Home Care In Armona, CA

In today’s economy, some businesses come and go like the weather. Others have staying power — the strength to find ways to prosper, no matter what the challenges.

Count Hotchkiss Construction Inc. in the last category. Since 1967, the family-owned Kings County company has built, adjusted and adapted to whatever the economy has sent down the pipe.

Lately, with construction activity way down from three years ago, the business has diversified by buying CBS Doors Inc. in Armona.

But that’s just the latest twist in a long-running story with one constant: The Hotchkiss family.

“I see a lot of family businesses that do thrive, and a lot of that is trust,” said Ryan Hotchkiss. “You trust the people you work with. They care about you.”

At 28, Ryan is the youngest member of the Hotchkiss clan involved, running CBS Doors Inc. The roots of the business go way, way back, long before Ryan was born. His great-great grandfather, Earl Hotchkiss, was a farmer, but he developed a carpentry trade on the side.

That’s the bloodline Hotchkiss Construction Inc. traces from. But it was a long time before the family decided on an official name. Earl’s grandson, Bruce, actually started the business in 1967. Maurice Hotchkiss, who was Bruce’s father and Earl’s grandson, worked for Bruce in the early years.

Bruce’s son Kevin grew up with his dad going to construction sites, helping out and learning the trade, bit by bit. Now 52, Kevin still works construction sites with Bruce, who is 74. Sometimes joining in is Ryan, who specializes in wood-finishing work.

“I think my dad especially likes working with us, his son and grandson,” Kevin said.

All the jobs are custom, as they have been for the Hotchkiss family since the beginning. That ability to do just about everything themselves has served the business well.

Many general contractors end up subcontracting out their work. Not Hotchkiss, Bruce said. In the company’s long history, they’ve picked up the ability to do almost every kind of work. So when new construction crashed a few years ago, the Hotchkiss men shifted to more specialized jobs such as remodeling.

“For us, things kept going at a steady pace,” Bruce said.

Bruce said he still works every day, and hopes to keep working every day, until his life is over.

“I enjoy it too much,” he said.

For his son and grandson, it’ll probably be the same story. They’ve made a good living out if it. They’ve adjusted to housing slowdowns, crashes, you name it. They’re making a go of it in the door business.

“I found out I loved working with my hands,” Ryan said.

Expect to see Hotchkiss Construction Inc. and CBS Doors Inc. hang around for the next Hotchkiss generation to join.

“I don’t know how we’ve lasted this long,” Bruce said. “I guess we worked hard, tried to treat people right.”

ARMONA — Public meetings held by the Armona Community Service District Board aren’t usually marked by controversy, but the last one, on Sept. 11, was by all accounts a heated one.

The reason? The sky-high water bills residents in this small unincorporated community between Hanford and Lemoore have been receiving over the summer.

Ismael Hernandez, a food vendor, paid a $218.15 monthly bill on Wednesday for water, sewer, garbage and streetlights. The water portion was by far the biggest chunk — $161.65.

Last month, Hernandez paid $259 — $202.95 of that for water.

“I think the price is too much,” Hernandez said in an interview on Thursday. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I have friends in Hanford. They pay between $50-$65.”

The same kind of bills drove dozens of other irate residents to the Sept. 11 meeting, which at one point degenerated into shouting as some angry ratepayers demanded to know why the water is so expensive.

Water district board member Jim Maciel acknowledged in an interview that Armona water rates are in the top 5 percent in the Central Valley. But Maciel said a number of factors have left the district with no choice.

For years, the district has been trying to clean up the expensive problem of arsenic in the water that has bedeviled attempts to solve it. Armona’s water has been over the limit of federal arsenic standards of 10 parts per billion maximum in the water for several years.

In an effort to address the problem, Armona has drilled wells and built a treatment plant. The district still owes $1.4 million on the two wells it has, Maciel said. A third well in the planning stages will cost even more. If the arsenic problem isn’t cleaned up by 2014, Armona could face huge federal fines.

Armona has applied for grants, but been turned down because the median income is considered too high, Maciel said. That means the district has taken out loans and incorporated the financing costs into water rates. Maciel said the costs have been steadily climbing for the last few years.

With only 1,100 households to spread the costs around, there’s nowhere for rates to go but up, he said. There’s a flat rate for up to 6,000 gallons a month, with per-gallon overage charges more than doubling after that.

“We have nothing to hide,” Maciel said. “We’re members of the district. Anything we pass affects us as much as anyone else.”

But community members aren’t satisfied.

