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| Image: New conversion to one-way
streets designed to regulate traffic flow to popular downtown 1-hole
disc golf course. The students are gone. Once again control of Chico's pulse has been handed back to the lazy summer days, small town streets, and backyard barbeques. A young woman who spent 1 morning each week with our daughter has graduated from college. She'll be moving on after the summer to other pursuits. It wasn't that long ago that my wife was a college student who babysat three little girls for a working family. Those kids have all grown up, and I think some of them have even completed college. You notice a lot of circular components of life as you get older. For example, city planners are considering modifications to downtown traffic flow patterns to create a circular traffic couplet. The plan under consideration converts 2nd Street to one-way heading east between Salem and Flume streets, and converts 1st Street to one-way heading west. City officials cite the following beneficial results of this project... 1) Increasing walkablity and safety downtown. 2) Providing a bike lane between SR32 and the entrance to lower Bidwell Park. 3) Construction of a round-about where 1st and 2nd Streets collide in front of the CNR thus providing a more exciting street crossing for peds. This should give Evan Tuchinsky a kind of real life version of Frogger to enjoy when gazing out the window. 4) Improved traffic flow between SR32 and Camilla Way bridge. 5) More downtown parking. 6) Less emissions (yes, every city project will now save the world). There are a couple of "under the radar" reasons that I completely support the proposed project. First, park goers will get diverted by this couplet from the highway 32 site to the fabulous 1-hole disc golf course in Children's Playground. Second, I've been secretly planning to build a walkable, new urban style, lemonade stand. Working with the city, using all of my back-channels, I've convinced them to divert traffic to a location where my lucrative "Smart-n-Tart" lemonade stand get the most visibility. And to top it all off, I'll be providing a free Chico Kup with each beverage served. Come visit Smart-N-Tart at our new lower emmission location. It's not just lemonade, it's Earth aid. |
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The Circle of Lemonade
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Lon
About Me: Fasten your seatbelts for an exhilarating trip through Chico's public policy; I guarantee it's marginally better than public access TV.
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I've never seen lemondade look so good. . .
I could care less about 1st Street, but moving 2nd to a one-way design is a great idea. Traffic gets screwed up making left hand turns there anyway. Its a good move and I hope council adopts it.
Well, just think, someday soon my family might hire Ruby to babysit me. My old kids are getting worn out, I need somebody young and energetic to humor me along these days.
Life is going to be different around here soon. My son got a job, and he's going to be up and gone all day. Sniffle.
He had a couple of lines on jobs, one a sure thing that isn't as glamorous, the other a slightly more hip and trendy job with hip and trendy people, and an ice cube's chance in hell of getting it. I wasn't that enthused anyway. They sell a product I don't believe in, using a load of hype, and well, I was afraid if my son started hanging around with them, he'd start spouting their rhetoric. Like when Gloria Bunker married Mike Stivic. It was the first time I really thought about my son being out in the world, with other adults, who might influence his thinking in a different direction. It's hard when you're with people 8 hours a day not to let them influence you. Then you go home and annoy your parents telling them everything they've taught you in 18 years is wrong.
Mutiny!! Who's been eating my strawberries!?
Luckily, he got another job, so I am spared. It's one of those jobs where they are expected to work and not talk. Good for that.
Good luck Downtown, cause, I couldN'T care less about First Street. Over my 50 years, they've changed the rules Downtown - flip - flop - so many times. First Street was a through, two way street, boy what a howl they pitched over closing that. There was a railroad track running the length of Esplanade and right through Downtown, and a train ran on it! But somehow, ladies in high heels and girdles dragged unwilling children safely through those streets to keep a vibrant business center flourishing. I'll tell you what's funny - I remember lateral parking Downtown, and I remember how glad everybody was to go parallel. Now this. And more one-way streets? I know people who are still bitching about Broadway and Main. I know an older couple who make a point of eating at Malvina's at the beginning of each new semester - it's a riot watching the students drive the wrong way.
So, staff can go ahead and have their fun, but they should know that someday some smart ass punks will come along and treat them like Fred Davis and do whatever they want.
I hope you people will have a nice day, I stripped my cherry tree yesterday and now the last piece of cobbler is calling to me from the kitchen...Juaniiiiita, my sweet chiquiiita, what are you up to?