Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home City Council approved a temporary street closure for 14th Avenue between Elm Street and Kalmia Street during the Feb. 13 Sweetheart Run, which starts at Sankey Park.
The council approved the closure during its regular meeting on Jan. 12. The closure will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
“Staff is expecting several hundred participants at the event, in addition to many vendors, who will be setting up in the park area prior to the event,” said Laura {{more}] LaRoque, planning services manager. Participants will be instructed to park in nearby lots and along the streets around 14th Avenue but no on 14th Avenue.
Vendors will be instructed to park in the lot at Upper Sankey Park, she said. Handicapped participants will be allowed to park in the main Sankey Park lot upon arriving.
“The closure will allow runners an area to warm up and reduce safety issues associated with pedestrians and vehicles,” LaRoque said.
Letters will be sent to homes along 14th Avenue informing them of the event and closure. Residents also will be able to access the street, and traffic will continue to be allowed along Hawthorne, Grape and Fir streets.
Present at the meeting and approving the closure were Mayor Jim Gourley, Greg Mahler, Dave Trask, Bruce Hobbs and Jeff Goodwin.
Ryan Underwood and Marybeth Angulo were absent.
For more information about the Sweetheart Run and closure, call the planning office at (541) 367-8113.
In other business:
– Former mayor and budget committee member Dave Holley told the council that it should consider not hire a new maintenance superintendent.
The position was left vacant by the death of Pat Wood. City Manager Craig Martin said it would likely remain unfilled until July, the beginning of the next fiscal year. With Wood’s accruals, it is difficult for the city financially to do it before then.
Until then, Public Works Director Mike Adams is spending time fulfilling the duties of the position.
The past couple of years, during budget times, Holley said, he has looked at how Public Works is structured, and he has had discussions with council members about not filling that position when Wood retired.
Woods’ passing forces the discussion at a time when it cannot go before the Budget Committee, Holley noted.
“Public Works is a lot different in manpower than it used to be,” Holley told the council. “We contract our water and our sewer. We’ve got, like, 15 or so employees in Public Works, plus a couple of staffers in city Hall who are supported by Public Works funds.
“I just don’t think the need is there any more. We have crew leaders, both in the streets and in water-sewer, that I think have some type of supervisory responsibility. I’m not saying the personnel should be reduced. Maybe you want to backfill it someplace else, but that particular job classification, I think, is one that’s run its course.”
Martin noted that the crew leader positions are members of the employees union bargaining unit. They have additional certification, but they are not supervisors.
He said that the city eliminated a superintendent position when the city contracted out water and wastewater treatment.
He also said that city staff have discussed reorganizing Public Works when Wood would have retired, but with the unexpected vacancy, he is not prepared for a reorganization.
Holley also suggested that the Public Works Director should work from the Public Works maintenance facility off 24th Avenue. Currently, the Public Works director works out of City Hall.
Mahler, who chairs the Public Works Committee, said he would like to discuss Holley’s ideas there.
– The council voted to recommend to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission approval of a liquor license for Ruth Hernandez and a new restaurant, Casa de Reyes, at 2434 Main St., the former site of Sam City.
The license will allow beer, wine and spirits to be sold for on-site consumption.
The decision whether to approve the liquor license will be up to the OLCC.
– Council members appointed Jane Hazen to the Parks Board. Her term will expire on Jan. 12, 2020. She has a bachelor of science degree in recreation and parks management, along with experience in commercial and community recreation, according to her application.