SELMA – Conflict over when and how to reinstall decorative cafe lights in downtown Selma continued at the latest Selma City Council meeting, with council members divided over the best approach to beautification.
Even as the city gets closer to finalizing its Downtown Strategic Plan — which city staff want to use to guide beautification efforts — some council members and residents are growing restless. Mayor Scott Robertson and Councilmember Sarah Guerra insisted the city work out a temporary lighting plan at the Aug. 5 council meeting and said they are tired of waiting for their downtown to be lit up once again.
“I think we need to do better; we’ve waited too long,” Robertson said. “Patience is a virtue; we’ve had enough of it. It’s time to get our downtown back to the people.”
The council revisited the topic at its Aug. 5 meeting after Guerra requested an update on downtown lighting and speaker installation at a previous meeting. Robertson, Guerra and Selma residents have repeatedly said the lack of lighting detracts from the appeal of downtown and poses a safety risk for the people who work late in the area.
City staff and the rest of the council have not disputed this; however, the city manager, city engineer and public works director have explained over the past year that to safely and efficiently bring back the lights, they just need more time.
Public Works Director Michael Honn said city staff’s recommendation at this time is to allow the strategic planning process to “play out,” which prompted Guerra to question what that timeline would look like and if it would be years before the project was complete.
More definitive plans to reintroduce trees and decorative lighting to the downtown business district will be able to take off within the next few months once the draft of the Downtown Strategic Plan is ready for the council in September, City Manager Fernando Santillan said.
“It’s definitely not several years, we’ll have a better idea once we get that document as to what to prioritize, what kind of design elements, design aesthetic we’re looking for,” Santillan said. “Obviously, that money is budgeted right now in the current fiscal year’s budget, so once we have that document, … we’ll be able to provide the council a little bit clearer timeline.”
The plan will include recommendations that incorporate community feedback and design preferences alongside infrastructure specifications so there is a clear understanding of what the city has to work with. Staff reminded the council of the various engineering elements that need to be considered when putting up lights, including assurance that emergency vehicles can pass under lights strung across the road and the city can access the needed electricity.
Honn said that in the meantime, his department is doing what it can to address blighted elements of downtown. Work so far has included the replacement of broken benches and addition of foliage to planters and medians along adjacent streets.
Once the strategic plan is fully developed, with final council and public input, Santillan said the city will direct all of its resources to the specific projects outlined in the plan.
