07/15/1986 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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" Mr. Reinhard said the design of the highway will incorporate safety features such as traffic signals and turning lanes to make the road as e safe as possible. He said a Mr. Harding of the Southern Pacific Company told him the tracks south of the highway probably will not be abandoned as long as the businesses there want the railroad tracks. Answering a question from Mayor Obie, Mr. Reinhard said Alternative la at- grade indicates an access on the north side for Pacific Petroleum and other properties to the north. Probably a through connector will not be located there. If the section is elevated, the properties will have access underneath it. He said the issue will be considered during the right-of- way acquisition and design processes. Lack of access and damage to the truck washing facility would be taken into account when a settlement is made. Replying to a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Reinhard said a November election on the project was recommended by the City staff because a large vote would be advantageous. He said the council can consider Mr. Hledik1s suggestion that an election that has fewer measures woul d be more advantageous. Mr. Reinhard said an election could be held on September 16 but it would not allow much time to inform the public about the measure and the City would have to pay all or part of the election cost. Answering a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Reinhard said Table 2 on Page 10 of the son S indicates costs for land, improvements, damages, and relocation of businesses. Mr. Gleason said the actual costs will be negotiated in the final design stage. . Mayor Obi e said the council would like to do everything possible to mitigate damages to peop 1 e who testified. He suggested the council recommendation to the State Highway Division include a statement of concern about damages to businesses. He suggested the staff prepare such a recommendation for the council's consideration on July 16. Ms. Bascom said she would like the council to express concerns about damages to businesses. She sa i d the staff did an excellent job of analyzing the alternatives and she was impressed with the public information session held by the staff in west Eugene. She sa i d the council wanted to upgrade the highway to an attractive parkway and has been concerned about its impact on the livability of Eugene and on wet lands. She said moving traffic through the city efficiently has a positive effect on air quality. Ms. Schue said she is impressed by the cooperation on the project of City representatives, State representatives, and people in the community. She said Alternative la at-grade is a major improvement over the alternatives the council considered in December. She said many of the ideas expressed by the councilors then were accepted. She emphasized that the people who testified in December were heard and their comments affected the alignment recommended by the State Highway Division. She said the councilors want to recommend an alignment that will do the least damage possible. She hopes the community will support the project. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 15, 1986 Page 6