CHRISTINE DAVIS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CARLSBAD VILLAGE ASSOCIATION
Long before State Street was called State Street, it was known as First Street because it was the very first street east of Coast Highway. There was a gas station on the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive where Choice Juicery now stands and a hotel with a spicy past above what is now Caldo Pomodoro. A cobbler, a meat market, a hardware store and more have called State Street its home. For many years. And now, during a pandemic, the likes of which we haven’t seen in over a century, State Street has gotten a much-needed facelift complete with long-awaited repairs to its aged drainage system. It was one of 12 drainpipe repair projects in Carlsbad.
A silver lining to these very challenging times is that the engineers and staff in the Public Works branch of the City of Carlsbad were able to not only start the project on schedule but also take advantage of the time during the stay at home order, while most businesses were closed, to complete the project in record time. It was the goal of Public Works to complete the project before downtown businesses started to open up, post stay at home order, to allow them to get back on their feet as quickly as possible – without the interruption of repair work originally planned through the third week in May. And, they were able to complete the repair work while keeping all sidewalks and crosswalks open to foot traffic to help support the downtown businesses and restaurants who were providing curbside delivery and takeout options. With the work schedule increased to 12-hour days and six-day weeks, State Street will not only drain better during our rainy season but it will also have the look of a world-class resort town with fresh pavement and new striping by the date of this publication. Thank you, City of Carlsbad, for this bright, silver lining.