City Celebrates Renovation of Downtown

Below the towering copper-colored clock that stands watch over downtown Santa Paula, hundreds of folks Saturday celebrated the end of a long, economically turbulent $3.5-million Main Street face lift.

The city’s main drag, once a worn roadway lined with parallel parking and shrouded by leaning ficus trees, has emerged from eight months of construction as a modern Mayberry, residents said.

“We’re in a renaissance!” declared Councilwoman Robin Sullivan during a series of congratulatory dedication speeches given on the closed-off street and at the town’s train depot on Santa Barbara Street.

Misty skies didn’t stop school bands from playing Dixie-style jazz as couples shared benches to savor tri-tip sandwiches from the Optimist Club and packs of kids ran about gripping pink cotton candy and balloons.

The festivities and the face lift were just the dose of Americana this 96-year-old town needed, residents said.

“It just seems more available,” said Jackie Barnes, walking with her 10-year-old son, Waylon, 7-year-old daughter, Nicole, and 5-year-old niece, Belle, during the first day of a weekend celebration that includes crafts, food, plane rides and museum tours.

Barnes said the improvements prompted her to start shopping for gardening supplies on Main instead of going off to big-name stores about 15 minutes away.

Despite praise for their patience from city officials, some Main Street business owners continued to gripe Saturday about the revenue they had lost during construction.

“We had to get a second [mortgage] on the building to keep the business going,” said Greg Robinson, owner of Santa Clara Valley Hardware at 861 Main St.

Robinson said the revitalization was an aesthetic boon for downtown but that revenue and tourism won’t increase until several vacant properties are filled.

“If the stores don’t change--too many 99-cent places and too many empty buildings--many people won’t shop here,” he said.

Susie Reyes, owner of Susie’s Hair Designs, also praised the revitalization and said the last few months had been financially tough.

“I’m hanging on by one little string, a very thin string,” Reyes said as she stood in front of a row of empty stylist chairs.

But city officials said the months and days ahead hold great promise for downtown.

“They [business owners] were disrupted but they worked around the construction,” said Mayor Donald Johnson. “Today, we have a new tomorrow.”

The revitalization was actually two projects that spanned a 22-block area.

Main is now pedestrian-friendly, with newly paved streets lined with staked Bradford pear saplings, faux-Victorian light standards, angled parking and brick sidewalks.

The other project sits on the former Southern Pacific railroad right of way one block north of Main Street, which the city acquired in 1996.

Railroad Plaza includes a depot where tourists embark on the excursion train that runs between Santa Paula and Fillmore, as well as a nearby farmers’ market area and civic space. There are new platforms, brick paving and street lamps.