As I write these words the Catholic Church has just elected a new Pope. He is from Argentina and has taken the name of Francis. He is conservative and is expected to accomplish some much needed house cleaning within the Vatican bureaucracy. The church rejoices and I wish him well.

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The residents of Fillmore should also be happy to hear that our new children’s park (the Tot Lot at Two Rivers) will be completed next month. The long awaited facility will be located south of the baseball field. Instead of grass, the park will have a rubberized flooring about three inches thick. I’m waiting for a press release which will detail the costs and grants which made the facility come to life. Some details were mentioned at the photo op but I wasn’t taking notes. You will all be very pleased with the design and location.

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Our interim City Manager, Rigo Landeros, and the entire council are making great progress concerning the swimming pool complex opening as soon as possible. The deficit has been reduced from $76,000 to $41,000, and usage is up. The American Water company (designers and builders of our treatment plant, and much maligned by previous council members) is due thanks for covering the cost of swimming pool chemicals.
These are the first really positive developments brought to fruition by our new city council. Fillmore seems to be back on track.

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Congratulations to Myrna Taylor (awarded Lifetime Citizen of the Year by our Fillmore Chamber of Commerce) and Citizen of the Year, R. J. Stump. It’s great to see that Fillmore continues to value our small town traditions.