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Bo Diddley Plaza Update (B)
Explanation
The Bo Diddley Plaza was closed for construction on March 1st, with Oelrich Construction acting as the Construction Manager for the project. We anticipate the Plaza construction improvements will be at substantial completion in December. The scope of construction consist of demolishing the bus shelter and public restrooms on the north end, constructing a new Green Room to support increased programming on the plaza, as well as new public restrooms, a new 1,100 Sq/ft café on the northeast end of the Plaza and a new Kiosk on the northwest end. Construction is currently underway with the new structures coming out of the ground.
As part of the CRA’s community outreach and engagement efforts, staff partnered with marketing agency 160over90 to wrap the plaza construction site in 88 colorful banners. The construction banners feature sayings that tap into civic pride and highlight city accolades (ex: “You’re so natural! National Arbor Day Foundation has named GNV Tree City, USA every year since 1982”). Other banner messages appeal to audiences who regularly interact with the construction site and provide opportunities for the community to connect with the changes on social media at #heartGNV. The banners will set the stage for the new energy the Bo Diddley Plaza revitalization will bring to Downtown.
Steamers Inc. which began leasing the Bethel Station in March has been ramping up operations, expanding their menu and now holds regular open mic and music performances on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Staff is in the process of preparing a Request for Proposal to recruit a tenant to build out and operate the new café space which is currently under construction. The new café will have approximately 972 sq ft of interior space and an additional 1,150 sq ft of outdoor seating area.
Finally, CRA staff is examining how The Bo Diddley Plaza (BDP) has been programed in the past and what programing can...
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