SPRINGFIELD – During the Feb. 19 Springfield City Council meeting, the council heard two ordinance first readings regarding a property annexation for a health hazard abatement issue and amending code to allow officials to enforce parking violations in spaces for disabled individuals.
The proposed property for annexation is located at 2167 Lomond Ave. and the homeowner is requesting annexation to facilitate connection to the City sanitary service due to a failed septic system on the property. The property would be annexed to the City and Willamalane Park and Recreation District, and withdrawn from the Rainbow Water District.
Andy Limbird with the Department of Public Works said that it would be a fairly easy conversion to City sewer. The applicant has paid the applicable sewer assessment fees and obtained the necessary permits to connect the house to the public sanitary system.
The property owner was not in attendance.
Councilor Sheri Moore asked who paid for the sewer extension across the property initially, and Limbird said it was the property owners at 2148 Lomond who paid for it, but due to it being more than 10 years after the cost the owners may not be eligible for reimbursement.
The owner of the 2148 Lomond house, Alan Reynolds, said that while he agrees with the annexation, he paid $65,000 for the sewer and was told a reimbursement would happen given an annexation; he was not told, however, that there was a statute of limitations.
”We’d greatly appreciate help getting a reimbursement for the tremendous cost we had to pay,” Reynolds said.
Limbird said that he will do further research to see if there is anything they can do to help with that.
Wheelchair user parking spaces
The council then heard an ordinance that would allow community service officers (CSO) to issue parking tickets under state statutes and incorporate Oregon state laws regarding parking for disabled individuals.
Kristina Kraaz, assistant city attorney, said they received an inquiry from a resident regarding parking enforcement of ”Wheelchair User Only” parking spaces in private parking lots. Currently, the CSOs are only authorized to enforce municipal parking violations.
Under state law, ”Wheelchair User Only” spaces are only allowed for people with a wheelchair user placard and not a standard disability placard; however, as is Springfield Municipal Code doesn’t reflect those differences.
The resident who inquired, Ruth Osman, spoke during the public hearing to explain the importance of giving wheelchair users that 8-foot space to unload her wheelchair.
”If I don’t have that I have to go to the back of the lot and park in multiple spaces so I don’t get boxed in,” she explained, ”and that leaves me vulnerable because I have to go behind other vehicles where I can’t be seen. It’s significant to me.”
Herbicide concerns
During business from the audience, the council also heard a comment from Glenwood resident Oliver Glenn about concerns of the herbicide, dichlobenil, used on the landscaping around the new roundabouts.
This product is banned in the European Union and is illegal in both California and New York due to causing cancer in both animals and humans.
”Whoever applied it was negligent in protecting people in the neighborhood,” Glenn said, adding, ”I want it banned.”
Mayor Christine Lundberg said that she will look into what the best practices are and what staff can do to change the herbicide used.
