Lori Hoffman VP of Business and Finance at CSU Chico

The first item on the agenda for the Chico Innovation Council in 2011 was a presentation by Lori Hoffman, VP of Business and Finance at CSU Chico, on the concept and development of the 2^nd Street University Parking Structure.  The structure is part of the 2005 Master Plan and couples with the imminent construction of a new Humanities and Fine Arts building at the current Taylor Hall site.  That building will include a new performing arts venue, creating what Hoffman described as a "Visual Performance Arts Quadrant."  With the expanded potential for events, the need for additional nearby parking will become acute. 

What exactly is the demand for parking at Chico State?  Hoffman put it in perspective: of the 23 CSU campuses, Chico ranks dead last in parking spaces per capita.  Chico State has approximately 18,000 faculty, staff and students, all vying for 1,800 parking spaces.  Parking permits are commonly referred to as "hunting licenses" and availability at peak demand hours is non-existent.  The new facility will include at least 325 spaces to help alleviate the issue. 

The facility isn't just a parking structure- administrative space, headquarters for the University Police, and information kiosks are all part of the design-build components that firms are currently developing to win the bid.  The project will be awarded to a regional firm in March, and construction is scheduled to be completed in November of 2012.  Officials from the City of Chico are planning to have construction on the 1^st/2^nd Street couplet completed before major work on the parking structure begins. In keeping with the campus community's various sustainability initiatives, the final facility will include several solar-powered electric vehicle recharging stations, and motion-sensitive light dimmers to reduce energy consumption.

VP Hoffman presents to the Council

During construction, 100 downtown parking spots will be out of action.  The University is looking to mitigate this by leasing a nearby lot from Chico Unified School District.  In line with the University's current parking policies, all spots in the structure will be free and open to the public on weekends, including Fridays in the summer, and hourly parking permits will be available for purchase anytime via automated kiosks.

Courtney Nelson, the Council's Chairman, introduced a motion
reaffirming support for the University's Master Plan, including the new parking structure, and the motion carried unopposed, further confirming CEPCO's strong relationship with the University and a shared vision of improving the quality of life for the people of Chico. For more information on this and other University projects, please visit the University Facilities Planning page.

Parking wasn't the only thing on the Council's plate to start the New Year.  Mike Donnelly of The Group Real Estate and Bob Linscheid briefed the Council on the challenges facing the Chico Municipal Airport after Aero Union's departure.  Donnelly and Linscheid made several recommendations for action that the Council approved:

The Chico Innovation Council also passed a motion to endorse CEPCO's Letter to the Governor in support of AB 29, a bill which would permanently establish a Governor's Office of Economic Development.  To read more about the various projects the Chico Innovation Council and CEPCO are involved with, please visit the CEPCO website at www.cepco.com, or click here to download the transcript from Thursday's meeting.

The Center for Economic Development (CED) is presenting the 11th Annual Tri-County Economic Forecast Conference on Jan. 13 at the BMU Auditorium, California State University, Chico. This annual conference addresses economic trends in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties.

Six experts will speak in such areas as small business development, rural development and technology. Their knowledge and experience will provide information and experience that can improve the ability of local businesses and community leaders to successfully plan for the future.

The conference is open for registration at 7 a.m. and includes breakfast. Speakers and discussions will run from 8 a.m. until noon and will be followed by an informal discussion and networking hour, from noon until 1 p.m.

Speakers include Robert Eyler, professor and chair of the economics department at Sonoma State University; Glenda Humiston, state director, United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development; Craig Settles, broadband business strategist, marketing expert and author; Christian Friedland, president and founder of Build.com, Inc.; Jim Hauenstein, CIO, Enloe Medical Center; and James L. Sager, professor of accounting and management information systems, CSU, Chico. Background on these speakers can be found at http://www.cedcal.com/tri-county-economic-forecast-conference/.

You can register online at http://store.northstateprofile.org/11antrecfoco.html. Tables can be purchased for groups or businesses attending together. Otherwise, seating is open.

CED at CSU, Chico helps communities prepare and plan for future growth through assistance in community development, employment generation, natural resource management, workforce development, alternative energy advancement and leadership training. The CED also assists Northern California communities to sustain growth and promote empowerment and expertise among its residents. For more information, call CED at 530-898-4598.

Sandy Linville 
Center for Economic Development
530-898-4598

Kathleen McPartland
Public Affairs
530-898-4260

 Utilities aren't known for pangs of conscience. But last September, PG&E chief Peter Darbee boldly and publicly resigned from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the business council's opposition to global-warming legislation. "An intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing," he wrote. "Disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another."

With a portfolio heavy on hydro, nuclear, and natural-gas power, California-based PG&E serves 5% of the U.S. population while producing only 1% of the industry's total emissions. And it's looking to even more distant frontiers for new energy -- space, for example. This year, it signed a purchasing agreement with Solaren, a start-up that promises to put solar panels on a satellite and beam the energy down, at a competitive cost, by 2016. If only all utilities attacked greenhouse gases with this much ... energy.  Click here to see PG&E's profile on the list.

#9 - Walmart

The world's largest retailer took its boldest leap yet in a quest to green its entire operation with a new plan to rate the sustainability of every product it sells. "We've moved quickly on our goals because of the collaborative ways we've been doing it," says SVP of sustainability Matt Kistler. Tapping its 2 million employees, 100,000 global suppliers, and a consortium of NGOs, scientists, and other businesses, Walmart has grown into the world's greenest retailer.  Click here to see Walmart's profile on the list.