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Greenway acquisition is last link By JIM DAVIS The city of Medford is close to acquiring one of the last major sections of land needed to complete the Bear Creek Greenway. The 4.95-acre strip south of South Stage Road is a key link in the Greenway, a biking and hiking path that will eventually run along Bear Creek from Ashland to Central Point, said Medford Parks Director Greg Jones. "This has been a dream and a goal for the community since the 1960s when the Greenway concept was put together," Jones said. "It's pretty exciting to have all the parcels put together for this path." The City Council is expected to vote at its noon meeting Thursday to acquire the parcel. The land, which will include the creek, will cost $21,334. The Greenway Construction Fund will pay $15,000 to build a fence between that portion of the Greenway and a new manufactured home subdivision. Al Densmore, who has worked on the Greenway project since the 1970s, said the acquisition is a good step, but getting the pathway financed and finished is the goal. "We've figured that the property is not our major problem at this point," Densmore said. "We're looking beyond that point." The first leg of the Greenway, a 3.5-mile stretch through Medford, was built in 1973. The Greenway path now links Central Point with Medford, and Ashland with Talent. A six-mile gap in the path separates the Central Point-Medford stretch from the Ashland-Talent stretch. The next major step is to build a two-mile stretch between Barnett Road in south Medford and South Stage Road, with engineering work beginning next year, said Karen Smith, who oversees the Greenway as special projects manager for Jackson County's Department of Roads and Parks Services. Challenges in building this section include two bridges and routing the path under Barnett Road and Interstate 5. The Oregon Transportation Commission is expected to give formal approval sometime this fall to $1.95 million to build that portion of the Greenway. This week, the city of Medford intends to acquire the 4.95-acre link south of South Stage Road. The land is currently owned by the Vieira Trust. Smith said acquiring the South Stage parcel leaves just three small parcels along the Greenway route to be acquired. There is a 2-acre strip north of Central Point and two small sections between Medford and Talent. Most of the property is already owned in the last two cases, but Smith said that backers would like to expand the Greenway beyond the creek's banks. Also, small slices of land -- 10 to 15 feet -- will probably have to be acquired as engineers lay out plans. Progress on the Greenway is increasing interest and enthusiasm in the overall project, Densmore said. "The closer we get," Densmore said, "the more extensions to the path that are completed, the more excited people are about the possibilities." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA