As the contractor continues with installation of temporary signals and other preparatory efforts, we are beginning to see more excavation and drainage work starting to occur, along with the removal of the old bridge supports and installation of the temporary work bridge. The one lane closures have been intermittent and brought about by a combination of the contractor’s intersection signalization and City’s Waterline work. This week’s three week look-ahead from the contractor didn’t have too many major changes other than the fact that the closure of the Second Street Plaza has been bumped to the first week of October.
The Chamber itself has introduced a bit of news with the presentation of a Temporary Parking Plan for the next two construction years to the City Council on Monday. The draft contains some 20 policy and implementation action items that should add at least 44 parking spaces to the City’s inventory to make up for those lost during construction. Once adopted, the various measures will be put into place immediately.
Perhaps the biggest breaking news, however, is the fact that the ODOT and the owners of the Shell Station at First and Main have reached an agreement that will close down the station as of the end of September and decommission the fuel tanks by mid-October, according to Mike Sheldon of Sheldon Oil. The details of the agreement have not been ‘inked’ as of yet, and the decision making process as to what to do with the property has not yet begun, so this news item has a great deal of unknown ramifications that will be unfolding in the near future.