Word on the Street: Computer Virus Solutions opens

Carlos Martinez opened Computer Virus Solutions, 3705 N. Clovis Ave., a new computer repair shop focusing on virus removal at a reasonable price.

For years, Fresno City College computer instructor Carlos Martinez heard his students complain about the cost of fixing computers, especially virus removal.

That gave Martinez, who has tinkered with technology since building his own computer systems as a teenager, the idea to launch a computer repair shop that focuses its efforts on low-cost virus/spyware removal and data retrieval services.

Martinez and his wife, Hilda, officially opened Computer Virus Solutions in May. “For me, computers have always been like sports. It’s part of having fun and messing around,” he said. “I’ve always been doing this on the side for friends who needed their computers fixed.”

The couple, who had their first child less than three months ago, are maintaining part-time hours this summer as they get used to juggling the chores of child care and owning their own business. The shop, at 3705 N. Clovis Ave. near Dakota Avenue, is open 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shop’s website is at www.computervirussolutions.com and the phone number is (559) 800-8703.

Martinez charges $45 for virus removal work, $20 to add more memory to a machine, $55 to install new operating system software, and $25 to retrieve data off the hard drive of a dead computer. He said his goal is to keep basic repairs affordable for people because so many families rely on the machines. “A computer is vital to a household today,” he said. “It’s like a dining room table or a couch in the living room.”

They’ll leave the light on

A Motel 6 is planned for Fowler on Highway 99.

The Fowler City Council recently approved plans to build a 63-room hotel at 10th and Merced streets.

The motel will be the second example nationwide of the company’s new design prototype, which includes interior hallways instead of the usual exterior ones, said Fowler City Manager David Elias.

The motel will break ground later this year, he said.

It is expected to bring about 15 jobs and $175,000 a year in new revenue to the city, from room taxes and spending by motel guests at other businesses.

Sun-powered fun

They may not be leafy, but a crop of solar panels will produce green energy when they’re installed later this year at Blackbeard’s Family Entertainment Center in east-central Fresno.

Nineteen solar “trees” will be mounted on 15-foot trunks in Blackbeard’s parking lot on Chestnut Diagonal between Dakota and Ashlan avenues. The 40-foot by 40-foot arrays are expected to generate 197 kilowatts of electricity — enough to power about 20 homes, according to Earth Wind & Solar, the Coarsegold company building and installing the project. Two charging stations for electric vehicles are also part of the work.

Earth Wind & Solar broke ground last week, and the construction is expected to be completed in about four months.