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Project Timeline
Historical and Estimated Dates (as of 09/27/04 )
?? - 2001 City Staff Formulated Widening Plans, apparently
various proposals have been generated over the past 10-12 years.
2001 City of Chico requested preparation of a Draft EIR Statement on the 5 City
of Chico Alternatives.
12/17/2001 Draft EIR public comment period began
02/05/2002 Draft EIR public comment period ended. Approximately 180 pages of
public input was submitted. It is the job of the EIR publisher to answer each
issue raised. Final EIR expected in April 2002
02/04/2002 Mr. Tom DiGiovanni's Heritage Partners has submitted a
recommendation by Mr.
Michael Wallwork also utilizing roundabouts.
02/25/2002 at least 2 Commissioners of the Bidwell Park & Playground
Commission vote to recommend the most invasive $9.5 Million 4 lane option, 2
times the dollar amount that the City of Chico has budgeted for the project, all
without the
benefit of having a Final EIR to rely upon. Ultimately no direct recommendation
of one of the plans is made at this meeting.
03/05/2002 City Council places the receipt of the Final EIR on the agenda for
05/07/2002
03/15/2002 (estimated) Consultant’s written responses to comments, and Draft
Final EIR to City staff
03/22/2002 Andrew
Meghdadi adds much interest and importance to the subject of "Tree
Loss".
03/25/2002 Consideration of the Tree Loss and "Tree City USA" implications
of the alternatives are summarily dismissed by the Bidwell Park & Playground
Commission, even though the commission is still considering the alternatives,
and subject is on the 04/29/02 agenda.
03/25/2002 Bidwell Park & Playground Commission dismisses the idea of
forming a committee to examine the Manzanita Avenue Subject in detail
03/28/2002 City Staff Meeting to shape the direction given to the EIR
contractors. Among other items the City now wants the EIR contractor to evaluate
each proposal on their ability to carry oversize loads including 150' long, 17'
high, 16' wide loads.
03/29/2002 (estimated) City staff returns the marked up (edited) Administrative Draft .
04/01/2002 April Fool's Rally
04/04/2002 City Staff Meeting to shape the direction given to the EIR
contractors.
04/13/2002 City announces a public workshop on Thursday 04/25/02 to describe the
improvement alternatives, including Neighborhood Plan B, the Heritage
Partners/Michael Wallwork proposal, and a yet unknown City Staff design
incorporating roundabouts.
04/15/2002 Attempts to obtain additional information on the City Staff Proposal
were unsuccessful. We suspect that City Staff is currently formulating their
design. And, thankful that City staff appears to be working to
accept/improve/refine Plan B, rather than just scuttle it.
04/16/2002 Presented Plan B to the BIA (Building Industry Association)
04/16/2002 City Council all day budget meeting. The 05/07/02 date was
reconfirmed as the date that City Council is expected consider the Manzanita
Improvement options. City Manager Tom Lando indicated that the City is formulating a plan
significantly similar to Plan B, and that Mr. Lando may be ready to recommend
that new city plan on 05/07/02.
04/19/2002 (estimated) Final EIR is expected to be released to the public. (Did
not occur until 04/26/02)
04/23/2002 Bidwell Park & Playground Commission Master Management Plan
Committee review and further study the Manzanita Improvement options, including
a review of Plan B. The committee report and possible recommendation should come
at the 04/29/02 meeting.
04/25/2002 Public Workshop - Plan B described to public, along with 2 new
alternatives with roundabouts: The Heritage Partners/Wallwork design and the New
City Staff
design. While city staff did not present detailed and written plan information,
it appears that the City Staff recommended design is substantially similar to
Plan B, while possibly adding wider bridges (at Lindo & Big Chico Creek) to accommodate
the 4 lane option-4. And, thus facilitate an easier transition to a 4 lane
configuration in the future, if needed. Many details yet to be finalized.
04/26/2002 Final EIR is released to the public. 7 business days, or 11 calendar
days prior to possible City Council Action.
04/28/2002 Enterprise
Record Editorial supporting Plan B.
04/29/2002 Bidwell Park & Playground Commission will recommend to City
Council that they should choose an alternative minimally invasive to Bidwell
Park
05/2002 City Council ultimately passed a plan substantially in agreement with
"Plan B'. We now expect construction to begin Spring/Summer of 2004.
03/31/2004... We are told to expect
to see 2 things occur in this corridor in 2004:
1) Construction of the East/Eaton/Wildwood/Manzanita intersection (in front of Fire Station #5) - with roadway construction of Manzanita Avenue up to the Lindo Channel Bridge.
2) Along the entire corridor we should see capacity improvements (gas & water), and relocation of some utilities, some Sewer line work, and perhaps some other support work being done, with the remainder of the road construction to occur in 2005.
***However, we are concerned that the drawings that we see today appear to be of the City's Alternative 5 and the 1995 proposed roadway, not showing the kinds of alterations that we expected to see from the ultimately approved City Council action. We learn that in the past 2 years since the project was approved, that the City has done nothing with regard to actual design work.
06/04/2004 We are a bit worried that
it is June 2004, and we have not yet seen a comprehensive plan of the roadway
that represents the City council action of May 2002, and are worried that the
project is not getting the sort of advance planning and forethought that we
believe that it should.
09/21/2004 We attend a meeting with
Public Works to get an update on the status. A great many issues & ideas were
discussed, but here are a few related to core issues:
- Even roadway drawings stamped "Received 09/14/2004" show NONE of the attributes one would expect to find relating to the City Council Motion, rather, they appear to be the 1995 proposed roadway design. It would appear that the City has accomplished virtually nothing with regard to actual design work in the corridor in the past 2 years 4 months.
- In accordance with the original time line, CalWater and PG&E are installing water mains, Fire Hydrants, and natural gas lines. Though, since the City has not finalized a roadway plan, those installations could be in conflict with the final plan, and may be in conflict with other needed infrastructure (EG: Sewer, storm drains, etc).
- While it seems apparent and intuitive that the section of Manzanita Roadway between East/Wildwood to 8th Street is most in need of enhancement, and would deliver immediate benefit when completed, the City is planning to first complete the East/Wildwood/Manzanita/Eaton intersection, and the roadway section from 8th Street to Hwy 32, before construction of the mid-section.
- We are informed that the preliminary project time line puts construction of the mid-section into 2007.
Last Updated: 09/27/04
reset 09/27/04
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