|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The ongoing revitalization of downtown Livermore is making strides with the opening of Veterans Way in 2019, the completion and opening of Stockmen's Park in 2020, a number of new small businesses coming to the area and most recently, a push forward by the City Council for the development of the wine country hotel.
Another milestone toward bringing the downtown plan to fruition is the upcoming opening of Livermorium Plaza, a new outdoor space that pays tribute to the creation of the element Livermorium, which was named for the city and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
On Jan. 7, city officials posted an update on Facebook about the project, confirming that "we’re still on target to complete Livermorium Plaza by Livermorium Day on May 30, 2022."
As of now, officials said remediation work is completed and Robert Bothman Construction Inc. will be starting underground construction and concrete improvements.
Located at the corner of S. Livermore Avenue and First Street, the plaza will feature a 5-foot diameter granite water ball fountain, which represents the nucleus of the Livermorium atom, according to the city's website.
In the ground surrounding the water ball will be 116 "electrons" represented by a combination of tree wells, accent lights and granite and decorative concrete discs. Both the water ball and granite disks will also be engraved with facts about Livermorium and other elements.
The plaza will also include shade trees, concrete seat walls, a grassy area and a lighting control system to allow for changing color schemes.
While the initial groundbreaking ceremony for the plaza took place in December 2020, work did not actually begin until the week of July 12, 2021. City officials said that the delay was due to the city's decision to switch contractors after their previous contractor, Integra Construction Services, failed to meet the city's insurance requirements.
The council voted last April to rescind the approximately $3.5 million contract with Integra and switch to Robert Bothman Construction, which is also the contractor that completed Stockmen’s Park.
The Livermorium element itself was created by LLNL researchers and scientists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, who worked together on synthesizing two new super-heavy elements, (114) Flerovium and Livermorium. The latter — element 116 on the Periodic Table of Elements — was made by "bombarding curium targets with calcium at one-tenth the speed of light."
Livermorium Day was established in 2013 by former mayor John Marchand to recognize the official naming of the element which occurred on May 30, 2012.
"As one of very few cities to be immortalized on the periodic table, we’re very proud to honor this achievement through Livermorium Plaza and look forward to the community enjoying all it will offer," said City Manager Marc Roberts, who will get to see the opening of the plaza ahead of his retirement set for June, if the project remains on track for completion in May.
