Over the past few months, more than half a million dollars have been spent beautifying the relatively barren, yet highly traversed Iron Horse Trail.

The city of San Ramon has contracted Jensen Corporation Landscape Contractor to install nine rest areas, or nodes, along the Iron Horse Trail in San Ramon, from Fostoria Way to the south city limit line.

These nodes will include benches, shade structures, mile markers, additional trees and shrubs, and a drinking fountain.

The node nearest to Cal High is node 7, located near the intersection at Pine Valley Road, and will be featuring boulders and granite turtles.

The planning behind the Iron Horse Trail landscaping and beautification project began nearly a decade ago when Scott Perkins, a member of the city council, suggested the idea.

“I brought up the idea back in 2004 and proposed it in the city council,” Perkins said. “It’s finally under way, and I think it will be a great addition to the city.”

On Sept. 14, the city of San Ramon, in conjunction with the Rotary Club, formally began the landscaping of the trail. The entire project is estimated to be completed by Dec. 18.

“It took 11 years for them to get everything in order because there were so many utilities running through the Iron Horse Trail and so many districts running through it,” said assistant project manager Suzy Edwards. “Everybody had to get involved.”

This entire project is spearheaded by six local Rotary Clubs including San Ramon, San Ramon Valley, Danville, Danville Sycamore, Alamo, and San Ramon Dougherty.

The Rotary Club is both a local and international service club dedicated to giving back to the community. It is the parent club of Interact, a service club established at many high schools, including Cal High.

Of the $783,011 budget set aside for the project, $28,000 was donated by Rotary through continuous fundraising efforts. The rest of the money was gathered through various grants, including grants from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority.

About $550,000 of the budget will be paid to Jensen Corporation for the materials and their contruction work.

On Oct. 7, a group of nearly 60 people comprising of loca Rotary members, Cal High Interact students, and Boy Scouts from Troop 84 came together to work on beautifying the Iron Horse Trail. Together, these members planted several trees and plants at the nine respective rest stops.

Cal High senior, Alex Gladchenko, was one of the Interact members helping with the planting.

“I’m glad that Rotary is giving us the opportunity to help out in the city and that high schoolers can get involved in the process,” Gladchenko said.

This large gathering was only the first of four phases of the project. Phase 1 included a cleanup campaign and the planting of trees and shrubs around the rest stops.

Phase 2 involved the installation of park benches at the nodes, which is a cause of celebration for those who regularly use the trail and find nowhere to rest their weary “soles”.

In an effort to raise awareness of the project, Rotary organized an essay contest as Phase 3. Fourth graders have been invited to write an essay on why the Iron Horse Trail is important to them. Contest winners will be announced at the ribbon cutting ceremony in early 2016.

Lastly, Phase 4 of the project will include the installation of a Rotary sign at the end of the trail introducing the club and its mission to serve the community.

As for impacts on the public during the construction period, they appear to be minimal.

“We don’t close the trail,” said Edwards. “And the work is done so they won’t work on the trail during the peak hours.

Some students have mixed feelings about the project.

“I feel that these are good additions,” said senior Jonathan Lee, who uses the trail to bike to friends’ houses. “But also wonder if we really need to spend the money on these additions.”

While Lee has monetary concerns for the project, senior Akarsh Rao looks to another worrisome factor, especially in California today.

“I’m not too sure about adding the trees and other shrubbery because too much would take away from our water,”  Rao said.

“I’m excited about the additions because it’ll make the Iron Horse Trail more exciting to go to.” said John Ty, a sophomore at Cal High who uses the trail to bike to and from school. “It’ll make the trail come alive.”