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Click Here 47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, February 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend February 6, 2004 Council keeps popular downtown parking lot open By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune A favorite downtown parking spot received a stay of execution Thursday. The Medford City Council voted 7-1 to postpone the closure of the popular-but-unofficial Winetrout parking lot after Rogue Community College President Rick Levine told the council they just needed time to put a plan together. "We’d like to do it in an orderly manner," said Levine. "We think there are both short-term and long-term solutions to the problem." Levine requested that the lot, which is frequently used by RCC students, remain available until March 22, the end of the winter quarter. He also wanted some time to come up with solutions to what some students say is a downtown parking shortage. Advertisement The unimproved lot on Main and Fir streets is owned by the Medford Urban Renewal Agency and was scheduled to be blocked off Saturday. MURA has plans to begin construction of a five-story parking structure in May. Although popular with RCC students because it’s close and it’s free, it’s also has become a muddy eyesore, and some council members asked MURA to close it off because city code requires parking lots to be paved. MURA was two days away from complying, until Councilman Bob Strosser raised the issue at the council’s noon meeting. He said it would be reasonable to give the college an opportunity to come up with more parking options. Levine said RCC and MURA were working together to come up with a solution to a problem of parking for all-day students. Among the discussions were extending hours on existing spots so students don’t have to leave class to move their cars. Councilman John Michaels, who cast the only dissenting vote, said he could not support postponing the lot’s closure. He said the council didn’t give other downtown property owners a break in requiring them to pave their lots. But Councilman Bill Moore said he wanted to cut MURA and RCC some slack. "I don’t like ultimatums," he said. "It must be my Irish background." Councilman Jim Key, who said he’s been expressing concern over the vacant dirt lot for a couple years, said he could agree to the March 22 deadline, as did Councilman Jason Anderson, who also asked that MURA comply with the code. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [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 3 WEEKS FREE! 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