Community Input

Results from Phase III Community Forums:

Centennial High - March 29, 2000

Our Slogan

Great place to live
Bakersfield..Oh Yeah! I drove through there once
Bakersfield - a town for all things local
There is something for everyone
Small town with a BIG heart
An equal opportunity community
Bakersfield�.Oh Yeah
The future is yours
Growing towards the future

Our Image

Cleaner
Great place to live
Diverse
Green
Clean
Agricultural community + big city
Successful and entertainment filled town
More trees and greenery
Better malls
A better one - no "redneck"
Cheap housing
Conservatives
Cultural and racial diversity
We are not all farmers! I don't drive a tractor!
People think that it's a place to retire
Clean and safe city
Advertising for events
Primarily agricultural
More business
More community involvement
More "nature"
More waterways
Major shopping town

Our Reputation

Safe and enjoyable community
Clean city
Friendly
Good location
A lot of recreation
Needs to change - just the people need to help with our reputation
A town with opportunities
A place to vacation
Not hicks
Bakersfield needs a facelift, no more hickville
Strong standings
Agriculture
Lots of jobs (for homeless and financially impaired families)
Strong on values
A good place to raise a family
Small, serene community

Civic Culture

Active & involved
Open gyms
More community informed
Community togetherness
Family oriented
More museums
More plays (big ones like Les Miserables)
Very involved - town meeting - community involvement high

Business Environment

More job opportunities
More technology
Variety of jobs
Unemployment at a low
More stable income of oil - not based on OPEC
Lower gas prices
Higher minimum wage
More jobs-
Improve technology
Big industries
Record companies
More businesses geared towards teenagers, restaurants, clubs
Higher wages
Better shops, not necessarily in the malls
Casinos
Jobs that offer training for future offered to teens
Bigger companies Ex: Sony, Mattel
Need more "big" businesses
A bigger medical clinic (like Sansom Clinic)
Bigger/better airport
Local businesses use the internet to sell products in a global market

Arts & Culture

More diversity
More concerts & plays/musicals
Appeals to all ages
More facilities
More people brought to Centennial Garden
Recording studios
Not the land of Buck Owens
More variety in the arts. Sure we have a few live theaters but what about just music or art (paintings etc)
No culture, needs a greater influence from American Indians, pagans, something other than Christian
An Art Museum for the local talent
A bigger museum and art gallery
A bigger theater
Night clubs
Bigger variety of concerts
More melodrama/plays (cheaper)
Music for everyone -divers
More big performers
More money to Pioneer Village

Heart of the City

Downtown should be (the hert) if restored well!
More needed and flourishing businesses downtown
Homeless Center (Big)
More community oriented activities where families can go
Family oriented
Friendly people
More places for disabled children
More trees
Centennial Gardens
The heart of the city should be the youth but it's not
More kids centers. Ex: Boys and Girls Club
Public gym and rec area
More cultural activities
Improve the area surrounding the Kern River�offer recreational facilities/parks
Marketplace and Chester are the heart of Bakerfield
Downtown needs to be upgraded (more trees)
Not safe enough to go out at night alone
The Bakersfield sign
Downtown: restaurants, clubs/entertainment, bars, no bums, more color-lights-trees-benches, sidewalks, public restrooms, more up to date
More shops
Lights, bright signs
Maze craze & water slides
Hard Rock Caf� of Bakersfield
Focus on downtown "Isla Vista"

Our Values

Community involvement
Family
Working together
God
Taking care of elderly/disabled
Classic conservative
The consideration for others
Especially in schools the value is on athletics way too much
Cleaner, safer community
Children's future
Sudents will not have books, they would use a laptop computer and disks for all their classes. They would have access to internet
Good clean fun
Family oriented
Tolerance
Hard workers
Involvement

Technology

More in schools - better
Schools need computers
Jobs based on technology
New Silicone Valley
More DSL & cable providers
More tech educatio
We need to better prepare our youth to go on & succeed
A larger improvement in tech. For schools
More librairies
More computers in librairies
Trollies run through downtown
Better public transportation
Wider roads
A better bike path with more trees and less bums
More involvement through internet
Newer technology for schools
Robotics factory

