A rendering of the Mariposa Plaza project that broke ground Thursday and is expected to be complete in four months.

Construction for a revamped Mariposa Plaza in Downtown Fresno commences next week.

Mayor Jerry Dyer hosted a new conference midday Thursday at Mariposa Plaza at Mariposa and Fulton streets to announce upcoming improvements to the popular downtown location.

Construction will begin on Monday after Saturday’s FresYes Festival and is expected to be completed in phases in four to five months.

The new plaza will feature public art, new lighting, misters, shaded canopies, two elevated stages and nearly double the trees planted in the space currently, along with other native vegetation.

 

There are also plans for an ice skating rink in the plaza expected to be complete by this year’s holiday season.

The total cost is about $4 million, Dyer said.

“It will activate and reinvigorate this part of Downtown Fresno,” Dyer said.

It will also serve as a connection to the high-speed rail station a few blocks to the west in China Town.

The rebuilt plaza will have green infrastructure, an area designated to capture rainwater and permeable ground pavers that will allow water to soak into the ground rather than go to the sewer.

Funding comes from California’s Transformative Climate Communities program, and from the federal American Rescue Plan.

Some of the local companies performing the engineering work include Provost & Pritchard Consulting of Clovis and BSK Associates in Fresno.

American Paving Co. of Fresno is the general contractor. 

Councilmember Miguel Arias said the ice skating rink will have an electrical system for the refrigeration needs of the ice instead of a diesel power generator like the ones used for a skating rink in the past.

Arias said Mariposa Plaza is an important historical site, and also for popular events such as FresYes, festivals, and ArtHop.

 

Last year Mariposa Plaza had about 104,000 visitors.

Fresno’s Capital Projects Director Randall Morrison said that the new plaza will continue as a space for free speech, as it is registered a historical site marking Fresno’s first free speech struggles from 1910-11 involving the Industrial Workers of the World efforts to organize the unskilled labor force.

Elliot Balch, CEO and president of the Downtown Fresno Partnership, said the very first application to consider redesigning the plaza was submitted on April 21, 2011.

“We are excited to get on with construction here,” Balch said. “Since we opened Fulton street we’ve seen increases in visitorship and sales activity.

Balch said that last year Mariposa Plaza had 104,000 visitors, a 40% increase from the year before.

“We’ve got real momentum at this location,” he said.