Downtown spotlighted

Chico planned to flip the switch on new City Plaza floodlights Wednesday night (June 14)—one of the updates city officials gave 50 attendees at a community meeting that morning at the Chico Children’s Museum focusing on downtown issues.

Jason Bougie, Public Works facilities manager, said the lights would illuminate the main plaza area, plus one from the dome would shine on the stage. He told the CN&R the city may add additional lighting elsewhere downtown.

Bougie and Police Chief Mike O’Brien said downtown is also getting cameras, like those along the bike path near Chico State. Crime on the bike path has dropped 52 percent and O’Brien said there’s been no violent crime since the cameras went up last year. Downtown cameras should come by August.

O’Brien also said he’s redeployed his department’s south campus team to downtown patrols for the summer.