Government roundup: City director who oversaw redevelopment to retire, more
By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
Economic Development Director Donna Kunz has said she plans to retire from full-time work in August.
"Our organization will be losing an irreplaceable department head this year," City Manager Alan Tandy said in a memo Tuesday. "Her outstanding leadership has resulted in a revitalization of downtown among many other accomplishments."
Kunz began as the city's economic development director in 2001 and oversaw the city's part in several redevelopment and grant-funded projects in recent years, such as low- and moderate income housing and several senior housing projects, playgrounds, cleanup of blighted property and streetscape improvements. She previously was the deputy director of economic and community development in Riverside.
Kunz said she's been planning for three years to retire, but that the state's recent decision to end redevelopment agencies also was a factor.
The Economic and Community Development department has learned it will get a $1.4 million grant from the state department of Housing and Community Development, according to the city memo.
The grant will be used to help 36 first-time homebuyers with their downpayments to buy townhouses in the Creekview Villas housing development. Creekview Villas, near California Avenue and R Street, is part of the South Mill Creek development and is for low- to moderate-income homebuyers.
Right now, 14 of the planned 36 units are finished, and those will be for sale in the next few weeks.
Drivers can expect more truck traffic on Coffee and Gosford roads between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the next six to eight weeks.
Up to 40 trucks making about 10 trips a day will be used to haul dirt from the Bakersfield Sports Village on Taft Highway to the Westside Parkway construction site by Coffee and Brimhall roads, city staff said.
The dirt is to build up the profile of the new Westside Parkway, which is to run east-west from Truxtun Avenue to Heath Road.
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