about us 3

9.15.2008

Party at OSF!

We had a little party for you know who

spaghetti, cake & presents, friends and family too:)

Mia's birthday party at

Old Spaghetti Factory

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY MIA!!

My pictures are all out of order, sorry...

first we ate, then had cake then the presents...

All the kids, cheers!

Dad & Mia

EVERYONE:)

Ernie & Mia

Connie, Mia & Wayne

The Cake

Nathan, Connor, Mia, Lexie & Jacob

Mia, Lexie, Jacob

Mia blowing out the candles

Happy Birthday to you

you live in a zoo

you smell like a monkey

and you look like one too!!

Everyone

Happy Birthday Mia

We love you so much!

Joley & Nathan

Uncle Vern & Auntie Cleo

Sharon & Karl

Nathan, Jacob, Lexie, Mia & Connor

good friends, good times:)

Nathan & Mia

Dawnette & Joley

Connie & GiGi

Mia & Lexie

BFF

Daddy & his little girl

Now...off to Disneyland !! FINALLY!

9.11.2008

9 11

Let's do our best to keep America safe.

www.johnmccain.com

9.09.2008

write a letter....

If you share my views on the current state of our zoo and

what they are doing with OUR

tax dollars, then please let others know!

Nothing will happen unless we all voice our opinion!!

To send a letter to the editor of the Fresno Bee

please follow this link...

http://www.fresnobee.com/491/index.html

September 9th

Mia was due (to be born) 9 years ago today....she of course was late!!

(10 days late to be exact!!)

But here we are, 9 wonderful years later and all I can say

is that's it's gone way too fast. Soon we will be celebrating

her birthday in our usual way,

DISNEYLAND!!

I'll have many pictures from her little

party & the trip..so check back soon:)

8.28.2008

This article was in Wednesday's Fresno Bee..

Slow upgrades, funding worry Fresno zoo agency
Environmental study delays improvements to Chaffee Zoo and Roeding Park.
By Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee
08/27/08 23:43:54

Fresno County Zoo Authority members complained Wednesday about the slow pace of promised improvements at the zoo and the city of Fresno's hesitancy to commit money for some of those upgrades.
The zoo's expansion plans, paid for with money from the 2004 voter-approved Measure Z sales tax, are on hold while an environmental study is completed.
But members of the zoo authority, the county agency that disburses Measure Z proceeds, say the process is moving too slowly.
"Why is this taking so long?" asked Ralph Waterhouse, a zoo authority board member. "We don't have anything to show the public in new exhibits."
City Manager Andy Souza said the city's consultant will finish the environmental study by March, then the City Council must certify it.
The environmental report will examine proposed improvements to the zoo, Rotary Storyland/Playland near the zoo, and Roeding Park, which encompasses both facilities.
Souza said the city wants to ensure it has a legally defensible environmental study. Roeding family members have said their family's intent when donating land more than 100 years ago was not to have a park dominated by a zoo.
"There is a high probability that this environmental document is going to be challenged," Souza said.
Authority members also are worried about whether the city will help pay for roadway, parking and other improvements proposed in Roeding Park. The zoo's master plan, for example, calls for moving a park entrance from Belmont Avenue to Golden State Boulevard.
The improvements are estimated to cost between $8 million and $15 million.
Zoo authority members said they don't believe all of that money should come from Measure Z funds.
Gerald Lyles, zoo authority chairman, said there is even debate among authority members about whether Measure Z funds should be spent beyond the expanding portions of the zoo.
Souza said the city is awaiting findings in the environmental document to determine which projects the city should help pay for. He said the city doesn't want to spend money to replace functional roads when it could spend it to improve neighborhood streets.
The reporter can be reached at mbenjamin@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6166.

8.19.2008

2nd day of school:)

She had just spotted Dad
(most of the time he's at work..but today he went with me to get her)

ok...no more pictures of school.

8.18.2008

1st day of school

Off to school...yes, public school :~)

Have fun Mia, make good choices, make friends

play nice, listen to your teacher, eat your lunch...

"Mama, I'm a big girl now"

She didn't even want me to walk her to class!

I did anyway!

the huge smile says it all....

8.16.2008

Aquarius Aquarium Institute UPDATE

On Tuesday, August 19th, the Fresno City Council will vote on a request by Aquarius Aquarium Institute to initiate a General Plan amendment to expand the City's Sphere of Influence (SOI) to include the donated 10-acre Aquarium property plus 79 acres surrounding it north of West Herndon Avenue. The action is required so that the project may connect to city water and sewer lines one mile to the southeast. Although the Institute has already been granted a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) by the County of Fresno after approval of its environmental studies and mitigation measures, state law requires that all projects must be brought into a city's SOI before they may receive city services.Once the City Council initiates the process, the proposal will be circulated to appropriate agencies for comment, voted upon by the Fresno City Planning Commission and then returned to the Council for a final approval. If so approved, the City will then apply to the Fresno County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) on the Aquarium's behalf and LAFCo commissioners will make the final determination to expand the SOI. After approval of the SOI expansion, the Institute plans to build the Aquarium in the County under its approved CUP with grants, philanthropy and private funding sources.

www.aquariusaquarium.org