Oildale, after celebrating 100 years, is soon to change. Plans made from the opinions gathered at the Oildale Visioning Workshop in November 2008 were revealed on the evening of Feb 27 at Beardsley School.
Mike Maggard, the Kern County Third District Supervisor, presented his 10-year plan for renovating Oildale. “All the ideas are an outgrowth of the ideas that were expressed here in November,” said Maggard. “Tonight probably 25 percent, maybe 30 percent of the people here weren’t here in November. They found themselves trying to catch up, and they had new ideas they wanted to make sure they got on the table.
“No ideas are solidified yet. It’s an open palette we can do whatever we want.” A major project and one that is priority for Maggard as well as Oildale citizens is putting curbs and gutters into unmaintained roads.
“We need sidewalks. It’s America 101,” said Scott Proctor, originally from Los Angeles County, who purchased a four plex as an investment in July 2008.
“The county for, I’ve been a county supervisor for two years,” said Maggard. “The county for 15 years at least maybe longer has overlooked maintaining our road system. So there are areas in the county that they basically quit maintaining the roads, and they’re dirt roads.”
Maggard has formed a $3.8 million curb and gutter project from South Oildale up to Norris Road. Maggard said, “The supervisors recognize that so much has been overlooked that we must take the opportunity to invest in and repair and refurbish those roads.”
Where a worsening economy may cause budget cuts, Maggard said there is little need to worry about not have new curbs in Oildale. “It is possible granted that it will not survive the 09-10 budget cycle we’re gonna go through but I think that it is very likely that it will last. Not only because it is important in our infrastructure but because with the way the economy has turned we can get done now for about 40 cents on the dollar what it cost us to do just two years ago. We get a much bigger bang for the buck with tax payer money.”
Attendees also called for a community clean up. Maggard happily replied that a cleam up had already been scheduled for mid March. Maggard was very happy the the community was seeing their needs met. “Serendipity you know,” said Maggard. “You ever heard of how you create you’re own luck? You do a lot of things, and what do you know things come together.
Some attendees expressed concern for making Oildale into just another part of Bakersfield. “We’re just human beings and human beings are always a little nervous and even afraid sometimes of change,” said Maggard.
“There are some folks that are worried about that but it’ll be slow enough I think we’ll be OK. The vast majority of people who run into me want nothing more than to revitalize the streets of Oildale.”
Although some Oildale citizens are concerned about preserving Oildale, others applaud Maggard’s efforts to revitalize the land north of the river. “We got a guy here who is on a crusade for our area,” said Tom Clark, an attendee of the event. “He’s made a lot of progress here.”
Maggard’s plan includes new bike trails, building a town square and holding street fairs. “I only get to do this for so long,” said Maggard, “and I want to shake the tree as hard I as can while I get to do it.”