The community of Southwest Bakersfield coming together to share improvements coming to a longtime staple, The Marketplace. On Thursday, City officials, law enforcement, and developers gathered at The Marketplace to speak to the public about what's to come. Bakersfield Ward 5 City Councilman Larry Koman sharing that several improvements are already set in motion in The Marketplace and Edward's Cinemas, and more are expected to come.The community of Southwest Bakersfield coming together to share improvements coming to a longtime staple, The Marketplace. On Thursday, City officials, law enforcement, and developers gathered at The Marketplace to speak to the public about what's to come. Bakersfield Ward 5 City Councilman Larry Koman sharing that several improvements are already set in motion in The Marketplace and Edward's Cinemas, and more are expected to come."We're trying to gather some community input into some of the improvements that are going to happen here in the marketplace. Give people an opportunity to tell us what they want to see here," said KomanDevelopers from First Washington Realty were in attendance, asking for feedback from locals about plans to update the area, including the spot that once held the beloved water fountain. While they said it's too soon to reveal plans, as nothing is set in stone yet, they expect to have some things finalized by this summer."The investment group is going to invest pretty heavily in The Marketplace that are going to be redoing this old fountain area and do some other improvements here," Koman said. "We want to be able to share those with the community."Along with improvements to the development, local law enforcement has been receiving feedback from the businesses in the area, saying they've heard the community's desire to address issues like dangerous bike riders, vandalism, and other ways to protect businesses.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less