In the interim, “It wouldn’t make any sense at all to repave those sections” and replicate work later. “We weren’t ready to start cutting down trees - some of the oldest and most beautiful in the city - so we decided to leave those areas out for a later decision,” including those camphor trees fronting Santa Paula High School that have buckled the ground.Finley said that the latest approximately $600,000 project - which stretches from 10th Street to Cemetery Road - connects to a prior paving project, and now “we have really replaced the street all the way to the Steckel Road/Cameron Street area.” Even with a few challenges, the “job went very well,” in spite of having to pave in front of Santa Paula High School during the first week of school.The Santa Paula Union High School District was more than cooperative and supportive, said Finley. “The district used their school phone system” to notify returning students and their parents that construction was taking place. “They did a great job of mitigating the traffic impact... my hat’s off to new Principal Paul Marietti. He did a great job,” ensuring that, in spite of the street work, back to school week had minimal disruptions.
Smooth ride on Santa Paula Street with street project, but trees still a challenge
August 31, 2007
Santa Paula News
Santa Paula Street got an extreme makeover that provides a smooth ride, although those bike lanes hugging the sidewalk will have to wait, according to an official with the Public Works Department.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula Street got an extreme makeover that provides a smooth ride, although those bike lanes hugging the sidewalk will have to wait, according to an official with the Public Works Department. The weeks-long job will be finished when utilities are raised to grade and stripping laid out, said Public Works Director/City Engineer Cliff Finley.The reason the bike paths - those narrow strips adjacent to sidewalks - were not included is “twofold,” Finley noted. “One is that when we originally put the project together we were concerned that the cost would exceed the budget, so rather than do all the pavement and stop at 8th Street we decided to do the travel way and go all the way to 10th Street.”The second reason is trees: “We have camphors in a lot of areas of that trail that have some fairly extensive root damage. We need to talk about what we want to do with the trees.”
