As I listen to the dumping rain outside, I wonder what damage is occurring around town that could have been foreseen by anybody who has lived in this town more than four or five years. Yesterday on a trip through Bidwell Park we found the new rose garden installed by Chico Area Recreation District was flooded and badly damaged.
Irrigation lines, rose bushes ripped out, expensive sand washed out to the creek.
This job was engineered by Greg Melton, the same guy that drew up the plans for DeGarmo Park. The first year after DeGarmo was opened, the play field flooded, and the whole thing had to be redone. I don’t know how much that cost. But Melton has been given a contract by CARD, guaranteeing him jobs without bidding.
This sand is supposed to be on the inside of the fence.
The woman who brought forward the idea for this rose garden offered $100,000 of her own money, but Melton drove the cost up to $250,000. I don’t know what the total cost of installation ended up, I’ll have to ask Ann Willmann, CARD director.
Anybody who has lived here more than five years knows this area gets regular flooding during heavy rains. Why would anybody put a rose garden in a potential swamp? Cause he wasn’t spending his own money.
There’s the creek, right there. This area has long been known as a flood zone. But CARD went ahead and removed big trees to bring this project right down to the water’s edge. During a drought, that was GENIUS MELTON!
I’ll ask Willmann what the cost of repairs will be, and get back to you.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
It’s not even really a rose garden. It’s a frigging wedding stage, with roses. Plus it’s fenced off.
tee hee – it’s not fenced off anymore! It seems to have escaped!
Those pictures are outrageous. Thanks for staying on top of this Juanita, I doubt the public would have known about it if you hadn’t happened along with your camera that morning.
I agree Rob – I sent this picture and the picture of the sunk back hoe to the ER “Hot Shots” and they didn’t even respond.