CRESWELL — Home to the Creswell Bakery and encircled by pastel-painted residences, South Second Street boasts its fair share of activity and needed street repairs.
On Oct. 28, the Creswell City Council resumed an ongoing conversation for over a month at its work session, broaching potential next steps for combatting the state of South 2nd Street.
At the Sept. 23 Creswell City Council work session, Cliff Bellew, Creswell Public Works Director, and Steve Ward of Westech Engineering opened dialogue regarding needed street repairs along South Second Street. Improvement ideas included implementing biking paths, traffic mitigation measures, and increasing ADA compliance.
Additionally, recommendations for navigating parking and increasing intersection safety were also discussed. Community members shared their apprehension regarding the project, citing changes to residential driveways, challenges for local businesses, and encroachments on property.
Both the council and Bellew advised community members to share their viewpoints to create a more cohesive plan moving forward.
On Oct. 28, Bellew and Ward returned with their findings, presenting two options to the council.
The first falls under the approved requirements of the Transportation System Plan, which assesses the needed repairs of streets and categorizes them in a hierarchical order.
A Street was the first to be revamped, with 2nd Street serving as its hopeful successor. Under option one, 2nd Street would remain a collector street and continue to be used as an LTD bus route.
Option two, however, would require updates to the TSP and negotiations with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), delaying the project by “about a year,” according to Bellew. While the plan would allot seven added parking spaces for the Creswell Bakery, they would also come at the cost of $200,000.
Mayor Dave Stram brought the decision to the council. Alonzo Costilla, Council President, and Councilors Normajean Osborn, Nick Smith, Staci Holt, and Clark Kent consented to moving forward with option one. Councilor Shelly Clark was not in attendance.
Bellew is beginning to commence next steps, starting with connecting with impacted residents on South Second Street and informing them of potential easements. The final design plan will then be adjusted before being presented to the council.
“Right now, it’s at about 75 %,” Bellew said.
Following this, the plan will go out to bid. At this time, construction is projected to begin in late spring or early summer next year.
