The Fulton Avenue overpass facing Ripon Christian Schools is about to get a makeover.

The Ripon City Council recently approved an agreement with the Greater Valley Conservation Corps to add ground covering — ice plants, in this case — on the hillside of the Fulton / Wilma Avenue overpass facing the private school campus.

“Last April, as a project for Love Ripon, we started working on this endeavor,” said Director of Public Works Ted Johnston at the April 9 Council meeting. “The plan was to plant sections of the hillside each year with the volunteer help of Love Ripon.”

Due to several issues including logistics and safety concerns for the volunteers, he noted in his staff report that plans to use has volunteer help for this project were abandoned.

Greater Valley Conservation Corps was contacted by the City regarding the service of doing the labor for the project.

Other cities have successfully used the GVCC for similar type projects, according to Johnston’s report.

The GVCC has provided the City with a proposal to provide a five-member crew (including a supervisor) for $880 per day.

“GVCC management and I believe this task will take between five and eight days to complete,” he said.

As for cost, GVCC, in providing labor, would be $7,040 (paid via General Fund, and not to exceed that amount) to the City.

“If we had the staff time to devote to this project, which we currently do not, our labor cost would be approximately $17,000,” Johnston added.