A recent Santa Clarita City Council vote to construct a new median in Newhall touched off a discussion about whether the city should add new landscaping in the midst of the state’s ongoing drought, with one council member saying the city needs to “lead by example.”

City Council members voted during their most recent meeting to approve construction of a landscaped median that will run along about 1.2 miles of Newhall Avenue, from near Railroad Avenue down to around Sierra Highway.

A traffic light will also be installed at the intersection of Newhall Avenue at Pine Street and Arch Street as part of the project, according to the council agenda item.

The purpose of the project, according to the item on the Dec. 9 council agenda, is to beautify the area and improve Newhall Avenue as a “gateway to downtown Newhall.”

During discussion on the item, though, Councilman TimBen Boydston said he has heard citizens raise concerns with the idea of the city adding additional landscaping while the state is in the middle of a drought.

“I’m not really sure why we’re building a median, and we’re going to plant it, and then we’re going to have to water it during this time of drought,” Boydston said, adding that he thinks the city needs “to lead by example” since citizens are being asked to cut back on their water use.

Other council members, however, said the city has already been working to reduce its water use.

“I know that this city has been, for a long time, doing everything in its power to conserve water on behalf of our citizens,” said City Councilman Bob Kellar.

Mayor Marsha McLean echoed that sentiment in a follow-up interview.

“We have, over the years, understood that we need to conserve water, and our medians are implemented in such a way that a minimal amount of water is used,” she said.

McLean said she has also had some residents ask about putting in new landscaping during a time when water is scarce and said, “When I explain to them all the steps that are being taken, they understand and they are very much OK with it.”

Those steps include using drought-tolerant plants in medians to reduce the amount of water needed for irrigation, said Kevin Tonoian, the city’s administrative services manager.

Tonoian said the city is also looking at taking water-needy turf out of existing medians to help reduce water demands.

In recent years, the city has also transferred over to “smart” water controllers that can be managed remotely and shut off watering when it is cold, raining or windy, he said.

“It’s not something that became important as a result of the drought, but it has been a long-standing practice to be good stewards of our resources, and water is certainly one of those very important resources that we work hard to effectively manage,” Tonoian said.

Since the drought was declared, the city has also cut back how much water is used to irrigate the medians, according to Tonoian.

During a presentation to the City Council in October, Assistant City Manager Frank Oviedo said the city “has scaled back watering landscaping by 20 percent.”

“The city has always worked very hard to be a good steward when it comes to water management and that’s not something that’s a new development with the declaration of a drought,” Tonoian said.

Boydston was the only vote against constructing the new median.

“I don’t think we’re doing everything we can to save water, nor set a good example by moving forward and planting new stuff when we’re in the middle of a drought,” he said.


http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/131065/



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