STAFF TO FINISH VEGETATION WORK
CHICO » Chico’s Public Works Department announced Friday some vegetation work will be done for two weeks in several areas of lower Bidwell Park.
The city’s Parks Division and the California Conservation Corps crews will be performing safety pruning, trimming and elevating of vegetation along Petersen and South Park drives in lower Bidwell Park. This work is designed to allow better sight lines and safer paths of travel for pedestrians, bikers and vehicles.
”It’s been a long time since we’ve gone in there and been able … to trim it back,” Parks and Natural Resources Manager Linda Herman said Friday.
Work within the park will start Tuesday between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, starting at the Petersen Drive entrance and continuing westward to the One-Mile Recreation Area. After completion of Petersen Drive, work will continue along South Park Drive, particularly in the non-vehicle section between Caper Acres and Cedar Grove.
Heavy equipment including chippers and vehicles will be used, so the entrance gate and Petersen Drive will remain closed to public vehicles during the course of this work. Sections of these roads may also be temporarily closed to pedestrians and bikers at times for safety reasons, so vehicles may need to steer clear of the area due to large equipment.
It is possible weather conditions may impact the pace and timing of the work.
Cleaning up damage
Other areas of lower Bidwell Park will be cordoned off until further notice, after city enforcement efforts removed encampments from certain areas of the park.
Herman said areas where people were previously camping will need time for vegetation “to rest and let things grow back.” For now, the horseshoe pit area is already fenced off, and other areas may also soon be restricted from public access.
However, it will take time to know what will need to be done to repair any damage or create a restoration strategy, and the city has not yet determined when such restoration would take place. Herman said city staff will likely be talking to the Bidwell Parks and Playground Commission ”down the road in the future” about such a strategy.
”It’s been a long time since we’ve gone in there and been able … to trim it back.”
— Linda Herman , Parks and Natural Resources manager