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Fresno accepts $4.6 million to help business affected by high-speed rail

By George Hostetter - The Fresno Bee

Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012 | 10:34 PM Modified Thu, Sep 27, 2012 01:12 PM

The Fresno City Council on Thursday morning agreed to accept $4.6 million from the state High-Speed Rail Authority to fund a Local High-Speed Rail Business Support Services Program.

The deal is for three years and will, among other things, pay for extra city employees to handle the multitude of issues affecting local business when the super-train line is built across Fresno.

About $3.4 million will go for staffing in four city departments: planning, public works, fire and public utilities. The remaining $1.2 million will go to the Economic Development Corporation Serving Fresno County for outreach to local businesses.

City Hall and the EDC have a partnership to keep businesses affected by high-speed rail in Fresno and successfully competing.

The council also placed four properties on the Local Register of Historic Resources:

• The C. Jarman Home at 385 N. San Pablo Ave.
• The J.R. Turner Residence at 815 E. Dudley Ave.
• The Pilibos Building at 830 Van Ness Ave.
• The Levinson Home, minus the 1991 sunroom, at 1636 Broadway.

The family of former Fresno County Supervisor Doug Vagim used to live in the Levinson Home.

The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6272 or ghostetter@fresnobee.com.