doing upgrades at our water plant, looking at innovative technologies to deliver safe and reliable drinking water, as well as looking at ways to acquire additional resources of water. In terms of drought, we are looking for other ways to be able to secure more water allocations during years of drought, to ensure that we have an adequate supply for our residents and businesses.” Road and sewer infrastructure upgrades are ongoing, as well as work on the natural gas system, which is maintained by the City of Coalinga.“We are looking at the capacity to make sure that we can support the growth that the council and the community are desiring,” says Brewer.“We have to make sure that we have the capacity to be able to support that growth as well.” Looking to the future of the city Brewer asserts, “We’re trying to be the most business-attractive city. We’re open to any and all business at this point, in terms of trying to bring folks in, trying to diversify what’s available to the community, and being open for folks that are willing to invest in this community. We have some big initiatives right now.” To put more of a focus on economic development, the city has contracted with the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, business recruitment firm Retail Strategies, and public relations company Criscom.“All three of those are really to help us bring new businesses to Coalinga. We have sort of a target of who we’d like to bring, we definitely need more retail, we need more restaurants, we need family entertainment. We pay an annual contract fee that’s pretty significant to each one of those companies because our five members who are serving on the city council are very pro-growth. So, we’re making some pretty significant investments to try to bring new businesses to Coalinga,” Trejo says. With progressive planning and a friendly approach, the City of Coalinga will continue to welcome new opportunities, securing its reputation as “The most business-friendly city in the state of California.” 174 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 08
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