"Healthy Living" Parklet Arrives to Placerville's Main Street
(Placerville, CA) - Downtown Placerville now has a vibrant and cool new place for members of the community to sit, relax and enjoy the city. A Parklet has been installed on Main Street at Creekside Place, 451 Main Street, in Placerville. This small, outdoor public recreation space is about the size of a parking space and features seating, plants, solar lights and an electrical outlet, a small overhang that provides partial shade and a bike rack.
"The Parklet is available for everyone to enjoy," said Olivia Byron-Cooper, with the El Dorado County Public Health Division. "We are thrilled to see this project become a reality. Studies show that Parklets have a healthy and positive impact for individuals and communities, encourage foot traffic and can even increase local business."
Installed on Monday, March 18, 2019, the Parklet is a demonstration project sponsored by El Dorado County Public Health in partnership with the City of Placerville. It is funded through an award from the Health Officers Association of California, with donations of time and materials from individuals and businesses in the community. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Monday, April 1, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Parklet site.
The Parklet is the outcome of a 2016-2017 Healthy Living Parklet Design Challenge that was open to all local high school students. Submissions were narrowed down to three designs and the public was invited to vote. With over 1,600 votes cast, the winning design, created by Oak Ridge High School student Emily Bobrowsky, was announced at a design reveal celebration.
The Parklet design was realized with the help of local Architect, Charlie Downs, and built and installed by Carter-Kelly, Inc., a local commercial construction company. The Parklet was built to be environmentally friendly and includes a solar panel to power the lights and electrical outlet; the panel and electrical features were donated by Solar Hut LLC, located in Placerville.
The City of Placerville has approved a special temporary use permit for the Parklet valid through October 31, 2019. The Main Street Parklet is the first parklet in the City of Placerville and is a smoke-free public space for the community.
For questions about the Parklet project, please contact Byron-Cooper at (530) 621-6374 and check out www.welldorado.org
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