The city of Santa Clarita’s project to beautify Orchard Village Road’s medians is on schedule to be done this summer, city officials said Friday.
Started in November, the landscape improvement project’s first phase wrapped in late April. As a result, medians from Orchard Village Road and Lyons Avenue, to medians Orchard Village Road and Wiley Canyon Road all underwent major makeovers.
Much of the renovations centered around updating the medians from ornamental grass to reflect the city’s designs, which were a mix of shrub and trees, said Kevin Tonoian, the city’s Special Districts Manager.
The existing mature trees were maintained, while dead turf was removed and refurbished.
“The majority of medians right now is a mix of shrub and trees,” Tonoian said. “Every median the city’s built has been designed in that kind of capacity. The medians that predate the city’s incorporation were built in a way where you had a lot of decorative turf.”
The medians will be surrounded by new concrete pavers and will include designated viewing areas for events such as the annual Fourth of July parade between Lyons and 16th Street.
Additionally, the city has also updated the older irrigations systems to be more efficient. The project replaces systems currently in place with new landscaping that requires less water and is more durable and efficient, Tonoian said.
Phase two of the plan is upgrading the medians from Wiley Canyon Road going north to McBean Parkway and removing vacant areas.
The city’s project is part of its 2020 plan. The project’s ultimate intent is for “beautification and functionality” of the street, Tonoian said.
Renovations are set to be complete by August. The cost estimate was originally $4.2 million, Tonoian said, but the actual cost for the project came in at about $1.65 million.