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Grant benefits Greenway entry Jim Craven photo Ron Chase uses a backhoe to smooth down a slope at the end of the Bear Creek Greenway bike path in Central Point. A PacifiCorps grant and community labor will provide landscaping to spruce up the entrance. Central Point students to aid improvements By Bill Kettler CENTRAL POINT -- There's little to see right now at the entry to the Bear Creek Greenway, but that could change soon. A grant from PacifiCorps provided the impetus for a Greenway improvement project that will involve students from two local schools, business owners and the city of Central Point. "We were looking for a project," said Claudia Steinbroner, PacifiCorp's customer business manager for Central Point. The weed-choked entry to the Greenway, just north of Pine Street and west of Bear Creek, caught her eye. "It's not a very nice entrance," she said. Steinbroner developed a proposal to landscape the northern end of the Greenway bike path. Her idea won a $2,000 grant from PacifiCorp's GreenCorps program, which supports environmental improvement projects. Steinbroner started talking to other people, looking for ways to make the money go farther. It didn't take long to recruit the Medford Rotary, Central Point School District 6, and the city of Central Point. "It's a perfect community service project," said Rotary member Steve Dunham. The initial grant will provide money for an irrigation system at the Greenway entry. Students from Crater High School will develop a landscaping plan that will shade the creek. Jewett Elementary School students will help plant the landscaping and maintain it. The vegetation will keep water temperatures cool and improve habitat for fish and birds. Rotary members will provide financial support and muscle along the way. The irrigation system is the critical element for the project's success, said Karen Smith, Jackson County's Greenway manager. "We've planted along this stretch before," she said, "but we've never had enough water to get the plants to survive the first few seasons." Site preparation work began Thursday when a backhoe donated by S & B James Construction stripped weedy soil from the site. Smith said the project organizers hope to complete the landscape planning and install the irrigation system by fall so that planting can begin before the winter rains. When the planting is finished, large boulders will be dropped along the Greenway bike path entry to prevent illegal dumping and unauthorized vehicle use along the bike path. Smith said the project could become a model for improving Greenway entry points in other Rogue Valley cities. Jackson County directs land acquisition and bike path construction in the Greenway, but lacks the funds for maintenance and improvement projects. "From our point of view (the partnership) is fabulous," she said. "It's exactly the sort of thing we hoped would happen." Steinbroner said she would like to see the Greenway enhancement continue downstream toward the Jackson County Expo grounds. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA