Streetscape plan will lift off with a pilot program
Merchants oppose timing of construction plan
By Gloria I. Wang
Downtown merchants came out in force to oppose the scheduling of the town's streetscape project, leading the town to take a "let's see" approach to the project.
The Los Gatos Town Council approved the plan to redo the sidewalks and intersections on N. Santa Cruz Avenue between Bean and Bachman avenues, pending a test run of the speed of the work.
The pilot program, as it's known, will be June 3-7, on 93 feet of pavement in front of Dolce Spazio. The dessert cafe, on the west side of N. Santa Cruz, is halfway between Bachman and Nicholson avenues. Town staff will evaluate if the contractor can finish the sidewalk construction in five days and receive feedback from the public before proceeding with work on the rest of N. Santa Cruz.
Council members on May 14 approved the pilot program and phase one of the streetscape plan, which includes sidewalk, landscape and electrical improvements along the straight sections of the street. The contractor will work on one 100-foot section of sidewalk at a time. Phase one will cost an estimated $365,000.
On May 20, the council then approved phase two, which is $900,000 worth of construction on the six intersections in the area. Lighting and landscaping improvements are part of the plan, as is the installation of bulbouts--curb extensions that slow traffic and make crosswalks more pedestrian-friendly.
The entire streetscape plan, which will eventually extend from Los Gatos-Saratoga Road to E. Main Street and College Avenue, has been in the works for more than six years.
The town aims to wrap up all construction by Sept. 27--to complete phase one and do as much of phase two as possible--in time for the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Originally, the stop date was Oct. 31, but after several meetings with downtown business owners, town staff decided to move it up by one month.
"We tried as best we could to not only note all of the comments that were made, but also work with them," said John Curtis, Los Gatos director of parks and public works, at the May 14 town council meeting.
"I think, speaking very, very broadly and basically," Curtis said, "there was agreement that a project like this should be done. Concerns occurred about timing."
"There's no perfect time. We understand that. The best time from a construction point of view, though, is summer," Curtis said.
Ted Romero, owner of House of Brass, asked the council to consider moving construction to 2003, possibly to the months of March, April and May.
"We've had Sept. 11. We've had the dot-com implosion. We've been in a very severe recession. A lot of these merchants are finally starting to pull out of this terrible recession," Romero said.
"We are not opposed to the streetscape improvements," Romero added.
Ginger Rowe's business, Time Out Clothing, sells swimsuits and her busiest season is in the summer months.
"I think that people are going to go away from town when they see the construction happening--when it's hot, when it's dusty, when it's messy," Rowe said. At the same time, Rowe said, she wants to see the project happen--just not this summer.
Domus owner Margaret Smith said she has yet to hear a "compelling reason" for the construction to occur "right now," and that there would be a "collective impact on merchants."
Smith said, "What I've heard makes me feel like the train is going down the track and the best that the merchants can do is maybe catch onto the caboose and hope that we can be along for the ride. And that does not fill me with a great deal of confidence."
Smith told the council that the town's priority should be to fix the alleys in the residential areas around downtown. In response, Curtis said the town was planning to do so in the next fiscal year.
"The devil is in the details and the details haven't come out," said Kurt Useldinger, from The Architect's Interior.
The Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce's president of the board, Greg Stowers, said the organization supports the pilot program. Many of the merchants' concerns are based on "estimates and conjecture," Stowers said, but it would take a trial run before those concerns could be legitimized.
"Right now we don't really know. We're trying to guesstimate as to what we feel it's going to be like," Stowers said.
At the same time, a handful of business owners supported the project and its schedule.
Businessman Bill Bacchi said that he is impressed with the town staff and their attitude toward working with the merchants. "The way this whole thing has been handled has given me confidence that we should move ahead with the project," Bacchi said. "It's not an easy decision but I think for the future of this town it's an absolutely correct decision."
Sidewalk work had been done in front of the Antiquarium, said owner Shirley Henderson, but "I don't think I lost any business, because by Friday all the work was done."
Kurt Lemons, of Upstream Fly Fishing, pointed out that now is the right time for the town because of reduced contractor and construction costs due to the recession.
"I'd like you to ask yourselves, 'If you put it off, are you going to do it?' " Lemons asked. If the council waited until next year, after the town council elections, the new faces on board could have different ideas on the streetscape plan.
"We'll take the hurt, hard as it is, and get on with it," Lemons said.
Carol Hargett volunteered her shop, Dolce Spazio, to be the site of the pilot program.
"Yes, there is going to be a little noise and, yes, you're going to be upset a little bit, but I think in the end it is well worth it," Hargett said.
The Los Gatos firm of CB Construction, headed by Los Gatan Chris Bearden, was hired to do the work for the pilot program to the tune of a little more than $12,000. Bearden told the audience that his company had completed the 330 feet of sidewalk in front of The Sharper Image in just eight business days and never had to close pathways or traffic lanes.
Bearden assured the council that he would work with businesses and do the best job possible. "I care about the town as much as every business owner here. I want to come into my town and do work and I want to do it right," Bearden said.
If the contracting firm does not finish the work in the allotted amount of time, it faces liquidated damages. Town Attorney Orry Korb said the company would pay $500 for each day it goes beyond deadline. The money would go to the town, not the merchants, but the town can set aside the funds for the businesses, Korb said.
After hearing more than a dozen speakers, the town council voted to proceed with each aspect of the project, including the pilot program.
Councilman Joe Pirzynski said the underlying question was that of trust, which he personally did feel about the plan.
"I do believe in this staff, and I do believe in the promises made, and I have no doubt that we are going to be very successful. And I would ask us to look with new eyes on this project," Pirzynski said. "Remodel is like being in hell. But when it's over, and the job is done well, that hell disappears into the background very quickly. This is the time and this is the place."
Councilman Steve Glickman agreed with Pirzynski.
"Right now we have a superb staff. We have a council that's enthusiastic about this project and wants to move forward. Next year, year after that, I don't know," Glickman said.
Glickman added that his level of confidence in the contractor would depend on the accomplishments of the pilot program.
"I'm amazed at the first time I've ever seen Los Gatos government reach out so far into the community and do so much," said Mayor Randy Attaway, pointing to the handful of community meetings that had been held and the compromises made.
Town council gave staff the go-ahead to collect bids from construction companies for both phases of the project. According to Los Gatos Town Engineer Kevin Rohani, the contracts won't be awarded until after the completion of the pilot program--at the latest, the beginning of July.
Town Manager Debra Figone said the town will take a "multi-pronged approach" in working with the community throughout the project. The businesses may possibly be divided into blocks, with block captains to act as liaisons with the town and the contractor.
Staff also introduced Michele Mann, who will serve as the streetscape public relations consultant, and Tom Theobald, the town-hired project manager.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
