Monique Court resident Joanne Vega approached the Ceres City Council saying she’s concerned about the appearance of Central Avenue and River Road.

“We were promised gorgeous landscaping along Central Avenue and River Road,” said Vega, who added that she pays into a landscaping district. “When it started it was gorgeous. There were beautiful trees lining River Road and Central and now it is so ugly. They are dead. We did have a few come in but they look like they’re about to die. There is some jasmine that looks pretty much like it’s about to die. There were even trees that were dead on Central and they were still there like for five months. It looks kind of like a really bad area even though you look at our houses, they’re gorgeous.”

She said residents were not getting their money’s worth.

City Manager Toby Wells said some plants were stolen and significant vandalism to the sprinklers that were fixed and found kicked within days.

“It’s an area we struggle with,” said Wells. “Obviously it’s not a condition that we feel is acceptable either but we’re struggling with how to continue to battle the many challenges we have out there.”

Vega also expressed frustration that the park on River Road has yet to come to fruition. Wells said Lions Park is undergoing design with the first phase of the playground area going out to bid this year and ready for use by summer of 2020. Eastgate Park is also on the same time schedule.

Nora George, a 16-year resident of the area, also chimed in and said the area “looks like a dump.” She also complained about dumping on the street and dead landscaping.

“It’s really awful,” said George.