Room with a view

I’m pretty sure I have the best view in town of the construction of the First and Second Street Couplet project, at least when it comes to the roundabout that’s going in at the corner of Second and Flume streets. The CN&R building is pretty much ground zero for the reconfiguration of one of downtown’s most-traveled thoroughfares.

And my new corner office, which I moved into on Friday, has an unobstructed view.

It’s been pretty fascinating watching the evolution of the project, beginning with the destruction of the surrounding sidewalks, including the driveway leading to our offices. Giant tank-like excavators made quick work of all that concrete beginning early last month, at times picking up whole sections in a single scoop. New sidewalks have gone in over the past couple of weeks, while the street asphalt was ripped out and hauled off.

For a time, I could imagine what it would have been like in Chico in the days before paved roads. A co-worker and I joked about planting some tomato seedlings in the middle of the street—the soil is that deep-brown loamy kind in which plants seem to grow well. But construction is moving along way too fast for anything to take root.

Over the past few days, earthmovers and an office-shaking compactor have sculpted and flattened the dirt street into the form of a roundabout. As I was working Monday morning, that compactor rattled my sunglasses right off my desk. The work is loud and at times distracting, but I honestly thought it would be much worse.

It won’t be long before more asphalt is laid. After the street opens back up, I’m certain I’ll hear honking horns. Not everyone is savvy to maneuvering a roundabout, though it’s quite simple: Look left, and yield when necessary.

Speaking of change: Lots of folks are still having a hard time with the departure of Rob Blair, Chico’s favorite former weatherman. Blair left his post at KNVN/KHSL-TV in early May, and we keep getting letters to the editor lambasting the homogenized stations for cutting him loose.

But I’m happy to report Blair is doing just fine. In mid-June, he moved down to Long Beach, two blocks from the ocean. His husband, Michael, a junior-high-school teacher, is looking for work, and Blair is planning to go back to school to become a funeral director.

“It’s a service position. I want to, in my heart, continue helping people, so I’m really excited about that,” he said by phone from Disneyland Tuesday morning.

Blair said his days in TV broadcast may be over, but he is looking into radio-show-host opportunities. Either way, he’s not complaining. At 38, he’s had a full career: 24 years in the business.

I’ve interviewed Blair a number of times over the years, including for a short write-up on his getting sacked. He’s a class act, never once disparaging his former employer. The guy has been voted favorite local personality in the CN&R’s Best of Chico contest over and over. I wouldn’t be surprised if he retains his title this year. His fans are that devoted.