Council approves new planning commissioners

The Shafter City Council approved two candidates that were interviewed at the last council meeting to be a part of the Shafter Planning Commission. David Puizer and Lovedeep Joshan were approved to serve on the commission, beginning in January.

The Planning Commission's duties include reviewing and acting on matters related to planning and development in Shafter. The role of the commission is to work with the City Council to ensure that the common vision for the community is realized. They also advise the council on land use matters, zoning ordinances, and other matters related to land use and the General Plan of the city.

The council also approved a contract with Aquatic Design Group to plan and complete the improvements needed to the Shafter Aquatic Center. Public Works Michael James said that approval needed to get done so the work could be started within the next few months. James said that if approved, and the company can begin work on schedule, work should be done on the pool and the center by June 2024, at a cost of $204,000. This contract is just for the design and planning of the improvements.

James said that the city also received bids on the work at Mannel Park which is a shading structure and upgrade. The contract was awarded to DL Brown with a bid of $103,000.

During Public Comment, Jeff Martin of American Refuse updated the council on the city's Roll-out program, replacing all residents' trash cans with the three cart system. Martin said that everything has been going smooth and there only remains another 500 customers who need to be rolled out, which will be done in January and February.

James also said that the city needs a budget amendment of $1.3 million for construction on Water Well 21, which is located at the Wonderful Industrial Park. This well was put in a year ago for agriculture use. This ag-use is no longer needed and it can be made suitable for residential and commercial use.