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Jacksonville campaigns for bypass By Melissa Martin JACKSONVILLE � Worried about trucks and cars rumbling down California Street and shaking historic brick buildings, City Council members are launching a campaign to build a bypass. The city will seek help from the National Park Service and other agencies to pay for an environmental study that�s required before any road project can move forward in Oregon. "The missing link is the environmental impact statement," said Paul Wyntergreen, city administrator. "Finding the funding is critical." It could cost between $500,000 and $1.5 million to study traffic volumes, engineering, geology, water, plants, animals and routes. The study must satisfy requirements of the National Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Highway Administration. Wyntergreen will travel to Salem next week to talk to Oregon legislators. And Jacksonville Mayor Jim Lewis plans to talk with congressmen when he travels to Washington, D.C., for a conference in March. "We�re going to see if we can raise the money, one way or another," said council member Donna Schatz. City Council members Tuesday passed a proclamation calling for immediate action to protect their National Historic Landmark, established in 1966. "This is the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in Jacksonville and the beginning of the city�s long and colorful prominence in the history of the Western United States," the proclamation states. The city will knock on many doors, including the Park Service and the National Trust, agencies that helped purchase property for six miles of public hiking and bicycling trails created by the Jacksonville Woodlands Association. Jacksonville is threatened by growth, both surrounding it and within its city limits, Wyntergreen said. Growth brings traffic that winds through "a very fragile ensemble of buildings." The town should be kept as pristine as possible because it�s one of the few National Historic Landmarks in Oregon, said James Hamrick, deputy in the state Historic Preservation Office. "National Historical Landmarks are quintessential and have an importance that extends beyond the borders of the state," Hamrick said. "Right off the bat, you have a pretty good reason to try to protect Jacksonville." Vibration studies show that trucks and cars damage Jacksonville�s brick and mortar buildings, he said. "They are not reinforced and have no structural support," he said. City leaders proposed the bypass 38 years ago as a way of getting traffic away from downtown. Last May, Jackson County commissioners voted to support the need for a bypass. But the highway remains several steps away from reality. It still needs the environmental impact statement, Oregon Department of Transportation funding, engineering and the state�s purchase of property in the highway�s path. Residents have debated for decades the highway�s route. Some want a "northern route," leaving South Stage Road and following the foothills west of town before re-entering Highway 238. Others, including the city, want a "southern route," leaving Old Stage Road near Autumn Lane and crossing Pair-a-Dice Ranch Road before joining Highway 238. "While people differ on the route, they all agree there is a need to establish an alternative route," Wyntergreen said. "We need an alternative route to take a portion of the (traffic) volume out of the downtown core." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.