Construction and detours in the arboretum

by Dave Jones
August 06, 2013

One detour is already in place in the UC Davis Arboretum, and others are coming, because of an irrigation project in the western half of the arboretum and construction of a new garden at the arboretum’s east end.

• Irrigation — This project is under way in the Southwest U.S.A. and Mexican Collection, west of Mrak Hall Drive. The collection is on the north side of the arboretum waterway; therefore, the path is blocked on that side through mid-September. Detours are posted. See map.

Up until this project, this part of the arboretum had no automated irrigation system (only about half of the arboretum is on automatic irrigation).

Therefore, the Southwest U.S.A. and Mexican Collection required hand-watering; that is, with hand-placed sprinklers. Occasionally these sprinklers would hit the path as well — giving arboretum visitors a quick shower.

The new sprinklers will tie into the campus’s central irrigation system, which adjusts automatically to weather conditions.

In addition, “installation of low-precipitation spray heads and rotors will improve water distribution, eliminate daytime watering, and enhance your visitor experience,” according to a notice on the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden blog.

The project cost is $200,000, paid by a $100,000 grant from the federal government's Institute of Museum and Library Services, and matching funds from the university.

• New garden — Construction is scheduled to start next week on the California Native Plant GATEway Garden behind the Davis Commons shopping center. In advance of the work the contractor is fencing off the site. Signs and detours will be in place. See map. Project completion is set for mid-November.

The lower paths on both sides of the arboretum waterway will be blocked off short of the waterway’s end; therefore, you will not be able to loop around from the north side to the south side, or vice versa; and you will not be able to go from the lower paths to the Aggie Village housing development or Davis Commons.

The upper path on the north side will remain open, providing access to Aggie Village and south Davis (via the Putah Creek Parkway, through the tunnels that run under the railroad tracks and Interstate 80). Pedestrian and bicycle access to and from Davis Commons may sometimes be disrupted.

The garden is part of the “urban greening” of a key connection between the campus and the city — where the arboretum connects with downtown Davis, and where the arboretum and downtown connect with the Putah Creek Parkway, for pedestrians and bicyclists going to and from south Davis (under the railroad tracks and Interstate 80).

The five-acre, $1.3 million "urban greening" is funded primarily by a state grant ($891,304), on top of money from the university, the city and arboretum donors. The campus and city components:

• 1.5 acres of arboretum land, for the California Native Plant GATEway Garden, featuring native flora from the Putah Creek watershed. Pedestrian and bike paths will be reconfigured to improve access and circulation, lighting will be added for safety, and the project even extends into the Davis Commons parking lot, where bioswales and pervious concrete will be installed to capture storm water runoff.

For public art in the garden, a committee of campus, city and community representatives chose a sculptor who plans to erect a vine-inspired gateway — with old shovelheads serving as “leaves” on twisted steel pipe.

The Davis Municipal Arts Fund is paying for the sculpture — well, except for the shovels! The arboretum and the city are collecting those, to really make this a community project. Read more about the sculpture, and how you can donate a shovel.

• 3.5 acres of city-owned greenbelt along the Putah Creek Parkway, where invasive, non-native plants and trees will be removed, and native riparian plants will go in. Plant selections will provide for a natural transition from garden to parkway.

This part of the project is not due for construction until the fall, after Pacific Gas and Electric Co. replaces a gas pipeline under the parkway.