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Calle fix called too expensive By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- After years of planning and months of public meetings, the restoration of Calle Guanajuato hit a snag Tuesday night when several members of the Ashland City Council questioned the burgeoning costs of the $1.6 million project. "I think it's too much," said Councilman Cameron Hanson, "This is not a restoration project, but a remodel. And it's way more than we want to spend." The council had been scheduled to approve the project's master plan at a joint meeting of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission and Ashland City Council Tuesday. Instead, after the parks commission endorsed the plan, the council decided to put off decisions until their Oct. 19 meeting. Parks commissioner Teri Coppedge, who called the master plan "brilliant," was upset over the turn of events. "I find it interesting at this stage of the game that I'm hearing people questioning the whole project," she said. "I've been working on this since the flood. Why tonight are we hearing these questions?" The Eugene-based landscape architecture firm of Cameron McCarthy Gilbert presented final designs Tuesday to the elected officials. Calle Guanajuato -- a paved alley behind the Plaza businesses -- was severely damaged in the New Year's Day flood of 1997. A few months ago, city and park administrators agreed they could set aside $1 million in next year's budget for the project. About $600,000 of that money would come from flood restoration bonds. The commission already paid $49,500 for the project designs and for a series of public workshops held this summer. Under the plan, the paved east side of the Calle would remain relatively unchanged. Throughout the creek, stream banks would be replaced with a stair-stepped design. Large boulders and vegetation would help the area withstand floodwaters. Two new footbridges are included in the plan -- one permanent and one removable -- and the current footbridge, considered a flood hazard, would be torn out. The plan does not protect businesses at the lower end of the Calle from the effects of a 100-year flood, consultants warned. Debris would build up at the bridge at North Main Street and lower businesses would flood again, unless they took measures like sandbagging and pumping. The consultants recommended flood drills. Hanson said the ineffectiveness of the plan also bothered him. "It's a very nice plan. Very pretty," he said. "But it won't save us from the flood." Commissioner JoAnne Eggers said that Ashland residents value the Calle. "It's quite important to citizens of Ashland for us to do a nice job restoring that," she said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA