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58 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, June 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 25, 2004 Central Point plans $1.9 million for streets By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — The city plans work on streets and new city office space as part of its $28 million budget for the coming year. One $1.9 million project would rebuild the intersection of Pine Street and Highway 99, widening Pine and replacing two railroad crossings. The other, also estimated to cost $1.9 million, would put city offices atop a new city library. Library construction is expected to start next month. The city’s budget committee was expecting to "finish things up" on the budget Monday night, said City Administrator Phil Messina. The budget, up $2 million from last year, still must be approved by the City Council. Expenditures for the 2004-2005 budget are largely geared toward regular operations, Messina said. Advertisement In addition to the project at Pine Street and Highway 99, the city plans to spend $800,000 for reconstruction of Ninth and Laurel streets. The city will pay for the roads projects with revenues that include about $1.3 million in gas taxes, $1.9 million from street system development charges and an undetermined amount from right-of-way funds. In the Parks and Recreation Department, the "recreation" half of operations will have a separate budget, $402,000, because of growth in the department, Messina said. After just two years in existence, the department doubled participant hours from 40,000 to 82,000. Part of the recreation budget, $66,000, will go toward a temporary structure near the old Central Point Elementary gymnasium for parks department offices and a classroom. In the parks part of the budget, budget committee members tentatively have earmarked nearly $70,000 to bring total savings for a long-awaited skateboard park to $150,000, Messina said. A group of teens began planning the project more than five years ago and property was purchased two years ago. Nearly half of $150,000 already set aside was used last year for design of the $300,000 project and, after four failed attempts at grants, Messina said council members would likely set small increments aside in coming budget years until construction is feasible. Two other parks, those in Cascade Meadows and Summerfield subdivisions, will be completed at $32,000 and $17,000, and $15,000 will be allotted for completion of a footbridge in the Forest Glen development, he said. A unique item to this year’s budget, though small at $10,000, will be a citizen survey. "We want to be able to ask people what our priorities should be," said Messina. "We want to ask, ‘What would you like us to be doing, what do you like that we’re already doing? Where do we go from here?’ " Police expenses will include up to $1,500 for a citizens’ academy this fall, educating residents on public safety and police procedures, and funding for bike patrols to monitor the Bear Creek Greenway during summer months. Messina said he asked department heads to keep budget items "pretty much status quo." "We’re going to be watching growth to see if things will stay the same," he said. "Public works is going to be real busy, which they usually are. Overall we’ll have about $16 million going out between streets, water and parks. But other than the citizens academy and the bike patrol, we’re going to be pretty boring. A typical budget year." Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford.E-mail her at [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 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