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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, March 23, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 22, 2005 Urban renewal issues priorities MURA’s board will consider the proposed four-year plan at its meeting tonight By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Completing the Evergreen parking structure and building Evergreen Way in downtown Medford are proposed as the top priorities on the Medford Urban Renewal Agency’s planning agenda. The MURA board will consider adopting a four-year project plan during its regular meeting at 7 tonight in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 411. W. Eighth St. The 20-item list of planned projects is broken into four categories: committed and funded; designing phase, not funded; programming phase; and informally discussed. Leading the list of committed and funded projects is the Evergreen parking structure, which will be situated between Main and Eighth streets and Fir Street and the railroad tracks. It is due to be completed in the fall. Evergreen Way would run along the east side of the parking structure. MURA will also continue its facade-improvement projects and rehabilitation loans for buildings within the urban renewal district. Advertisement MURA has eight years remaining on its voter-approved 25-year lifespan. Projects recently completed by the agency include a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek near Ninth Street and Riverside Avenue, streetscape improvements — sidewalks, street lamps, trees — around City Hall and on the north end of Central Avenue, new circuitry for the railroad in preparation for construction of Evergreen Way, and Bear Creek design guidelines for such creekside amenities as walkways and benches. Down the list, in the programming phase for the next four years, is the Liberty Park project between Edwards and Manzanita streets. The park project has been touted as a way to help revitalize the lower-income neighborhood north of downtown Medford. Eric Iversen, senior planner for MURA, said the project is not higher on the list because it is a joint effort with the city, which is seeking funding for its share of the park project. City officials hope to buy eight private properties totaling about 1.5 acres adjacent to the site of the former Medford Lanes bowling alley. The city is seeking a $500,000 state Land and Water Conservation grant to cover part of the project. MURA has pledged $500,000 toward the project. Brian Sjothun, city parks and recreation director, said the city expects to learn near the end of April whether it’s been awarded the grant. "We would have a million dollars for a $1.4 million dollar project," he said, adding that work on the new park could begin in the fall at the earliest. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s