Westerly Creek North/Uplands Project groundbreaking. Front Porch photo by Madeline Schroeder.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the 64-acre Westerly Creek North/Uplands project was held March 10. Mayor Hancock (waving from the backhoe) said there will be 4,000 linear feet of 12-foot wide regional trails, 9000 linear feet of concrete and soft surface park trails, and a pedestrian/bike bridge over the creek. More than 500 trees and 1600 shrubs will be planted to create a natural looking open space similar to the rest of Westerly Creek Park.

The project will be done in two phases: phase one includes the earthwork and the pedestrian bridge; phase two will be the irrigation, trails and landscaping. It is hoped the park can be completed by the end of 2015, with trails ready for public use, but planted areas will be fenced off until the landscaping takes hold.

An estimated 118,000 cubic yards will be moved from the creek bed to form mounds in the Uplands area to the east of the creek. Like the rest of Westerly Creek, this northern section of the creek is designed to contain floodwater during heavy rainfall.