The Fresno Bee du lieu suivant : Fresno, California • 15

THE FRESNO BEE Wednesday February 4 1987 B3 Council endorses plans tb construct new city hall By JERRY BIER Bee staff writer proposal for the city to have a guaranteed interest rate as part of the bond financing Under the plan the city would buy a of 6 percent interest earnings from the First Interstate Bank The city also would sell a "ceiling" of 675 percent Anything under 6 percent on the interest earnings would be covered by the bank The bank also would keep any interest over 675 percent Finance Director Allen Char kow explained after the council discussion that the staff thought the action was necessary to protect the bond money in the face of dropping interest rates The city will buy the floor for an estimated $198000 Charkow said but it will sell the ceiling for an estimated $336000 for a net gain of $138000 Charkow said that the city had projected earnings of $3 million over three years on a 6 percent rate of return on bond investments and that the staff believed action had to be taken to protect against any losses from falling interest rates The interest agreement will last for the three years it will take to complete the city hall project on the two square blocks bounded by Fresno Tulare and streets The city will repay a total $40 million bond package for the development over a 20-year period Doig said he voted against the action on the interest arrangement because he thought there first should be more discussion not constructed and that it could save money now spent on remodeling and rental costs to house city operations The council has picked an architectural consortium and is expected to award a contract for the design of the new building within a month The new city hall would provide about 225000 square feet of floor space almost twice the area now occupied by city offices downtown A space needs committee issued a report last March that called current office conditions intolerable and urged immediate steps to build a new city hall Councilman Rod Anaforian said that "the longer the city stays in a facility not designed to meet the needs of today the more it's going to cost Saying he hoped the city hall not become a political Anaforian added that City Manager James Aldredge "has some adjusting to on the upcoming budget and that warnings about the deficit may not be as dire as first predicted Councilman Chris Petersen said the efficiencies provided by a new city hall could help reduce costs of the future Councilman Tom MacMichael who has been one of the strongest supporters of the project said he hoped the council would not "get on a new city hall and referred to actions in the late 1970s when plans for a city-county building were dropped by the council in the wake of Proposition 13 The council in a 6-1 vote with Doig dissenting approved a staff Fresno BeoRyan Milas Marty Fresno police officer Manuel Orozco examines the car belonging to shooting victim! Motorist wounded in shotgun attack Rocha was able to get to his feet and flee finally reaching a market two blocks away at Cedar and Church avenues according the spokesman There he was able to get someone to call for The unidentified occupants of the car and the van were being sought by police last night passengers who also fled from the shoot-mg have not been identified Fresno police said no motive for the attack has been determined car fired a shotgun at Rocha a police spokesman said and the van struck car driving it into a fence around a residence at Bums and Uth Street Rocha and his passengers ran from their car after the attack the spokesman said but the gunman got out of the car and pursued them firing again Rocna was struck in the back and fell to the ground and the gunman fired at him at least once as he lay there the spokesman said A shotgun blast was fired from a passing car at a Fresno man and then a van pushed the car off the street in a Calwa neighborhood shortly before noon Tuesday Michael Rocha 39 was shot and wounded as he fled on foot He was treated and released from Valley Medical Center after the shooting According to a police account Rocha was driving east along Bums Avenue in Calwa with two passengers when a car and a pulled alongside Someone in the Atwater boy found hanged restrict park air tours A majority of the Fresno City Council members indicated Tuesday that they are not willing to scrap plans for a new city hall despite grim forecasts of possible budget deficits in the next fiscal year The council discussing ways to protect interest earnings on $30 million of a city hall bond issue agreed that dropping the project would not solve budget problems and could even add to them later Councilman Ted Wills and Mayor Dale Doig questioned the need for continuing with plans for the new structure without further discussions Wills noting a budget deficit projected at up to $145 million in the 1987-88 fiscal year said the new city hall a big item before we make a decision on the whole thing let's sit down and talk about it" Doig agreed need to lay all the facts out" the mayor said adding that he realized that the project "is a sacred cow to some of you" But other council members disagreed Councilman Les Kimber said the city needs to move forward on the project to provide needed space for city government "I hope we will not back he added Councilwoman Karen Humphrey said she heard in the words an implication that the new city hall "is some kind of frill or 1 She said the city could face even greater costs if the new building is Bills would By GENE ROSE Bee staff writer Air tours over Grand Canyon Yo-semite and Haleakala national parks would be restricted under identical bills introduced Tuesday by Rep Tony Coelho D-Merced and Sen Spark Matsunaga D-Ha-waii Coelho said the bills would force the Department of Interior to develop a national "policy of park overflights" Specifically the legislation would ban flights below the rim of the Grand Canyon and require flights to remain at least 2000 feet above the rim of Yosemite and 9500 