“We’re going to see if they have some solutions,” said Manuel Lopez, an unofficial spokesman for irritated residents. “They are the ones who maybe have the ways to do it, I don’t know.”

Maciel said the district could raise the 6,000-gallon limit for the base rate, but would then likely have to jack up overage charges even higher to make up the difference.

The district is working on a pamphlet to help residents read their water meters to better monitor their water use, he said.

The district is also trying to get the state to reconsider its median-income calculation so that Armona can qualify for grant money. Maciel said the state turned down the district’s grant applications because it was looking at a census area that went beyond district boundaries, roping in higher-income earners in outlying areas and artificially jacking up the median income.

In any case, district board members are likely to see more residents show up at the next meeting on Oct. 9 to demand explanations.

“I hope the next meeting, we’re going to have some answers,” Lopez said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432 or [email protected].

ARMONA — In an effort to expand into a community where it didn’t previously have services, Kings Community Action Organization has purchased a child development center in Armona.

KCAO began operating the newly named Armona Learning Center, located at 13835 Lyn St., in April. The organization purchased the child development center, formerly called Edukids Preschool, in January.

Jeff Garner, executive director of KCAO, said the agency is always on the lookout to broaden the landscape of its services in the county, so the organization jumped at the opportunity to buy the building when it became aware of the sale.

“We fell in love with the location,” Garner said. “We felt it fit with our mission and was an important step for the agency.”

Garner said KCAO approached the previous owners and worked out the details of buying the building. Everything worked out and Garner said it was the “perfect situation” not only for the organization, but for staff and local families

The licensed facility holds two classrooms with restrooms, a kitchen, a space for staff and a spacious play area. One good thing was that most of the items in the building are relatively new, Garner said, so KCAO didn’t have to make too many improvements.

The Armona Learning Center is a year-round site and currently has 69 children, Garner said.

The center provides full-day child development services on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for 23 children, and part day services on weekdays either in the morning session or afternoon session for 46 children.

The full-day program is for children whose parent or parents work full time, while the part-day programs are for children whose parents’ work day is a little more flexible. Garner said the programs were made this way to best serve all different types of family situations.

Briana Whitten, the assistant site supervisor at Preston Green Learning Center, is currently overseeing the Armona Learning Center while its site supervisor, Teresa Avila, is on vacation.

Whitten said the center, which is still in the process of transitioning from Edukids to the Armona Learning Center, still has room left in the full-day program for more students.

Besides living in Kings County, Garner said there are certain measures to determine whether the child can attend the Armona Learning Center, including family income and other needs.

Even if a child doesn’t qualify for the Armona Learning Center, Garner encourages parents to visit or call the KCAO office to see if they are eligible for one of the agency’s other programs.

The Armona Learning Center joins the 13 other early care and education centers operated by KCAO throughout Kings County. Garner said the program is funded by the California Department of Education’s State Preschool Program.

Now, KCAO has either an early care or education center in the communities of Armona, Avenal, Kettleman City, Corcoran, Hanford and Lemoore.

KCAO has provided early education services to children and families for over five decades and currently serves over 1,500 children annually through the Head Start and child development programs.

ARMONA – The Christmas Tree lot in Armona is open for business and bustling with families on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree.

Started over 40 years ago by Armona volunteer firefighters and now run by Kings County Firefighters Local Union 3747 for the past four years, the tree lot provides an annual tradition for families and a way for local firefighters to give back to their community.

All proceeds from sales go to the union’s charity fund which supports numerous non-profit organizations. A partial list includes the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation Champ Camp, Kings County Foster Care, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Pioneer Middle School Band, Hanford FFA, Sober Grad celebrations and many local youth athletic leagues.

Josh Cunningham, union president, said in addition to the work the firefighters do every day for the community, this is just another way for the firefighters to give back.

Cunningham, who's worked at the tree lot since 1997 when he was a volunteer firefighter, said a lot of the firefighters have helped with the lot for many years as well. He said they get to know the repeat customers and families who stop by every year.

"The fun part is seeing those same families and watching the kids grow up," Cunningham said. "It's a tradition we're keeping alive."

With around 800 fresh trees shipped in from Oregon, customers can choose between Douglas and Noble Fir ranging in size from 2 feet to 10 feet.

Firefighters and students from local youth organizations can help you choose a tree, put your stand on (also available for purchase), and load it for you. Trees can be custom flocked on site and even include the ever-popular glitter option.

The Christmas tree lot is located at Kings County Fire Station 5, 11235 14th Ave. in Armona. Hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 9p.m. They will also be open until Christmas Eve, inventory permitting.

