The Sweet Home City Council approved a motion to pave Juniper Street between 35th Avenue and 31st and open the street at Juniper and Hawthorne Way, near Hawthorne School.
In November 1998, the council passed a resolution placing a barricade at Hawthorne Way until such time as the gravel street was improved.
Since then, Public Works Director Mike Adams said, the area has continued to develop with housing and storm drainage improvements. A number of residents on Juniper also requested a form of dust control.
On Aug. 20, the Traffic Safety Committee recommended that the barricade be removed to allow access through the entire Juniper Street right-of-way, allowing additional ingress and egress for residents and emergency services.
The city will overlay the street, bringing it to Linn County standards, a 20-foot travel surface, Adams said. The work will not provide a permanent solution to storm drainage issues that have caused problems in the area.
Fifteen area residents signed a petition requesting dust control at the corner of 35th and Juniper.
“There are three different households where individuals have lung problems and are on oxygen or inhalers,” they said. “The dust picked up by the wind and the traffic make it difficult for these individuals to breath and pose a health liability.”
One area resident said he supported the paving and opening of the street as long as the city did not intend to fully improve the street to city standards, including curbs, sidewalks and gutters.
Paving the street will cost an estimated $12,000.
In other business, the council:
– Heard a complaint from Abe Ispas regarding AT&T’s decision to remove premium movie channels from its cable lineup and provide them exclusively on digital, a more expensive service. The council agreed to draft a “letter of displeasure” to AT&T and discuss the issue next time AT&T must negotiate a franchise agreement with Sweet Home. Ispas called for a boycott on all AT&T services, including cable, telephone and Internet.
– Heard a request by teens to have more dirt brought to the BMX track at Upper Sankey Park to expand the track and build new features. Public Works staff will respond to the request in a discussion with those teens.