Restaurant honored for recycling efforts

The City Council, along with American Refuse's Lynnda Martin, recently presented a Recycling Award to Don Pepe's Bar and Grill.

Martin said that the local business has been working with American Refuse in reducing their waste that ends up at the local landfill.

"This restaurant has been proactive, beginning to reduce their waste and make the transition to producing a large majority of organic waste even before the start of the Assembly Bill that is making it mandatory for businesses to reduce their waste," Martin said.

The council would have normally presented this award at the annual Chamber of Commerce awards banquet, but with the banquet not taking place this year, Martin and the city took this opportunity to recognize the business.

The council also welcomed two new employees at the Shafter Learning Center.

Monica Palafox and Margarita Rodriguez are both first-generation college graduates and will be working at the center with the children and adults who attend classes there.

On the agenda, the council was to consider contributing $15,000 to Shafter High School to purchase one of the sponsorship slots in their new video scoreboard. All five slots have been filled so the city is unable to become a sponsor.

The council also approved support from a local residential community to help beautify the landscaping around their housing development.

Residents at the Almond Grove Estates, located in the area of Lerdo Highway and Mannel Avenue, said that they would be willing to assist in the upkeep and beautification of the entrance to their housing development.

The residents already have taxes assessed for the streetscape part of the development, but this amount covers the necessary upkeep of the property, such as mowing the grass. This partnership with the city would include removing or adding bushes, plants, and other elements that would make the development more appealing.

There will also be a free drive-thru vaccine clinic at the Shafter Aquatic Center today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. hosted by Shafter Adventist Health.