Positive projections for 2018

Welcome to 2018, a year of remarkable potential and, dare I say, a historic year for our community on the business and commerce front.

2018 will include a major shift in our local retail with the addition of Walmart. As construction crews break ground and go to work on this long-awaited project, the opportunities for jobs, local tax revenues, improved infrastructure and accompanying new businesses will be unprecedented. It is another step in the responsible growth that our City has been preparing for, I know we are up to the challenge.

This year will also see the opening of the new Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley Hospital, a $100 million project that will advance the level of care available to local patients. I commend Adventist Health for their investment in our community, they have gone above and beyond to ensure that the new hospital was opened appropriately and while that took time, the results will be astounding. We also expect that the new hospital will attract additional investment from the health care industry in our area.

These projects and the others that accompany them mean jobs as well. I can say with certainty that in Tehachapi in 2018, we're hiring good people to fill important jobs within our community. It's an exciting time for our City.

On the entrepreneur front, our historic downtown is one of the gems of Tehachapi. It is a focus of tourism, special events and plenty of history. Over the last decade a lot of work has been done on Downtown infrastructure, architecture, culture, and now we're seeing another evolution of sorts, new business.

I, along with City staff, have had multiple meetings over the last month with business owners that are reinvesting in Downtown. There are new concepts being brought to the table that we feel will further enhance the reasons people visit our Downtown. These businesses are not only going to be helpful for local residents, but are the types of destinations that will bring visitors from surrounding communities into the area.

The County of Kern was also a big part of this latest shift in Downtown having opened their new Tehachapi Library Branch in the former Masonic Lodge on Green Street. If you have not had the chance to see this building yet it is a wonderful addition to Downtown. My thanks to Supervisor Zack Scrivner for his vision on this project and all who were involved in making a beautiful downtown library a reality.

I'm confident thanks to local reinvestments and great community partners, that Downtown in 2018 will be better than ever. The New Year has arrived and it is time to get to work on these exciting projects for Tehachapi.