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Street isn�t on city�s short list Somebody is building a 65-apartment complex in the 1100 block of Stevens Street in Medford. There is no sidewalk in this section of the street, just an open ditch. There are several other apartment buildings in this area of town, including residences for low-income families. Many people walk to nearby shopping centers, which is very dangerous. What are the plans, if any, to cover the open ditch and build a sidewalk for this new development? � Howard P., Medford The city has no specific plans to improve Stevens Street at this point, Howard. Medford�s public works department considers Stevens a "collector," a street that connects residential roads to the city�s main drags, like McAndrews Road. Plans are to eventually improve Stevens Street to collector standards, which includes the construction of sidewalks and storm drains. There is no timeline for the project, however. The city has set aside $50,000 to improve sidewalks this year but streets with the greatest needs will be upgraded first, said Public Works Director Cory Crebbin. The city�s highest priorities are pedestrian routes used by school children who don�t have bus service, and projects like the realignment of North Phoenix Road and the extension of Garfield Street, Crebbin said. All of the projects include some sidewalk construction. Although the developer of the Stevens Street project is required to pay city fees for improvements to streets, those funds are not designated for a specific project. Instead, the money is placed in a fund that pays for upgrades throughout the city. That means public works employees must determine where to spend the money so that it best benefits the entire community, Crebbin said. Additionally, when sidewalks are built where ditches exist, the biggest cost in most cases is installing the storm drainpipe to replace the ditch, Crebbin said. Money for storm drains comes from a different fund. ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] ) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA