Input for projects sought
CALIPATRIA — Residents of Calipatria’s east side may see additional street lights and sidewalks installed as part of a series of proposed park and pedestrian improvement projects.
The proposed projects include the Railroad Corridor Multiuse Bicycle Master Plan, the establishment of a new park south of Date Street and west of Railroad Avenue, as well as the installation of a sidewalk along Date Street.
The city is currently in the planning phases for the projects and is holding a series of community meetings to solicit public input to incorporate in pending grant applications.
One such meeting took place Oct. 21 at the Community Center, where lifelong resident and Imperial Valley College biology student Kaitlyn Zendejas was in attendance.
Zendejas said she has relatives that live on the city’s east side and wanted to know how the proposed projects might benefit them.
In the past, her relatives have expressed concerns about there not being enough street lighting in the neighborhood.
“Hopefully it will encourage people to walk and ride bikes,” Zendejas said, referring to the proposed corridor and sidewalk and street lighting installation.
The proposed bicycle corridor master plan would also help improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity within the city, and establish a landscaped 10-footwide corridor between Hernandez Park in the north to the proposed site of the Date Street park.
The corridor would traverse Industrial Avenue north of Highway 115 and Railroad Avenue south of Highway 115.
No cost has been estimated yet for the ambitious project, which will continue to seek public input until March through a series of public meetings, city officials said. If funded, it would likely take about four years to complete.
The project’s design and analysis was funded through a $75,250 Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning grant.
The proposed plan calls for the paving of Industrial Avenue between Delta and East Barbara streets. Sidewalks would also be repaired or installed on the south and north side of Main Street from Industrial Avenue to Commercial Avenue; on Brown Avenue’s east and west side between Bonita Place to just north of Highway 115; on a segment of east side North Industrial Avenue; on north side Main Street between Imperial Avenue and Centro Avenue; and on the south side of Bonita Place between Brown and Commercial avenues.
The proposed plan also calls for fencing to be erected along the corridor’s flanks where it parallels the Union Pacific railroad tracks to discourage pedestrians from entering the railroad’s right of way.
“It’s a nice bit of investment,” said Clyde Prem, senior transportation planner for KOA Corp., which was consulted by the city for the project’s planning phase.
The concept for the corridor master plan dates back several years, as does the Date Street park project, said City Manager Rom Medina.
Both projects have remained in their preliminary stages in the absence of funding, he said. The city hopes to be able to potentially tap into either local, state or federal grant funds, or a combination thereof, for the projects.
The public’s input should help further define the scope of the projects and necessary funding.
A survey distributed at the community meeting asked residents to identify the modes of transportation they use in the city, share concerns about safety related to those transportation modes, as well as where they would like to see bicycle and pedestrian improvements being made.
“We want to submit a more supportive application so it can be funded,” Medina said.