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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 29, 2004 Mud-lot parking will close sometime soon By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune A favorite free downtown parking spot slated for closure in the spring is being blocked off earlier than planned. "In order to comply with city standards for a parking area, it’s closing," said Kurt Olsen, Medford Urban Renewal Agency director. The vacant MURA site at Main and Fir streets, the former home of the failed Winetrout mid-rise office/retail development and now a popular parking spot for Rogue Community College students, is in violation of city codes, according to City Council members, and needs to be shut down. MURA decided Tuesday to spend $3,800 for posts and cables around the unpaved portion of the block for three months until construction of a new parking structure gets under way. The small paved portion will probably remain accessible, according to MURA. Advertisement "That’s exactly what I wanted," said Councilman Jim Key. "We have an ordinance that says all parking lots must be paved." The potholed dirt lot, former location of the Crater Lake Motors building, has been heavily used by students at nearby Rogue Community College, and more than 100 cars fill the lot on days when RCC is in session. Larry Mullaly, RCC director of operations, said he’s meeting with MURA to figure out where those displaced cars will park. Together MURA and RCC are looking at the parking structure on Sixth Street. "There’s some various ideas for getting better utilization of the (existing) parking structure," he said, adding that MURA is considering extending the parking time in certain areas. MURA was planning to close the lot for parking before construction begins in May, but the City Council didn’t want to let it go that long. Councilman Key acknowledged that it’s been a dirt lot for more than three years, but said it’s grown increasingly muddy recently. "Last summer they put a coating on it that held the dust down," he said. "It’s worn off and we’ve got, as you can see, a big mud hole out there." He said his concern is the large quantity of mud that is tracked onto the street and that the mud becomes airborne dirt in dry weather. MURA administers all the city’s parking downtown, and is planning to build a 412-space, five-story parking structure on the northeastern edge of the lot. The new parking structure will be available for limited-time parking and permit users in 2005. Some of the displaced parking will be alleviated with the construction of a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek at Ninth Street, giving downtown visitors direct access to 80 all-day parking spaces. MURA board member Bill Dames said the original plan was to have the bridge completed before construction began on the parking structure, but now it will be done in April. "I think once we get that footbridge in, that’s going to make it convenient for the college," he said. Key said there should be enough parking for students, but they might have to walk a little farther to class. "How do you force someone to park someplace that they don’t want to walk?" he said. Olsen said he will bring the issue up at the Feb. 5 City Council meeting for final approval. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times