By Victor Manalo, municipal consultant with Calpipe Security Bollards

Claremont, California captures the essence of cozy, comfortable and charming with its beautiful tree-lined streets and ubiquitous campuses of the Claremont Colleges. I have been fortunate enough to experience the City through its downtown area, which locals call the “Village.” The Village is home to the Farmers and Artisans Market, where 27 crash-rated and removable security bollards from Atkore are located to protect the market goers.

I met up with Claremont’s Acting Assistant City Manager Jaime Earl and Public Information Officer Bevin Handle to learn more about this bollard project. “It was all about safety,” Earl told me. According to Earl, the Farmers and Artisans Market had been protected by removable bollards, which were purchased from Atkore years ago. When the market had to be temporarily relocated due to infrastructure upgrades, the City knew that they had to continue to use safety devices to protect the vendors and visitors of the market. Because the move was supposed to be a temporary solution, the City deployed barricades for traffic control, k-rails filled with water and city vehicles to block off streets.

Bevin Handel also informed me that the Market, held on Sundays, attracts hundreds of residents and visitors from the area every week. It also boasts over 100 growers and artisan members sharing their goods and services throughout the year. While the Market is run by a nonprofit organization and not the City, “the Claremont City Council still made sure that this very popular market would be safe for the whole community,” Handel added.

When those in charge of the Farmers and Artisans Market decided that they wanted to remain at their new location, the City Council worked with them to make it happen.

To protect people at the Farmers and Artisans Market, the Claremont City Council directed staff to present a plan to use bollards again, as they did at the previous site. The City Council approved the purchase of the 27 security bollards from Atkore to be installed at the new location. After the bollards were purchased, Earl recalled hearing from some anxiously awaiting residents that, “aesthetically, bollards look much better and more inviting than orange k-rails and barricades.”

Protecting the public can also reduce the liability for the municipality. The Los Angeles Times reported that in 2008 the City of Santa Monica and other defendants paid out $21 million to settle dozens of civil lawsuits arising from the July 2003 crash at the downtown Farmers’ Market that left 10 people dead and 63 injured. Many cities have Farmer’s Markets and other outdoor events in public areas and spaces, such as parades, block parties, and concerts, and they all need to be protected.

Those who attend the Claremont Farmers and Artisans Market on Sundays can stroll, sip, and shop in comfort and safety thanks to Atkore and their local brand Calpipe Security Bollards.

About the Author
Victor Manalo is a former council member and local government consultant. He served on the Artesia City Council for over 11 years and is a Past-President of the California Contract Cities Association. While on the City Council, he implemented an ordinance that became the outdoor dining and seating safety standard. He has worked on pedestrian safety issues as a municipal consultant with Calpipe Security Bollards and as the Director of the Storefront Safety Initiative, whose goal is to put an end to vehicle-into-building crashes. Contact Victor Manalo at Victor@VictorManalo.com for more information.

About Calpipe Security Bollards
Calpipe Security BollardsⓇ is a part of Atkore. They provide bollard products and bollard security services. Calpipe Security Bollards offers a wide range of bollards including – safety and architectural bollards, lighted and standard landscaping bollards, as well as crash-tested high-security bollards engineered for anti-terrorist or high-threat applications. Calpipe Security Bollards manufacturing facility is located in the City of Downey at 12160 Woodruff Ave. and is easily accessible from the 5, 105, and 605 Freeways. They are available to provide safety assessments, product specifications, and estimates for crash-tested bollards and other safety devices for cities and other local governments.