…The hard work and good deeds accomplished by the Mountain Communities in 2007 have laid the foundation.

Tremendous progress has been made this year on issues critical to the future of our region.

• Building plans for the new Kern County Library next to Frazier Mountain Park are back on track, with a new design and architect team. Ground breaking will take place in 2008.
• The beautification project in Frazier’s Park’s business district will begin building in the spring, and the Frazier Park Public Utilties District has made great strides toward much-needed updates to its system, and toward finding the funding to pay for it. Kern County has stepped forward with an offer for bridge financing for FPPUD’s upgrade and has agreed to coordinate to lower costs for the water company’s work in the beautification area.
• Building will begin on the new Holiday Inn in Lebec in 2008.
• The interactive tourist kiosk in Lebec will begin its first year in 2008, moving this region toward realizing its role as the Gateway to Kern County.
• After two years of very bumpy administrative difficulties, the El Tejon Unified School District has stabilized, and is turning to meet challenges ahead with a confident team focused on excellence in the classroom.
• In Lake of the Woods, the property owners association has made Cuddy Hall a center of mountain activity and pride.
• Pinon Pines has weathered the challenges posed to its water system by a year of drought with good management.
• Pine Mountain has its new management and working committees in place, and has finally been able to finalize agreements about surface water management with California Department of Fish and Game.
  The long-postponed lake dredging projects are almost complete.
• Mountainwide, the epidemic of foreclosures which is eroding real estate values in other parts of California has had an impact locally and will have a bit more in 2008, but it is a ‘good news, bad news’ story, with less pain predicted for our region than in nearby cities of Bakersfield and Los Angeles.
• The cohesiveness of our mountain business community is healthy and the spirit of generosity to that is such a remarkable part of mountain culture has remained intact, through slow times and good times.
• The great mountain festivals that bring our friends and neighbors together working side by side to create fun, excitement and to raise money for good deeds are stronger than ever.

This is our year end retrospective in photos. We thank all our readers, and our wonderful advertisers, our amazing contributors of stories, letters, photos, news tips… all of you that make this the Best Little Weekly on the Grapevine.

Thank you all.

Happy New Year, we all look forward to making 2008, with you, the best year ever.

The Staff and Management of The Mountain Enterprise

This is part of the December 28, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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