Telegraph Square officially opens

Before running off to join the Nevada Day parade Saturday, Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., attended the dedication of Telegraph Square at Telegraph and Curry streets and said the square reminded him of an old Chinese proverb.

"A journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step," Bryan said. "It strikes me that this is the first step in what we can do on Curry Street."

With blue-capped scissors in hand, Carson City Redevelopment Authority Chairwoman Robin Williamson joined several other Telegraph Square proponents in a ribbon cutting to officially open the square.

"It really adds to the beauty and functionality of this area," Mayor Ray Masayko said. "We can replicate it other places downtown if we want."

The square hosts raised planters designed to double as sitting areas on the corners of the square. Landscaping in the planters was completed by the Parks and Recreation Department.

Brass plaques will eventually replace the black and white signs on the planters that read "Telegraph Square 1999." The crosswalks between the planters are made of stamped, colored concrete. Telegraph was turned into a one-way street and extra diagonal parking spaces added on Curry Street.

"I remember what this looked like before," said Hana Feinhandler, of Carson City. "This is wonderful."

"It's so clean," added Isabel Espinoza, of Carson City. "It gives (the area) a very homey, friendly and charming look."

The work on Telegraph Square was done by the city's street department. Doing the work in-house not only saved money, but gave street workers a chance to work on something a little different.

"The guys like this kind of work because it's a breath of fresh air," said Street Operations Manager John Flansberg. "It gives them a chance to learn new skills and helps to train people in new areas."

Not only was money saved by letting the street department do construction work on the square, but the project also came in under budget. Flansberg said the project's final tally will be around $65,000, a $10,000 savings for the Redevelopment Authority.