The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider accepting federal funding for road improvements on Lancaster and Hollywood Drives.
To fund the Lancaster Drive project, the county will consider adding $876,000 to an agreement with the state Department of Transportation for improvements between Northeast Center Street and Northeast Monroe Avenue. About $651,000 would come from federal sources, with the county paying the rest. The new contract would total $3.5 million.
The work would include building commercial driveways and sidewalks with accessible ramps on the east side of Lancaster, “replacing existing asphalt sidewalks and driveways that are virtually impassable to wheelchairs and motorized scooters,” according to the agenda.
The project would also resurface Lancaster Drive, and “create notable visual improvement to business frontages, making it easier for drivers to access businesses between Center Street and Monroe Avenue.”
The board will also consider accepting new federal funding to improve Northeast Hollywood Drive from Northeast Silverton Road to Northeast Greenfield Lane. The work would include building bike lanes and sidewalks along both sides of the road, as well as a new signalized intersection at the intersection with Silverton Road.
A proposed agreement with the state Department of Transportation would add about $818,000 of federal funding to the project and reduce county costs by about $377,000.
The new contract would total $4.2 million for the Hollywood Drive project. About $3.7 million would come from federal sources, and the county would cover the rest with donated staff time and county road funds.
READ IT: AGENDA
Commissioners will consider approving two $150,000 contracts with local ambulance services to provide free vaccines for Marion County residents.
The proposed contracts are with Falck Northwest Corporation and Woodburn Ambulance Service, Inc. The county will provide vaccines based on specific area needs for the ambulance services to administer.
“By increasing vaccination rates for respiratory illnesses, we can reduce the overall impact of respiratory illnesses on the population during the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent flu or other respiratory hospitalizations and/or emergency department visits,” the agenda said.
The board will also consider adding about $88,000 to an agreement with the state Department of Human Services to pay for Community Development Disabilities Program services in Marion County through June. The new contract would total about $27.3 million.
They will also consider adding $90,000 to a contract with Professional Therapeutic Community Network, Inc. to provide clinical treatment therapy through June for patients of the state Psychiatric Security Review Board. The new contract would total $150,000.
Commissioners will consider spending about $110,000 on new server software for the county.
The board will also consider proclamations designating the week of April 16-22 as Volunteer Week in Marion County, and the week of April 17-21 as Work Zone Awareness Week.
Meeting details: The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
