Golden sledgehammers broke pavement – the reconstruction of Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno is now underway –
52 years to March of 1964 – the month that the mall first broke ground.
A big crowd turned out, Thursday March 3rd, with business owners, residents and many Valley leaders there for the ceremony—- and an emotional Mayor Ashley Swearengin speaking of the process getting to the historic day.
“Event the dissenting voices have helped to shape the project, resulting in a better design and making sure that the key elements of art and landscape have remained high priorities. the single largest expense of this project budget five million dollars is restoring and reinstalling the Fulton Street Art Collection.” – Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin.
The 20 million dollar project partially funded by a Federal Tiger Grant expected to take a year.
Not everyone at the ceremony was behind the project.
Doug Richert is from the Downtown Fresno Coalition – and despite publicly criticizing the initiative he says there are **some** good things to be drawn from work and the plan to ensuring the Fulton Street Art Collection is brought back to life.
“Obviously the city had a deliberate plan of neglect for some time and you see the condition of the art on the mall as it is today – if it does in fact bring renovated and reburbished artwork that is one positive out of a bad situation.” – Doug Richert, Downtown Fresno Coalition.
At the groundbreaking, Mayor Swearengin announced the art restoration is the single largest expense of the project’s budget, and an app was launched to monitor the art and the progress.. called: This is Fresno.
As more people move into the downtown area…the mayor and other civic leaders are striving to make downtown a viable and desirable lifestyle option.
The city is asking that the Valley support those Fulton Mall businesses during the reconstruction project
