0000128208 46| May 21, 2009| LIVING HEREBy Mike Hazelwoodmhazelwo@ visalia. gannett. comulare's public hospitalneeded to expand, but itsits on a block land- locked by aschool, suc- cessful businesses andwell- kept homes. So Tulare DistrictHospitals started look- ing upward. The hospital's four- story expansion isscheduled for 2010 groundbreaking, withthe tower set for completion by 2012. The bulk of the expansion will be fund- ed by an $ 85 million bond measurepassed by voters in 2005. Many Tulareans see the new, state- of- the- art Emergency Room as the mostexciting part of the new expansion. The staff at Tulare District Hospital — which at press time was working on aname change to Tulare Regional MedicalCenter, complete with a new logo — isstill in the process of getting plans andfinalized and approved by governmententities. But early plans included: iThe first floor will house a 26- bedemergency department. iThe second floor will house six sur- gery suites. iThe third floor will house 16 privatebirthing rooms and a nursery. iThe fourth floor will house 26 privatepatient rooms. The expansion will alsoinclude a state- of- the- art imaging center. The ER will be built with an entrancefor emergency vehicles only, as a safetyprecaution. Besides the main hospital at 869 NorthCherry St., the district runs EvolutionsFitness & Rehab Center at 1425 EastProsperity Ave., the health clinic at 1062South K St. and a walk- in clinic at 922North Cherry St. TUpward expansion of Tulare hospital in worksLIVING HERE COMMUNITIES: TULARESteve R. FujimotoTulare District Hospital

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITYLic.# 5472013560000127879LIVING HERE COMMUNITIES: TULARELIVING HERE May 21, 2009| 47By Mike Hazelwoodmhazelwo@ visalia. gannett. comHere's a look at some of theprojects that have made bignews in Tulare's economicand development landscape. MOTOR SPORTS COMPLEX: A 711- acre motor sports complex — complete with a racing oval, dragstrip, hotels, condos, shopping and more — was first publicly proposed for southernTulare in 2006. Since then, there has been no short- age of controversy, with supporters lov- ing the idea of tax and employmentbenefits and opponents hating the ideaof added pollution and a scale thatseems unfeasible. Proposed by a team led by Fresno- area developer Bud Long, the TulareMotor Sports Complex has receivedapproval by the Tulare City Council, andannexation has been approved for theproject. But, as of press time, the deal wasstuck on the sale of the land ( which isadjacent to the International Agri- Cen- ter, home of the world's largest agricul- tural trade show in Tulare each Febru- ary). The deal was also facing a lawsuitfrom an environmental group thatbelieves the complex would cause toomuch air pollution and noise. GRADE SEPARATIONSTulare was founded along a railroadthat still today divides the town eastand west. That has always been a prob- lem since most emergency facilities areon the east side of town — and a longtrain can be a safety concern because itwould keep west side residents fromthose facilities. But after decades of trying, Tulareofficials last year finally secured fundingfor overpasses and underpasses. With construction expected to startby 2010, the plans include an overpassat Cartmill Avenue ( in north Tulare) andan underpass at Bardsley Avenue ( insouth Tulare). RAILROAD TRACKS City officials don't only want to buildover and under Tulare's railroad, theywant to build commercial propertyalong them. Work from the Tulare RedevelopmentAgency has brought new businessesalong the railroad, as well as a neededstorm basin to help Tulare's waterneeds. And new businesses, including a gro- cery store, are planned along the rail- road soon, alleviating what had beendesolate eyesores for decades. Projects proposed inTulare include motorsports complexRon HolmanA motorist crosses train tracks on Cartmill Avenue just west of J Street in Tulare. City officials hope to begin work on the Cartmill Avenue overpass in September2010. H