Merchant meeting on project set for this evening

NEWMAN - The process of transforming the city’s main downtown parking lot and adjacent property into a relaxing, inviting plaza started recently with the excavation of soil from a corner of the property.

In the months ahead, the amenities showcased in the plaza will take shape, and city leaders promise that the city will usher in the holiday season with a tree-lighting in the new centerpiece of downtown Newman.

The plaza has been in the discussion and planning stages for well over a decade, and years after being proposed is becoming a reality.

City leaders envision the plaza as a venue for special events and a comfortable gathering spot.

“I’m thrilled,” said Mayor Ed Katen. “I think we’re all excited about the project being under way. I believe the plaza is going to be good for downtown businesses. The difference (downtown) is going to be dramatic.”

The plaza is, in some ways, the second phase of a downtown make-over that started with the “streetscape” project dressing up Main Street and nearby side streets several years ago.

The plaza footprint will encompass the downtown parking lot and city-owned property extending east of the alley to Highway 33 and its intersection with Fresno Street.

Amenities will include trees, landscaping, benches, an entry arch, a raised stage for performances and decorative elements.

City officials say that the overall plaza project will result in a net increase of developed parking spots, but many of those spaces will be located on the Highway 33 side of the alley rather than on the Main Street side.

Parking spaces on the south side of the existing lot - the side toward the St. George Hotel - will disappear and be replaced by pedestrian-oriented amenities.

“The south side will be a pedestrian-friendly walkway along the St. George. When you look across Main Street from the West Side Theatre, you will be looking into an inviting walkway into the plaza,” said Director of Public Works Garner Reynolds.

From the highway side, the plaza is intended to create a visual link inviting motorists to visit historic downtown Newman.

Motorists will be able to access the plaza from Main Street, Highway 33, Fresno and Tulare streets, Reynolds said.

Downtown parking

Parking in downtown Newman could become scarce in coming months as the project proceeds. A portion of the parking lot is remaining open in the very early stages of the construction work, but will probably be closed off in two to three weeks.

“We are doing what we can to delay (taking the entire parking lot) as long as possible,” said contractor Mitch Chuck. Employees of his company, Perma-Green, were working on the far side of the project earlier this week, excavating dirt filled with bricks and other debris from the area of Fresno and Highway 33.

City officials have held one meeting with merchants to discuss parking impacts and the project time line. A second merchant meeting is planned for this evening (Thursday) at 6 o’clock in the City Council chambers.

At the first meeting, Reynolds said the city would prohibit construction workers from taking up valuable downtown parking, but said the responsibility of preserving those prime parking spaces for customers will largely fall to downtown employers.

“I would hope that businesses would not let their employees park on Main Street,” he said, adding that cooperation will be crucial to minimize the impacts of limited parking.

The plaza construction, Reynolds added, may not look like much through the early stages but should begin taking shape by early fall.

“It is going to take a little while before people actually begin seeing the transformation. There is a lot of underground work that goes in first,” he remarked.

Because bids for the plaza came in below estimates, the city hopes to install surveillance cameras as part of the first phase.

Restrooms are not part of the initial phase, Reynolds said, but may be added at a later date if the budget allows.

A second phase of the plaza will develop the prominent intersection of Highway 33 and Fresno Street. That area will initially be grass.