The City of Clovis approved phase 1 of a project which aims to install bollards in the streets of downtown Clovis. The council members approved the project at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22, after city staff presented their case for why bollards are essential for downtown Clovis.
Clovis city staff said the bollards will protect pedestrians when they walk on the sideways, particularly when there is heavy traffic during special events in Old Town Clovis.
In light of events around the world in recent years, the city staff said bollards are especially important for preventing terrorists who use vehicles to ram into pedestrians.
Nicholas Torstensen, Associate Civil Engineer for the Public Utilities Department, said the city is now prepared to take the next step in the project after getting the approval.
“We got authorization to award the bid once the bids come back,” Torstensen said. “The bid opening is next Tuesday, so that’s when we will get the bids from the contractors. At that point, we will award it.”
Torstensen said it’s important to expedite the process as much as possible because many events are coming up in Old Town Clovis.
“We work closely with [police] to determine the safety importance, that this will increase safety for all the pedestrians that are walking around and in the middle of the streets during these events,” Torstensen said.
He added that he’s hopeful about the direction of the project.
“It seems like it’s going well and now we will get the bids back from the contractors and we will begin to move forward with awarding it,” Torstensen said.