Transportation

More of it! - larger means of public transport
Less air pollution
Better roads
"Metro"
Bus prices lower
Train station needs to be away from the busy areas
Amtrak trains
We need a major airport, not the small planes we have
How bout shuttle vans rather than buses
Better transportation
Safer public trans.
Different variety of transporation
More flexible traveling
Less pollution
Bullet train
Beef up the GET
Light rail
Better bike path - cross town access
Subway
Monorail

Biggest Changes

Upgrading the whole city, mainly the S.W.
More plants and treees, less dirt
Football here & baseball
Building more schools that are helping out the kids these days
Soccer stadium
A new technological university
More clubs
Broader views-not so local-mindedMore KMC - more productive
Bigger colleges with mor programs offered
Clean up the whole city
Centennial Garden
Marketplace
Big city
Cost of living
No more country stuff
More local TV stations
More rock stations
Affordable Theme Park, Water Park

Break Thrus

Downtown Bakersfield restored
More businesses = more jobs
Safe (crime at a low)
Getting little kids to read more books and helping to learn that reading is important
Bigger events in music
A big break through for this town would be the acceptance of diversity and the lack of fear from one another
Amusement park
Water park
New freeways
Alternative energy resources
Need substitutes for gasoline or cars
Indoor ski hill
New college
Water resort - new lake etc. more jet ski, boat, places to go

Looking Back I'm Most Proud of�

The effort to try and improve the community
The growing
Family environment

In our Community's Future We Wanted and We Got�

Beautify Rosedale Hwy
Larger corporations (businesses)
Space amp for kids
Dance clubs for kids 18 and under
Outlet malls
Better malls ( Nordstroms)
Music played @ Malls (live bands)
More gyms -free recreation; upgard recreation
Welcome to Bakersfield sign
More nature/exercise paths
Longer lunch hours
More trees
Water parks
More Starbucks
Lakes (better ones)
Year round schools
Prettier (more trees, flowers, less dirt and dead grass)
More free sakte parks
Higher pay rates
More Bagels & Blenders (by Centennial)
More appealing to the eye
More activities for youth (i.e. concerts, pro-games, etc.
More places like the Market Place (more appealing to the eye)
Splash Cafee
Better libraries
Upgrading the whole city, mainly the S.W.
More plants and treees, less dirt
Upgrading the whole city, mainly the S.W.
More plants and treees, less dirt
More parks and recreation areas
Stricter laws against drugs and hate crimes
More transportation, maybe "Metro"
Better roadways
More youth facilities to keep problems off the streets
Cleaner cities, it looks dirty around here
More community oriented activities like "First Night"
More forms of entertainment. Not everyone likes that twangy country crap
Lass strict laws on skateboarding
Medical school
Put more money into our schools: lower class size, hire more and more qualified teachers, offer more choices in school
Computer Businesses - Occupation
Improve public librairies
Put in more palm trees
More patrol on the bake path
More plants and trees around Bakersfield
Lower gas prices
18 yr old drinking law
Water Park
Amusement Park
Soccer stadium
Restoration of older communities
MLS, NFL, NBA, MLB teams
More churches (activities)
Something to get people to stop instead of just driving through
Better air
10 commandments back in the schools
Wolesome places for kids to hangout
More colleges and private schools
IMAX movie theatre
Zoo
Green - more grass
Better college programs (business, petroleum, agriculture programs at CSUB)
College events, something to attract people to go to college here, equestrian courses, concerts, better advertising
Better curriculum, we don't test well cause we're not actually learning, just getting good grades (high school)
More activiites that are less expensive
More electives in high school
Controlled growth
Clean air
Good paying jobs
We want more opportunity for East Bakersfield
More community service/involvement
More funding for education (so we can compete with Clovis)
More public parks
More public restrooms
Controlled theater growth
Outdoor options - hiking trails, ATV rental, horse rides, cleaner parks, water slides, amusement park
Mall of America to be center of town
Recycling cans with garbage
Attractive Old Town Kern to be able to see our old city beautiful
Airport
Outdoor mall/recreation (Ex. Santa Barbara)
Cultural places to visit
More parks in the Northwest area
Sculptures
To be able to window shop downtown
Sports facilities for teens/children/adults
Clean lakes!
Better "hangouts"
Water in Kern River
We want to maintain our agriculture
Variety of restaurants
A better reputation
More drug rehab centers
Better law enforcement
More "Boys and Girls Club" type centers
Better downtown living
Places to go to have fun for everyone. Activities: rock climbing, skiing, swimming/diving

In our Community's Future We Didn't Want and We Didn't Get...

