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Students take part in Rogue River transportation plan By Buffy Pollock ROGUE RIVER � Participants in a new citizens advisory committee, charged with preparing a 20-year transportation plan for the city, will have to juggle their time between government business and nightly homework assignments. Students of government classes at Rogue River High School have been recruited to work with the city, a design group and their teacher to identify transportation facilities and services that will meet local the city�s needs for the next few decades. A $30,000 state grant is helping the city complete the state-required project. City planner Hope Warren already had been working with government teacher Mari Holder to involve students in their local government. She said the Transportation System Plan seemed like the perfect vehicle. "I thought it would be a good idea to involve students who would be here to see the benefits of the improvements," she said. Holder said she felt being directly involved with local issues made the students feel more connected to their city. "A few of them have said they want to move away, but the ones who will stay around are going to see what they worked for. How many people have a chance to say, �this is what our community is going to be like in 20 years� and then have a chance to see it?" she said. Warren said with the completed transportation plan, the city will be eligible to receive other grants from the state. At the first of five meetings, held earlier this month, sophomore David Lichty sat with the advisory committee and made his concerns known. "Mostly we told them which roads needed more sidewalks, where we needed parking spaces down Main Street and which areas that speed limits needed to be controlled better," Lichty said. "And where railroad tracks needed improving." Lichty said he felt the project�s most important goals should be making the city safer for drivers and relieving congestion at the Interstate 5 intersection. "It gets hectic during traffic hours," he said. Larry Lewis, of TriLand Design Group, hired to help Rogue River with the project, said involving students in local government seemed to be a good trend. "I think it�s great getting students involved," he said. "In government, it�s really surprising what good input you can get from young people." The Transportation System Plan area includes all lands within Rogue River�s urban growth boundary. It is about two times larger than the area within the city limits. Rogue River�s population is estimated at 1,960. Since a construction moratorium imposed in 1992 was lifted in 1998, Rogue River has witnessed an increased interest in new development with the city limits and the urban growth boundary. Questionnaires will be sent to residents with their water bills and about 15 citizens will be interviewed to get an idea of residents� concerns regarding traffic. The next community open house on the project will be at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Senior Annex on Broadway. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.