The Salem City Council meets Monday, March 27, to discuss grant applications for upgrades to Geer Park, a new Salem Housing Authority commissioner and an application to fund a mini street sweeper.
READ IT: AGENDA
The meeting starts at 6 p.m., and will be both in-person at the council chambers and available to watch online.
To comment remotely, sign up on the city website between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday. The meeting will be livestreamed on Capital Community Media’s YouTube channel, with translation to Spanish and American sign language available.
For written comments, email [email protected] before 5 p.m. on Monday, or on paper to the city recorder’s office at the Civic Center, 555 Liberty St. S.E., Room 225. Include a statement indicating the comment is for the public record.
Geer Park upgrades
The council will consider applying for state funding to pay for improvements to Geer Park.
If approved, the city would apply for up to $750,000 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s local government program for improvements to the northeast Salem Park, according to the staff report.
The project is estimated to cost $4.25 million. It received additional funding from the city’s parks development charges, which are fees paid during new developments.
The planned improvements to the 44-acre park include pathed pathways, new benches, a skate park and a shelter for picnics.
The Geer park master plan includes an off-leash dog park, an additional picnic shelter and the renovation of two baseball and two soccer fields, planned to start in the next fiscal year. Those improvements will be funded by the $300 million bond voters approved in November.
New commissioner at the Salem Housing Authority
Councilors will also vote on whether to appoint Heather Villegas to the Salem Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners for a four-year term.
The Salem Housing Authority oversees the city’s public housing, housing vouchers, affordable housing and supportive services. Its commissioners include the city councilors and one resident who receives assistance from the housing authority.
Villegas participated in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as the section 8 housing assistance program, and works to serve families at Polk County’s child welfare office according to the staff report and her application.
Mini street Sweeper
The council will also vote on whether to apply for funds from Portland General Electric to buy a small street sweeper that would fit in guarded bike lanes, alleys, park pathways and other tighter spaces.
The estimated cost of the electric, battery-powered sweeper would be $250,000. The grant request to PGE’s Drive Change Fund would be $225,000, and if approved the city would pay $25,000 from its utility funds.
Ordinances
The city will also decide on whether to designate the Salem Civic Center as a local historic resource. The Civic Center, an example of brutalist architecture, recently turned 50 and became eligible for the designation.
The center was added to the National Register of Historic Places last year, and making it a Salem local historic resource would allow the city to oversee changes to the building, rather than the state.
The council will also vote on an ordinance that would align city parking code with state law regarding unclaimed vehicles. It includes allowing the city to expedite the disposal of abandoned vehicles worth less than $500, and other changes the staff report said will promote efficiency.
Development
The council will also hear about an application approved by the planning administrator to build a 90-unit multi-family apartment complex on Northeast Blossom Drive.
Monday’s meeting will also include a public hearing about removing public access to a block-long section of Northwest 1st Street surrounded by vacant or under-maintained properties.
The city’s street classification standards are preventing new constructions, according to the staff report, which recommends that the city approve the vacation and provide utility easements.
The city hopes to spur development by vacating the 300-foot section of road, a move the report said will have limited impact on vehicle and pedestrian transportation.
The council will also hear about a permit for marijuana growing facility at 1290 12th St. S.E., approved by the city hearing’s officer on March 16.
The conditional use required that the marijuana be produced indoors, and with sufficient air filtration so the smell doesn’t bother neighbors.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
