http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1002,10671%257E303984,00.html http://www.theargusonline.com/Stories/0,1002,1971%257E301488,00.html Friday, December 28, 2001 2:54 AM MST Fremont Argus Article: Future plaza construction is imminent Centerville project slated to be a bustling downtown focal point By Conan Knoll STAFF WRITER FREMONT -- After a long delay, construction of a public plaza in Centerville will begin next month and is expected to be complete by June. The plaza -- the Bill Ball Plaza in honor of the former Fremont mayor -- will be built near the Centerville train station. It will provide refuge for train passengers and pedestrians and will serve as a venue for public events like farmers markets and music shows. City officials hope the public improvement in the area will draw shops and restaurants. "It is intended to be sort of a town square for downtown Centerville and basically provide a retreat for people who use downtown," said Project Manager Roger Ravenstad. The City Council earlier this month awarded an $835,000 contract to Golden Bay Construction Inc. to build the 20,000-square-foot plaza and voted to name it after Ball. The project cost of $1.7 million includes the purchase of five parcels, design and construction. Ball came to Fremont in the '50s while working as a salesman for a grocery supply company. He was elected to the City Council in 1982 and was elected mayor in 1989. The plaza is slated to be built on Fremont Boulevard, north of Peralta Boulevard and across the railroad tracks from the newly restored Centerville train depot. The Altamont Commuter Express and Amtrak's Capitol Corridor trains stop at the station. The focal point will be a historic replica of a late 1800s train waiting shelter where rail passengers can wait for trains. The shelter also will serve as a stage for public events. Two 30-foot-long wisteria-covered arbors will extend from each side of the shelter, providing additional seating. The arbors are custom designed to accent the depot and the shelter. The 14-by-21-foot shelter will be painted in the same brown and yellow colors as the Centerville train depot. The shelter and a nearby flagpole will be lit at night. The plaza originally was scheduled to be completed last spring. But part of the plaza will be built on Caltrans right of way and the city needed time to get a permit to build on the easement, Ravenstad said. The area where the plaza will be built is a vacant dirt lot and a piece of Peralta Court. The court has been used as a parking lot, but is a public street that the city will convert into the plaza, Ravenstad said. Conan Knoll covers the city of Fremont for The Argus. He can be reached at (510) 353-7026 or cknoll@ angnewspapers.com.
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Above, the north platform plaza, Autumn 2001. Right, the south platform plaza site, Autumn 2001. |
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