Document text
Medford to get Santo Center deed next week By JIM DAVIS The Santo Center saga -- whether the building in west Medford will become a community center or remain federal property -- finally appears to be over. Medford and federal officials have scheduled a ceremony next week in which the deed to the property will be given to the city, said Greg Jones, Medford parks and recreation director. "It's been a long process," Jones said. "I think the citizens of Medford are definitely the winners in this." The ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m. June 4 at the Santo Center at 701 N. Columbus Ave. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden will be among the dignitaries attending the event, which should close a months-long struggle between government agencies for the property. A former U.S. Army Reserve facility, the Santo Center has been used by several nonprofit and local groups in Medford since 1997, although most moved out last year because the center does not have air conditioning. City leaders wanted to turn the building into a community center, but were reluctant to put in money and time unless the city owned it. Almost a year ago, on June 3, the city applied to the federal government to take over the property. But the U.S. Naval Reserve -- housed at the former West Side School on Ross Lane west of Medford -- also claimed the building. The city and the Navy have been wrangling over the best use for the building -- a center for reservists and veterans or the city's first community center. After urgings from the community and the state's congressional delegation, the federal General Services Administration is apparently awarding the property to the city. As part of the deal, the city is paying the Navy's rent for West Side School, owned by the Medford School District. The city will also pay to install a water line to the school. In typical Santo Center fashion, the property offered one more problem last week when federal officials pointed out that a 110-gallon fuel tank that was removed in 1996 may have contaminated the soil at the center, Jones said. The city dug up the ground and found that the soil did smell like fuel and would need to be cleaned, Jones said. Federal officials, however, offered to pay for those costs. Jones said he did not know how much the work would cost. At its budget meetings this spring, the city allocated $250,000 to rebuild the electrical wiring in the Santo Center and to add a central heating and cooling unit. Jones said the parks department will hold neighborhood meetings to decide the best use for the center. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA