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Bear Creek design workshop set for Thursday If you have an opinion about what the banks of Bear Creek should look like as the stream flows seven miles through Medford, city leaders want to know about it. Everyone is invited to give their opinions about the urban creek during a public workshop from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Red Lion Hotel near downtown Medford. Architects from Design Studios West of Denver, Colo., will make formal presentations at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. about how Bear Creek can become a greater asset to Medford. Architects will show how other communities used their waterways. During the rest of the workshop, folks can drop in and write or draw their ideas on maps and photos posted on the wall of the Siskiyou Room. "People can put a yellow sticky note on a map or draw on the photo," said Eric Iversen of the Medford Urban Renewal Agency. "They may not like a certain retaining wall along Bear Creek, or they may think, 'This is my favorite viewing spot except for these blackberries in the way.' "They might suggest a bench or a trail connecting to that spot or think we should leave it as it is because it's the perfect spot for a native setting," Iversen said. Other ideas might involve businesses creating a creekside frontage. The Bear Creek master plan is a $70,500 project sponsored by city of Medford and Medford Urban Renewal Agency. They hired Design Studios West, which has completed projects in Pueblo, Colo.; Dubois, Wyo.; and Stockton, Calif. The master plan is the result of the city's vision process called "Medford in the 21st Century." "The Medford City Council noted the restoration and enhancement of Bear Creek will make it the crown jewel of Medford and the Rogue Valley," Iversen said. Opinions or questions can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] . To reach Iversen, call the Medford Urban Renewal Agency, 774-2705. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.