Street cart vendors will get hooked up
DOWNTOWN — City Hall has committed to dumping more than $3 million into Santa Monica’s most heavily tourist-driven area, mainly to address maintenance issues that need immediate attention.
Bayside District officials will attempt to stretch their $3.4 million as far as possible, but it will only scratch the surface of what’s needed to improve services and infrastructure downtown, sources say. But the money, set aside by the City Council in June when it adopted its 2005-06 budget, will be a start to downtown’s makeover. The overall project comprises several “mini projects” that will be managed by City Hall’s resource management, open space and public works divisions.
“We identified things that they saw needed to be done,” said Miriam Mack, the city’s economic development manager who works in City Hall’s resource management division. “Then we whittled down the list to what was doable and what was affordable.”
The exterior of all six parking structures will be painted, and the facades in garages No. 2, 4 and 5 will be upgraded, said Mack.
Another major and noticeable improvement will be to redo the trash bin rooms in the alleys so they are cleaner and less visible to the public, which could possibly mean moving them from their current locations. Private trash bins placed along the alleys might be moved to one central location, Mack said.
Of course, officials and visitors to the Third Street Promenade would like to see improved alleyways, but that is a much larg-er project that would require millions of more dollars.
“The alleys would have a better chance if we get better trash management,” Mack said. “It’s a way of starting to address the bigger issues.”
Two of those bigger issues involve replacing the concrete on the Promenade, as well creating a signage program to help people guide people throughout downtown. Both project will require lengthy studies.
“Just because the funds are allocated doesn’t mean the work will commence,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District Corp., which manages the downtown area with City Hall. She added, however, that all projects are a priority and the sooner they get done the better.
Officials estimate that studying a new signage program could take up to 1 1/2 years. The program would involve directing people by signs how to find their cars, the Santa Monica Pier and Palisades Park, to name a few.
City Hall also will hire a consultant to inspect the concrete on the Promenade to determine where it needs to be replaced and with what material.
“We need to look at the condition, and we need someone to better advise us what needs to be repaired and what needs to be replaced and the best way to do it,” Mack said.
The public bathroom in the alley behind parking garage No. 5 — between Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard — will be replaced. It’s been closed since it caught on fire early this year. However, the new bathroom might be put in a different location — officials haven’t determined where yet.
Tree well and tree grates throughout downtown will be either replaced or upgraded, and the electrical capacity — particularly on the Promenade — will be improved so that the street vendors will have better access to electricity.
“These are all an opportunity to make a visual difference,” Mack said. “All of them are a high priority for us in resource management.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 27, 2005. Read the original PDF.