Dirt and diplomas

I was excited last week to see heavy equipment posted up on Second Street, just a stone’s throw from my office. My first thought was that the city was finally getting around to landscaping the roundabout and the other strips of land adjacent to this heavily traveled entrance to downtown Chico.

Just in time for Chico State’s graduation, and the throngs of visitors heading to town, I thought. Alas, it was wishful thinking. Turns out the earth-movers were there to work at U.S. Bank, which replaced its lawn with bark and drought-tolerant plants.

So, the “dirtscape” between Flume and Wall streets remains at this eastern entrance to the city center. I’m kicking myself for not scattering wildflower seeds—doing a little guerrilla landscaping—to beautify the area we at the CN&R look upon day after day.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nearly five years since the completion of the First and Second Street Couplet—aka the roundabout and the reconfigured East First and Second streets, thoroughfares that became bicycle-friendly one-way streets going west and east, respectively. Those changes have been great—most drivers have gotten the hang of the circular traffic feature, so I don’t hear squealing tires as much these days. The only thing missing is, well, the aesthetic portion of the project. It’s downright ugly out there.

It happens to have been a year ago this month that I last inquired with the city about the weed patches. At the time, Brendan Ottoboni, the city’s director of public works-engineering, predicted construction on landscaping would begin in July (of last summer).

I checked back in with Ottoboni this week for an update, and he sent me an impressive rendering of the design plans for the roundabout. It looks similar to Ringel Park, the small, triangular property leading into downtown from The Esplanade. Brick, check; wrought-iron, check; a welcome-to-Chico sign, check. The cherry on top, in my humble opinion, is the plan to plant a valley oak at its center.

So, what’s the holdup? According to Ottoboni, the city put the project out to bid twice. The first time, last year, the city received only a single response—for about triple the city’s budget. Strike one. It went back out to bid over the winter, when contractors generally are a little hungrier, and the city heard crickets. Strike two.

Ottoboni went on to explain that the project is a weird one—a “tweener” project, as he put it—because it’s on the small side for big construction outfits and a bit out of the scope of landscape contractors, generally subcontractors who aren’t set up for traffic control at major thoroughfares.

As a result, Ottoboni said the city is working on alternative bid procedures. Construction is projected to take about six weeks, and includes the installation of up to four electric-vehicle charging stations in the lot that houses the Saturday farmers’ market. The hope is to have a contract in place in the next couple of weeks and to get the work done while the university is on break.

Today decides tomorrow Speaking of college, congrats to the folks getting diplomas at Chico State and Butte College this week. At the university alone, more than 4,000 plan to participate in the commencement ceremonies, according to University Communications. Excelsior!