The long-neglected front lawn of the Claremont Village Post Office is finally getting a facelift.

The $30,000 refurbishment project commenced the week of July 21, according to Evelina Ramirez of the United States Postal Service. Workers on Monday morning were seen grading the ground for installation of new batch of drought-tolerant plants. After grading, Ms. Ramirez said, irrigation, planting and mulching will begin.

The new landscape will feature a drought-tolerant garden similar to that at city hall. In all, 39 achillea moonshine plants, 10 junipers, 37 dianellas, six Texas Ranger plants, 24 lavandulas, 17 tuecriums, eight westringias and 12 acacia redolens are among the plants that will make their home in front of the post office.

Top that off with about 14 yards of decomposed granite, and you’re going to see a very different kind of garden.

Claremont Senior Management Analyst Jamie Harvey said in an email that the $30,000 will not be paid by the city. USPS, who selected A-1 Landscaping in July after an open bidding process, will foot the bill.

The condition of the post office landscaping has been the subject of scrutiny for some time. The city had been in contact with the regional branch of the USPS to get the yard refurbished, even calling Congresswoman Judy Chu about it, according to a December 2016 article in the COURIER. The project is set to wrap up by August 18, Ms. Ramirez said.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com