Confetti fills the air as Mayor Dave Shaw (center left) shakes hands with Public Works Director Josh Wolffe (center right) just after cutting the ribbon on Nov. 19 at Yuba City’s new Water Tower Plaza, surrounded by civic leaders and key contractors. Photo by Jerry Gregg

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The gates surrounding Yuba City’s new Water Tower Plaza at Bridge and Plumas streets were dismantled Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 19, giving residents their first close look at the city’s newest public park. By 3:30 p.m., a group of young bicyclists had already begun inspecting the spherical platform, and by nightfall the community had gathered for an official ribbon-cutting and Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

“It’s great to see all the smiling faces here as this has been a project in the works for a very long time,” said Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw.

After thanking city leaders and officials, Shaw recognized former mayor Shon Harris for his dedication to the project and reflected on an earlier origin point also shared by former Mayor Bob Barkhouse.

Children explore the new playground equipment at Water Tower Plaza during the grand opening and tree-lighting celebration on Nov. 19 in Yuba City. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

“The vision that we celebrate here tonight really began many years ago with Mayor Bob Barkhouse,” said Shaw. “A simple idea that he sketched on a napkin — the early version very simply included a new bridge and a wider Bridge Street, and the kind of infrastructure that would carry our residents safely and proudly throughout our city.”.

Barkhouse died in 2019, but his vision for Fifth Street Bridge and Bridge Street has now come to fruition, with the Water Tower Plaza serving as a sort of capstone project.

The plaza is the final component of a project that began in 2021, when Caltrans launched the Clean California Local Grant Program to beautify public spaces and strengthen community gathering places. In March 2022, Yuba City was awarded a $2.2 million grant for the Plumas Street Historic and Water Tower Improvement Project.

Local artist Madelyne Templeton poses beside her completed “Greetings from Yuba City” mural, one of the four improvements funded through the Water Tower Plaza project. Photo by Jerry Gregg

The funding supported four major downtown improvements: the water tower renovation completed in December 2023; the Center Street festoon lighting installed in March 2025; a large-scale mural by local artist Madelyne Templeton finished in August 2025; and, most recently, the completion of the Water Tower Plaza.

Templeton’s mural—located on an exterior wall of Lee Canton Restaurant—features the Yuba City logo alongside images from local history, including the city’s original fire station, the Sutter County Museum, the Sutter Theater and several iconic ducks. It aims to commemorate Yuba City's past while looking toward its future.

“We did have some challenges along the way, but with support from our maintenance team, our contractors and the city council collectively we preserved the quality and vision this community deserves,” Shaw said.

Residents fill the plaza beneath the illuminated water tower as festivities get underway during the grand opening and tree lighting of Yuba City’s new Water Tower Plaza on Nov. 19. Photo by Shamaya Sutton

Shaw introduced the evening’s first speaker, Public Works Director Josh Wolffe, noting that the project would not have been possible without his work.

“I’m used to throwing one grant application in and doing one project. This was one grant application with four to five projects and a lot of involvement from the community,” said Wolffe. “This project couldn’t have been done without an army.”

Wolffe offered a special thank-you to North Star Construction and Engineering for making both the Gateway Arch and new playground equipment possible.

“We thought we were going to have to cut out landscaping, we thought we were going to have to cut out the playground feature, but at the end of the day we were able to make sure we could get the whole project done with the funding available—and without North Star I don’t know if that could have happened,” said Wolffe.

North Star, a Yuba City–based company, donated plumbing and installation for the park’s water fountain, installation of the inset plaza name, intersection boulders surrounding the new play area, an 8.5-ton dedication boulder, miscellaneous concrete and handrails, irrigation repairs, additional landscaping and upgraded playground equipment.

Iqbal Singh Basrai of North Star Construction places a hand on the Yuba City emblem embedded in the new Water Tower Plaza during the Nov. 19 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Jerry Gregg

“The play structure that we originally wanted and had built into the budget was not this cool,” said Shaw. “North Star stepped up and put in the playground equipment we thought we’d have to remove. They put in better playground equipment — that’s a huge lift.”

North Star also supplied refreshments, including coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. Both owner Iqbal Singh Basrai and company manager Zach Milner were honored at the ceremony.

“This is kind of a cool spot, a lot of hustle and bustle going on,” Milner said. “We were honored to partner with the city of Yuba City on this project. It’s been a true honor to work in our home town and contribute to the growth of the downtown district.”

As Wolffe and Shaw cut the symbolic blue ribbon, the lights illuminated the city’s new official Christmas tree — a seven-foot blue spruce planted near the center of the plaza. City leaders said they look forward to watching it grow to its expected height of 70 feet in the years ahead.