by Wayne Lee Reporter/Photographer
The August 11 meeting of the Eagle Point City Council could be best described by the Yogi Bera quote, “It was like déjà vu all over again.” During the first meeting in July, the council heard a proposal for a suspension walking bridge across Little Butte Creek and a presentation July 28 from Hunter Communications explaining their use of micro-trenching to install fiber-optic cable. This time it was the council’s turn to discuss the two proposals.
First up was the proposal to build the suspension bridge across Little Butte Creek that was originally presented to the council during its July 14 meeting. During that meeting the pitch was made to construct a bike/pedestrian suspension bridge across Little Butte Creek connecting to Little Butte Park and the opportunities it would create.
The three-person group of Bob Russell and Dan and Donna Pelissier had noted the bridge has been an identified project in the past two Park Master Plans dating back to 2005. Back then it had a projected budget of $4,000. Today the price tag is $500,000.
However, the meeting agenda included a statement from Mayor Kathy Sell that stated, “It is important to note, this project is not an identified capital project in our [System Development Charges] methodology, not a park priority set by Council, nor is it budgeted. Since this project is not listed in the SDC methodology, SDC rates were not anticipated to cover this project.
“These are important points to consider if the Council wishes to move forward with this as a city project. It should also be noted that although the 2023 Park Master Plan lists a pedestrian bridge as a future amenity for Little Butte Park, it is identified as a Phase 2 project with a build-out in the next 10-20 years.”
The council as a whole was supportive of the project, but council member Brad Hewitt explained, “we are stewards of the city’s money with parks, and our priorities right now are the skate park and Highland Park.” Council member Stacy Fields even went so far as to visit an existing suspension bridge and noted, “It was a big draw. I would love to see it happen as part of next year’s goals. Ten to 20 years is too long.”
Council President Kevin Walruff added, “I think it would draw a lot of people and be a great addition to Eagle Point,” adding he would like to explore grants and matching funds for the project. It should be noted that those bringing the proposal have already identified a variety of funding sources. City Administrator Aaron Prunty added, “It will require a lot of infrastructure to make it a usable space.” In conclusion, the council advised the trio to focus on grants and fundraising in the meantime to defray the $500,000 price tag.
Also returning before the council was the presentation from Hunter Communications on their micro-trenching procedure. Prunty noted Hunter provides additional services to the community but impacts city infrastructure. Towards that end, Hewitt stated, “I like the community to have more options, but I’m concerned about laterals (trenches connecting both sides of the street) across the street every 50 feet.” Public Works Director Bret Marshall stated he has already spoken to Hunter in regard to fewer crossings. Sell also pushed for fewer lateral crossings and suggested working on streets scheduled for new chip seal to cover the paved, four-inch-wide trenches after their completion.
The beginning of the meeting saw local bicycle enthusiast Jim Parsons address the council to note the hazard to bikes posed by goat heads. “They are a non-native species, but they are not on the list of banned vegetation,” he said, asking that the city put them on the list for eradication. He also noted that the intersection of Loto and Shasta is only a two-way stop without any notification that cross traffic does not stop. He asked that such signs be added because of several near accidents he has witnessed.
The council’s next meeting will be August 25 where the main subject on the agenda will be the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary.
