Downtown session slated Thursday
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 10:44 AM PDT
| |
| The Ontario downtown area as seen in this file photo. Those interested in what Ontario’s downtown could look like in the future are encouraged to attend a downtown revitalization meeting slated to occur from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Four Rivers Cultural Center. |
Ontario — Residents concerned about the future of Ontario’s downtown have another chance to express their viewpoints at a downtown revitalization meeting slated for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Four Rivers Cultural Center.
Ontario City Manager Henry Lawrence, who organized the meeting, said its purpose is to talk about opportunities to improve the downtown area and better ways to connect the downtown to local schools and neighborhoods.
At the Ontario City Council meeting Monday, Lawrence invited council members to attend the workshop. This workshop, he said, will go over a traffic analysis framed by representatives from Portland-based Angelo Planning Group, Kittelson and Associates, SERA and Alta Planning.
“They’ll go over what they’ve discovered to date,” Lawrence said.
The analysis booklet, which Lawrence said he mailed to people who had expressed an interest in the downtown revitalization project, looks at what the planners believe are the strengths and weaknesses of the downtown area. The strengths planners outlined include buildings in the downtown area that help to create a sense of tight urban form, street trees, benches and ornamental banners celebrating downtown Ontario.
These attributes create an attractive downtown walking and biking environment and a good system connection within the west and east downtown areas and schools. New sidewalks and curb ramps help pedestrians navigate the area, while curb extensions help to slow traffic. Mid-block intersections that provide convenient crossing areas.
However, the report also pointed out what planners felt were weaknesses in the downtown area as well. The report listed some streets as weaknesses, including major ones such as East Idaho Avenue. East Idaho Avenue, for example, serves as a barrier between pedestrian sections of downtown, according to the report. A lack of signs to direct pedestrians and drivers to areas of interest in the city, such as Treasure Valley Community College and other schools, was also highlighted as a drawback.
The report cited a number of other potential shortcomings including: poor lighting in segments of East Idaho Avenue and Southeast Fifth Avenue near the Union Pacific Railroad; cracked and uneven sidewalks; a lack of bicycle access in segments of East Idaho Avenue and Southeast Fifth Avenue near the Union Pacific Railroad; bumpy railroad crossings without sidewalk access; east downtown’s incomplete sidewalk system; inadequate bicycle parking and faded crosswalks.
“What we’re doing is getting some more input,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said Matt Hastie from the Angelo Planning Group will speak with schoolchildren Wednesday regarding what they would like to see in downtown Ontario. Hastie said he will also talk with Ontario Middle School students to learn how they commute to school.
Hastie said he plans to teach the youth what a transportation planner does and have them find their homes on a map. Hastie said the students will secure an opportunity to discuss ways of moving about the city that may be easier than what has been outlined.
He also said he plans to meet with Ontario High School students Thursday morning.
At 4 p.m., he said, he is set to meet with technical advisory committee members in order to discuss the planning booklet.
“It’s to give people an overview of the proposal,” he said.
Hastie said he plans to look over some of the “highlights” in the report with the committee. He said the main difference between the technical advisory committee meeting and the downtown revitalization meeting is that the technical advisory committee is “a targeted group,” while the downtown revitalization meeting is “open to anybody.”
At the 6:30 p.m. meeting, Hastie said, the audience will split up into groups depending on what interests them the most — whether it is connecting to schools or downtown revitalization.
Each group will have a planning representative to answer any questions raised in the discussions. He said this meeting was different then the previous meeting held in September.
“The format is a little different,” he said.
As for what the future holds in the process, Hastie said he plans to see a final draft plan sometime in January.
Previous documents scheduled the final draft plan to be completed in December, but Hastie said most of the work left to do on the project has moved forward a month.
The reason for this, he said, is because the group added a second meeting in Sept., which left members spending about three weeks preparing for that meeting.
Lawrence e-mailed the report to technical advisory committee members, who are slated to meet at 4 p.m. at the Four Rivers Cultural Center.