Cunningham said there is a Christmas tree shortage this year, so the lot wasn't able to get as many trees as they have in past years. He encourages people looking for trees to do so as soon as possible.

Tree prices are $30 and up and fresh wreaths are $20. Military and public safety discounts are available with valid ID.

Come out to find the perfect tree while making family memories and a difference in your community.

Kings County supervisors approved a letter of support in requesting $2 million in earmarked funds from the state budget for a homeless shelter Tuesday, but only after the initial site in Armona was removed from the funding request.

The shelter project as presented consists of a 65,000 square-foot warehouse-like facility which would operate as a kitchen, foodbank, low barrier shelter and housing navigation center located in either Armona or Hanford. A 5.6-acre lot in Armona was listed in the request as the preferred site because the Kings Community Action Organization already owns the land.

Several Armona residents asked the board to reject the proposal, however, saying the shelter would have a negative impact on nearby schools and neighbors if it was built on the 11486 Oak Ave. lot.

Isaias and Imis Gonzalez urged the board to consider the potential exposure to children in the community.

Human Services Director Wendy Osikafo assured the board that a final location for the center had not been chosen, and the property in Armona was suggested because it was large enough to develop on and it was already owned by the Kings Community Action Organization. Therefore, if the earmarked funds were approved, none of the funding would have to be used to acquire property.

Osikafo listed statistics supporting the need for a homeless shelter in the county, and said the homeless population doesn't consist of what some would consider the homeless stereotype.

"While there are folks that have chosen not to be sheltered, chose to return to the streets, we've had a lot of success," said Osikafo. "We are working with some first time homeless folks. We are working with 39 percent of the population having a disability. We are working with 6% that are veterans, and 27% that are over (age) 55. So there is a portion of the homeless population that are a bit unseen and not the stereotype and I just wanted to share some of that data to express why this is an important project for this community."

Osikafo then introduced Jeff Garner, executive director of Kings Community Action Organization, who explained the project concept and potential design.

"The project concept is priority one, site is priority two," said Garner.

The joint-use building would house a kitchen, foodbank, housing navigation center and low barrier emergency shelter. The foodbank and kitchen would encompass roughly 75% of the facility, while the remaining 25% would be used as a shelter and navigation center.

Garner emphasized that the location on Oak Avenue in Armona was chosen for convenience, as the entire facility would fit on the lot without having to be broken up.

"When we bought this property in August our intention was to make this our foodbank and centralized kitchen, but as we brainstormed on this concept, and instead of developing on two different properties, we thought this was a big enough piece of property to do it all on one piece of property," said Garner. "But this isn't where we're putting all of our eggs. This isn't the basket that we're doing that. We are still working with the City of Hanford to find locations that might be more suitable for this type of project."

Garner said that between $13 million and $16 million would be needed to fully fund the project, and a cost of $1.2 million would be incurred for annual operating costs.

Supervisor Rusty Robinson opened the board discussion, saying that the constituents who live near the Armona site are nearly split on the project, but that those opposed were extremely opposed. Robinson said he could not support the project if it were to be built at the Armona location.

"Unless I were to have assurances that this project would not go in Armona, I can't support the project," said Robinson. "You will greatly change the dynamics in the City of Armona with this project."

Before it went to the board for a vote, Osikafo requested the recommendation be amended to remove specification of the Armona location for the shelter and that the funding instead be used to seek property in Hanford.

With the amendment to the request, the board unanimously approved a letter of support for a request to the state for the earmarked funds.

In addition to the homeless shelter request, the board approved a letter of support for the request of $15 million from the state budget to help fund an integrated health center. The request by Public Health Executive Director Rose Mary Rahn was unanimously approved without concerns or questions. While the funds will not cover the entire project, they will cover a down payment on the 85,000 square-foot facility.

In other business the board:

- agreed to write a letter of support for the Santa Rosa Indian Community to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support the acquisition of 37.19 acres of land south of Jersey Avenue.

- appointed Eric Gonzalez as the county's Director of Finance. Gonzalez will begin on March 13.

- heard an update on American Rescue Plan Act funds, which assist small businesses in recovering from financial hardship due to COVID-19. The update noted there is $3.5 million dollars remaining in available funding. The county has received 421 applications, 141 of which have been approved and 132 of those approved have received their funding.

The next Kings County Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for March 7 beginning at 9 a.m.

Editor's note: This story has been updated. Kings County backed a $2 million request, the board of supervisors did not approve the money. Additionally, the Armona property initially proposed for a homeless shelter site is owned by Kings Community Action Organization, not the county.