Hanford Mayor Travis Paden and Vice-Mayor Mark Kairis held an informational meeting Tuesday night on the roundabout project which is underway in downtown Hanford that was attended by about 35 business owners.
“I learned a lot in those two-and-a-half hours, more than the last three or four months that we have been dealing with this as it has gotten more chaotic,” said Hanford Jewelry and Loan owner Kirsten Bookout, adding that she approved of the council members holding the meeting. “A lot of questions were put to rest for me, but it didn’t change my opinion on the roundabout being on this corner. I think it should be somewhere else.”
The City Council in January approved the proposal which would replace a traffic light with the roundabout at the intersection of Seventh and Douty streets, with Councilmember Lou Martinez voting no.
Construction on the roundabout is not expected to begin until 2025, according to Deputy City Manager Jason Waters.
Tuesday’s meeting, held at Hanford’s city training room, opened with a presentation about the series of meetings, grants and committees that led to the approval of the roundabout project.
“The goal was to get the downtown businesses the information they missed, had not been relayed to or clarify any misinformation that may have crossed their paths since this downtown improvement project was considered,” Kairis said after the meeting. “I think it went really well last night.”
