Expanding project list
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 12:55 PM PDT
| |
| Nyssa Middle School students leave one of the 20-year-old modular units, which school officials say have outlived their intended use and are crowded as enrollment increases. They are now discussing whether to build a new middle school or a new high school building, since Nyssa High School is also at capacity. |
VALE - A potential lump sum payment approved by the Oregon Legislature could inject more than $600,000 into Malheur County but already the project wish list is long and one venture may swallow up the lawmaker-approved funds entirely.
The money will be generated by a decision approved by Oregon legislators to remove $56.2 million out of the Oregon Department of Transportation budget for a one-time distribution in fall of 2008, with each county getting at least $400,000 for roads.
Under the formula, which favors counties which received larger amounts of timber receipts money, Malheur County could get about $680,000. Harney County expects to receive $1.9 million and Grant County is scheduled to get $3.2 million.
County road officials are required to submit their lists of projects by December and the Association of Oregon Counties, will present the lists to the joint legislative Ways and Means Committee during the special session in February.
Although the projects can only be used for county roads, the counties must prepare their lists after consulting with cities and road advisory groups. Malheur County roadmaster Ken Freese and county engineer Jim Kimberling are talking with various local officials to get their suggestions about potential projects.
He has not started drawing up the official, local list but at the top of Freese’s wish roster is the replacement of the Northwest 36th Street Bridge, he said.
“The 36th Street (bridge) span is the shortest on the Malheur (River) from west of Harper to the Snake River,” he said.
It is also low, and when the river is high debris gets hung up on the bridge holding back water, he said. Kimberling said the 36th Street Bridge would also be his top priority.
Second on Freese’s list is a section of Foothill Drive, beginning about one mile west of Halliday Road and continuing west about 31/2 miles toward Vale, where Foothill Drive feeds Lagoon Drive.
Freese said the county had started making improvements on that section of Foothill but ran out of money. Lytle Boulevard, which goes south from Vale, connecting to Owyhee Avenue, was third on the preliminary list.
“It’s narrow and getting old,” Freese said. “It has a lot of truck traffic.”
The route is often used by large cattle trucks, which have to hug the shoulder, plus trucks hauling potatoes and onions.
Another old road is the Harper-Westfall Highway, which is breaking up, as is the Arock Road, he said.
“The Napton Road (south of Adrian) needs an overlay. The Annex Road needs an overlay,” Freese said, going through his personal list. Commenting he will run out of money long before he runs out of projects, Freese said, “It will be a matter of prioritizing them.”
Also, he will be working to find other sources of funding to be able to do more projects, he said.
What Tha wrote on Oct 22, 2009 8:20 PM:
Idaho Public Utilities Commission, in opposition to the proposed rate increase of 44% to farmers and
businesses
Idaho PUC? "