feet above sea level over Haleakala Twenty-five people were killed in a midair collision over the Grand Canyon last year prompting merous calls for regulation of i flights Petersen will be principal Bee Metro staff CLOVIS Tony Petersen formerly principal of Nelson Elementary School has been named principal of an elementary school to be built at for Armstrong and Gettysburg avenues Linda Ann Hauser 28 was named to replace Petersen at Nelson She has been with the Clovis Unified School District for seven on dog leash telephoned the department The mother told officers the boy had been playing with his dog earlier in the evening and had taken it for a walk "She said the boy fixed her something to eat when he came home because she had the flu and that she fell asleep soon after she said "She Crabb said said the boy was with the dog leash before attorney Jeff Reich and $260 from attorney William Dawson The mayor received $250 each from Fresno physician Willie Brown his wife Julia of Just Jewelry Cantua Farms the Fresno City Employees Association consultant Jerry Harris of Gulf Pacific Vem McCalla who is in public relations and sales for Levi Strauss Co investor Jack Papazian Red Triangle Supply Co and Valle Verde Farms headed by west side grower and attorney Jess Telles Doig received $240 from developer consultant James Logan $235 from automobile dealer Frank Sanders and $190 each from attorney Marc A Stefano and the Central Labor Council of Fresno and Madera Counties The mayor received $180 each from Headliner Plumbing Co and developer Robert Vollens The boy was pronounced dead at Bloss Hospital shortly after he was rushed there unconscious from his home at on Swaps Avenue One end of the dog leash was found tied around a doorknob Crabb said The leash was looped over the door and the boy was found hanging with the dog collar around his neck he said Officers were dispatched to the home shortly after 8 pm after the boy's mother found her son and 20 fund-raising event he held to celebrate his 51st birthday Doig received contributions of $375 the maximum allowed under city ordinance from businessman RH Angel II Sel-More Accessories and the Fig Garden Land Co He also received $200 from Mike Jura of the Fig Garden Land Co Representatives of Kovacevich Randies gave Doig contributions totaling $900 which included $375 each from Elaine Kovacevich and Vince Kovacevich and $150 from Gertrude Kovacevich The mayor received $360 from the Board of Realtors Political Action Committee $335 from former dairyman and developer Walter Harpain $330 from businessman' Sam Simonian $320 from businessman Ray Stokes $305 from farmer John Garabedian $300 from Vincent Novak of Novak Realty and $290 from Jensen Auto Parts Doig's campaign statement also reports contributions of $275 from 1 Bee Metro staff ATWATER Police Tuesday were investigating the death of an 1 1-year-old Atwater boy who was found hanging at the end of a dog leash Monday night at his home Nelson Crabb an Atwater police sergeant said foul play does not appear to be involved "At this time it could be suicide or he said Doig Continued from Page B1 mayors convention in San Juan Puerto Rico and $277 for her to accompany him to mayors meetings in New York and Washington Doig's campaign paid $288 to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Antonio for his accommodations at a League of Cities convention The campaign paid $278 to Daugherty Travel for her travel to San Antonio according to the statement Doig also donated $255 to the American Lung Association $200 to the Children's Service Network and $100 to the Wilma Rudolph Foundation in Indianapolis The statement shows that he contributed $100 to Assemblyman Jim campaign for re-election The remainder of campaign expenditures related to a July the measure died in the Senate because of opposition from the Reagan administration and adjournment of Congress Yosemite in my district I am concerned about the Interior lack of any uniform policy and their inaction on the Grand Canyon does little to alleviate my Coelho said "We regulate every other facet of our nation's parks to preserve them for future generations so the airspace above them should not be an exception The buzz of an airplane does not fit with the serenity our parks are supposed to Matsunaga complained that the Interior Department and FAA have not acted to restrict low-flying air-Is and annpy- craft despite hazards ance to park visitors seeking solitude "This seeming indifference can only be laid to inertia jurisdictional infighting and resistance on the part of commercial Matsunaga said Jim Brannan president of the Fresno-based Golden Eagle Air Tours which offers sightseeing flights over Yosemite from Fresno and Mariposa said his firm supports the restrictions Golden Eagle has been operating tours over Yosemite since 1984 maintaining a self-imposed flight minimum of 2000 feet over the rim of the valley The legislation also calls for the Department of Interior and the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a three-year study to determine how low aircraft should be permitted to fly over all national parks Chris Chiames an aide to Coelho said only 10 parks would be studied but it was intended that all national parks and sites would be covered by the bill at final passage Those to be studied include Yosemite Hawaii Volcanoes Haleakala and Glacier national parks and Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Cumberland Island National Seashore All flights over the parks would be covered by the bill including those by militaty and civilian aircraft Coelho said his bill has bipartisan support from 38 House colleagues The House approved a similar measure by Coelho last year but of new Clovis elementary years most recently as a learning director at Clovis West High School Petersen 56 has been with the district for 23 years having worked as a coach resource teacher and administrator Petersen will receive an annual salary of $46250 Hauser will receive $36297 The appointments will take effect July 1.