Business & Tech
Arboretum Construction Underway Near Whole Foods
Fences are up. Planting set to begin in the fall.
Workers began putting up fences around the soon-to-be newest addition to the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Tuesday near the Davis Commons shopping center and Whole Foods.
During construction shoppers are asked to enter the shopping area at areas marked by blue lines, a post on the Whole Foods Facebook page explains.
The construction is part of a 1.5 acres Arboretum east end expansion project near Aggie Village and the Davis Commons shopping center. Native California plants indigenous to the Putah Creek watershed will grace the new area.
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A beer tasting and shovel drive for a city and campus sculpture that will be in the new garden is scheduled for tomorrow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Whole Foods. (read more).
Contractors are expected prepare the soil and build irrigation through Mid-November, said Emily Griswold, director of gateways, horticulture and teaching gardens at UC Davis' Arboretum and Public Garden.
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Planting with the help of community and university volunteers is set to begin in October, stretching through December, Griswold said.
The entire 5 acre City of Davis and UC Davis Arboretum project is funded by an Urban Greening Project Grant of $891,304 recently awarded by the California Strategic Growth Council."The UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden’s California Native Plant GATEway Garden, together with an adjacent restoration of the city-owned Putah Creek Parkway, comprise the Downtown Davis Parkway Greening Project—a collaborative effort between the university and City of Davis to improve an important habitat and heavily-trafficked area," according to the Arboretum and Public Garden's website.
Clean up work along Putah Creek has also began between the railroad tracks and Interstate 80, said Anne Brunette, a city project manager. In addition, Brunette said, a portion of the bike path along the creek will be closed for PG&E workers installing gas lines. She said a temporary path nearby will help lighten the impact to bike riders.
Read a City of Davis press release about the Davis Greening Project here.
Read about a public meeting held announcing the project.
Project managers also released this information regarding access to the Arboretum during construction and planting:
IMPORTANT VISITOR INFORMATION: Arboretum visitors will no longer have loop access at the east end, or a direct pathway from the Arboretum’s lower trails through the Australian collection to downtown Davis, Aggie Village, or the Davis Commons. Access to campus via the bikeway and pathway that runs between the Arboretum, Aggie Village, and south Davis will remain open. Connections to Davis Commons from campus will be variable—pedestrian connections will always be open, but bike connections will sometimes be disrupted.
Detour signage will inform guests that through access is unavailable, however visitors will still be able to enjoy the gardens. Construction is scheduled for completion in mid-November, the Arboretum and Public Garden website states.
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