Economic Development updates

The Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council (GTEDC) held their monthly meeting on March 6. On the first Wednesday of each month, the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council meets in The Village Collective, 120 S. Green Street, at 7:30 a.m. Business owners and community members are invited to attend to get live updates on the business climate in the Tehachapi area.

Among the first to present was Corey Torres from Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District (TVRPD), who talked briefly about the function of the special district. Established in 1959, TVRPD is a local government entity that operates independently of the city, county and state. A combination of 11 full time staff members and many volunteers see that 116 acres of parks and recreation centers are maintained across Tehachapi Valley.

TVRPD's Marketing and Recreation Specialist Sarai Diaz and Recreation Manager Brenda Gonzalez were excited to share an upcoming season packed full of events, sports and activities going on in the district. Starting on March 21, TVRPD and the City of Tehachapi will begin hosting an ongoing "Spring into Action" challenge, where community members can log miles with TVRPD using their phones, fitbits or other technology for running, hiking, swimming and biking. The challenge will go until June 21 and the top miles logged will receive an award.

On March 30, TVRPD will host an Easter Egg Hunt at West Park. The free event is open to kids up to age 10 and activities will include an egg hunt, cornhole and a bunny hop race. Soon after on April 8, the Dye Natatorium pool will open for the season and begin offering several classes: morning and evening laps and shallow and deep water aerobics. Dates and times will be announced closer to the pool's opening. May 18 will see the 2024 Fishing Derby, which is expected to see a large turnout. Participants must register for the competition online and have a valid fishing license if over the age of 16. Information about all of TVRPD's events can be found at: http://www.tvrpd.org/events/.

Since deciding to make Brews on the Mountain a beer-only event, TVRPD has been planning a similar wine-only event in the summer. Brews on the Mountain will be held at its normal time in September on Sept. 21. More information can be found on the TVRPD website listed above.

After TVRPD the Chamber of Commerce (CoC) shared their happenings. The first wine walk since 2019 was held on Feb. 10 and was a smashing success, with the Visitor Center clocking over 600 visitors on the day. On April 20 at Meadowbrook Park, the Chamber will host the Tehachapi Wind Festival and Kite Flying Tournament, where kite and wind enthusiasts can gather to celebrate Tehachapi's winds.

The City of Tehachapi then spoke about their valuable job of connecting brokers, owners and developers to businesses and franchises. For the past five years, the city has been working on getting a certain franchise in Tehachapi. While they can't yet say who, the city was excited to announce that the franchise had finally taken an interest in the area.

Kern County announced their annual Career and STEM Expo, a highly sought out fair available to juniors and seniors in Kern County high schools. Visit cte.kernhigh.org/apps/pages/careerexpo for more information. The county was also happy to report that a new clean up initiative saw 110 dump sites and over 75 tons of trash cleaned up in January alone.