No more movie theaters
No more housing developments
No more Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Rite-Aids
No 10pm curfew for minors
GET bus ( no more)
Dirt fields, tractors on the busy roads
Useless oil derricks
Shopping centers/grocery stores
Overcrowded facilities
Police thinking they can do anything they want like mess up traffic laws - they don't respect them
Huge diversity in culture, this causes problems
Slums
Dirty streets -trash
Homeless people on busy streets ( or homeless at all)
The immigration problems
Power unevenly dispersed
Poor budget management
Expansion of Bakersfield, taking away too much agricultural land
Overcrowded schools
Any more movie theaters
Teen rape, child abuse
Teen drop out
No more gangs
Drugs
Teen prenancy
Bad people released in our state that have done crimes in another state
Run-down hotels
Prostitution
Prejudice
Racial division
Strip clubs
18 yr. Old drinking law
Nigh clubs
El Caminos
Unequal distribution of funds and resources
Gerrymandering of school districts for socio-economic reasons
Oildale
Buck Owens Blvd.
Bad education raings -California's too low
Discrimination - culture is low and segregated. Ex. East side and N.W.
No ghetto areas
People not involved in their community
Empty shopping centers
Unemployment
Over urbanization
Bad air days
Over-cultivated residential areas (we need more land with more space in housing areas)
Business environment in residential neighborhoods
No more high schools to be built
Less golf course, country clubs
Graffiti
Crime
Blight
Traffic congestion/accidents
No more K-marts, Wal-marts or dumpy shopping centers
No more cheap theaters shut down the old - open new big ones
No opportunity

Our Vision for Downtown

Museums
Good hospitals
Night clubs
Big Lake
Magic Mountain
Football stadium
Police Station
Better roads
Help schools in all Downtwon
Cleaner neighborhoods N of 34th
Museum: fix the roads, better landscape, cleaner, Amusement park
Gang counselors near Lakeview
Water slikdes
Lots of trees
YMCA N of 34th
Homeless Shelter and Park S of California bet. Union and Chester
Lake E of Lakeview
Grocery Store on California W of Union
Beale - Clean up this area a lot
Bigger streets - California
Clean the highway better (99)
All people need to help out with the problems of Bakersfield
More road work on all roads
Clean up image N of Golden State - fix the road
No homeless
Homeless center N of 34th
A play center for disabled kids S of California
Clean up Union Ave
Image of Rancho Motel
Keep improving our town image
Expanding fo the business district
Restore buildings S of California
More events for teens near Lakeview
Streetscape N of 34th
Beale Ave. area: economic engeine; need equal distribution of funds; More police officers patroling the area; Events
Go cart ract rack S of California
Better shops
Better parking everywhere
Bigger arcades
Restaurants (with more than just food - like performers or themes) with teenager/young adult appeal
I would like to be able to "walk" downtown
Drop in to entertainment downtown
Lakeview area needs to be cleaned up
Street Fairs along California
Add trees and flowers to hide Hwy 99
Along highway have murals (covers graffiti - improves overall look and style and drive
Waterslides
Entertainment for all cultures
Clean up along Golden State Hwy
Playgrounds near 34th
Fix Padre Hotel
Computer library
Canal like in Venice
Mall of America
Better living - apratments - fix blight
Add restaurants and shops
Fix up hotels
Add events
Trollies around down town
Make roads look better
More places to go - 34th st. cafes, shops
Renovations - facelift
More hours for buses on weekends
Career Center in E. Bakersfield
Nursery, fix buildings on Bakers T. More Homeless Shelters
Lakeview: Teaching center, restaurants, safer church environment. Boys and Girls Club, street signs, Bigger shopping center, Parke security, fix streets, neighborhood watch