Selma council directs staff to proceed with High Street planter redesign ahead of Blossom Trail
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Summary
The Selma City Council gave staff consensus direction Jan. 6 to redesign downtown High Street planters with a steel border, turf near sidewalks and larger decorative rock and drought‑resistant plants toward the buildings, and asked Public Works to produce cost estimates and material samples with the goal of completing work before the Blossom Trail kickoff.
The Selma City Council on Jan. 6 directed staff to move forward with a downtown High Street planter redesign that would use a steel edge and synthetic turf toward the sidewalk with larger decorative rock and drought‑resistant plantings on the interior.
The action followed a PowerPoint presentation from Public Works Director Michael Hahn outlining options to align High Street planters with the forthcoming 2nd Street beautification and Golden State Boulevard projects. Hahn recommended low‑maintenance, drought‑resistant plants and discussed methods for embedding rock ("wet set" slurry cast versus loose rock) and concerns about maintenance and debris from routine street sweeping.
"If we put small rock in the planters when we blow the sidewalks, we're going to be blowing that rock all over the place," Hahn said, urging the council to consider maintenance when choosing materials.
Council members and members of the public raised concerns about pedestrian and vehicle circulation on 2nd Street during events and parades, the potential for children to play on turf near the road and the durability of lighted features and electrical access. A resident, Stella Ramirez, urged the council to keep travel lanes open on 2nd Street and to secure any loose rock to prevent it from becoming a hazard during parades.
City Manager Rogers asked for council direction so staff could prepare a budget and schedule; the council agreed by consensus, and Hahn said he would obtain rock samples, plant lists and cost estimates. The council discussed keeping material local where possible and avoiding costly colored or treated rock.
Hahn tied the planters work to larger funding and streetscape efforts already underway, including a referenced $3,000,000 clean‑air grant for 2nd Street beautification. The staff timeline aims to have design and cost information in time to begin installation ahead of the Blossom Trail kickoff scheduled for Feb. 4.
Next steps: Public Works will return with plant selections, rock samples and a budget estimate; council asked staff to prioritize maintenance‑friendly materials and to consider safety and parade routing when finalizing the design.