to the city are $45 million in Measure R regional funds over the next 15 years that could possibly used for infrastructure projects such as the Westwood Tule River Bridge widening.

Many of the projects such as the various street improvements, Henry Street Park and the Skate Park improvements at Veterans Park are underway or set to begin. The relocation of the airport runway to the northwest across Scranton Avenue is scheduled for 2026.

Then there's what could be called the “honorable mention” list of what the city refers to as “other major projects.” Of course among those is the Eagle Mountain Casino relocation near the Porterville Municipal Airport.

Also listed among other major projects is the East Porterville water connection project. Two of the three wells for that project have been completed with the second well, the Church Well, recently completed. Completion of the third well, the Akin Well, is still at least a couple years away.

Other major projects are recommendations from the Serious Accident Review Team, SART, after the February 18, 2020 fire that destroyed the Porterville Public Library and killed Porterville Fire Captain Ray Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones.

Other major projects include deficient water system connections. There are six deficient water systems in the area to be connected to the City of Porterville's water system. Among them is Hope School just to the south of Porterville, which is now having to use bottled water.

Other major projects are the Tule River Parkway Phase III construction, Butterfield Stage Corridor/Santa Fe Byway, mini-arenas near the Heritage Center, the Navigation Center and the runway relocation at the Porterville Airport.

Another major project are $14 million of annexation sewer projects that are now going on throughout the city.

As Porterville City Manager John Lollis put it, “these are not priorities. These are just other major work projects.”

Projects underway or that have been green-lighted include the Tule River Parkway Phase III construction, the Butterfield Stage Corridor and the Santa Fe Byway/Rails to Trails project. The city has received an $8 million grant for the Butterfield Stage Corridor and a $3.61 million grant for the Santa Fe Byway.

The Navigation Center is also currently the only one of its kind in Tulare County that provides 15 emergency shelter beds and 15 supportive housing beds.

As far as tertiary water treatment and Eagle Mountain Casino, a tertiary water treatment facility is being constructed in conjunction with the Eagle Mountain Casino project at an estimated cost of $15 million. With the support of State Senator Melissa Hurtado, the city received $2.5 million from State Assembly Bill 74 for that project.

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