Tree-trimming underway in La Jolla’s downtown Village

With a little beauty comes a little pain.

And lately that pain has come in the form of some minor traffic congestion as tree-trimming crews work around La Jolla’s downtown Village. The work started earlier this week and is shifting daily to various locations throughout the business district, said Egon Kafka of the La Jolla Village Lodge, who has been keeping a watchful eye on the work. He’s involved with La Jolla’s Streetscape Committee, which has been pushing to get the work done.

The trimming work, along with pending power-washing of the sidewalks to remove grime and gum and installation of new hanging pots are being paid for through the La Jolla Businesss Improvement District. The city is managing the district, which operates with fees paid by merchants.

Kafka said power-washing will probably start around June 30 and likely will take two crews working at night a couple of days. They are aiming to finish before the July 4th weekend, he said.

Matt King of Envirocare has offered to contract with merchants to clean storefronts, he added.

After the holiday, the new baskets should start going up, and on July 7 and 8, the streets that have been torn up during recent sewer and water line construction will be covered with a slurry seal and be restriped. The contractor expects to be working from 5 a.m. to noon, said Erin Demorest, aide to Councilwoman Sherri Lightner.

Meanwhile, construction crews are making curb cuts at some corners and adding a yellow-rubberized material to the cuts them safer, city officials have said. Some of the work is part of the sewer and water project; some part of a federal stimulus grant related to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.