| July 18, 2002
Lockeford to hold first MAC meeting tonight
By Ross
Farrow/News-Sentinel staff writer
Today will be a historic occasion with the
first-ever meeting of the Lockeford Municipal
Advisory Council.
The seven-member council will advise San
Joaquin County officials about issues covering
public works projects, public health, safety,
welfare and land-use issues in the Lockeford area.
The council consists of temporary chairman
Timothy Fowler along with Robert Marty, Lani
Eklund, Peter Bregman, Don Litchfield, Chris
Littlefield and Roy Wales.
"We hope to be the spokespeople for the
community and hope to have a little more clout
than individuals would," said Bregman, a certified
and financial planner who has lived near Highway
88 and Kettleman Lane since 1978.
"I hope it will be a voice for the community
and help to shape the community so that we can
live in Lockeford and enjoy the reasons we moved
to Lockeford," said Eklund, co-owner of the
historic Inn at Locke House on Elliott Road.
The council's inaugural meeting will begin at 7
p.m. today at the Lockeford Community Center's
McDonald Building, 19456 N. Jack Tone Road.
Monthly public meetings will be held on the third
Thursday of each month.
In addition to electing officers, Fowler has
placed four items on the MAC's first agenda:
 | A report by Chris Locke, a Lockeford
Community Services District board member, on
plans for Lockeford's first park. It could be
built on 10.21 acres the district purchased this
year from the pioneer Hammond family on Tully
Road, just south of Lockeford Elementary School.
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| What can be done with the large abandoned
building at the northwest corner of Highway 88
and Elliott in the heart of Lockeford's business
district.
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| A tentative subdivision map for Lockeford
Vista, Unit 2, a proposal for about 34 homes on
the south side of Highway 88 in the eastern end
of town. The Lockeford Vista developer, however,
has not acquired water and sewer rights,
according to Joe Salzman, general manager of the
Lockeford Community Services District.
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| Plans for traffic signals on Highway 88 at
Victor Road and on the highway at the
Tully/Elliott road intersection.
|
Two more stop lights are planned on Highway 88,
one at Victor Road and another at the intersection
of Tully and Elliott roads. Bregman said he wants
to make sure Caltrans' plans don't become delayed
like they have in the past.
Fowler said a Caltrans representative is
scheduled to attend the MAC's Aug. 15 meeting.
Fowler noted the need for more traffic safety
in light of two major accidents that took place in
the Lockeford area during the past week. One was a
fatal truck-pedestrian accident on Highway 88 near
Victor Road, and another crash at Elliott and
Highway 88.
"That's somewhat of a frequent occurrence,"
Fowler said.
Bregman said he hopes a municipal advisory
council in Lockeford can encourage important
projects like traffic lights on Highway 88 to be
accelerated.
He said he has witnessed many severe traffic
accidents near his residence at Highway 88 and
Kettleman Lane, yet it took until last fall to
have a traffic light installed at that
intersection. |
