Kern County: The Best Investment High Speed Rail Can Make

If it's true that "what you see depends on where you sit," then we in Bakersfield and Kern County seem to have packed up all our belongings and moved to a new seat on the bus. Actually, in this case, let's call it a train. In fact, let's call it High Speed Rail.

Here in Kern County, the population center of the state (and smack in the middle of California's proposed high speed rail route), residents and businesses are joining together to show support. Not necessarily for the rail project as a whole (local support has historically been dubious at best), but for one specific component of the system: The Heavy Maintenance Facility (HMF).

Historically, Kern County has shown lukewarm support for California's high speed rail project as a whole (and "lukewarm" may be a stretch). Voters here did not support the original bond initiative back in 2008, and many still fear the effort may never see completion. But people here are smart, and it's clear the project is moving forward. Dirt has been turned just 75 miles north of Kern County, and construction of the system is heading our way. Now, with the project moving forward, the community is looking at things differently.

Businesses, organizations, and individuals are joining together in a coalition called Kern4HMF. The group's focus is to let the California High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) know Kern County is "all in" and wants to partner on the HMF.

The HMF is a pretty big deal, and there is a discrete, yet fierce, battle among Valley communities to win the project. This is the site where trainsets will be delivered and assembled before going into service, and it will serve as the maintenance hub for the entire system. The facility must be located along the first stretch of rail to be built (someplace between Merced and Bakersfield), and it should be near the mid-point of what will be the complete, 800-mile system.

Kern4HMF is hoping the HSRA will recognize in Kern County the same benefits private businesses see when they decide to bring large-scale, private projects to the area. One advantage, for example, is our wide open spaces. Unlike much of the state, Kern County's 8,000 square miles provides ample room for new projects. On top of that, our elected officials and their teams are known for their quick turnaround on projects (Caterpillar's 400,000 SF distribution center was up and running just eight months after signing the contract to build in Kern County).

Indeed, Kern County is known for embracing industry, and creating a fertile environment for success. Take the solar and wind industry, for example. In 2011, the County adopted--and has met--an aggressive renewable energy goal of 10,000 MW of production by 2015, made possible thanks to the pioneering work of the Kern County Planning Department.

Naysayers will accuse Kern County of being late to the game, but our two proposed HMF sites (one in Wasco, one in Shafter) were actually put on the table back in 2010. Since then, support for high speed rail here has ebbed and flowed, it's true, but we have always believed either of our sites would best serve the HSRA and California's taxpayers. Here's why:

• Both sites are close to major ports.

The Kern County advantage resonates with the Fortune 500 companies, like Caterpillar, that have made the decision to move business here. Now, Kern4HMF hopes the California High Speed Rail Authority will agree that Kern County is the best, most cost-effective place for locating this key component of the high speed rail system.

For more information, visit www.Kern4HMF.org.