Los Banos Rotary Club History
Nickel Explains Function of New Road Committee

The function and scope of the newly-created county-wide Chamber of Commerce road committee was explained to members of the local Rotary Club Tuesday noon by George Nickel Jr., committee chairman. The committee was organized, Nickel said, to make a thorough study of road problems throughout the county and to cooperate with the county board of supervisors in seeking a solution of these problems.

With nearly one and a half million dollars to be made available to Merced county next year for road construction, repair and maintenance, the public is intensely interested in all county road problems. The county wide committee can be of great assistance in determining and crystallizing the needs of each community and the uniting of individual community wishes into a county-wide plan.

Nickel said that though the supervisors have not as yet recognized the committee as an official advisory board, they have individually expressed themselves favorably toward the committee and state they welcome and appreciate the interest and cooperation that is being shown.

The committee, Nickel emphasized, has pledged itself to subjugate selfish community interest and to think and act on a county-wide basis. The initial project, of course, will be to study and work with the supervisors on the new county road plan, which will give total road mileage and designate primary and secondary county roads.

Explaining the road situation generally, Nickel said the Burns Collier bill, passed at the last session of the legislature, will provide the county with about $575,000 a year for at least five years. Previous state allotments, plus the 25 cent road tax in unincorporated area, will make available a fund about ten times as large as in any single year before the war. Before any of this money can become available, Nickel emphasized, the county board of supervisors must adopt a unified county road plan, and name a county road commissioner who will have complete charge of all roads in the county. This provision is already being considered by the supervision and the appointment will be made well in advance of the January 1 deadline.

Regarding local community road needs, Nickel said he believed all local groups and individuals should take an interest in local roads, and express their opinion as to where and how this money should be spent. The Los Banos Chamber of Commerce will be asked to take the lead in ascertaining local opinion by calling a series of public meetings, where all groups and individuals can meet and formulate a unified plan for presentation to the county committee.

R. Lindemann, Rotary president, announced another 100 per cent attendance meeting and at the same time announced a revision of rules pertaining to the Rotary Rabbitry. Apparently dismayed at the obvious inability of certain members to satisfactorily care for and nurture the bunnies, the club has arranged for their private boarding by a more experienced person. Club absentees will be responsible for their board and keep and must make a weekly inspection of the brood, but will no longer be forced to keep them in their own back yards.

August 19, 1947

 

---