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Jacksonville council to open Middle Street By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE - Boats, cords of wood and campers will have to go now that the Jacksonville City Council has voted to open the barricaded Middle Street. The council voted 4-3 Tuesday to open the dead-end street to improve traffic around the 40-house Pheasant Meadows subdivision. "I walked Middle Street recently and there are boats, wood - you name it - being stored there," said council member Donna Schatz. "It's not being used as a dedicated, city street, which is what it is." It may cost between $16,000 and $30,000 to open the street, depending on engineering estimates for sidewalks, stop signs or other improvements, said Paul Wyntergreen, city administrator. The City Council may create a local improvement district to pay for the street. It could cost the 59 property owners in the area between $224 and $508 each, depending on how much the city contributes. First Presbyterian Church, which owns property nearby, could pay about $12,000. Council member Jerry Mathern said a petition signed by 30 Beverly Way residents helped him decide to vote for removing the barricade. "Those people sent us a message that said, 'Help, we've got a tremendous amount of traffic coming down our street with no sidewalks,'" Mathern said. Council member Bill Leep, who voted to keep the street closed, accused the city of bending over backwards to help First Presbyterian Church in its efforts to build a new sanctuary on 10 acres near Pheasant Meadows. If Middle Street were opened, it would provide a third access point in and out of the narrow development, improving traffic flows in this growing part of town, proponents said. "I feel like we're jumping the gun here," Leep said. "It's premature to tackle this decision when we don't know whether the application will survive the Land Use Board of Appeals." Jacksonville resident Wes Hartman said it's not unusual for the city to open a dead-end street to prepare for a future development. "The city opened F Street and that allowed for the development of town houses and Nunan Square," Hartman said, referring to a new subdivision located across from the historic Nunan Mansion. "It increased traffic next to our house, but we didn't fight it," Hartman said. "When you live in a city, traffic is something you live with." The city is considering opening several other "private" roads in Jacksonville to improve traffic flows around town, including Maryann, Dawson, Martin and Woodberry streets, Mathern said. Mayor Jim Lewis and council member Dean Paddison both voted to keep the barricade, saying they wanted to be consistent with their votes in 1999, when the City Council decided to keep Middle closed. Schatz suggested the city extend an existing walking path to provide a safe route on Hueners Lane. "I don't know that we are putting children at risk by opening Middle Street any more than we are to keep it closed and have them walk on busy Beverly Way," said council member Wally Hicks. "It makes a lot more sense to open Middle and have a continuous flow out of Pheasant Meadows." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.